COLLEGE STANDARDS

Some educators have accused America's colleges and universities of dumbing down since the campus turmoil of the 1970s. Entrance score tests, such as the SAT, have come under the same educational indictment. Many institutions of higher learning also dismissed most entrance requirements, and spent a lot of time teaching remedial courses to prepare students for college-level classes. At many institutions, such mandatory courses as math, science and foreign language were eliminated.

But that scenario is changing. The changes are illustrated at Southeast Missouri State University, which is trying to raise the academic quality of its students while increasing overall enrollment.

Southeast toughened its admission standards in recent years, changing to moderately selective. It was a move that prompted a some criticism. A number of people said they would have never gained entrance to Southeast with such selective criteria.

But Southeast officials made a persuasive argument in response: It is difficult to build a growing student enrollment if less than half of the students ever earn a degree. It is like a leaking bucket. You can add all the water you want to the top, but the level may never get any higher if it is seeping out the bottom. Higher standards may help Southeast slow or stop that leak.

If students are better prepared for college -- and meet tougher standards -- they are more likely to succeed.

Southeast isn't alone. Many Missouri colleges and universities have raised admission standards, including requiring higher scores on college entrance tests. Most entering college students must also now have taken a core of basic courses in high school in order to admitted.

Southeast also instituted a core curriculum that all students must take. This provides such basic classes as math, science, literature and history. There is still a degree of choice, but the core curriculum grounds students in important fundamentals of higher education. Some of Southeast's colleges require even tougher standards, such as the College of Business, where advanced math course work is a necessity.

Southeast must remain accessible to the region it serves. But in recent years the university has worked hard to help guarantee that those enrolling in the university can actually earn a college degree.