STROUP URGES FUNDING FOR BOOTHEEL CENTER

Southeast Missouri State University officials think a little education could go a long way in selling state lawmakers on increased funding for the Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center at Malden.

The university heads a consortium that operates the higher education facility, housed in a former Pepsi-Cola bottling plant.

In addition to Southeast, the consortium includes Three Rivers Community College at Poplar Bluff, the University of Missouri Extension and several vocational-technical schools.

Southeast President Kala Stroup said it's difficult for lawmakers in Jefferson City to understand the educational importance of the Bootheel Education Center.

"It's a hard sell," she said.

But she added, "We need to continually make our case."

Robert Ritschel, center director, said that to appreciate the center, one needs to view it first hand. "It is just pretty much an oasis in an area where you don't expect things like this."

He compared it to the "build it and they will come" philosophy of the "Field of Dreams" movie. "We have built it and they (the students) are coming," he said.

The building, now used as the center, and the surrounding 23 acres were donated to the university in the fall of 1987 by Southern Illinois soft-drink executive Harry L. Crisp.

The center opened in the spring of 1988 with an enrollment of less than 150. Since then, the center has been expanded and enrollment has climbed. This spring, 512 students were enrolled in classes at the center, Ritschel said.

Southeast's Board of Regents met Tuesday at the Bootheel Center, and regents and university officials used the occasion to make their case for increased funding for the facility.

"Who would have ever thought an old Pepsi-Cola bottling plant could be transformed into an educational center?" wondered Stroup.

"It's very unique. There is no other program in the nation like this that I know of," said Stroup.

But while it may be unique, funding remains a problem. University officials say the center operates at a deficit.

Southeast's state appropriation for the 1994 fiscal year includes about $287,000 for operation of the center. The university receives about $22,000 to $25,000 in fees charged for courses.

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast, said the university basically operates the center on revenue of $300,000, which is about $30,000 less than the "hard-dollar" cost of operation.

And those costs don't include the approximately $250,000 in university overhead expenses associated with running the center, such as accounting, payroll, and fund-raising.

Regent Mark Pelts of Kennett said Southeast is "being slighted" because the state is not paying the overhead costs. He argued that the state should earmark funds for the Bootheel Education Center rather than simply include funding for the center in Southeast's operating budget appropriation.

"Up until the 11th hour we had an additional $100,000 in funding," said Ritschel. But the additional funding was ultimately left out of the state budget appropriation.

"We were that close to getting it, and maybe with some greater understanding of what we are trying to do, and the number of people we deal with, that wouldn't happen," he said.

Ritschel said the increased funding would have covered some of the university's overhead costs and allowed for expanded services, such as a full-time counselor.

"We are stretched to the limit as far as personnel is concerned," said Ritschel, who came on board as director in March.

The center has four full-time staff members, including the director and a maintenance person. In addition, the center has a half-time counselor. Instructional staff is provided by Southeast and Three Rivers Community College.

"About 90 percent of the instruction we offer here is through Three Rivers Community College," said Ritschel, noting that most of the center's curriculum involves freshmen- and sophomore-level courses.

"More than 50 percent of the classes taught here are taught by full-time faculty from Three Rivers," he said. Southeast's budget does not include the cost incurred by Three Rivers.

Ritschel said the center has benefited from substantial community support in the region. In the last three years, $422,000 has been raised in private donations of cash and property for center improvements.

In April, a $100-a-plate dinner and corporate contributions netted $70,000 for the center, he pointed out.

Southeast and center officials say the facility is an important resource in the battle against illiteracy in the Bootheel.

Pemiscot County has the highest illiteracy rate in Missouri, with 19.6 percent of its adult population illiterate, Ritschel said. New Madrid County ranks fourth and Mississippi County fifth, both with rates of slightly over 18 percent.

On top of that, only 8 percent of the adult population in the Bootheel were college graduates, according to the 1990 Census. That's far below the statewide rate of 17.8 percent, he said.

In an effort to deal with illiteracy, the Bootheel center offers Adult Basic Education, funded by the Poplar Bluff Vocational-Technical School. In 1992, the program served 427 students.

The center is also involved with the Bootheel Literacy Coalition, which in 1992 trained 32 new volunteer tutors and developed materials that were distributed to more than 10,000 people. During the year, the Bootheel center staff referred more than 200 individuals to literacy tutors, Southeast officials said.

In addition, Southeast's federally funded Talent Search program operates out of the center. The program is part of the federal Trio programs, which target minority and economically disadvantaged students in an effort to encourage them to pursue college or other post-secondary education.

Ritschel said the center hopes to eventually offer associate degrees through Three Rivers Community College. Currently, students must take 12 to 15 hours of classes at the Poplar Bluff campus in order to receive degrees.

He said Three Rivers is supportive of the change, which must be approved by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education. But the formal request to the state has yet to be made.

In addition to offering courses from Southeast and Three Rivers, the center regularly offers cultural programs for the region, such as performances by the university's music department.

The Bootheel Youth Museum is being developed as a private venture. It will be housed in part of the building under a lease arrangement with the center.

"It is an interactive museum for children," explained Ritschel. The museum will focus on such things as business, technology, trade and agriculture.

"Not only is it (the center) an educational center or mecca, if you will, we want it to serve as the hub of enrichment opportunities," he said.