A red-letter day for the River Campus

On Tuesday, a significant step will be taken on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River as it flows past Cape Girardeau and under the sweeping lines of the still-being-constructed Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge. A ground-breaking ceremony will be held for what is to become Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus.

It has been five years since the university acquired the property which for more than a century was a training center for future Roman Catholic priests and was operated by Vincentians. For almost a decade, the former St. Vincent's Seminary was mostly deserted. The buildings and grounds began to show signs of neglect, although the natural beauty of the setting continued to provide one of the best scenic views anywhere in Cape Girardeau.

The destiny of the old seminary changed forever when B.W. Harrison, who lives across Morgan Oak Street from the old seminary, told the university he would like to make a donation of stock whose proceeds would be used to purchase the property from the Vincentians to be used for educational purposes.

This generosity set off a series of events that quickly led to the announcement of the university's plans for a school for the visual and performing arts known as the River Campus because of its location.

The city became a partner with the university to make the project a reality, and Cape Girardeau's state legislators worked to secure state funding.

Much of the vision for the River Campus is attributed to Dale Nitzschke, who was Southeast's president at the time of the Harrison gift. Since then, a number of individuals at the university have been instrumental in making ideas become reality, including the current president, Ken Dobbins. An advisory committee that includes representatives from both the city and university have monitored the project's development.

Along the way, the River Campus has either added or influenced other major components of development that are sure to have a lasting impact, particularly on the downtown area, but on the city in general.

One is the approval of an official Missouri visitors center. These centers are usually along interstate highways near borders with neighboring states. The highway that connects the new Emerson bridge to I-55 runs long the southern boundary of the River Campus, and the development envisioned there will provide a dramatic setting for those who choose to partake of the Show Me State's hospitality.

Another transportation-related development spurred by the River Campus and the new bridge is an extension of Fountain Street, which will connect the new bridge to the downtown area and also provide a new entrance to the River Campus.

Federal funding will underwrite much of the cost of Terrace Park along the hillside of the River Campus property facing the river.

The Fountain Street development, the new park and new quarters for the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau are just a few of the amenities at the River Campus that will directly benefit the city.

In addition, all of Southeast Missouri and portions of adjoining states will make the River Campus a destination for arts events that will be held there, along with special museum exhibits and performance-hall presentations.

The River Campus promises to bolster tourism, increase university enrollment and spark more economic development for Cape Girardeau. These are all trends that deserve to be encouraged and supported. And for all of these reasons, Tuesday's groundbreaking will be a red-letter day for our city.