llinois currently to owe Eastern $11.7 million in appropriated funds, said William Weber, the vice president for business affairs Friday.

Weber informed The Council on University Planning and Budgeting that the state has made progress in paying down the $48 million from Fiscal Year ’12—an improvement over past years.

“Many of you were around when we started this slow cash flow from the state about three years ago but this is an improvement,” Weber said. “At the end of Fiscal Year 2011, the owed us over 20 million. At some point between these payments and the budget cuts they are making, it will all meet.”

The council also elected a new chair and executive committee for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Steve Rich, the director of alumni services, was elected to the position after running unopposed.

“I’m looking forward to working with this great group and advising the Eastern President Bill Perry in any way we can,” Rich said.

After his election, Rich ran the meeting.

The councils subcommittee for a universal meeting time on campus gave the council an update on how they have designed a survey concerning the issue. Before it can be distributed, the survey has to be approved by Perry.

Perry said he would go over the survey within the next week so it can be distributed.

Jenny Sipes, of the department of student affairs and subcommittee member, said the council was charged with investigating this idea after the shared governance committee suggested it to Perry last year.

“After the shared governance committee brought this idea to President Perry, he charges the CUPB with investigating it, and we created a subcommittee, Sipes said. “It would be a time set aside for a purpose that we do not really know yet, that is why we are doing the survey.”

In discussions with various colleagues, Rich said he noticed different opinions of what they time could be used for.

“It is hard to define what it would be used for, some say just the university governing councils, while others said all the subcommittees,” Rich said. “It is really as clear as mud what people think at this point.”

The council also went through executive reports from Perry, and the varying vice presidents including Weber and Daniel Nadler, the vice president for student affairs.

Blair Lord, the provost and the vice president for academic affairs, and Bill Martin, the vice president for university advancement, did not attend the meeting.

Amy Wywialowski can be reached at 581-2812 or alwywialowski@eiu.edu