University adds to financial support system

Southeast Missouri State University for decades has provided college degrees to thousands of students whose educational advancement depended on two key things: accessibility and affordability.

As a result of its location and its low tuition and fees, Southeast has enabled countless Southeast Missourians and others to climb career ladders and become financially secure through jobs that paid well.

That tradition continues with the recent announcement of Southeast's new Bridge to Success scholarship program, which will be based more on financial need than on academic merit. The new program is in response to hefty increases in tuition and fees in the wake of major budget setbacks for Missouri's state-funded colleges and universities.

Students already have access to scholarships that require academic excellence. They also can tap into student loans. And many students help pay their bills with jobs.

Now the Bridge to Success scholarships will provide another financial support system to students who want to go to college but have limited financial resources. The university is to be commended for recognizing this need and creating this new scholarship program.