PERFORMING ARTS CENTER REMAINS ALIVE

Construction of a performing arts center likely will be among goals of Southeast Missouri State University's new capital campaign, the school's president said Monday.

"We are still committed to the project," said Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast's president. "We think it is absolutely vital."

Nitzschke said he believes there is public support for the project.

Supporters of the arts want to build a performing arts center large enough to land Broadway shows. It has been estimated that it could cost $20 million to build a center on the Southeast campus.

The fund-raising effort is in the early planning stages, said J. Wayne Davenport, vice president of university advancement and executive director of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation.

Davenport said Monday that no decisions have been made on what would be funded or even the monetary goal for a new capital campaign.

Nitzschke has stressed the need for a new capital campaign since taking office in July 1996.

Southeast launched its first capital campaign seven years ago. By the time the campaign ended in August 1992, the fund drive had raised $28.5 million. The drive exceeded its goal by 14 percent.

Davenport said it is important to determine how much public support there is for a performing arts center.

"It is incumbent on the foundation to make sure whatever elements may be in the campaign are those to which there is a significant amount of interest," he said.

Davenport said the foundation plans to hire a consulting firm to lay the groundwork for a capital campaign.

The consultants will conduct 100 to 125 personal interviews with the region's leaders and conduct telephone interviews with major donors and perspective donors. The planning study will be done in January and early February. From that study, more definite plans would be made about the capital campaign.

Davenport said the foundation would first have a "quiet phase" to line up major donations before going into the public phase of the fund drive.

"We are talking with some of our closest friends about the campaign right now," he said.

Nitzschke said the university would hope to secure state funding and possibly some federal funds for the performing arts center. But the bulk of the money would have to come from private donations, he said.

Besides the art building, the capital campaign could help fund construction of the university's proposed polytechnic institute.

Nitzschke said he hopes to present some of the capital project plans to the Board of Regents within the next few months.