Members of the Board of Trustees will meet to approve the budget for Eastern’s Fiscal Year ’13 during their meeting 1 p.m. Monday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The proposed budget would allocate around $16 million of federal financial aid to students. About $400,000 less would be allocated than in FY ’12.

Jerry Donna, director of the financial aid office, said despite the decrease in aid there will not be a smaller percentage of students receiving access to funds.

“As our enrollment drops, we can’t pull in as much money for federal aid,” Donna said. “There are less people accessing those funds.”

Donna said this does not reflect the institution’s attitude to giving aid to students. The administration has expressed a greater desire to help students and put more funds in aid, he said.

Donna said funding situations are going to get better for incoming students as there is a recent push to give out merit scholarships to them.

“This is something we need to do,” Donna said. “It’s the right thing to do. The administration recognizes it’s a time where more students need (aid) in order to go to school.”

During their meeting, the board will also vote on potentially adding a Master of Sciences in sustainable energy degree.

Ryan Siegel, campus energy and sustainability coordinator, said the degree would be a part of a new, versatile curriculum.

“We’re expecting a very broad student base,” Siegel said. “Whether that be philosophy to psychology, or be it physics to chemistry, or even the arts.”

He said the program would be cross-curricular with 10 or more departments involved. Through the program, he said students could study different renewable energy sources, the science of energy conversion, the entrepreneurship and economic aspects of renewable energy, as well as several other fields.

Siegel said students will have some flexibility in the program based on their interests so they can better use their chosen skill set in the field of renewable energy.

He said the program would include not only classes but potentially an internship and job-shadowing at the Renewable Energy Center as well.

At the meeting the board will also:

•Discuss labor agreements

•Vote to approve the contract of

Lee Buchanan, the new women’s

head basketball coach

•Review internal auditing charter

revisions

•Discuss the building location of

the new Center for Clean Energy

Research and Education

•Revise the Tarble Arts Center code

of ethics

•Review the 2013 board meeting

calendar

Seth Schroeder can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].