SOUTHEAST TAPS PUBLIC ON NIGHT COURSES

Southeast Missouri State University hopes its survey efforts will help it tailor evening and weekend classes to the needs of the region's residents.

The university wants to offer a whole program of weekend and night classes, beginning next fall. The program is being called Southeast PM.

Students would be able to graduate in certain degree fields without ever taking a day class.

Southeast now offers isolated night classes, but nothing like a full-scale night school.

In setting up the program, the university wants to know what class schedules would be best for students and what academic degree programs should be offered.

Possible options include once, twice or three times a week evening classes, weekly Saturday classes, and Friday night through Sunday afternoon classes once a month.

"We are trying to make sure we touch on every area," said Dr. Paul Keys, dean of the College of Health and Human Services. Keys chairs the task force that is drafting the night school program.

"Our biggest concern is in the type of major degree programs people want and the days of the week they want it," he said.

There is more to night school than just offering classes. Keys said the school also will have to look at offering support services, including evening hours for career counseling and registration.

The university has mailed out about 2,500 questionnaires and surveyed about 151 people at a Cape Girardeau shopping center.

Non-traditional students -- typically older and commuter students -- have been among those surveyed.

The university provided another 1,100 survey forms to the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, which were mailed to area businesses last month.

John Mehner, chamber president and a member of the Southeast PM task force, said the idea of night school is to serve working people.

Evening classes would benefit employees and provide employers with a more educated work force, Mehner said.

Nearly 1,000 people have responded to the surveys, and school officials expect to hear from many more people.

Keys said initial survey results indicate that people are willing to drive up to 40 miles one way to attend classes at Southeast.

Southeast is mailing surveys to a random sample of registered voters this month in Cape Girardeau, Scott, New Madrid, Perry and Butler counties.

The questionnaires will go to about 2,000 people in each of the selected counties, school officials said.

In some counties, Southeast has targeted the survey to registered voters, ages 25 to 49.

"We want as much input as possible because we are here to serve the community," said Donna Masterson, an analyst with the university's office of institutional research, which is handling the surveys.

Masterson said the goal is to offer classes at times and on days that are convenient for working students and families.