INAUGURATION EVENTS WILL PUT SEMO IN BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT

Never let it be said that Southeast Missouri State University doesn't know how to throw a party. With the go-ahead from the Board of Regents, a committee has been planning quite a blowout whose centerpiece will be the inauguration of the university's 16th president, Dr. Dale Nitzschke, in April.

For more than a week, luminaries from education, politics and the arts will grace the hilly campus with lectures, classroom visits and formal presentations. In that short time span, Cape Girardeau will be visited by the likes of former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon from Illinois, poet Maya Angelou, comedian Bill Cosby, former U.S. Sen. George McGovern and conservative commentator William F. Buckley.

There is no question that Southeast's star will be polished to a bright glow during the inauguration festivities. Whenever universities are able to command the spotlight with activities like these, future students and their parents take notice. So do alumni and others who may be inclined to provide financial support to the university. Everyone likes a winner.

The winning schedule of the inauguration events come at a price, however. Part of the overall planning has been with an eye toward paying the bills. Special efforts are afoot to seek out special supporters who are being called Inauguration Ambassadors. With funds from these generous donors and corporate benefactors, the planning committee hopes to cover most if not all of the expense of the hoopla.

Throughout the event-filled week in April, Southeast Missouri State University is likely to gain statewide and even national attention. Programmers for C-SPAN, for example, are likely to be interested in the McGovern-Buckley debate that is planned. The public-affairs television network has televised some of these debates in the past.

Overall, the inauguration promises to be quite a marketing event from the university. All of the planning and scheduling efforts appear ready to produce a memorable party.