BUSINESS BUILDING OPENS

Southeast Missouri State University business students will return Monday to a model of architectural achievement. The $15.8 million Robert A. Dempster Hall on the north end of campus is a wonderful addition.

Business classes scattered in three other campus buildings have been relocated to the new structure. It is home to 65 faculty and staff, including the entire Donald L. Harrison College of Business and the computer sciences department.

It is worth battling back-to-school traffic to visit the 100,0000-square-foot structure of concrete and glass. The entrance features a commons area two stories high with a wall of windows that look toward the river. The building itself is divided into 21 classrooms and computer labs, a 400-seat auditorium, conference rooms, 90 offices, 400 personal computers, and even a lounge for students. The technologically advanced structure required 47 miles of wiring.

The long-awaited College of Business building will be open for business Monday. It is both impressive and functional.