UNIVERSITY SHOULD RELISH COORDINATING BOARD VISIT

Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University should be very pleased to host a meeting of the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education today. It is the first time this statewide group has met at the campus here since 1986, and quite a lot has gone on since then. The university has a convincing case to make for itself in a physical as well as curricular sense and should be proud to show itself off for the coordinating board.

We applaud the board for the policy of moving its meeting sites around the state, and we might even encourage the members to be more frequent visitors. The board meets monthly, mostly in Jefferson City, but ventures around the state a couple of times a year to observe the grassroots impact of decisions it makes. Members' judgments become more than something done on paper. Since the coordinating board has had an almost complete turnover of members since the 1986 visit, this might be the first visit to Cape Girardeau for some in this group.

What the coordinating board members will see in Cape Girardeau should impress them. Southeast Missouri State has gained a reputation for assessing internal needs and taking action to fulfill them. During the 1980s, the university took sweeping action in order to put together a core curriculum that has been cited as a national model. Also during the last decade, the school's College of Education took a teacher education program of some note and made it even better. When state funding wasn't available for construction of a new indoor athletic arena, the university joined with the city to assemble some creative financing and make the Show Me Center a reality ... with a nation-leading attendance in Division II basketball and most recently a conference-leading attendance in Division I. In a similar town-and-gown way, the University Foundation has gone outside state funding sources to raise money for the institution, including the recent fulfillment of a $25 million capital campaign.

We are delighted Southeast Missouri State doesn't have to be instructed to take the lead. We likewise believe this is worth some recognition at the state level.

This roster of achievements doesn't mean Southeast has within its grasp resources to meet all its needs. One thing that can't escape the attention of the coordinating board is the enormous interest in business courses here, coupled with the woefully inadequate facilities for this discipline. A new College of Business building is in the works but lacks state financial support to move it forward immediately. We believe an on-site inspection of this situation will prove eye-opening for the board members.

A legitimate question can be asked: If the coordinating board is meant to make the best use of state resources as they relate to higher education, and if it is agreed the board should have the strength to act in the best interest of that goal, is Southeast willing to accept an adverse judgment from this body on matters of facilities or curriculum? If all things are equal, we believe the answer at Southeast should be yes. Let the university here bet on itself, on its ability to make a reasonable case for all its offerings. All other state universities should have to do the same. Taking again the example of the business building, we think Southeast officials can provide overwhelming evidence of its need.

Southeast officials, rightfully proud of what has been accomplished here, should relish the opportunity to make their case. We're honored to have the coordinating board in the city to see this fine campus.