Members of Eastern’s Board of Trustees approved a budget request for a flat tuition rate in Fiscal Year 2015 at their meeting Monday.

In light of ongoing economic conditions and the need to continue new recruiting efforts, President Bill Perry said keeping low tuition rate increases is key.

A 1.43-percent tuition increase for FY 14 was approved at the February BOT meeting, and as of now, there are no fee or tuition increases incorporated into the budget recommendation for FY 15.

“We’re basing it also on what we expect to be the rate and number of students, both part and full-time,” Perry said.

In the past few years, the board has continued to decrease the tuition rate.

The 2012-2013 tuition rate increase was 3.7 percent, and a 1.43 percent increase for 2013-2014.

Perry presented the FY 14 budget overview along with the recommended FY 15 budget at the meeting, reviewing both the national, state and local angles of the budget.

“When we budget, we budget in a context,” he said.

The national contexts Perry presented were addressed by affordability, competition for students, post-graduation employment and federal student support.

He cited components such as Pell grants and competition from state to state.

“Illinois continues to be one of the largest exporters of students, and we compete for students here in the Midwest,” Perry said. “The competition really is all over the country.”

In the state context, Perry talked about Illinois’ economy and its effects on the university.

He highlighted unresolved budget issues, declining enrollments statewide and high unemployment rates.

At Eastern, Perry said there are several actions that should be continued and enforced.

He included investing in academic excellence, re-engineering the admissions process, lower tuition increases, strategic plan execution and program analysis.

“We’ve done a good job over the last several years of being conservative in our budgeting and keeping things lean,” he said. “Because of this, we are able to pass along those savings to our students.”

Perry said he is not sure what the future holds for Eastern’s overall revenue, but pension reform discussions and the lingering effects of the economic recession will play a role.

“One thing we do know of for sure is that we are going to have to address these issues, and that’s why in the past couple of years, we’ve re-engineered admissions and we’re doing this program analysis so we can depend more on ourselves to get the job done,” he said. “We need to continue to provide superior education to our students.”

Paul McCann, Eastern’s treasurer, presented expenditures of $250,000 or more that included an annual supply of diesel and fuel oil, two sets of legal services for the university and the construction of a Center for Clean Energy Research and Education.

The supply of diesel and fuel oil is an annual fee, and the board approved a two-year agreement for $950,000.

The legal fees that were approved included fees from this current fiscal year that were additional to what was originally allotted not to exceed $300,000, along with future legal services in four two-year interval renewals that are not to exceed $500,000 for each two-year period.

The board also recognized John Inyart, the former mayor of Charleston, whose term ended earlier this month.

Perry commended Inyart for his service to the community and to Eastern, and presented him with a plaque.

The board also recognized two members: Roger Kratochvil, the former chairman of the board, and Jarrod Scherle, the board’s student member.

Kratochvil will remain on the board as a member, and Scherle will be replaced by the next student representative.

Joseph Dively is the new chairman of the board.

The board member’s also approved personnel contracts for Barbara Burke, the director of intercollegiate athletics; Jay Spoonhour, the men’s basketball coach; Debbie Black, the head women’s basketball coach; and Regis Gilman, the dean of the School of Continuing Education.

Robyn Dexter can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].