SEMO REGENTS POSTPONE DECISION ON WILDWOOD

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents isn't ready to decide the future of Wildwood.

The regents met behind closed doors Friday afternoon to discuss a proposal from the university's fund-raising foundation and alumni association to buy an off-campus house for the school's president and turn Wildwood, the current campus home, into an alumni center.

Wildwood is on the north side of the campus near Dempster Hall.

The alumni center and foundation office currently are housed in a former migrant center on Sprigg Street near the Show Me Center.

It doesn't have space to properly entertain alumni and financial contributors, according to Wayne Davenport, the foundation's executive director and the school's chief fund raiser.

The issue was just one of several items dealt with by the regents during a closed session at the University Center that lasted several hours.

"We talked about it for about 45 to 50 minutes," board President Don Dickerson said after the meeting.

Dickerson said the regents want more information on the proposal from alumni and foundation officials.

He said several of the regents weren't familiar with the brick home at 1626 Whitener that the foundation is considering buying as the new home for university President Dr. Dale Nitzschke. The house is next to Longview, one of Cape Girardeau's historic homes.

Dickerson said the board felt it would be "foolish" to make a quick decision. "The main thing is nobody was going to stampede us into this," said Dickerson.

The board said the issue would be put on the agenda for the board's June 30 meeting. It will be discussed in open session, Dickerson said.

Alumni association and foundation officials will be asked to review the plan with the regents.

"We want the whole thing laid out there, pros and cons," he said.

"We want to hear it firsthand. We want to ask questions," said Dickerson.

He said the meeting won't be a public hearing where anybody can speak. But Dickerson said the general public can make its views known in other ways. Anyone who has an opinion on the issue is welcome to write to the university president, he said.