SEMO TO OFFER NIGHT SCHOOL (SECOND IN A SERIES)

Carolyn Figliolo dropped out of Southeast Missouri State University 10 years ago.

This semester, the 29-year-old mother and 1985 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School returned to college.

A bookkeeper, she hopes to graduate in fall 1998 from Southeast with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Figliolo is taking both a day class and a night class this semester.

She couldn't finish her degree without taking day classes since the university offers few undergraduate courses at night.

Southeast traditionally has been a day-time university; most academic buildings are closed in the evenings.

But university officials say that will change. As part of its new strategic plan, the school plans to offer weekend and night classes in an effort to meet the needs of working students.

Students could take all their classes at night and obtain degrees in certain, popular fields.

"I think it would be beneficial. A lot of people would like to go back to school, but they can't because they are working during the day," Figliolo said.

"I am just lucky my employer would let me take off," she said.

Southeast will begin offering evening and weekend classes this fall under a program called Southeast PM. The evening and weekend classes would be taught by the regular faculty.

The school also wants to set up a separate night school program that would offer vocational training and two-year degrees in conjunction with community colleges and vocational-technical schools.

Community college faculty could teach the classes.

This separate night school is just in the early planning stages. But Dr. Bill Atchley, Southeast's president, said he hopes to have it in place within a couple of years.

With few community colleges in the region and none in the Cape Girardeau area, there is a need for Southeast to fill the gap by offering two-year programs in partnership with other schools, officials said.

"Since we don't have a community college, we have to have another way to do it," said Dr. Charles Kupchella, Southeast's provost.

Atchley said the region needs more vocational training programs. Skilled craftsmen are important. "We can't look down our nose at those skills," he said.

School officials said people want night classes and it makes sense to use the academic buildings rather than let them sit idle in the evening.

Currently, most of Southeast's graduate classes are offered at night. But the school is primarily an undergraduate institution.

Southeast PM would expand that to include undergraduate courses, Kupchella said.

"We will have a substantial number of programs," Kupchella said.

Some nighttime degree-programs will start this fall and others will commence in spring 1997.

Kupchella said as many as 20 to 30 night classes could be offered this fall.

Dr. Paul Keys, dean of the College of Health and Human Services, directed the task force that developed the night school program.

He said the university is surveying the public as to the night courses they want.

Keys said management and criminal justice programs rank high on the list.

Existing faculty at Southeast would teach the courses.

Students could take both day and night classes on the same days. That could be convenient for long-distance commuters, reducing the number of trips they have to make to the campus, Keys said.

Monday: Southeast Missouri State University wants students to get hands-on learning through internships.