Updates about enrollment numbers and new academic programs will be discussed at the Council on University Planning and Budget meeting 2 p.m. Friday in room 1895 in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said he will give an update on spring enrollment figures, an update on the first week, the various program initiatives that President David Glassman is working on and new program opportunities for students.

“Tomorrow will be an informational update,” Lord said.

Lord also said he will discuss the topics further at Fridays meeting.

Lord said the goal of CUPB is to pursue whatever agenda they and the president have and since they are in a holding pattern, he will give information on the progress of academic affairs such as the initiatives to try to boost enrollment.

Dave Emmerich, the chair of CUPB, said the hard part about recent meetings is the lack of a state budget.

“They (CUPB) are supposed to talk about the university budgeting and planning but of course we don’t have a budget so much of what they have been receiving so far this year has been ‘here is what we do not have to talk about because we do not have anything’,” Lord said.

Emmerich said at every meeting so far this year there has been an update on where the state is in regards to the budget.

“Because there’s no budget from the state for us right now, we don’t have a lot of discussion about what we can do with funds because we don’t have any funds,” Emmerich said. “There’s very little we can do.”

Members will also discuss the cost efficiencies initiative, a subcommittee that was brought up from the ashes of the cost containment committee and reintroduced this year.

Emmerich said the idea of the cost containment committee was to give university employees, faculty, staff, and students an outlet to express their ideas on university costs.

Emmerich also said they are also working on trying to provide a way to get the University involved and get information from university to help come up with ideas and give those ideas to the administration.

Paul McCann, the interim vice president for business affairs, said the members might discuss the reverse option process regarding WEIU but he said there is “a lot to go over” before any discussions can take place.

“There’s very little we can discuss,” McCann said. “There is a gag order on us and we can’t speak about it.”

Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]