SEMO ATTRACTS NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS

Harvard University was interested in Jackie Pryor, but she elected to enroll at Southeast Missouri State University this fall.

Nathan Springer wanted to attend a school that was "pretty good in biology." He settled on Southeast.

Both Pryor and Springer are among 25 students from 12 states who are in the latest class of National Merit Scholars to enroll at Southeast. Counting returning students, there are an estimated 80 National Merit Scholars taking classes at Southeast this fall.

Admissions Director Juan Crites said these students are "academic stars."

Crites and other Southeast officials point with pride to the strides the school has made in attracting Merit Scholars.

Until three years ago, only one National Merit Scholar had ever attended Southeast.

In the 1991-92 year, three National Merit students enrolled at Southeast, followed by 13 the next year. Thirty-eight came to the campus last academic year, ranking the school second among Missouri's colleges and universities. Only Washington University in St. Louis had more freshmen Merit Scholars last school year.

Also last year, the National Merit Scholarship Corp. designated Southeast as an official member of the program, waiving the normal three-year waiting period.

"Now our name is in the hands of the top 2 percent of high school seniors in the country," said Crites.

Last fall, about 15,000 students were designated as semifinalists nationwide out of a pool of about 1.1 million students in more than 19,000 U.S. high schools.

Only semifinalists, representing about half of 1 percent of graduating seniors in every state, had an opportunity to advance to finalist standing and compete for Merit scholarships.

Nationwide, more than 6,700 high school graduates of 1994 have been awarded Merit scholarships worth about $25 million.

The National Merit program operates without government funding. The majority of scholarships are underwritten by about 600 independent sponsor organizations and institutions.

Crites said Southeast's success in attracting scholarly students demonstrates the academic strength of the Cape Girardeau school.

"I really think it has always been a great university." But Crites said that until a few years ago, the school didn't do a good job of selling itself. "I don't think we were ever very good at bragging."

National Merit Scholars at Southeast receive full scholarships, which pay for everything from tuition to room and board. The school also provides each of the students with a computer to use during their college careers, provided they live on campus.

Pryor, 18, of DuQuoin, Ill., said the use of a computer in her Towers South dorm room meant little to her initially. Her roommate had to show her how to use the computer.

But after only a week of fall classes, Pryor is getting well acquainted with the computer.

"I have to leave the computer alone and make myself do my homework," she said.

Pryor, a National Achievement Finalist who was recruited by several Ivy League schools, decided on Southeast partly because she wanted to stay close to home.

There was also the terrain. "I just love all the hills, because in DuQuoin there are no hills. It is flat. I see corn and I see cows."

But the big draw was the full scholarship. Without it, she couldn't have afforded to go to college.

Springer, 18, is just beginning his first year at Southeast. But already, he has 75 hours of college credit.

That is because Springer, who is from Northfield, Minn., participated in an education program offered in his state. He took college classes during his junior and senior years of high school, with the state picking up the tab.

Springer said he likes Southeast's biology program, the professors and the opportunity to do undergraduate research. Springer wants to specialize in genetics, either as a teacher or a research scientist.

Like Pryor, Springer said the bottom line still came down to money. "I didn't want to pay very much to go to college. I was kind of looking at a good financial deal."

Crites said that coming to Southeast is a good deal financially for Merit Scholars.

But she said there is another attraction as well. The university has a comfortable feeling to it. "The people are friendly. The professors are very accessible."

Said Crites, "There has to be a fit." These days, students like Pryor and Springer are finding Southeast to be a perfect fit.