Southeast, Three Rivers relationship is good for students

The relationship between Southeast Missouri State University and Three Rivers Community College has been tenuous in recent years. That's unfortunate, because students in Southeastern Missouri benefit when the institutions work together.

But there's a fresh start now. Donna Farley of the Daily American Republic, a sister paper to the Southeast Missourian, recently spoke with the presidents of the two institutions. The story appeared in the Wednesday edition of the Southeast Missourian.

Three Rivers has a new president with Dr. Wes Payne, who in the Daily American Republic story credited Southeast President Ken Dobbins for reaching out to him. Both point to a healthy future in which Three Rivers and SEMO can work together to better serve students in the area.

The relationship has already produced promising results. The Cape College Center was formerly known as the Cape Girardeau Partnership for Higher Education. It's a partnership between Three Rivers, Southeast and Mineral Area College. For three years the board for the center debated changing the name of the partnership. After the new Three Rivers president was announced, the name was changed quickly at a board meeting to Cape College Center.

But equally promising is that Southeast will, as of sometime next semester, have a presence at Three Rivers. The goal is to provide more opportunities to those in Poplar Bluff with bachelor-degree completion programs and master's programs. This is something that, according to Dobbins, has not happened in about four years.

"I think we all have to make sure that we understand there's a role for all of us," Dobbins said. "It's not just Three Rivers. It's not just Southeast. There's a role for all of us to form that network of higher education."

We applaud Payne and Dobbins for working together and starting a conversation between the two universities. Three Rivers and Southeast each has its strengths. The ultimate goal is to provide students with educational options that meet their career needs. This new relationship is a good step in the process.