For more information, contact: Ann K. Hayes (573) 651-2552 ahayes@semo.edu
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RIVER CAMPUS PROJECT WEAVING A WEB OF RESOURCES
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Feb. 27, 2003 - When U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson recently announced that a total of $1.7 million in the FY2003 federal budget has been earmarked for Southeast Missouri State University and the City of Cape Girardeau, it marked the latest stage in the development of a web of resources to be used for the enhancement of the River Campus. Under the earmarks announced Feb. 13 and 14, the City of Cape Girardeau will receive $500,000, which will be used for downtown revitalization and infrastructure improvements on and around the River Campus. Another earmark of $1.2 million for the University will be used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the River Campus facilities. Kenneth W. Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University, said, "I would like to express the University's sincere gratitude to Senator Bond and Representative Emerson for their tremendous commitment to this project and for convincing their colleagues in Washington to support this important initiative. This is not the first time our legislators in Washington have rallied support for this project. Time and again they have done what is necessary to bring federal dollars back to Missouri and to put these dollars to work in enhancing educational and cultural opportunities for our students and residents throughout the Southeast Missouri region. We owe the team of Senator Bond and Representative Emerson a huge debt of gratitude for their efforts." Officials with the City of Cape Girardeau, who are working cooperatively with the University in the development of the River Campus as part of downtown revitalization, applauded the University's efforts for working with our Washington legislators in securing additional funding for the project. "President Dobbins and the University have worked diligently to bring state and federal funding to our community in a way that benefits everyone," said Jay Knudtson, mayor of Cape Girardeau. "The University and President Dobbins have demonstrated a relentless pursuit of funding in ways that benefit both the University and the City of Cape Girardeau, and this translates into a winning combination for everyone." Dr. Dale Nitzschke, former president of Southeast Missouri State University, who now serves as a federal legislative consultant for the institution, has worked closely with the Missouri Congressional Delegation in Washington, D.C., to help in securing federal dollars for the River Campus. "This announcement is another example of the effectiveness of Dale Nitzschke's efforts on behalf of the University, the City of Cape Girardeau and the River Campus," Dobbins said. He added that with this announcement, some $7.5 million in federal monies have now been allocated for various enhancements of the River Campus project. These monies, he explained, are above and beyond the $35.6 million budgeted cost of the project and cannot be spent on actual construction. These federal funds are being used to make improvements and further enhancements at the River Campus and the surrounding area that otherwise would not be possible. Additional Federal Funding for the Project In addition to the $1.7 million in federal earmarks announced recently, the River Campus project also is benefiting from several other federal appropriations:
These funds are being used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the Department of Theatre and Dance, including a computerized performing arts classroom, a theatre design classroom with dedicated computers using CAD software and related technology, and a sound system and video/sound recording equipment for a lab theatre. These monies also are paving the way for the Department of Music to purchase computerized sound and video recording and playback equipment; a high-technology workstation for a music writing center; and musical instruments, including ethnic and multi-cultural instruments useful for classroom and community outreach activities. These dollars also will help support keyboard technology enhanced studios and a music lab for composing and analyzing electronic music. Thanks to these funds, the Department of Art is purchasing state-of-the art equipment and software for their Bachelor of Fine Arts programs. These purchases include ceramics kilns; computer-driven looms; graphic design 3-D imaging and animation computers and software licenses; computer editing equipment; digital video and cameras; scanners; and CD burners - all representing new technology for computer-based art classes. Because of these federal monies, visual art students will see increased workstations for graphic design, including a new genre computer lab; computer-driven laser mold-making equipment and other tools for materials construction and assembly in a sculpture studio; and digital glaze and calculation and image digitizing equipment for a ceramics studio. The performance spaces shared by the departments of theatre, dance and music also will benefit from purchases of new sound and recording systems, professional and portable state-of-the-art theatre lighting systems, a monitor system, a Harlequin-type portable spring dance floor, and an orchestral/band shell. "This component of the River Campus is going to be a great addition," Dobbins said, adding that the University is appreciative of Scott Meyer, District 10 Engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation for his work in facilitating funding for the terrace project. This project will include the construction of a pavilion overlooking the River, informational signs about the plant life and history of the site, benches and a small parking area. The Terrace project is expected to begin this summer and be completed by November. This earmark has allowed Jacobs Facilities, architects for the River Campus project, to hire a subcontractor, Lord Cultural Resources, to provide consulting services for the museum. Representatives of Lord Cultural Resources have completed a master plan for the museum; a market study of visitors and of museums at comparable institutions; and a general exhibition or interpretive plan. The consultants also are assisting with space requirements, and a designer ultimately will provide direction for the purchase of cases, fixtures, materials and other necessary equipment. "It's just been terrific," said Dr. Stanley Grand, director of the University Museum, explaining that the IMLS grant planted the seed for enormous growth at the museum. Grand said the earmarked monies are providing $700,000 in fixtures, furniture and equipment that will be included in the museum's permanent installations. The museum also has purchased a van which will become a mobile museum to take exhibitions on the road to outlying areas in the region. These funds also have increased the professionalism of the museum and has allowed the museum to hire a registrar, a curator of collections and a museum education curator, all of whom are providing additional services, which otherwise would not exist. "Without these funds, we would end up with a much less finished product," Grand said. "We now have a professional staff and are taking better care of the museum's artifacts which are entrusted to our care," he said. "It's really amazing how far we have come in the last couple of years. We really appreciate the support we have received from Senator Bond, Congresswoman Emerson and Dale Nitzschke." Because of these funds and other federal monies earmarked for the River Campus project, Grand said, "You're going to get a much bigger and better River Campus." State Boosts to the River Campus In addition to the federal flow-through monies from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the University also has partnered with the Missouri Development Finance Board and the Missouri Division of Tourism in an effort to boost the River Campus project.
Dobbins says the support the River Campus project has received from both its federal and state partners has been tremendous. "It really is a wonderful example of partnering and sharing of resources," he said. Stoverink agreed, adding that in some 25 years work in city management and at the University, he has never before experienced partnerships of this degree. "I don't think I've worked on a project with so many different agencies working on funding for a project. It truly is extraordinary," he said. "Everybody's been adaptable and is working together toward a common goal." The River Campus is a cooperative project with the State of Missouri, the City of Cape Girardeau, private donors and the federal government to be constructed on the 16.6-acre St. Vincent's College and Seminar property adjacent to the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. Plans call for the River Campus to become home to the University's School of Visual and Performing Arts and to include a large performance hall, a recital hall, a regional history and art museum, rehearsal rooms, theatres, dance and art studios, classrooms and related facilities. Total cost of the project is estimated at $35.6 million. The cooperative financing structure calls for $16.55 million from the State of Missouri, $8.9 million from the City of Cape Girardeau and $10.15 million from private donors through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. The River Campus project is expected to boost the regional economy, both during the construction and operational phases. A recent economic impact study estimates that during the construction phase, the project will provide 263 jobs for two years, 132 jobs in the third year, $23.1 million in direct and indirect personal income, almost $100,000 in local retail sales tax and almost $300,000 in state tax revenue. After three years into the operational phase, the River Campus is expected to increase the University's enrollment by more than 500 students and provide about 135 new jobs in the community and more than $5 million annually in additional personal income in the region. Dobbins said it appears that the University will be in a position to break ground on the River Campus site early this summer so that the new entry to the property off the Fountain Street extension will be ready when the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge opens in late 2003. The River Campus is expected to open in late 2006 or early 2007. "The architects are proceeding with preparation of the final River Campus conceptual designs and construction documents for many infrastructure aspects of the project," he said. "We expect that the total planning process will take about a year. Our private fund-raising is within sight of our goal. With today's announcement of additional federal monies for the project, the River Campus has, again, picked up more momentum and is well on its way to becoming a reality." | |
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