REGENTS OK ST. LOUIS TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents approved plans Wednesday for the school to offer an industrial technology degree program in St. Louis.

The regents also approved issuance of $8.65 million in revenue bonds to fund improvements to the recreation fields at Sprigg and Bertling, expand the Student Recreation Center, and retire the center's prior bond issue.

Southeast officials said $7 million of the bond money will be used for the recreation fields and expansion of the Student Recreation Center. The bonds will be retired with student fees.

The regents spent two hours in closed session with their lawyers. They then hurried through the agenda items in the open meeting at Dempster Hall so they could attend a memorial service for former regent Donald Harrison.

The new technology program is to begin this fall. It will allow students in the St. Louis area to receive a bachelor's degree in industrial technology from Southeast without setting foot on the Cape Girardeau campus.

Students can take all the courses at St. Louis area colleges. Southeast will offer the second two years of industrial technology classes at St. Louis Community College, Florissant Valley campus. Southeast will offer only those classes that students can't obtain from other four-year schools in the St. Louis area, university officials said.

In other business, the regents accepted the annual audit report on the school's federally funded programs and approved a resolutions honoring the athletic accomplishments of several members of the Southeast football team.