The Board of Trustees discussed emerging technology through a new interactive map that helps people access campus more efficiently.

Ryan Gibson, from the Center for Academic Technology Support, presented an interactive map to the Board, which is an improvement from the PDF image.

“Most users use search on the website,” Gibson said. “A photographer took pictures of each building; it gives directions and allows them to link to it.”

If the user clicks on a place on the map, the map shows the user where they want to be in the designated building, Gibson said.

The interactive map is in compliance with the university police to help designate specific parking lots and is specific enough to locate lots for underclassmen.

“They can find it all in one place,” Gibson said. “There’s a building list and filters for athletics.”

This is stage one of the process and stage two will include social media, Gibson said.

“We’re getting thousands of hits a month,” Gibson said.

The interactive map can be viewed on the Eastern website under the Eastern directory.

William Weber, vice president of business affairs, said the university began last fiscal year with $47.4 million and has yet to receive $20 million from the state legislature.

“Last year we reduced our budget,” Weber said. “We continue to have one of the highest graduation rates of state universities as well as one of the highest retention rate.”

Weber discussed threats and opportunities with the Board, which may impact students and their families.

Weber said students and their families have trouble paying for higher education due to the high unemployment rate in Illinois.

“We continue to struggle with cash flow issues,” Weber said. “Across the state enrollment seems to be soft.”

Weber said the budget is heading in the right direction but the university is in a slow recovery.

Dan Nadler, vice president of student affairs, presented the summer children’s camps to the Board of Trustees.

“It’s absolutely amazing how busy the campus is during the summer,” Nadler said. “Our camp program is extremely popular not only throughout this region but throughout this state.”

Nadler said there are three reasons the university continues to invite students to these camps each summer. Nadler said there have been music camps at Eastern for the previous 56 years.

“It provides us great exposure to great EIU students,” Nadler said. “It recruits them to the university and makes good impressions on them.”

When people have a great experience at Eastern, they will share that information with other people, Nadler said.

The other reason for hosting the camps is to provide employment opportunities for faculty and students who stay over the summer.

The university also likes to provide educational programs to their guests, Nadler said.

During the 1960s when President Quincy V. Doudna was in office, there was an incentive to bring students to Eastern for camps and conferences.

“We try to provide a good experience where people want to come back year after year,” Nadler said. “We have about 12,000 participants on campus throughout the summer.”

Eastern has 50 camps located on the campus throughout the summer, Nadler said.

“Since the summer of 2000, we have had over 129,000 summer guests,” Nadler said. “We’re hoping to help the low economy here as well.”

Nadler said the IHSA state track championship meets has been on campus for 37 years for the boys and 38 years for the girls.

Premier boys state (PBS) has been held on campus for the previous 36 years and Illini Girls State (IGS) for 25 years, Nadler said. Both of these camps give students the educational benefit of learning about the government and their role in it.

“An average 25 PBS citizens and 41 IGS citizens return to Eastern as students,” Nadler said.

Construction will be going on campus-wide this summer. Taylor Hall will undergo shower renovations with the addition of sprinklers in the dorm. The total amount for the project is $1.8 million.

In the next year, the campus has plans to include security cameras in Doudna Fine Arts Center while Ford, McKinney and Weller will have a new sprinkler system installed.

Jennifer Brown can be reached at