BUSINESS IS CELEBRATED AS PART OF HOMECOMING

Southeast Missouri State University celebrates itself this weekend. It is a due celebration. Homecoming at the school on the hill conjures a wealth of images for this community: the suddenly crisp days of autumn, a colorful parade, the joining of town-and-gown interests, reunions of old friends. It is, quite literally, a welcoming home of those who have a stake in Southeast. We join in welcoming the university alumni, and we applaud them for their continued inte~rest in the institution.

The activities are capped Saturday with the parade down Broadway and the university football game at Houck Stadium. That's just a part of the homecoming story, however. There are scheduled events that take in many elements of university and community life. All this week, university students have participated in events ranging from a bonfire to a fashion show to a street party. Alumni gatherings, big and small, are planned around campus. Among the major activities is the Merit Award Dinner tonight at the Show Me Center, where honors for alumni and faculty achievements will be presented. Saturday morning, the Copper Dome Society will hold its annual breakfast to honor its "Friend of the University."

The theme of this year's homecoming is "A Salute to Business," and it is an appropriate one for several reasons. Southeast Missouri State plays a major role in ~local and regional commerce, not only through the employment opportunities a large institution provides and spins off, but through the quality of graduates it turns out. Conversely, the business community strengthens the university through fund-raising, promotion and other manners of support. Local business leaders sit on university boards while university personnel sit on civic boards. It is a hand-in-glove relationship that benefits all.

In addition, the theme ties in well with the university's continuing effort to construct a new $14.5 million business building on campus. Local funding for this project is a major part of the University Foundation's $25 million capital funds endeavor, which is nearing completion. Not surprisingly, the local business community has taken an active role in this fund drive.

The alumni who come back to Cape Girardeau should be proud of the changes under way at Southeast Missouri State. The university should be proud in equal part of the support it receives from those who have passed through its doors.