UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES BEGIN VISITS

When William C. Merwin became president of State University of New York College at Potsdam in 1989, he took over a school that had little involvement with the community and the region.

Merwin's supporters credit him with getting the small, 180-year-old college involved in economic development and other services to the St. Lawrence County region.

"Bill Merwin was a breath of fresh air when he came here," said Frank Alguire, executive director of the Messina, N.Y., Industrial Development Corp.

"He turned the college around to play a role here in the region that we have just not seen before," Alguire said.

"Very honestly, I hate to lose the guy."

Merwin is one of three finalists for president of Southeast Missouri State University.

He and his wife, Debra, are scheduled to arrive in Cape Girardeau today.

Merwin will then hold a series of meetings with the Board of Regents, university officials and student leaders Wednesday and Thursday. The public will have an opportunity to meet Merwin at a reception from 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Merwin started the Rural Services Institute in October 1990 to assist the region. Among other things, it writes grant applications for towns in the region, holds business seminars and helps train social workers in a six-county area.

The institute started with a part-time director and a part-time secretary and has grown to a staff of seven and an $800,000 budget.

The institute has an advisory board of citizens.

It operates with private funds, and state and federal grants. About $200,000 of the budget goes for salaries.

"We are absolutely self supporting. Even my own salary comes out of grant money," said Dr. Ram Chugh, an economics professor at the school and the institute's first and only director.

The institution's work also provides internship opportunities for students. Close to 150 students currently work with the business community in the region, Chugh said.

Merwin also has been a prime mover in efforts to build an aquarium and ecological center on the St. Lawrence River. The project would be privately funded.

St. Lawrence County is a rural area in the cold climate of northern New York state.

"People in New York City joke about summer up here being two weeks of bad skiing," said Alguire.

The county is larger than the state of Rhode Island, but has only 110,000 people. The village of Potsdam has about 10,000 residents. Potsdam College has about 4,500 students.

Potsdam is 150 miles north of Syracuse and 80 miles south of Ottawa, Canada. The Canadian border lies only 20 miles north of St. Lawrence County.

Although it is rural, the county has six colleges.

Four of the colleges have formed a partnership, which allows them to share courses rather than duplicate them. Students enrolled in one school can take classes at another.

Community and school leaders describe Merwin as engaging and friendly.

"There are people who don't see eye to eye with him, but very few people don't like him," Alguire said.

"People tend to like him," said Edward Alfonsin, chairman of the English department and head of the Potsdam chapter of the United University Professions union, a group affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers.

Statewide, the union represents 22,000 faculty members and non-management personnel on 29 campuses.

"He tends to deal directly with people," Alfonsin said. "He likes to talk."

Alfonsin said some people feel Merwin devotes too much attention to public relations.

The college has endured repeated budget cuts. Last year 50 positions were cut, Alfonsin said.

Since arriving at Potsdam, Merwin has reduced administrative positions.

The college eliminated some academic programs. It scaled back its computer science program because the number of students majoring in that subject dropped from about 500 in the mid-1980s to about 60 today, Alfonsin said.