The Council on University Planning and Budget will hear reports Friday from Textbook Rental and from the administrative and subcommittees during its meeting in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Cathy Engelkes, the deputy director of the University Union and Textbook Rental, will speak on behalf of the Union and Mitch Coe, the University Bookstore manager, will present on behalf of Textbook Rental.

Engelkes and Coe will explain what is happening with the University and Textbook Rental as well as give updates to the CUPB.

In addition to the presentations, the CUPB will hear the administrative and subcommittee reports from the president, university advancement, the vice president for academic affairs, the interim vice president for business affairs and the interim vice president for student affairs.

Getting up to Speed

At the Nov. 1 CUPB meeting, Paul McCann, the interim vice president for business affairs, explained the deferred maintenance backlog that has increased over the last year by $19 million. That deferred maintenance backlog is at $252 million.

He explained what the deferred maintenance projects were, in addition to the emergency projects on campus such as HVAC work in the life science building, which will cost $5.4 million; replacing an elevator at O’Brien Field, which will cost $1 million; and fixing the water main at the Physical Science Building, which will cost $75,000.

The breakdown comes after Eastern proposed several potential increases in several areas to Springfield for its fiscal year 2021 budget.

Of the increases, McCann said the university is requesting about $1,344.70 for repair and maintenance of campus buildings and infrastructure to assist with reducing the growth of deferred maintenance.

However, this is only 6 percent of annual growth of deferred maintenance, he said.

McCann is expected to give another presentation discussing Eastern’s budget at Friday’s meeting.

Other Notes

Also expected to be discussed is the current dean and vice president searches that are underway on campus.

The positions are vice president for business affairs, vice president for student affairs, dean for the College of Education, dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, executive director of Information Technology Services, director of admissions, and director of the Tarble Arts Center.

McCann is the current interim vice president for business affairs and Lynette Drake is the current interim vice president for student affairs.

The first positions that will be filled will be the dean positions.

Eastern President David Glassman said in a November 12 article that dates for those dean candidates coming to campus will be announced before winter break and the final candidates will most likely come to campus for open session interviews in January.

The CUPB will have its meeting at 2 p.m. Friday in the Arcola Tuscola Room of the University Union.

Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or achaynes@eiu.edu.