ACCREDITATION A WORTHY GOAL

At Southwest Missouri State University, steps are being taken that the local institution would like to emulate. Earlier this month, the Springfield university was notified that its College of Business Administration had received accreditation from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. It is a significant step for that rapidly growing school, one that was achieved through a good deal of campus and community effort. At Southeast Missouri State University, the pieces are falling into place so the same thing can be achieved.

The accreditation process is not a matter of addressing a few formalities. It is a rigorous evaluation of an institution's business programs, and only about 20 percent of universities make the grade. Among those universities are Harvard, Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; closer to home, three University of Missouri campuses, St. Louis University, Washington University and now Southwest have accreditation.

At Southeast, there is a top-notch faculty on board and a curriculum that attracts a large portion of the university's enrollment. Further, there is backing of the region's business community, which helps feed the program through financial contributions while being fed by a well-trained stream of graduates. What is sorely lacking is a building worthy of all this good work, and that is on the drawing board.

Southeast's business program can be an enormous drawing card for the university. Its enhancement requires some hard work, both by the state, the campus community and the business interests of this region. We believe big things are in this program's ~future.