MERWIN SEES SEMO AS SOLID

When some minority and gay students at State University of New York College at Potsdam reported receiving death threats and hate messages, William C. Merwin acted quickly.

The college president called a campuswide meeting last month to confront the problem head on. "I thought it was time for the president to exercise leadership," said Merwin.

About 900 people attended, mostly students and faculty.

"It was an opportunity for students to describe what happened to them," he explained. "It was like a large group confessional."

A task force was formed to develop a written policy for addressing the problem and a "bias" response team was created to respond to incidents.

Merwin said it is important that all students be treated well. "It gave us an opportunity to recommit to diversity and civility," he said.

"One of my mentors told me years ago that you can't hide an elephant under the rug. If you have a problem, you have to address it."

Potsdam College has about 300 minority students out of an enrollment of 4,500. In many ways, it's a picture-postcard, New England college with its ivy-covered walls.

Money magazine ranked it among the top 100 schools nationwide in 1991 and 1992 for its solid, well-rounded education at an affordable price.

Merwin, 56, believes the presidency at Southeast would be the perfect fit for him.

"I think there is a good match between my interests and background, and Southeast Missouri State," he said.

Potsdam College is in an area more rural than Southeast Missouri, Merwin said.

Merwin grew up in Wisconsin. "I am really a Midwesterner," he said. "I am not a city boy. I never have been."

Merwin was one of three finalists for chancellor at Indiana University's South Bend campus, but dropped out of the running after interviewing for that job.

"I went there for an interview and spent a couple of days, and frankly the chemistry wasn't right," he said.

Merwin is attracted to the Southeast job, in part because he sees a favorable funding picture for higher education in Missouri.

That hasn't been the case in New York state where Potsdam College has experienced 11 budget cuts in seven years.

The school's operating budget is 10 percent less today than six years ago. Merwin said some $2.5 million was cut from the budget during that time.

Potsdam College has about 820 employees and operates on a $50 million budget.

The school has made cuts in several areas, including about $500,000 worth of cuts in administrative positions. All associate dean positions, for example, were eliminated.

Tuition has climbed during Merwin's tenure. "It has tripled all over the state university system," he said.

"I decided if I was going to leave New York and the setup I have here, I was going to have to go somewhere where they are really supportive of higher education," Merwin said.

The cuts were made through retirement or transferring employees to other positions, he said.

Despite the cuts, Merwin said, he and the employees' union haven't been at each other's throat.

Faculty routinely complain about the growth of non-teaching staff at schools nationwide. But Merwin said schools have to have student affairs departments, and financial aid and admissions offices to attract students today.

Merwin said Southeast's healthy fund-raising foundation is a plus as is the slightly larger enrollment. So too, is its Division I athletic affiliation.

"I always thought it would be wonderful to have the kind of alumni support that comes from it," he said.

Potsdam College is a Division III institution in athletics.

Merwin said Southeast is a solid institution. "This is a university that is not going to require someone to come in and change everything from stem to stern."