SOUTHEAST FINALISTS ALL FACED CAMPUS HURDLES

The three finalists for president of Southeast Missouri State University have all faced campus challenges.

William C. Merwin has dealt with repeated budget cuts as president of the State University of New York College at Potsdam, N.Y.

Dale F. Nitzschke was president of the University of New Hampshire in Durham from 1990 to 1994, at a time when the state experienced a deep recession. Nitzschke is now an educational consultant in Ohio.

G. Warren Smith III was president of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La., from 1986 to 1995. But he resigned over disagreements with the state Board of Trustees and is currently a chemistry professor at the school.

Merwin, 56, has had to deal with a series of budget cuts at the Potsdam school, part of the extensive state university system inNew York.

"We have had 11 budget cuts in seven years," he said.

In contrast, he views Missouri as a state where funding for colleges and universities is on sounder footing.

But Merwin insisted he isn't running away from the financial woes at Potsdam. "I am not desperate to leave by any means."

Merwin, however, could be moving on. He is not only a finalist for the Southeast job, but also one of three finalists for the chancellor's job at Indiana University's South Bend campus.

The Indiana school and Southeast are of similar size.

Merwin grew up along the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis., and likes the Midwest.

He has been president at Potsdam since 1989. The community about 275 miles north of Syracuse has a population of about 27,000, including about 4,500 students.

Like Southeast, the school has a strong background in teacher education and liberal arts.

Nitzschke, 58, pushed the University of New Hampshire to become involved in economic development efforts for the state.

"He made the university a real player in economic development," said Arthur Grant, secretary of the university system in New Hampshire.

The state of 1.3 million people went through boom times in the 1980s. When Nitzschke arrived, however, it was mired in a recession.

Under his leadership, the land-grant university became involved in economic development projects. One of them took a former air base and turned it into an industrial park.

The university has 14,000 students, double the number of residents of the small New England town.

Grant described Nitzschke as a charismatic, energetic individual.

Smith, 55, presided over Southeastern Louisiana University at a time of tremendous enrollment growth. The university grew from about 7,900 students to more than 13,000 students in nine years. The university expects enrollment of about 15,000 by next fall.

The enrollment is only slightly smaller than the population of Hammond, which is at the junction of interstates 55 and 12, about 60 miles north of New Orleans.

Craig Simmons, editor of The Lion's Roar, the campus newspaper, said enrollment grew dramatically after Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge raised its entrance requirements. LSU is only a half-hour drive from Hammond.

Simmons said many residents in the rural areas enrolled at Southeastern because they couldn't meet LSU's requirements. Southeastern has open admissions.

Simmons said Smith was forced out of office. He said the state's Board of Trustees had enough votes to oust Smith, who decided to resign on Feb. 24, 1995.

In a written statement then, Smith said the board wanted to make a change in leadership. He said he had been given no reasons.

But Simmons said the decision to drop the football program appeared to be one of the reasons. The school eliminated its football program in 1986 when Smith came in as president.

Smith also disagreed with those who felt campus quality could be increased only by raising admission standards.

"There were a lot of people that really weren't happy with him," Simmons said.

Simmons said it boiled down to politics. "Louisiana is a very political state," he said.

As school president, Smith was more of an academician than a politician, Simmons said.

Chamber of Commerce officials described Smith as quiet and reserved.

CAMPUS VISITS

The Three finalists for president of Southeast Missouri State University will visit the campus in April. They will meet with the Board of Regents and hold open forums with students, faculty, staff and the public. Times for the meetings haven't been set.

William C. Merwin will visit April 3 and 4.

Dale F. Nitzschke will visit April 9 and 10.

G. Warren Smith II will visit April 17 and 18.