UNIVERSITY SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE

Residents of the region are invited to take a walk down memory lane, or to forge new ground at an open house Oct. 27 at Southeast Missouri State University.

Residents in the university's service region, from St. Louis to the Bootheel, are invited to participate in the event sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's University Relations Committee.

"This is a marvelous opportunity to see what the university is about," said Pat Zellmer, a committee member and co-chairman of the event along with James Biundo, director of university relations at Southeast and a committee member.

The chamber's University Relations Committee, chaired by Judy Wilferth, was established about two years ago as a liaison between the university and the community. Its purpose is to enhance communication and better the university, city of Cape Girardeau and the chamber.

The seed for the open house was planted nearly two years ago when the committee sponsored two small university tours for chamber leaders and the Cape West Rotary Club.

"Those were so successful that they led to the much broader concept of a community event," Biundo said. "Also, (Southeast) President Kala Stroup encouraged this type of community outreach effort," he added.

"We were amazed at all of the programs happening and facilities on the campus that we did not know about," Zellmer said. "We were flabbergasted and thrilled at the scope of activities at the university."

The event, scheduled for 1:30-4 p.m., will involve a walking tour. University faculty and staff will offer brief presentations in designated campus buildings, and displays and exhibits will offer an inside look at student organizations and activities.

Members of the University Relations Committee will act as hosts, and students from various campus organizations will serve as tour guides.

Stops along the way will include the nursing department in Crisp Hall; the University Museum in Memorial Hall; the Faulkner and Missouriana collections in Kent Library; the Industrial Technology Laboratory in the Serena Building; the university's corporate television and new radio laboratories in the Grauel Building; residence hall rooms in Dearmont; student financial aid office and the Investment Portfolio Management Program in Academic Hall; and various student exhibits in the University Center.

The tour will be concentrated within the hub of the campus and free refreshments will be offered in several locations.

Randy Shaw, professor of industrial technology and secondary education, will make a brief presentation and demonstrate robotics and computer integrated manufacturing equipment in the industrial technology labs.

Helen Miner, assistant professor of nursing, and several nursing students will conduct demonstrations of CPR and use of splints and blood pressure testing.

In Academic Hall, Keith Russell, associate professor of accounting and finance, will discuss with visitors the university's portfolio theory course.

Students in the course, created in 1988, manage a "real money" investment portfolio of stocks, government securities, bank deposits and mutual funds. Southeast is one of only 21 institutions in the nation with such a course.

Visitors to the University Museum may choose to browse through one of three intriguing exhibits: Mississippian Indian artifacts; an American military history exhibit including military uniforms, photos and insignias; and an exhibition featuring work by 10 art faculty members at Southeast.

Visitors also will be offered a bird's-eye view of residence hall life as two dormitory rooms at Dearmont will be open for viewing.

At the other end of the block, participants may visit Books & Things, the university book store in the University Center.

In addition, Stroup will greet visitors at the president's office in Academic Hall, and musical performances by the Golden Eagles Marching Band, the Jazz Band and Southeast's Sundancers will be held throughout the day. The first performance is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.

Visitors are urged to park in the Show Me Center lot and take a shuttle bus to the campus hub.

"The university is an integral part of the surrounding community," said Zellmer. "This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the campus to residents of Southeast Missouri."