Spring Break
Weber hired to fill open vice president for business affairs position
Matt Hopf / News Editor
Issue date: 3/24/09 Section: News
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Weber was named vice president for business affairs Monday.
"I'm hoping that we'll know what our plans are with (the Renewable Energy Center) before July 1, but it is also possible that things may still be in the works," he said. "So depending on developments between now and July 1 that will certainly be a point of attention."
Eastern announced last fall its intention to build the center, which would burn non-treated wood chips obtained as byproducts from the lumber industry.
The steam plant burns coal to supply heat and cooling to the campus. With wood chips, the center, which will be located off of 18th Street and Edgar Drive, would reduce overall air emissions.
The university announced in November it would delay the plant amid funding concerns with the economic climate and to allow Charleston residents to give more input in the facility.
Weber said the steam plant has accumulated $16 million in deferred maintenance, and if it were replaced, it would take a major amount out of the accumulated deferred maintenance.
To decrease the deferred maintenance, the university would need to see additional revenue. Accumulated deferred maintenance is about $176.5 million.
"Part of our budget request to the state is additional funds earmarked for deferred maintenance," Weber said.
The budget for Fiscal Year 2010 will also be part of his early responsibilities.
"It's a little too early to know whether those numbers will be available by that point; although we certainly hope that we'll know our appropriation from the state by then," Weber said.
When the university receives the state appropriations, he knows it will be tight.
The university was asked to place 2.5 percent of the current appropriations - about $1.26 million - in reserve to possibly get back to the state. The state has yet to inform the university if it will require the funds back.
Weber said he would look at ways to save money within the budget by increasing paperless processes and better utilizing the Banner software.
"The last three years or so we have been making the transition to this enterprise software system called Banner," he said. "We've done an excellent job in making that transition, but we are now at the stage where we need to unlock more of the power of Banner."
This includes activating part of the software, which would allow the processes of hiring new faculty or staff and personnel changes to become paperless.
Weber joined Eastern's economics faculty in 1988 and became a professor in 1995.
He has served as Eastern's interim budget director since December 2007. He also serves as associate vice president for academic affairs and director of summer sessions.
He was selected from about 40 applicants in a national search that began after Jeff Cooley, who served as vice president for business affairs since 1999, retired on Dec. 31, 2008.
Paul McCann, director of business services/treasurer, has served as interim vice president for business affairs since Cooley's retirement.
Weber was named a finalist in January along with Patrick Kirby, associate vice president for financial affairs at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, and Donald Chrusciel, associate director of Facilities Planning and Management at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Robert Augustine, dean of the Graduate School and chair of the search committee, said Weber brought the most expertise in budgeting and planning to the position.
With the state of the economy, future budgets were a part of the interviewing process.
"Part of the interview process, we talked about the economic conditions of the nation and the state," Augustine said.
The vice president for business affairs reports to the president and serves on the President's Council and as treasurer of the Board of Trustees.
After assuming the post, Weber will be responsible for the supervision, coordination and administration of the Budget Office, Business Services, Information Technology Services, Human Resources, Facilities Planning and Management, Environmental Health and Safety, Records Management and the broad areas of service related to these units.
Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7942 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.
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