EDIT: Melinda Mueller was erroneously quoted in a previous version of this article. Mueller should have been quoted as saying the organization subcommittee may ultimately conclude the current academic college organization should be kept the way it is. The News regrets the error.

The members of Workgroup no. 9, Academic Visioning II, had their first regular meeting since creating subcommittees, in which each committee gave a report on its progress thus far.

Each subcommittee discussed the next steps it would take to present its information in the form of a town hall meeting before submitting a final report in April of this year.

During the meeting, Workgroup Chair Melinda Mueller, a political science professor, showed the group a PowerPoint presentation that the Organization subcommittee created to detail the options they came up with.

Some of the options recommended combining academic colleges under the same title, but Mueller said the organization subcommittee may ultimately conclude the current academic college organization should be kept the way it is.

The Differential Tuition subcommittee spent time comparing the cost of tuition for Eastern’s graduate school to other institutions in the state.

Richard England, dean of the Honors College, said Eastern is the cheapest graduate public school in Illinois.

The Variable Learning Models subcommittee looked at the possibility of 13-week classes and examining the online courses offered at Eastern.

English professor Suzie Park and Amanda Harvey, interim associate director for Health Service, are both looking into the financial aspects of the options they explored.

Park said the options of 13-week classes and expanding certain class schedules could potentially save at least $1,000 in certain departments.

“I think 13-week semester is very innovative,” Mueller said.

The subcommittees are still finalizing their plans to present at the town hall meetings scheduled for February.

One more regular meeting will be 1 p.m. Monday Feb. 6 to finish the subcommittee reports and complete any final notes and review any feedback they receive before the town hall.

The town halls have been scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 21 and 28. The location of the town halls has not been officially announced, but Mueller said she would like to have it in the Coleman Auditorium.

The town hall scheduled for Feb. 21 will discuss the options recommended by the Organization subcommittee, and the town hall on Feb. 28 will discuss the reports from the Variable Learning Models and Differential Tuition subcommittees.

Angelica Cataldo can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].