The Eastern Board of Trustees moved forward with steps to complete the construction of the new Textbook Rental Services building by approving the purchase of new advanced technology operating systems for the site at the board meeting Friday.

In addition, insights on the progress of the Student Success Center and the building of its new facility were given. The board also approved two athletic personnel contracts and the appointment of a representative to the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative.

“In November, the board approved the construction of the textbook rental facility,” said Paul McCann, interim vice president for business affairs. “And this facility provides us with the opportunity to improve the services we provide to the students.”

The facility’s budget called for the purchase of a self-checkout and automated material handling systems — a technologically advanced system for checkout and returns. The system uses radio frequency identification chips, conveyor belts and scanners to cut processing and waiting time in both areas.

“This item specifically provides us with the self-checkout of the textbook, the ability to automate the return process and automatic service capability,” McCann said. “Each textbook will have a radio frequency identification chip placed in it to allow this process to work.”

The purchase was made for no more than $750,000 from Tech Logic in White Bear Lake, Minn. McCann said that administrators and planners spent a lengthy amount of time researching the new technology and its advantages.

“We have toured several local libraries where this system has been used and got positive reviews from their operators,” he said about researching other bidders.

Eric Wilber, student executive vice president and student trustee, said that the students already approved the purchase for a $1 per credit hour fee increase.

“The students are in full support of this,” he said. “This was already included in the budget for the textbook rental facility and was approved by the students.”

Board members William O’Rourke and Julie Nimmons commended the purchase.

“After thorough explanation — we were a bit of a hard sell — McCann convinced us that this was a good purchase,” O’Rourke said. “It is a more a student benefit than an economic benefit, but we keep our service to our students a top priority.”

“I would like to commend the students for taking a step forward and approving this purchase because the majority are doing so with the knowledge that they will never use this facility,” Nimmons said.

The facility is expected to open in the spring 2010.

As the Textbook Rental Services building is shovel ready, the Student Success Center is well underway and proposed to be open by May of this year, according to Cindy Boyer, assistant director of student success.

Board members were enlightened to the progress the Student Success Center has had in its one year of operation — successes that Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said reiterated the necessity of the new facility for the campus.

The program uses a referral system to help students who may be struggling with course loads or other academic issues. Students who have been dismissed from an academic semester must participate in the program upon their return.

Boyer said the new program has increased the number of students who have regained good standing from 34 percent to 92 percent by the student’s next academic year.

The Student Success Center has been temporarily been housed in McAfee Gym but will be moving to its new home with an addition to Ninth Street Hall, near Carman Hall.

In other items, the board approved the appointment of McCann as the Representative to the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative.

McCann is filling the position left open by Jeff Cooley, former vice president for business affairs, who retired at the end of 2008.

McCann is also taking over the position of state purchasing officer. His responsibilities include making purchases in the cooperative for bulk products such as paper for cheaper collective rates.

The board also approved two personnel contracts by addendum, both in the athletic department.

The board approved a three-year contract for head volleyball coach Alan Segal and a two-year contract extension for head football coach Bob Spoo.

Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7942 or at ksmoya@eiu.edu.

Chairperson Roger Kratochvil laughs during the Board of Trustees meeting after a board member said a joke Friday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. (Karolina Strack / The Daily Eastern News)

(more…)