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SOUTHEAST HOSTS GAINES’ ART EXHIBIT CELEBRATING FAULKNER LANDSCAPES
In a combined effort between Southeast Missouri State University’s Center for Faulkner Studies and visiting Mississippi artist Joangelle Henry Gaines, a visual expression of Faulkner’s detailed landscapes will be on exhibit on the main floor of Kent Library through the month of April.
The exhibit opens with an introduction to the artist and a presentation by Anna Quinn, and daughter, Angela Quinn, both Faulkner scholars and natives of Faulkner’s Mississippi, on Sunday, April 1, from 2-4 p.m., in Room 353, Kent Library.
The exhibit, titled, “Rooted Like a Tree, Scenes from Faulkner’s Mississippi,” featuring Gaines’ paintings and drawings, will provide background into the techniques and textures of William Faulkner’s natural landscapes, present in many of his works.
Gaines, a self-taught artist, is known for her realistic and rugged rural scenes and her attention to detail and moods of isolated rural settings. She has premiered in several museums across the United States, as well as displayed her work in several government facilities, including a display of her work at the White House during former President Jimmy Carter’s term in office.
“These paintings are primarily rural scenes of Faulkner’s native Mississippi,” said Dr. Robert Hamblin, director of the Center for Faulkner Studies and coordinator of the exhibit. “They depict his native rural community, which, in terms of natural landscape, were brought out in Faulkner’s long and detailed settings.”
Anna Quinn, associate professor of English at Blue Mountain College, her alma mater, currently teaches an introduction to Faulkner course as well as serves as co-director of the Mississippi Writers Project. She and her daughter are natives of the hamlet of Falkner, named after William Faulkner’s great-grandfather.
Angela Quinn, a 1996 graduate of Blue Mountain College, is currently completing her master’s thesis on Faulkner, under the tutelage of Faulkner scholar Dr. Don Kartiganer at the University of Mississippi.
Following the introduction by the Quinns, patrons will have an opportunity to meet the artist and view the display, as well as visit Southeast’s Rare Book Room, which houses the Brodsky Collection, a collection which offers original manuscripts and letters, as well as first-print editions of Faulkner’s works.
The exhibit and the presentation are open to the public. Inquiries may be directed to cfs@semovm.semo.edu or by calling the Center for Faulkner Studies at (573) 986-6155
SOUTHEAST CHORAL UNION, SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TO PRESENT MAY 1 EXTRAVAGANZA CELEBRATING IRISH, ENGLISH MUSIC
The Department of Music at Southeast Missouri State University will present a spectacular May 1 event -- "A Celebration of Irish and English Music," at 8 p.m. in Academic Auditorium.
Beginning with the world premiere of Southeast music professor, Robert Fruehwald's orchestral concert overture, "Connery's Butterfly," the program also includes Vaughan Williams' "In Windsor Forest," and culminates with the performance of Irish composer Mary McAuliffe's stirring new work, "Return to Old Ireland."
The performance will be presented by the Choral Union and University Choir, directed by John Egbert, and the University Orchestra, directed by Sara Edgerton. Rehearsal accompanists for the choirs are Tyson Wunderlich, of Altenburg, Mo., University Choir, and Christy Shinn of Gordonville, Mo., Choral Union.
Free concert shuttles will be provided to and from Academic Hall from Parking Lot #4 on Henderson between Broadway and Normal. Admission for the concert is $5 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens or free with a University ID.
"Connery's Butterfly," written by Fruehwald, is a short, two movement work for orchestra based on Irish folk melodies. The opening section is an extended fanfare, and the second section is based on a traditional Irish jig. Tonight's concert is the world premiere performance.
Discussing the two choral works, Egbert said, "'In Windsor Forest' is a work I have wanted to program for several years but never had quite the right opportunity. It is a short, secular cantata that has some of the most delightful tunes you have ever heard. It is the kind of work--so absolutely charming--that patrons will walk out of the concert hall humming its melodies.” of the five movements, three are for mixed chorus, and one each are for the men and the women of the chorus.
"Last March while in Atlanta, I heard the world-premiere of 'Return to Old Ireland,'” Egbert said. “Following the concert, I had the opportunity to meet Mary McAuliffe, and through subsequent e-mails and phone conversations, we have not only arranged to perform her new, still-manuscript work, but also have arranged for her to come to Southeast for several clinics, lectures and the concert.”
The texts of 'Return to Old Ireland' are based on historical events, beginning with the Great Famine (1840s), the Irish immigration to the United States, and the invitation to a festive reunion--completing the circle.
“This is really an extraordinary work, reflecting the long history and the bond between our two nations,” Egbert said. “Return to Old Ireland is a great example of why Irish music is so popular. It's melodic, rhythmic, festive and accessible to everyone. This music will move you."
KIMBALL TO PRESENT DUGGER LECTURE
The Harold Holmes Dugger Lecture Series, sponsored by the Southeast Missouri State University Department of History, continues its series with an address by Dr. Warren F. Kimball of Rutgers University on April 5.
Kimball’s topic, “Visions of Sugar Plums: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the Postwar World,” will follow a banquet beginning at 6:30 p.m. The lecture is planned for 8 p.m. The banquet and lecture is open to the public and both will be held in the Missouriana-Indian Rooms in the University Center. The cost is $15 per person and reservations must be made by Friday, March 30. Reservations can be made through the Department of History at Southeast.
Kimball’s address for the Dugger Lecture Series will be based upon his published monographs of research representing the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt as well as post-war outlooks for a defeated Germany. In keeping with Kimball’s English-American studies, he is conducting research on the more contemporary relationship of England’s Margaret Thatcher to former President Ronald Reagan.
Kimball, who is the Robert Treat Professor of History at Rutgers University, has led a distinctive career in history studies. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Kimball received his bachelor’s degree from Villanova University, followed by his master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University. He taught at Georgetown, the University of Georgia, and the U.S. Navel Academy, prior to beginning his tenure at Rutgers, where he earned the prestigious Research Excellence Award.
Kimball, a former Fulbright Senior Lecturer and Pitt Professor at the University of Cambridge, began serving as president of the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations. He also served as the U.S. director for the IREX-Soviet Academy of Sciences Joint Project, a project focused on the history of World War II. Kimball also has lent his expertise in the capacity of historical advisor for the “Finest Hour” series on PBS.
Kimball has published articles on numerous occasions in such journals as the Political Science Quarterly, the Journal of American History, Journal of American East-Asian Relations, and the International History Review.
FOLEY TO PRESENT FRIEND-BOLLINGER REGIONAL HISTORY LECTURE
Dr. Patrick Foley, professor of history at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas, will deliver the Second Annual Friend-Bollinger Regional History Lecture, entitled “Missionaries Extraordinaire: The Vincentians of St. Mary’s of the Barrens,” in Perryville, Mo., on April 18 and in Cape Girardeau on April 19.
Foley is the leading historian in the United States on the history of the Congregation of the Mission, the Order of St. Vincent de Paul. It was the Vincentian Order that established the Catholic seminaries, churches and schools in the Missouri and the Mississippi River Valley during the first half of the nineteenth century. St. Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville and St. Vincent de Paul in Cape Girardeau are two of these early institutions.
Foley’s presentations on the Vincentian Order in Perryville and Cape Girardeau will be timely as Southeast Missouri State University is in the process of developing the
River Campus on the grounds of the St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Cape Girardeau and an off-campus teaching facility at St. Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville.
The Perryville presentation will be in the theater of the new Perryville Community Center, 800 City Park Drive. The Cape Girardeau presentation will be in the Ballroom of the University Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. Both presentations will begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Dr. Foley is the author of a major manuscript about Bishop John Mary Odin, a major figure in the early history of the Vincentian Order in America. Foley is the author of more than 100 publications and is the recipient of many awards, including a Papal Medallion from Pope John Paul II for his publications on the Catholic Church in Texas. He is the editor of Catholic Southwest: A Journal of History and Culture, which has won seventeen national awards.
Foley received his undergraduate degree in history from Chico State University in California, his master’s degree from Santa Clara University and his doctoral degree from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Prior to his tenure at Tarrant County College, he taught at a number of universities, including Chaminade College in Hawaii, the College of Santa Fe, the University of Texas at Dallas, St. Thomas More and the University of San Francisco.
The Friend-Bollinger Regional History Lecture is an annual event funded by an endowment created by the late Lynn Bollinger and his daughter Nan Adams to honor two of the earliest families to settle in Missouri. The event is coordinated by the Center for Regional History at Southeast Missouri State University.
For further information about the lectures or the Friend-Bollinger Center for Regional History, please call (573) 651-2555.
NEW CAMPUS PUBLICATION TO DEBUT AT SOUTHEAST
In the fall of 2001, the Southeast Missouri State University campus will welcome a new publication, entitled Helix: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Research.
Funding For Results is sponsoring the journal in order to give the students of Southeast the opportunity to publish their researched writing.
Currently, Dr. David Reinheimer, editor of Helix, is seeking researched writing manuscripts from undergraduate and graduate students in all fields. The submission deadline is May 31.
For further information, go to the Helix Web site (http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/reinheimer/helix) or email Reinheimer at dreinheimer@semovm.semo.edu.
‘CREATIVE CONCEPTS FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH’ TOPIC OF APRIL 6 CONFERENCE
A conference designed to increase awareness of current funding options for incubator business systems and the impact these types of business can have on regional growth will be the focus of a conference April 6 at Southeast Missouri State University.
“Creative Concepts for Sustainable Economic Growth” is the title of the conference, which will be held in Glenn Auditorium of Robert A. Dempster Hall. Incubator business systems, business partnerships and venture capital will be addressed.
Jennifer Barnes, a Southeast student from Sikeston, Mo., is spearheading the conference as part of an independent study project in the Department of Mass Communication. Barnes is pursuing a major in mass communication with an option in public relations. The conference is being planned in association with the Center for Economic and Business Research at Southeast Missouri State University.
Barnes says the objective of the conference is to invite community leaders, lending institutions, chambers of commerce, small business developers and potential partners to take the steps necessary to development business incubators in Southeast Missouri.
A business incubator is a facility that provides below-market rents, shared services and expenses, and technical assistance to new businesses. Tenants typically include precision manufacturing, service and technology firms. A management team and board of directors provide expertise from specific fields, direction, ideas, assistance in business planning, locating and obtaining financing, marketing, public relations services and shared decision-making. Incubators are not limited to start-up ventures, and may include existing small businesses that are in need of support for further development. Not-for-profit incubators provide an environment to help other non-for-profit agencies in getting started.
The conference will open with registration and a continental breakfast at 7:45 a.m., followed by a welcome and introductions at 8:30 a.m.
The opening speaker will be Rick Prugh, director of the Innovation Center with the Missouri Enterprise Assistance Center in Rolla, Mo., who will make a presentation at 8:35 a.m. on funding and partnerships. Dr. Robert Calcaterra, chief executive officer of the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, will speak at 9:15 a.m. on the incubator business environment.
Matt Ashby with the community affairs division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will make a video presentation at 10:45 a.m. on types and role of business partnerships. Closing out the conference will be Dr. David Gallaway, the U.S. prime minister of foreign finance and president and chief executive officer of International Investor Consultants Inc., will speak at 11:45 a.m. on the role of venture capitalists.
To register for the conference, call the Small Business Development Center at (573) 986-6084.
SPRING BREAK INVITES CULTURAL INTERACTION FOR LA PASADA VOLUNTEERS
While Spring Break generally conjures pictures of students on southern beaches, it also finds students in volunteer positions, such as a group of Southeast Missouri State University students and volunteers who will spend their time at the La Pasada Providence, a shelter run by the St-Louis chartered Catholic Sisters of Divine Providence, located in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
The Southeast contingent, made up of several volunteer students and supervisors, as well as representatives from the Catholic Campus Ministry, will donate their time in a service-learning capacity at La Pasada March 17-24. Open to students from all disciplines, the service-learning design allows American students to see the true conditions and situations of the immigrant applicants.
“We have been trying to inform Third World countries on ways to better their situation,” said volunteer student Amanda Hicks, a senior from Williamsville, Mo., at Southeast’s Department of Social Services. “We need to see the conditions, to actually put ourselves in their environment. Hopefully, this will help us to see things in a new way.”
Many of the volunteers, several of whom are involved in social work or related fields of study, echo Hick’s purpose in attending the observation-based service-learning program at LaPasada.
Several of the students indicated that this trip would help them get a real sense of the culture and give them a more realistic view and offer new ways of looking at the people and their situation. Several of the volunteers agreed that it was easy to make assumptions and policies from a distance but what one of the elements stressed in social work is that the worker must go to the environment where their clients live rather than the other way around. Many of the volunteers indicated that besides doing something positive for the refugees at La Pasada, the experience would also help them in their careers.”
La Pasada is a refugee facility for the protection of those released from Immigration and Naturalization Service Detention Centers; refugees generally awaiting decisions regarding their naturalization, refugees claiming political asylum or requests for naturalization through the immigration courts.
Part of a network of legal assistance to indigent refugees, the shelter provides basic needs for clientele awaiting naturalization clearance.
Besides the service-learning observation, participants will become involved in the daily operations of the facility. The La Pasada volunteer week is an ongoing experience at Southeast and offers a constructive alternatives to traditional Spring Break activities.
UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES LARRY AND DONNA MARLER ENDOWED CHAIR IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The Larry and Donna Marler Endowed Chair in Historic Preservation, the first ever endowed chair at Southeast Missouri State University, was announced today in Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University, made the announcement on behalf of the University and the Southeast Missouri University Foundation at noon at the Ste. Genevieve Hotel. The announcement was made in connection with the opening of a Smithsonian Exhibit at the Great River Road Interpretive Center in Ste. Genevieve. Larry and Donna Marler of Ste. Genevieve, who provided a funding mechanism to make the Chair possible, were recognized today for their vision and generosity in creating the endowed chair to serve Ste. Genevieve and Southeast Missouri.
“This announcement,” Dobbins said, “is not only important, it is unprecedented in the 128-year history of the University and in the 16-year history of our Foundation.”
The distinguished professor who will eventually be hired to fill the Marler Chair in Historic Preservation will be a great teacher with a significant mission of service to communities like Ste. Genevieve throughout Southeast Missouri, Dobbins said.
Under terms of the agreement, the mission of the Marler Chair will be “to expand community development in small communities in the University’s primary service area through the protection of significant historic buildings and landscapes, by raising awareness of community heritage and through the promotion of this heritage,” Dobbins said.
He said the Main Street U.S.A. program is a current model for the kind of work the distinguished professor in historic preservation will be expected to lead. A date has not been determined for when the first Marler professor will be chosen to join the Southeast faculty.
“But I want you to know that the University’s service commitment most definitely includes a willingness to assist the development of a vital tourism industry, which will bring future economic benefits to the region,” Dobbins said.
The University, for many years, has admired the way Ste. Genevieve has worked to develop its rich heritage into what could be a major attraction for tourists from across the nation and around the world, Dobbins said.
“Ste. Genevieve has been a marvelous example to the entire state of Missouri in demonstrating how a community can capitalize on its past by preserving its historic structures and building a solid future with tourism as one of the key elements,” Dobbins said. “I hope the other historic communities in our region will take note of your success.”
This is not the first time, the Marlers have helped the University carry out its mission by supporting the University’s efforts with their financial resources. In 1998 and 1999, the Marlers made gifts to the Foundation to endow the Lawrence and Donna Marler Scholarships.
A native of Normandy, Mo., Larry Marler is a 1957 Southeast graduate and majored in earth science and marketing. He is retired as president of Marler Business Systems in St. Louis County. Donna Marler is a Ste. Genevieve, Mo., native and graduate of Fontebonne College. She studied for two years at Southeast and taught school for 24 years.
ROBERT MOTHERSHEAD ACCOUNTING SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWED THROUGH FOUNDATION
Family and friends of the late Robert Mothershead have endowed the Robert Mothershead Accounting Scholarship through the Southeast Missouri University Foundation.
The scholarship was endowed with gifts of more than $10,000.
The scholarship was awarded for the first time last fall to Audrey Burford of Benton, Mo., a freshman accounting major at Southeast Missouri State. Burford is a graduate of Thomas W. Kelly High School, where she participated in the Beta Club, Foreign Language Club, FCCLA, FBLA, Student Council, basketball, softball and track. After completing her degree at Southeast, Burford hopes to become a certified public accountant.
The Robert Mothershead Accounting Scholarship is awarded to accounting majors. First preference is given to Kelly High School graduates followed in priority by students from Scott County and then the University service area. A departmental scholarship committee will work with the Kelly High School superintendent and school counselor to promote the availability of the scholarship each year. The committee, in consultation with family and high school officials, will determine the recipient.
PROGRESS REPORT 2000 Southeast improves access through outreach centers
Southeast Missouri State University made great strides during the year 2000 as it accomplished a rich array of important endeavors, including continued development towards a revised strategic plan, academic accreditations, the opening of new area higher education centers, the start of construction on a new Polytechnic Building, increasing enrollment of beginning freshmen and minorities, and improving student retention.
Development of new Strategic Plan
All of these initiatives began with the Strategic Plan developed six years ago. It was then that Southeast began the task of creating a strategic plan that would embrace the educational and service needs of the region and provide a map as to how the University could meet those needs. Since that time, the University has made great strides in realizing that vision. The University’s momentum, and the accomplishments which have been and continue to be realized, all are the result of this cohesive plan.
In that vein, more than a year ago, the University’s Board of Regents undertook the process of creating a revised strategic plan to guide the University over the coming years. The Board met with hundreds of individuals throughout the service region at 11 open forums in communities from the Bootheel to St. Louis and from Cape Girardeau to Poplar Bluff. Based on the suggestions and concerns heard at those meetings, the University is working diligently to create a revised and improved plan for meeting the postsecondary educational needs of the region.
Since the process began, the Regents have approved the University’s revised mission, role and scope statement, institutional purposes and University priorities. Recently University officials have solicited input from faculty, staff and students on a draft of a revised strategic plan. The draft includes four priorities focusing on academics, regional access to programs, regional service and University community enhancement. A final plan is expected to be presented to the Board of Regents in May or June.
North Central Re-Accreditation
Southeast’s strategic plan was one of several strengths identified last fall when a peer review team from the Commission on Institutes of Higher Education of the North Central Association (NCA) of Colleges and Schools conducted an on-campus site visit as Southeast sought NCA re-accreditation. Recently, Southeast learned it has received full 10-year re-accreditation from NCA.
“This is the best possible result we could receive for an NCA re-accreditation visit,” said Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University. “Accreditation is a major accomplishment. Few institutions achieve re-accreditation with as positive report as you see here.”
He said re-accreditation by the NCA provides assurance to prospective students that the institution meets its stated objectives.
“We came out with flying colors,” he said.
Dr. Jane Stephens, Southeast provost, said the team identified many strengths of the University, including assessment, partnerships and cooperative efforts with off-campus constituencies, Southeast’s strategic planning process, the University Studies program and commitment of service to the region. Most importantly, the team recommended that Southeast’s Statement of Affiliation Status be changed so that Southeast can offer degrees anywhere throughout the service region without prior NCA approval.
The peer review team listed four areas of institutional challenges - issues the University will need to address before the next accreditation visit. These areas involve selected technology and data gathering issues, classroom scheduling and faculty allocation, faculty diversity, and the role of the Faculty Senate.
“During the 1990 review, the NCA review team identified 11 institutional challenges, so we feel very pleased that the team only brought forward four recommendations,” Dobbins said.
The next comprehensive NCA review of Southeast will be conducted in 2010-2011.
Enrollment
In its report to Southeast, the NCA complimented the institution for its effectiveness in targeting and building enrollment in a planned manner since the last NCA review 10 years ago.
Southeast’s enrollment data in fall 2000 is indicative of this progress. The official fall census date report showed overall enrollment at 8,951 - an increase of 82 from fall 1999. Most importantly, however, undergraduate enrollment was up 280 from fall 1999, a 3.7 percent increase, and the number of beginning freshmen rose 2.2 percent to 1,542.
Another significant factor was that beginning freshmen from the St. Louis metropolitan area represented 40 percent of the Class of 2004. Reflecting on the demographics of Southeast’s service region, outstate enrollment remains constant even though the number of high school graduates is declining, while new students from the growing metropolitan area represent almost all of the University’s increase.
Since 1997, minority enrollment at Southeast has increased 43 percent and African American enrollment by 60 percent, as the University moves toward its strategic plan enrollment goal.
“These numbers bode well for the ultimate realization of our Strategic Plan enrollment goals,” Dobbins said.
Enrollment at Southeast is growing as the institution has begun to define enrollment management in a new way.
“Enrollment management is the responsibility of everyone on the campus,” Dobbins said.
Enrollment management includes recruitment, retention, fostering academic success, providing quality programs, providing the courses students need, financial support, other necessary support services, improving student satisfaction and coordinating offerings at locations throughout the region.
“This new definition represents a major shift in the way we think about building our enrollment,” Dobbins said. “It’s the whole University experience.”
Residence halls
Residence halls were full in fall 2000 and continue to be full this spring, with over 2,000 students living on campus. With these kinds of numbers, the University’s Residence Life system has been a very active, vibrant community during the past year.
Because the residence halls are near capacity, the Board of Regents is considering the need for a new residence hall on the Southeast campus. This topic was discussed recently by the Regents at a planning retreat, however, no timeline for the project has been set. A new Southeast residence hall is under consideration in order to meet an expected growing enrollment and the increasing demand by today's students for modern suite-style-type housing space.Access throughout the region
While the University residence hall system serves Southeast’s on-campus population well, the University’s strategic plan calls for improving access to higher education for people throughout Southeast’s 25-county service region who are at a distance from the campus but are interested in advancing their educational goals.
“As we enter the 21st century, higher education will be critical to improving the standard of living for all of us, and Southeast is committed to working with our sister institutions and the communities in our region to make postsecondary education available to all,” Dobbins said.
To this end, the University opened new area higher education centers in 2000 in both Kennett and Sikeston, Mo. Plans call for opening an additional center in Perryville in fall 2001.
Kennett Area Higher Education Center
“The Kennett Area Higher Education Center offers residents in the southernmost part of Missouri the opportunity to take college classes close to home,” Dobbins said. “This center is helping bring the benefits of higher education to the Bootheel region and is improving the quality of life for many people.”
The center, which is located in the former Kroger supermarket building, is a cooperative effort of Southeast Missouri State, the City of Kennett, the Southeast Missouri University Foundation and the Southeast Missouri Educational Consortium
The new center, which opened in June, contains four classrooms, a computer lab and an interactive television classroom. Due to demands for space, plans already are in place for expansion of classroom areas.
Freshman and sophomore level classes are being taught by staff from Three Rivers Community College. Upper division and graduate courses are being taught by Southeast Missouri State faculty. In addition to general education classes and graduate level coursework, the center is offering vocational training designed to meet the needs of local industry.
Sikeston Area Higher Education Center
The Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) opened in a new facility at a new location last fall. The new building is located at the intersection of Highway ZZ and Highway 61 or 2401 N. Main in Sikeston.
SAHEC is a cooperative effort of Southeast Missouri State University, Three Rivers Community College and the Sikeston Public Schools. The Center offers college credit courses for transfer credit or two-year degrees, certificate courses and customized training programs. Technical training also is made available to local industries in order to assure that area employees are constantly updated on advancing technologies.
The new building includes 33,000 square feet and is built on a 25-acre site in the Sikeston Industrial Park. It contains eight traditional classrooms, an ITV classroom, three industry laboratories, one computer lab, one CADD lab, one science lab, an electronics lab and administrative offices. The facility is built to accommodate about 422 students at one time and is designed to be able to expand in order to meet the needs of a growing student population.
Perryville Area Higher Education Center
After opening two new outreach centers in the southern portion of its service region, which are in addition to the Crisp Bootheel Education Center in Malden, Mo., the University, last year, began looking toward launching an outreach center to the north of Cape Girardeau. To that end, the University recently entered into a lease-purchase agreement with the Congregation of the Mission to renovate a library at St. Mary’s of the Barrens Seminary in Perryville, Mo., for use as a higher education center.
The Perryville Development Corp. has made a $400,000 commitment to help in renovating the building located at the Seminary. Southeast and Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo., will offer classes in the outreach facility.
The Center, which is scheduled to open in fall 2001, will be relocated from its current location at Sereno, just north of Perryville, to the Seminary property.
Enrollment at Outreach Centers
Each of the Centers has posted record enrollments. There are currently 614 students at the Crisp BEC, 602 at the Sikeston Center, 221 at the Kennett Center and 194 at the Perryville Center for a total 1,631 students attending the four off-campus facilities.
A+ Program
In addition to improving access to higher education by opening outreach centers in the region, Southeast took a big step forward last year in reaching out to A+ School program graduates in the area from Ste. Genevieve to the Bootheel, who lacked access to Southeast associate degree programs, especially in technology.
In November, Southeast and Three Rivers Community College (TRCC) entered into a cooperative agreement that will bring several TRCC associate degree programs to the Southeast campus and allow qualified graduates from A+ Schools-designated high schools in the Cape Girardeau area to receive tuition and book benefits while pursuing associate degrees offered by both institutions.
The associate programs will be offered both on the Southeast campus in Cape Girardeau and at the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center. The cooperative effort was forged in conjunction with the Southeast Missouri Educational Consortium and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
TRCC has received approval from the Consortium and the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education to offer two associate of applied science degree programs on the Southeast campus - information systems technology and industrial technology (civil construction).
Associate of applied science degrees in child care and guidance and computer technology (options in automated manufacturing, microcomputer systems, and technical computer graphics), all of which are existing Southeast programs, will be available to A+ Schools program graduates on Southeast’s Cape Girardeau campus.
Under the agreement, A+ Schools graduates also will be able to participate in Southeast as well as TRCC associate degree programs offered at the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC).
All of these programs, whether offered by Three Rivers or Southeast - will articulate with Southeast baccalaureate degree programs, Dobbins said.
The A+ Schools program normally covers the cost of tuition, fees and books for two years of study in associate degree programs at community colleges for participating high school graduates. As a result of the Southeast-TRCC agreement, under auspices of the Southeast Missouri Educational Consortium, the benefit now will be available to students enrolled in Southeast associate degree programs.
“We are thrilled to be joining with Three Rivers in this innovative endeavor designed to provide more access to associate degree programs in the Cape Girardeau County area and better serve the graduates of A+ Schools along the I-55 corridor,” Dobbins said.
The new program, which is expected to take effect next fall, will provide greater access to higher education opportunities for qualified students from A+ designated high schools in Southeast Missouri. This is the only such arrangement between a two-year college and a four-year university in Missouri.
Under the program, the Southeast campus and the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center, in effect, will serve as a ‘system,’ because of their proximity to each other, Dobbins said. He added that students will be able to take courses at either or both locations from both Three Rivers and Southeast, depending on availability of course offerings.
Until now, students from this area who wanted certain associate degrees and who graduated with A+ School program designation, had to travel to community colleges in St. Louis, Park Hills or Poplar Bluff to take advantage of the A + Schools program benefits.
Physical facilities
Those who access the Cape Girardeau campus will find continually improving physical facilities. During the past year, construction began on the Otto and Della Seabaugh Polytechnic
Building on the north campus. Work is progressing on the new $8.8 million building, which is expected to be complete in time for the start of fall 2001 classes. The new building will house the School of Polytechnic Studies, which includes the University’s Department of Industrial and
Engineering Technology. The department currently is housed in the aging Serena Building. The new facility will provide space for training for industries and the latest advanced manufacturing technology for students.
The new building will contain three networked computer labs, five classrooms complete with the latest instructional technology packages, and one interactive television classroom. Dedicated technology labs will include automated manufacturing systems, multimedia, computer-aided drafting and design, industrial power, industrial controls, computer networking, manufacturing, materials testing and fluid power.
Also during the past year, the Towers Cafeteria was renovated, the Facilities Management Service Center was completed and the new FieldTurf playing surface was installed at Houck Stadium. The new surface, which was completed in June, is quickly becoming a very popular surface for collegiate athletic fields. Both the Southeast football and soccer teams are playing on the new surface in Houck Stadium.
The new tennis complex also was completed recently just north of Bertling and Sprigg, and the former tennis courts along Henderson Street were removed to make way for additional parking. During the past year, the University also completed the third phase of work on the intramural fields project, and work is under way on an internal campus transitway.
New faces
In addition to improvements to physical facilities, Southeast also welcomed several new faces during the past year. Dr. Jane Stephens began her new duties last summer as the University provost, and Dr. Ivy Locke was named Southeast’s new vice president for business and finance. Coach Tim Billings completed his first season at the helm of the Southeast Football Indians, and Dr. Pat Ryan was named the new director of institutional research.
The Future
Although much has been accomplished in the past year, a number of important endeavors remain to be completed in the coming years. Plans for a School of Visual and Performing Arts are moving forward despite the fact that a court case remains in the appeals process, which has stalled funding for the planned renovation and construction at the River Campus. Private fund-raising continues, however, and Commerce Bank of Cape Girardeau recently made a gift to Southeast to underwrite a Southeast Missouri Symphony Series. This is the first of many steps toward developing a first-rate School of Visual and Performing Arts.
“We have a very ambitious agenda this year, but I am confident that with the help of the Board of Regents, our faculty and staff and our friends in the region, we will be able to make it happen,” Dobbins said.
SPRING BREAK HOURS TO BE OBSERVED MARCH 19-23
Southeast will observe shortened office hours during spring break week scheduled for March 19-23.
Hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. University offices will resume regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 26.
SUNDANCERS BOUND FOR FOURTH TRIP TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Southeast Missouri State University’s Sundancers won the team competition at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Midwest regional camp in August and recently earned a top 10 national ranking based on a videotaped competition.
Their strong performances earned the Sundancers a fourth straight bid to NCA Division I National Dance Team Championships April 5-7 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“I know the dancers were excited about winning the team competition and beating Kansas State last summer,” said Sundancer Coach Suzanne Vaughan. “But I wasn’t surprised about our top 10 ranking in the video competition. This is an outstanding squad with great leadership. The judges were very complimentary, and this team clearly deserved another invitation to the national championships.”
This year’s NCA Dance Championships will be taped live to be televised on both the CBS and USA national networks in late April.
“We have a very talented and dedicated team,” said senior Co-captain Danielle Morgan of Chaffee, Mo. “I am looking forward to returning to Daytona for nationals. Our goal is to finish as one of the nation’s top five teams. I know we can do it.”
Each year since 1997, the Sundancers have competed at the NCA Nationals. The teams have finished seventh twice and 12th in the final national rankings.
The team has a very busy schedule prior to the national championships. The team has developed over 10 routines for the basketball season, planned two children’s dance clinics and performed at other athletic and booster events since November. Two weeks ago, the squad started weekend practices to develop the competition routine for the National Championships.
Each dancer also has been focused on fund raising. “Our budget does not include funding for Nationals. We need to raise over $9,000” said Co-captain Jean Gilman of Highland, Ill. “Our poster sales and dance clinics have gone very well, but we still need to raise a lot of money.”
“We really appreciate the community and University support of the dancers and the program,” said Vaughan. “The trip to the national competition lets us show the nation why Southeast is one of the best universities in the Midwest.”
For more information, contact Vaughan at (573) 651-2712.
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