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SOUTHEAST CONFERS 283 DEGREES AT SUMMER COMMENCEMENT
Degrees were conferred on 283 students following the summer semester at Southeast Missouri State University.
A commencement exercise ceremony for graduate students was held Aug. 6 at Southeast. Dr. Howard P. Parette Jr., professor of elementary, early and special education, presented the commencement address in Academic Auditorium.
561 NAMED TO SUMMER DEAN'S LIST AT SOUTHEAST
Southeast Missouri State University has named 561 students to its Dean's List for academic achievement during the summer 1999 semester.
Students named to the list earned at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and completed at least six degree credit hours during the summer session.
SOUTHEAST FLIGHTS EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Southeast Missouri State University recently was awarded the 1999 Effective Retention Program Award for its First Year Learning Team Programs by the National Consortium For Student Retention Data Exchange.
Dr. Karen Myers, director of New Student Programs, Dr. Dale Haskell, director of the First-Year Experience Programs, and Nancy Birk, a former graduate assistant and current coordinator of the University Studies Advisory Center, teamed up to make this national award happen. Representatives from more than 200 colleges and universities cast votes in the program contest, in which Southeast received the award.
"We were very proud to receive this award," said Myers. "Our program was chosen the best by over 200 of our peers. We want to let people know that this an effective, award-winning program."
The First Year Learning Teams, more commonly referred to as FLighTs, are learning communities which assist freshman in the academic and social transition to college life. The groups consist of approximately 25 students who are enrolled in courses that center around a particular theme or interest. Some of the themes include: Biology, Pre-Law, Exploring & Understanding International & American Cultures, and Be All You Can Be.
Most FLighT students also live together in the Towers East residence hall. However, students living off campus also are eligible and encouraged to participate in the program. Each FLighT has a veteran student who serves as a Peer Mentor. FLighT floors have special Community Advisors who are assigned to work with the group.
"I think the FLighT students really enjoy having an automatic group of 24 friends," said Birk. "It is very comforting for them to know that they will be living and attending three classes together. They also can attend field trips, special activities and be involved in community service." Birk noted the "Be All You Can Be" FLighT for their many hours spent volunteering at the Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail.
The program has grown in the past three years from four to six to 10 FlighTs. According to Haskell, "We want to present interested students with a quality program."
Statistics show that 87 percent of FLighT students in the fall 1998 semester returned for their spring semester. Sixty-seven percent of FLighT students also became involved in other campus activities and organizations. All of the students said that participation in the FLighT program helped them adjust to college life, and they recommended the program to incoming students, Myers said.
For more information on the FLighT program, call Myers at (573) 651-5166 or Haskell at (573) 651-2629.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS INVITED TO "SHOW ME DAY" OCT. 16
Prospective students and their parents are invited to "Show Me Day" Oct. 16 on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.
"Show Me Day," scheduled for noon in the Show Me Center, is an opportunity for all individuals interested in attending college to take a closer look at Southeast and check out the numerous options Southeast provides, said Alison Staggs, Southeast admissions counselor.
The day's events will begin with a "College Fair" in which students may browse through informational displays of the University's various colleges and academic departments. Professors from each department will be on hand to answer questions, Staggs said. Students also will be able to get information about the total Southeast experience, from career choices, academic majors and residence life to financial aid, career services and student activities.
Following the "College Fair" portion of the day, students and parents will hear brief presentations from Jay Goff, Southeast director of admissions; Dr. Irene Ferguson, director of the Learning Enrichment Center; and Tanya Efken, president of Student Government.
Students and their parents will break up into small groups to tour the campus. Staggs said both walking and bus tours will be available, and students will have the opportunity to view a Southeast residence hall room. After campus tours, a financial aid and residence life presentation will be given. The day's activities will end with a dessert reception in the Dempster Atrium.
If you are interested in registering for Show Me day, call the Admissions Office at (573) 651-2590.
EXPERT ON COMPUTER CRIME TO SPEAK AT SOUTHEAST
Detective Mike Sullivan of the Naperville, Ill. Police Department will present "Protecting Yourself and Your Children on the Internet" on Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. in Dempster Hall's Glenn Auditorium on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.
Sullivan also is the keynote speaker for Southeast's Criminal Justice Day at noon Oct. 6 in Glenn Auditorium.
Sullivan is a 19-year veteran of law enforcement and a nationally recognized expert in computer crime. For the last six years, he has served as a member of State and Federal Narcotic Task Forces in an undercover capacity. He heads a special task force on child pornography for the Illinois Attorney General. He has investigated numerous computer offenses and specializes in tracking down child sexual predators who roam the Internet.
Sullivan is on the teaching faculty at Northeast Multi-Regional Training, The College of DuPage, The Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glyco, Ga. Sullivan has received numerous awards for his work including the Medal of Valor and the Meritorious Service Medal. His efforts have been the focus of a story in The Ladies Home Journal, and he appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" today.
This presentation is sponsored by the Department of Criminal Justice, the Office of Continuing Education and the Southeast Missouri Law Enforcement Academy. Both events Oct. 5-6 are open to the public.
TAX CREDIT PROGRAM TO BOOST FINANCING OF RIVER CAMPUS
Southeast Missouri State University has received approval from the Missouri Development Finance Board to obtain $5 million in state tax credits over a four-year period to corporations and individuals making significant contributions to the River Campus.
The announcement was made today at a news conference on the River Campus.
The University's participation in the program will allow major contributors to the River Campus to receive $1.25 million annually in Missouri tax credits beginning in January 2000 and continuing through 2003.
"This is a very important step in raising the private and corporate funds for the River Campus," said Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins, president of Southeast Missouri State University.
Dobbins says Southeast hopes to raise in total between $12 and $15 million in private contributions for the River Campus project.
"They are very flexible tax credits and can be used to apply against state tax liabilities," Dobbins said, adding that the program allows those who participate to take advantage of the credits over a five-year period from the time the tax credit is issued. "They can be used by individuals or corporations and can be traded on a secondary market."
University Chancellor Dale F. Nitzschke currently is working to establish a giving plan in which donors may take advantage of the program. The plan will be part of Southeast's "125 Years -- Prologue to the 21st Century" capital campaign, Dobbins said.
The mission of the Missouri Development Finance Board, which was established in 1982, is to assist infrastructure and economic development projects in Missouri which have a high probability of success but which may not be feasible without the board's assistance. The board provides a diverse array of financing products and structures to carry out its mission of facilitating economic and infrastructure development projects.
The 12-member Missouri Development Finance Board approved Southeast for participation in its program earlier today at their meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks. Members of the board include Chairman Thomas Rackers; Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson; Joseph Driskill, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development; and local representative Bill Burch of Burch Food Services of Sikeston.
"We are greatly appreciative of the Missouri Development Finance Board, especially Bob Miserez and Joe Driskill, for all of their efforts in making this project possible," said Donald Dickerson, president of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents.
Miserez, executive director of the Missouri Development Finance Board, said "Southeast is the first university to participate in this program."
He added that a number of cities in Missouri have benefited from the program, along with Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and the Missouri Department of Social Services.
"We don't use this program to fund the normal mission of a University such as classroom activities," Miserez said, adding that the board serves to help finance special projects, such as urban blight remediation activities and job training facilities.
Southeast Missouri State plans to develop the former Historic St. Vincent's Seminary property on the banks of the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau into a School of Visual and Performing Arts. The facility would house Southeast's programs in art, music, theatre and dance, and the University Museum.
Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan signed a $16.2 billion state budget June 22, that includes $4.6 million for the River Campus project.
The total project is estimated at $35.6 million. Southeast is seeking state funding for half, or $17.8 million, of the cost. The remaining $17.8 million would come from the City of Cape Girardeau and from private contributions to the Southeast Missouri University Foundation.
UNIVERSITY JAZZ BANDS OPEN CONCERT SEASON
The Southeast Missouri State University Jazz Bands will give their first performance of the fall semester Oct. 28 on the Southeast campus.
The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom.
The concert will feature the Jazz Lab Band, the University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo. The featured guest artist for the concert will be Dr. Wayne Goins, jazz guitar. Goins is the director of jazz studies at Kansas State University.
The program will open with the Jazz Lab Band performing five selections -- "Front Burner," "St. Thomas," "Back in the Sack," "Dark Orchid" and "Computer."
The Jazz Combo will perform several tunes to be announced at a later date. The concert will come to a close with the Jazz Ensemble performing a number of selections. They are "The Intro," "Matchpoint," "Decoupage," "Fly Me to the Moon," "My Romance," "Zihuatanejo," "Minuano," "Runaway Hormones," "Walk on the Water" and "Dancing Men."
The concert is open to the public. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for children and free with a Southeast I.D. The event is being sponsored by the Department of Music and the University Jazz Program.
For more information, contact the University Band Office at (573) 651-2335.
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