SOUTHEAST'S DEAN OF STUDENTS HEADED FOR UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA POST

The dean of students at Southeast Missouri State University will leave his post in August for a similar one at an Alabama university.

Thomas Lovett, who has been at Southeast for 11 years, will become vice president of student affairs and university legal counsel at the University of North Alabama (UNA) in Florence.

"It's a very rare position in that they've combined the traditional position of vice president of student affairs with legal counsel," Lovett said. "It's a very unique position that allows me to combine my experience at Southeast with my doctorate and law degree."

Lovett has been at Southeast since 1980, first serving as assistant dean of students. Before being named the university's dean of students four years ago, he was associate dean of students.

He holds a bachelor's degree, doctorate degree in education and law degree from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. He also has a masters degree from Rollins College, Winter Park, Fla.

Lovett said he will begin his new post Aug. 19. The Alabama university has an enrollment of about 5,600 students, 86 percent of whom are in-state.

Nearly 7,700 students were enrolled at Southeast for the spring 1991 semester.

Lovett said the student make-up at UNA is similar to that of Southeast's and it is growing by about 200 students per semester.

The university was founded in 1872 as a state university and sits on a 92-acre campus. UNA serves northern Alabama as a regional university.

Lovett said he believes Southeast will continue to grow and to offer more opportunities and services to its students.

"I'll miss Southeast," he said. "There are a lot of things going on here that I and others have worked hard over the past decade to accomplish."

He said in the time he's been at Southeast he's seen changes in the campus residence halls that "make living in the residence halls a better experience."

In addition, he said, the university in recent years has begun offering more services to non-traditional students and has developed a thriving relationship with the city of Cape Girardeau and area merchants.

"There is a sense of cooperation here between the university and the Chamber of Commerce. It's essential because, not only is the university good for the city, the city is good for the university," he said.

Lovett said Proposition B, the proposed tax increase for education in the state, will help to solidify a funding base for Southeast so it can continue to upgrade facilities and student services.

"Proposition B is extremely important to higher education and the people of this state," he said.

Lovett said the duties of his new position will be identical to those of his position at Southeast, but added to it will be the responsibility of being the university's legal adviser.

"Southeast has been good to me in that they have given me the opportunity to stay in one place for a while and still hold several different position," he said.

Lovett's wife, Carolyn Lovett, is with Southeast's education administration and counseling department. She will begin a full-time teaching position in UNA's College of Education in the fall, Lovett said.

The position of vice president of student services at Southeast has remained unfilled since July 1990, when Thomas Risch, who held the position, resigned.