The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University

Spring 2009

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SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

Grow Your Own

Jobs Wanted:

DNA Testing, Solar Energy & Sustainability

Career Linkages

One School’s Solution to Teacher Shortage

Department of Agriculture Meets The World’s New Ag Needs

Southeast Grads Ready for Tough Market

Helping Students & Alumni Find Jobs

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Volume 4, Issue 1 The mAGAZINe oF sOUt H e As t M i s s OUr i stAte U n i V e rs i t Y

From The President

Spring 2009 The mission of The magazine of Southeast missouri State University is to bring the vitality that is Southeast missouri State University into the lives of its alumni and friends… and to promote the cause of the University most effectively through its editorial focus on interesting people and interesting ideas…experience Southeast…experience Success.

The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University is made possible by members of the Southeast missouri State University Alumni Association and donors to the Southeast missouri University Foundation. mAGAZINe TeAm mANAGING eDITor Karen Grebing Director of marketing & University relations kgrebing@semo.edu CoPY AND ArT eDITor Tonya Wells Assistant Director of marketing twells@semo.edu CoNTrIBUTorS Adam Appleton Juan Crites Ann hayes matthew Kearney Kathleen mulcrone Delain Stafford Tonya Wells PhoToGrAPhY Brad Chamness mike Grace Nancy Kelley Thomas marrone matthew r. miller roWDY CArICATUre Thomas marrone UNIVerSITY PreSIDeNT Dr. Ken Dobbins INTerIm VICe PreSIDeNT For UNIVerSITY ADVANCemeNT/exeCUTIVe DIreCTor oF The FoUNDATIoN Dr. Gerald mcDougall ALUmNI ASSoCIATIoN Joan Gohn, President michael Price, Vice President SoUTheAST mISSoUrI UNIVerSITY FoUNDATIoN Dick Davidson, Chairman Stan Crader, Vice Chairman

LeTTerS PoLICY The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University welcomes submissions by alumni and friends. Class notes and letters may be edited for length and content.

Please send all correspondence to editor@semoalumni. com or to The Magazine of Southeast Missouri State University, one University Plaza mS7300, Cape Girardeau, mo 63701.

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Sincerely, Kenneth W. Dobbins President

On tHe COVer This photo was submitted as an assignment for the Commercial Photography Lighting (GM285) class by Jordan Dennis, a freshman from Arnold, Mo. She was to read an article from CNNmoney.com and create a cover image for a fictitious magazine. The model is Caitlyn Blanton.

© 2009 Southeast missouri State University.

Content may not be reprinted without written permission of the editors.

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Dear Friends, Our goal is to make Southeast Missouri State University the University of First Choice – First Choice for students; First Choice for faculty and staff; and First Choice for employers who recruit our graduates for jobs and careers. There are many indications that we are succeeding in that goal.

The 2008 CIRP (Cooperative Institutional Research Program) survey of freshmen revealed some very positive data about the profile of this year’s entering freshmen class. The CIRP survey is administered every other year to new, first-time students in classes during their first few weeks on campus.

Results dating back to 2000 are available at: www4.semo.edu/insresearch/ IR%20Reports/CIRP/CIRP_Reports.html. Data shows that 72 percent of freshmen students made Southeast their University of First Choice Kenneth W. Dobbins compared to only 60 percent of freshmen at all other four-year colleges and President universities. Their top reasons for choosing Southeast continue to be our great academic reputation, the great financial value, financial assistance and the fact that our graduates get jobs!

With the Fall 2008 freshmen class, Southeast became Missouri’s most academically competitive public regional university. Southeast enrolled 1,828 new, first-time students with an average ACT composite score of 22.6. All other moderately selective universities in Missouri reported an average ACT composite of 22.0 or below. This is also reflected in the number of our freshmen in the top 20 percent of their high school class – 42 percent in 2008 versus 24 percent in 2005. Except for the four University of Missouri campuses and Truman State, Southeast has the largest percentage of freshmen in the top 20 percent of their class in Missouri.

To say that the first part of the Spring Semester has been unusual would be an understatement! The storm that dumped several inches of sleet, ice and snow on the Cape Girardeau campus, forcing its closure for three days, and the power outages that closed our regional campuses in Sikeston, Malden and Kennett for weeks have created challenges that will be with our faculty, students and the citizens of our region long past the end of the semester. At our three regional campuses to our south, we have extended the semester by a week, so our faculty at all the regional campuses can achieve their course goals. We appreciate the extra effort this will entail.

We also appreciate the efforts of the Southeast University Foundation Board and the Advancement staff as we conduct a search for a new vice president for university advancement/executive director of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. Wayne Smith, who formerly held the position, left Southeast in December to take a position with Saint Francis Medical Center.

This position is extremely important in our efforts to continue our outstanding academic programs and to fund future University improvements and scholarship opportunities for our students. The advertisement for the position is located on the inside back cover of this publication. We invite any interested alumni to apply or to nominate a candidate via the process outlined in the announcement. This is truly a position where familiarity with and love of Southeast are requirements.

As we celebrate our achievements at Southeast, we face a budget challenge for FY2010 and beyond.

As you may have noted in media reports, Governor Jay Nixon’s State-of-the-State address was very optimistic for higher education; however, state revenue figures for FY2009 are still below projections. As you can imagine, the state budget process has a long way to go before a final appropriation bill is approved in May by the General Assembly for FY2010.

I remain hopeful that our state legislators will recognize that in times like these, high quality education is even more important, and that legislators will use Federal Stimulus Funds to avoid major appropriations reductions. I believe that with our talented faculty and staff, promising student body and supportive alumni, Southeast has proven, especially recently, that we can weather any storm—literally or figuratively.

Thank you for your participation, loyalty and partnership with Southeast. You have truly made us The University of First Choice, and for that, we are thankful.

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On the Job Hunt

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Jobs Wanted:

2009 Grads Face an Uneasy Future

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The Southeast Link:

Helping Students and Alumni Find Jobs On the farm with the department of Agriculture

Field of Innovation

Southeast’s Department of Agriculture Evolves to Meet the World’s New Ag Needs

A Day In The Life

A Photo Essay of a Day at Southeast

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Entrepreneurs

The Possibilities Of An Innovative Generation Learning to be an entrepreneur

Grow Your Own Job

School District Offers Students Scholarships and Jobs

Southeast Athletics

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Reasons To Celebrate

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Southeast Among The Best master’s Degree Granting Universities And more Academically Competitive Than ever In a year that saw record enrollment for Southeast, the University has also received impressive accolades from Princeton Review and U.S. News America’s Best Colleges. In addition, new information shows that Southeast is now a more academically competitive University than ever before.

The Academically Competitive Southeast

Classroom activity has reached a new level of productivity, as students are brighter and more prepared than ever. In fall 2008, Southeast enrolled the largest freshman class in history with an average ACT composite score of 22.6. All other “moderately selective” universities in Missouri reported an average ACT composite score of 22 or below. The change reflects the fact that fewer students are being admitted with lower scores and more admitted with higher scores.

The impact on the Honors Program has been dramatic, as well, with more students than ever choosing to participate in and to complete the honors curriculum.

Additionally, the number of students who earn Southeast merit scholarships has grown by 44 percent (340 to 490) annually in the last five years.

As a “moderately selective” University, Southeast’s percentage of high-ability students for 2008, as measured by rank in class, is higher than at all public universities in Missouri except the “highly selective” Truman State and University of Missouri campuses.

All of this means that Southeast has become Missouri‘s most academically competitive public regional university.

the top 25 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities.

Schools with Master’s Program

U.S. News America’s Best Colleges included Southeast as one of the best master’s degree

Best In The Midwest

Exceptional academic programs, dedicated faculty, state-of-the-art facilities and vibrant student life also earned Southeast a spot on Princeton Review’s list of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest. This places Southeast with only 159 schools in the Midwest and among

granting institutions in the Midwest.

Seventy-one schools made the list this year, and only 22 were public universities, including Southeast.

This ranking places Southeast among some of the most sought-after colleges and universities in the Midwest.

Athinarayanan receives 2008 PrIDe Award Dr. Ragu Athinarayanan, chair of the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology at Southeast Missouri State University, received the Provost’s Research, Instruction and Development for Excellence (PRIDE) Award last December.

The PRIDE Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence as a teacher, an extraordinary level of scholarship and service, and whose overall accomplishments are especially noteworthy.

Athinarayanan was selected for the award by the Council of Deans after nominations were solicited from each of the University's colleges and schools. The recipient of the

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award is honored for exemplifying the teacher/scholar model. This is the 13th year Southeast has presented the PRIDE Award.

Athinarayanan came to Southeast in 2000. He was promoted to professor of industrial and engineering technology in 2005.

"He takes his job very seriously because he considers it part of his job to be a model teacher," says Dr. Randy Shaw, assistant provost and dean of the School of Polytechnic Studies. "He is an excellent role model."

Shaw says Athinarayanan supervises and has expanded the department's internship program, providing leadership to improve the quality of applied research and advising.

In addition, he has developed three research project proposals in cooperation with the Missouri Research Corporation. His work with grants and in-kind donations has added nearly $1 million in new equipment and software to the department's curriculum

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during the past three years. He also coordinated the writing of self-studies for two national accreditation visits – National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) in 2006 and Technology Accreditation Commission/Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (TAC/ABET) in 2007.

"He is tireless and is involved in many department, school and University committees," Shaw says.

His departmental efforts with recruitment, retention, career fair, advisory committee, employer follow-up study, assessment and development of student organizations has insured the quality and growth of the department, Shaw adds.

"Ragu is one of the most competent, modest and hardest working colleagues I have had the pleasure to work with in my nearly 35 years in higher education," Shaw says.

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No, it isn’t the latest approach to days a week, right through spring break, to involved without having to leave campus.

Residence Life. This past March, students, complete the house in the parking lot. It Many students do not have vehicles, so faculty and staff partnered for a powerful was then moved to its permanent location they didn’t have to worry about finding community service opportunity – Build on North Main Street. The interior was transportation or not being able to get Southeast. This project brought together finished after the house was installed on its involved because of lack of transportation. members of the Southeast community new basement foundation.

We wanted to give students a chance to to build a home on connect with Habitat campus with Habitat and the campus for Humanity. community without For more than having to travel off two years, Southeast campus. students, faculty and “As a department, staff have given their the Office of Residence time and talents on life has been tied into Habitat home sites in the various builds many communities, occurring off campus. including Evansville, “There's nothing Ind., Greensboro, like helping students Ala., and right here in become connected Cape Girardeau. This to the campus, and year marks the first the Cape Girardeau time that the Habitat community. We are building experience also continuing to build was brought to the our relationship with campus of Southeast.

Habitat for Humanity, Southeast a partnership that has students, faculty and proven to be a benefit staff and the Office to our students,” says Students and volunteers build the Habitat for Humanity house constructed on the parking of Residence Life Wallaert. lot at the Wehking Alumni Center. descended on the “Students will have Wehking Alumni Center parking lot to “The house was not built on location the opportunity to go to 1640 N. Main build a home for John and Ashley Sterling for a couple of reasons,” says Kerry and see the home they helped build. It’s and their four children, a Cape Girardeau Wallaert, area coordinator for the Office a tremendous opportunity to know they family. of Residence Life. “The main reason is were part of a large scale project that gave Students worked long hours, seven that it gave students the opportunity to get hope to a family.”

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habitat for humanity house Built on Campus

Sport management option Added to Southeast’s mBA Program This fall, Southeast’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) students will have another option to choose from in the degree program.

The sport management option is designed for individuals with an undergraduate degree in sport management and the appropriate background in business who wish to position themselves for senior leadership roles in the sport and sportrelated industries.

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degree in sport management with a minor in business administration. The minor in business administration provides the undergraduate foundation in business required for full admission to the MBA program.

According to Dr. Ken Heischmidt, director of graduate programs in business, the sport management option does not require any new courses, but takes advantage of specialized coursework offered through the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, S o U T h e A S T

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and the common required core under the existing MBA program.

With the new option, there are now 10 MBA degree options available.

Existing options include accounting, entrepreneurship, environmental management, financial management, general management, online general management, industrial management, international business and health administration.

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Theatre and Dance Students Take Top Spots at regionals Last fall, 35 students from the Southeast Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance attended the Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC) regional auditions held in Dickson, Tenn. Southeast was one of several universities with students auditioning. Of the 16 students the SETC selected to advance to the national convention in Birmingham, Ala., 12 were Southeast students.

“Those 12 students were not just juniors and seniors, but were freshmen and sophomores as well,” says Rhonda Weller-Stilson, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance.

“This screening was only allowed to forward up to 30 percent of those auditioning to the national convention. Each student auditionee is simply assigned a number, and that’s all the screening adjudicators see. It’s based solely on talent,” she says.

The success of Southeast’s students speaks volumes about the quality of these undergraduate actors from the Department of Theatre and Dance, says Weller-Stilson.

“When we first began getting our students involved, we were lucky to get three through to the next level, so we are thrilled by our new percentages,” Weller-Stilson says. “We are attributing this success to many variables, including an increase in acting classes, auditioning and vocal performance, as well as increases in faculty and scholarships. The development of the bachelor of fine arts degree and our strong recruiting efforts are playing a large role as well.”

The SETC is the largest theatre convention of its kind in the United States. Each year, more than 3,500 professional, student and community actors, singers, dancers, directors, designers and technicians attend the national convention. Of those, approximately 1,000 chosen performers then auditioned for 150 professional theatre and production companies at the 2009 national convention in Birmingham, Ala. Southeast had 12 students audition for acting roles, and, as of press time, seven had received offers or had been called back for further auditions. Eight additional students were interviewed for technical positions. And Weller-Stilson says many additional Southeast students have auditioned and accepted jobs across the country from playhouses to productions at Six Flags.

It was the success that Southeast has had at the SETC auditions that brought Matt Davenport Productions to campus in February. Matt Davenport Productions does casting for cruise lines, theme parks and other production companies. The production company visited only three universities to conduct oncampus auditions this year, with Southeast being one of the three. More than 20 Southeast students auditioned for acting and singing roles, and seven auditioned in technical theatre.

“They talked to some of our students about the long-term,” says Weller-Stilson. “We just think it says a lot about the caliber of our students that they asked to come here. We were thrilled with it, and they were very happy with the quality of the students who showed up. The company has just begun to make offers, and one of our students has accepted an offer already.”

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Program Sets New Admissions Guidelines Students seeking to enter Southeast's theatre and dance degree programs will be required to meet new admissions guidelines beginning this fall.

Now, students will have to audition to get into the program and will be evaluated not only on their academic record but also their talent in theatre and dance.

"This is part of the natural evolution of our program" which began in 2003, says Dr. Kenn Stilson, professor of theatre and dance. "Since then, we have increased in both size and quality. Now, we are raising the bar. We began setting a new standard over the past five years. The students have exceeded our expectations.

ACT scores and grade point averages of our theatre and dance students have risen considerably. The students we are attracting are the best and the brightest.

We are working to ensure that trend continues."

The new guidelines are part of an effort by the Department of Theatre and Dance to become nationally accredited in 2010 by both the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the National Association of Schools of Dance.

"Most schools in Missouri don't have this type of accreditation," Stilson says.

"This makes us more attractive to the strong students. It's an extremely positive move from our standpoint."

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National endowment for the Arts Grant Brings “Cinderella” was founded in Moscow during the period of Perestroika in the late 1980s.

During this time, many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union's ballet institutions exercised their newfound creative freedom. They started vibrant new companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet, but also to invigorating this tradition as the Russians began to accept new dance developments from around the world. Today, the Russian National Ballet Theatre is its own institution, with more than 50 dancers of singular instruction and vast experience, many of whom have been with the

company since its inception.

Robert Cerchio, assistant director of the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, says this presentation is just one example of the University's commitment to bringing the finest national and international touring presentations to the people of the region.

"Not only is a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts a financial benefit," said Cerchio, "but it is also an endorsement of the high artistic merit of our efforts. We already knew this, but it's terrific to have the NEA agree."

Photo: Columbia Artists Management LLC

Southeast Missouri State University was awarded its first-ever grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which will be used to underwrite the May 1 Russian National Ballet performance of “Cinderella” at the University’s River Campus.

The "Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track Review Grants" program offers support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations--those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability. This program furthers an essential component of the NEA’s goal of providing wide access to artistic excellence.

Hilary Peterson is an instructor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, and will serve as the project director for the award.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this effort to expose new audiences to dance performance and live arts programming,” Peterson says. “I can tell from the caliber and enthusiasm of my students that this region is ripe with potential for up-andcoming dancers, loyal patrons and wouldbe benefactors who will help the arts community here grow and thrive.”

The Russian National Ballet Theatre

University Celebrates Dr. martin Luther King, Jr. Southeast Missouri State University sponsored many events for students, alumni and the community to celebrate the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, professor, talk show host and author of the book April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How It Changed America, was the keynote speaker at the sold-out celebration dinner.

Dyson rose from a welfare father to Princeton Ph.D., from church pastor to college professor, from a factory worker who didn’t start college until he was 21 to a two–time NAACP Image Award winner.

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Dr. Dyson’s comments during the dinner traversed politics to hip hop to academics and back, calling on his roots as a pastor for his fiery delivery.

Dyson also spent time at Southeast leading a roundtable discussion with faculty, staff and students on Dr. King and the impacts of the man and his dream on 21st century America.

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Jobs Wanted: 2009 Grads Enter the Workforce During Uneasy Times Rebecca Kugel-Rolls sits across the follow the traditional job search path. if anything comes up. Rebecca is is in table talking about her future plans--life Some will go into business for themselves. full search mode, trying to unearth any after graduation. As she talks about social position she thinks she may be interested in Southeast’s Center for Entrepreneurial work and the jobs she’s interested in, she Studies is working to prepare students for and meet anyone she thinks may help. seems confident. She never stumbles. She the trend of self-employment.

“I went to a workshop on campus articulates exactly what she wants (a job “Our courses emphasize creativity and about finding a job with any major, and I in a school) and exactly why (the idea of innovation training,” says James Stapleton, met Nolan Brunnworth [Career Linkage’s helping at-risk youths very much appeals to St. Louis career specialist]. I knew that the Center’s director. “We provide students her). She discusses her experiences during an opportunity to inventory their personal was the location I wanted to live, so we her practicum and how she will put those interests and background, study creative exchanged e-mails, and he’s been very to use. She appears to be a promising and innovation processes and methods to helpful.” employee, a relatable counselor to students spot and evaluate start-up opportunities.”

They met to discuss what type of job and a good interviewee. But, underneath The University currently offers a she wanted and reviewed her resume. the confidence in her abilities lies the business minor in entrepreneurship, “Nolan gave me some tips on unsettling doubt of the times. with plans to extend it across disciplines. introducing myself and strengthening my Like the other hundreds of Southeast Stapleton says the programs are an effort resume so that I stand out to employers,” Missouri State University graduates this to build and sustain economic prosperity she explains. spring, Rebecca has dreams of making a by hopefully resulting in an increase in difference, loving her career and building a the number of new start-up ventures, Think Like an Entrepreneur future of which she can be proud. But like which creates important employment Of course, some graduates will not the other hundreds of Southeast grads this spring, she is entering the job hunt at a time when unemployment rates are at their highest in years and job openings are at their lowest.

“I’m pretty nervous,” she says. “I want to find a job that I like doing. I feel like I will prevail, but job cuts within state government are concerning.”

State government is one of the largest employers in Rebecca’s field of social work and one of the places she’s targeted her hunt.

“I started looking before Christmas break. With the benefits and tuition reimbursement, it made sense to start by looking at jobs with the state,” she says. “I took the merit exam and am on the registry for the child service worker and the youth specialist I and II positions.”

Rebecca Kugel-Rolls visits with representatives of Big Brothers, Big Sisters at Southeast’s Career Fair.

She won’t just wait to see

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Southeast sponsors career fairs, resume workshops and speakers to help job seekers find the right opportunity.

opportunities. That would certainly be a welcome benefit in today’s business climate.

But Stapleton also feels the program can increase the value students offer firms, whether their own or others.

“The mode of thinking and set of behaviors practiced by entrepreneurs are valuable lifelong skills for all students entering the 21st century,” he says. “Given the nature of the new economy, with fewer large corporations and fewer jobs at the remaining large corporations, students must consider the possibility that they will have to ‘start’ their own careers.”

Stapleton says certainly not all students are comfortable with that idea, but he sees the courses are making a difference.

“As students complete our courses and are involved with successful entrepreneurs in our activities, they begin to gain confidence that if they are willing to make the effort and sacrifices necessary, they can build their own businesses.”

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graduates. He visits companies to see if they offer the training and upward mobility he seeks for Southeast’s grads. He says sometimes alumni even help him out by putting him in contact with their human resources departments.

“Our alumni continue to be strong ambassadors of their alma mater.”

He plans to continue helping applicants. He worked with the Southeast Alumni Association in February to host a resume workshop and sees more in the near future.

“St. Louis has been hit pretty hard. It isn’t just the larger companies that make the news. It’s smaller companies that are having to cut back, too. That definitely makes it difficult on new grads because now they are competing with people who have experience, and those people are willing to take a pay cut to find a position.”

But the news isn’t all negative.

Brunnworth says he still sees successes, and there are still firms that are hiring.

“I have been working with a man for several months who is getting a job offer today,” he says, pleased that the client’s S o U T h e A S T

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search was successful. “I have another man who lost his job because his company downsized a year ago, and he was just recently hired by a company we were able to make contact with because an alumnus was employed there.”

As for Rebecca, Brunnworth says he’s hopeful she’ll be employed by graduation.

“She listens well. We worked together to develop her job search plan, and she’s executing it.”

Gaining the Most from Internships Before the job search begins, Career Linkages also works with students to find internship opportunities. It was something as routine as working with Career Linkages to secure an internship with Scottrade that helped Robert Brockschmidt land a job offer in his junior year.

“I can’t thank Joyce Hunter at Career Linkages enough for her help. She’s very informative. She really explained everything well, so I recognized what I needed to do to get where I wanted.”

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much--cutting his hair.

“I had long curly hair and facial hair. It was one of Joyce’s suggestions that I trade that in for a more professional looking hair cut,” he says. “My first response was ‘I don’t want to,’ but she helped me see that it was worth it to get what I really wanted, which was an internship. Employers don’t know much about your abilities during an interview, so any efforts you can make to impress are worth it. She took me from college Robert to professional Robert.”

“I was so impressed that he came to the mock interview in a suit–despite the fact it was an unusually warm day in May,” says Joyce Hunter, Career Linkages experiential learning coordinator. “We discussed his strengths and challenges. He was prepared and was successful in his internship.”

Robert was so successful that Scottrade not only offered him an internship but also offered him a full-time position and tuition assistance if he would complete his degree online and agree to work for the company immediately.

There’s a certain amount of relief about having a job before you graduate.

“You have no idea. It’s just incredible that I have a job right now with a good company with a strong sense of security in today’s world, especially when we’re seeing so many applicants come in from other companies,” says Robert.

The Final Countdown That relief is something Rebecca continues to work toward. She attended Southeast’s education fair to talk with schools about possible openings and is hopeful she can find the right fit for her passion.

“School is a place where youth can get away from home. It’s a setting that’s about them, and it’s safe. It is so hard for children to succeed in academics if they are dealing with abuse or poverty at home. I could help them,” she says almost

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in disbelief that helping kids in need is an actual job. “I’d also really like to do programs with students who aren’t at risk to help keep them on the right path and focused on their dreams.”

Before she gets there, Rebecca must realize her own dreams. She’s currently putting in the time to getting there. She spoke with two schools at the Education Fair.

“There were no available positions at this time, but I was able to network with these schools and hopefully use them as future resources,” she says.

Robert agrees that’s sound advice for

Rebecca says it is more important to her to have a job she likes where she can make a difference than any job in a particular location.

“You have to start looking somewhere, but I’m not going to rule something out just because it isn’t close to home. If the right job came along, it wouldn’t matter where it was because now is the time in my life when I can go anywhere.”

Now, she says she is doing mock interviews with anyone who is willing and continuing to look for opportunities and meeting people.

“The longer it goes, the more nervous I’ll get.”

It’s an unfortunate time that sees thousands of college students graduating this spring and entering a work force with thousands of unemployed workers who have experience and who are also looking for work. It is too early Grads going to any lengths for job to assess if this year’s grads will be offers. Robert Brockschmidt transitioned from college ID to employee ID to get the job more or less successful than previous classes. However, some he wanted. analysts predict the job market may not anyone looking for a be quite so bleak. The job. workforce is expected to “Talk to see more turnover than everyone you ever as baby boomers know. Networking, near retirement, which networking, should bode well for the networking. I talked new crop of college grads with Joyce about who may be the most where to look for technologically-savvy an internship, and group ever. she helped me with Another bright the knowledge of spot for Southeast what I needed to know to apply. I grads is that with much emphasis put talked to friends to get ideas of where on a turbulent economy and graduates to apply. Once I got the internship, entering the workforce toting student I talked to everyone there to find out loans, U.S. News & World Report listed which departments I might like and what Southeast grads as some of the leastcertifications and skills I should pursue. indebted students following graduation.

Utilize everyone you know,” he says.

But even with reports of 650,000 jobs lost Rebecca has started researching in February 2009 and 4.4 million since organizations in the St. Louis area that December 2007, the news coverage isn’t work with youth. She spoke with one deterring Rebecca. such organization at the all-campus Career “I spent four years getting ready to Fair in February. take the next step, and I feel Southeast has “I’ve also heard through other prepared me for it fully. I’m excited at this students that there may be positions time in my life. I’m still excited about the available in the Cape and Jackson school next step.” districts, so I’m looking into that.”

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The Southeast Link Helping Students and Alumni Find Jobs “It’s one of those necessary evils,” says senior Rebecca KugelRolls. “Students may hate doing it, but it is very beneficial. And, the staff is so helpful.”

She is talking about Career Linkages, a program somewhat unique to Southeast Missouri State University, and, perhaps, more beneficial than many know.

Students attend four non-credit courses geared toward preparing them for all things work-related after college. The proficiencies ensure students graduate with appropriate career planning knowledge and a professional resume and cover letter.

Standing out in a sea of potential employees all vying for the same positions will be a definite benefit. Rebecca says that while she was one of many students she knows who took Southeast’s Career Linkages courses with little enthusiasm, she has no doubts now how important they are.

Before the office works with students on getting a job, it makes sure they start on the right track.

“Before students spend four years pursuing a career path, we want to make sure it is a career for which they are suited,” says Dr. Leon Book, director of the First-Year Experience. “We assess their interests to show them careers available in those areas. Then, we can ensure that the academic path they are on matches the career path they want.”

Dr. Book says the step seems intuitive, but he sometimes finds the results surprising.

“I met with one young lady who was interested in becoming a nurse,” he explains. “When we reviewed her assessment, she had very little interest in math and science. I explained that those are the areas in which she would be taking most of her courses, and that was unappealing to her. What was appealing was working in a service capacity and helping others. Nursing seemed, to her, like the right fit.”

Through reviewing her assessment, Dr. Book explains they were able to determine if her desire to become a nurse could overcome her dislike for science or if there were other career paths that filled her interests in academic fields in which she had more interest and for which she felt better suited.

“The goal of college is to prepare students for a successful life after school. So, we feel we owe it to our students to make sure they have everything they need for success,” says Book. “That begins with helping them choose the correct major, continues through helping them through coursework and certainly doesn’t end with graduation.”

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Students certainly aren’t the only ones looking for jobs, and Career Linkages Assistant Director Warren Skinner says Southeast alumni are entitled to the exact same job services they receive as students.

“We don’t stop helping students find jobs just because they graduate. Any of our alumni can contact us for interview assistance, resume tips, networking opportunities or job search databases.”

Nolan Brunnworth, Career Linkage’s St. Louis career specialist, says the economy is definitely making a difference in his case load. He’s seeing an increase of 15-20 new alumni each month looking for job search assistance.

Brunnworth works with around 80 companies in the St. Louis area to place Southeast graduates. Those are contacts he makes anyway he can.

“Pick up the phone. It sounds simple, but many times that’s how I make a connection with a company,” says Brunnworth.

“We’re aggressive and contact them and share this is how we can help you and our students.”

Brunnworth says the economy has made that a trickier prospect these days, too.

“I could spend a lot of time working with a company, but if it is the wrong company, it doesn’t help our students. As for alumni, sometimes people are changing careers or they haven’t looked for a new job in a while, so they just need our help in the first phase with upgrading their resume or maybe helping with a mock interview,” he says. “We try to explain that job searches used to be you see an ad, you apply for a job and you get an interview. It isn’t that way anymore.”

Brunnworth says today’s applicants must be much more resourceful. He advises to spend time on the search, to diversify where you look, to network by joining industry organizations and to make contacts.

“Today’s job search is different than ever before, so today’s applicants have to be, too. That’s where we’re ready to help.”

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Department of Agriculture Chair Dr. Michael Aide discusses soil samples with his class at the David M. Barton Agricultural Research Center.

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Field of Innovation Southeast’s Department of Agriculture Evolves to Meet the World’s New Ag Needs “One third of Missouri’s agriculture output comes from six counties in the Bootheel,” says Dr. Michael Aide, chair of Southeast’s Department of Agriculture. “Now that we have the infrastructure in place with the regional campuses, we knew it was where we should be.”

Being there is just one more step the department is taking to prepare students for life after college.

“We knew there was a need in the Bootheel, and we knew we could produce programs native to that region and its needs.”

Dr. Aide says the department has obtained a great deal of input from that region in developing a new agriculture program beginning this fall at two of the regional campuses. An advisory board of local experts in the agricultural sector was established to assist in developing the kinds of curriculum necessary to train the talent to meet the business needs of the Bootheel.

“The agriculture needs are dramatically different there than in other regions of the state. These farms tend to be much larger than other midwestern farms, and they are row-crop oriented. The advisory board means we can meet those needs with trained students ready for college-level ag jobs in the Bootheel.”

The new program should be underway this fall at the Sikeston and Malden regional campuses. Dr. Aide says after the first year, it will expand to Kennett.

“We want to make sure that we have our logistics worked out in the first year, and we have to have a lab in Kennett for students.”

Dr. Aide says the first class will be about 15-20 students, but he expects that to grow.

“We have talked with high school counselors to let them know that their students can come to Southeast for an ag program developed so they can return home to work. Our advisory board is made up of the local agri-business community, so they are spreading the word, too.”

Dr. Aide is very excited about the new program in the Bootheel, but he is also excited about many of the other advances his department is making. And, at a time when new college grads are more nervous than ever about finding a job and their future, Dr. T h e

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Aide says his students have more than a few center management during the next year. developers weren’t interested. advantages.

That’s customer service, knowledge driven.

“He made more money than he knew “Ag is the bright spot in the economy, By hiring agriculture graduates, customers what to do with. I believe he put himself maybe the only bright spot. This area is will know what they’ll need. Anyone would through college with the job.” potentially the most productive sustained rather buy five right things as opposed to That entrepreneurial spirit and the agriculture region in the world. California one thing not needed.” emphasis on getting experience before is a rival to the Missouri Bootheel and Numerous courses are under review graduation is evident with the department’s Northeast Arkansas, but California has water to reflect the changing department and landscape design students. Aide says they and cost issues that the Bootheel doesn’t. workforce. are working with Facilities Management We’re blessed being here.”

“Dr. [Paul] Schnare has been a leader on on what he considers an entire landscape Aide says his department will capitalize a course where we’ve asked local bankers to laboratory. on that fortunate location and take every evaluate our students’ business plans, so they “This campus gives us a great place opportunity to ready its students. can get direct feedback. If they are going to to learn and put that knowledge in place,” “We’ve gone through a rapid phase of build their own businesses, it takes capital. says Aide. “I’d like to see them develop a quality enhancement of our programs, and We’re trying to show them what it takes.” landscape plan for the new residence hall we’re continually improving by working Aide feels learning the steps necessary under construction, work with Facilities with the agri-business communities to to start a business is as equally an important Management to acquire the plants and put provide that excellence.” everything in place.”

His students aren’t And, in the mindset of saving entering their father’s the best for last, Aide is fairly pleased agriculture program. with the seven-figure donation to Today’s ag programs are as the Southeast Missouri University varied as the department’s Foundation last fall to benefit the ag students and jobs they are program. pursuing.

June (White) Barton, a 1963 Aide says the Southeast alumna, donated 850 acres of horticulture students are her farmland to benefit the Department currently working on a of Agriculture. Half of the money sustainable garden that from the sale of the land will be used will produce vegetables for an endowment for agriculture to market to Chartwells scholarships. The other half will be Dining Services on used for the ongoing development and campus. Dr. Aide says the future upkeep and improvements to the garden is currently under University’s farm. The facility has also development, but the been renamed in honor of Barton’s late concept is that ag students husband, who farmed in New Madrid can produce potatoes County for 60 years. The David M. that will then show up in Barton Agriculture Research Center will Towers on their plates. provide students the resources not just He expects some of the to learn their field of study, but to do crop will be served before A series of presentations were part of Global Entrepreneurship week, including the cutting-edge research. students leave for summer.

Aide says the research is already emerging opportunities for local food growers, the global food supply crisis, organic growing, alternative fuels and marketing local products.

It’s an interesting underway with numerous programs in program that mixes an the works, including a goal to run the environmentally conscious farm entirely on solar energy. step in students’ education as the rest of the sustainability program with giving students “We have one panel already in place, coursework. experience with their own business. and we’re hoping for more so we can run “There are lots of possibilities in “Horticulture students are more everything needed at the farm, with the agriculture, and it only takes human likely to start their own businesses. Part of exception of our trucks and tractors, with ingenuity to figure it out. We can’t figure it their education is preparing them for that solar energy.” out for our students, but we can give them possibility.”

The center is also working with the the tools to be ready to go.”

To do that, the department is Missouri Department of Natural Resources Aide says not all students wait until redesigning the horticulture curriculum to to minimize the environmental impacts graduation. One of his former students reflect entrepreneurship and garden center to soil and water sources during farming. started his own businesses to do niche management.

This controlled drainage/irrigation research landscaping in small areas in which “We expect 5,000 positions in garden creates buffer zones to prevent flow, in this

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area, eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.

“Our research is working to reduce the problem, and it should have a big impact, specifically on the aquatic life in the Gulf,” says Aide.

The department had eight students working in research last year. Now 20 students are researching, and, again, Aide feels this is another truly valuable aspect of their education.

“Not all of our grads will go into farming. There’s a big market for agri-business, and some of them will be doing research. This gives our undergrads research experience, which makes them that much more marketable after school.”

In addition to irrigation research, the sustainable garden and crop technologies, the department is also researching DNA sequencing of beef to predict meat quality.

While that sounds somewhat scary and high tech, Aide says the research is determining which cows to breed for the highest meat quality by looking at DNA. “Instead of just breeding the animals, we’re taking tissue samples to the lab to get an idea of which animals have the genetics to produce the best meat quality.”

And, somewhere in the midst of research, improvements, laboratories and new programs, Aide says in its first year of field operation, the farm’s corn and soybean yields approached Cape Girardeau County records.

“What can I say? We have new scholarships, new programs, and I expect enrollment to increase. Our faculty is gregarious, the best studentbonding group you’ll ever want to work with. That helps us maintain student morale. After 20 years, students tell me they still remember our friendliness.”

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Ag Grad Takes His Business International Mike Martin, Martin Rice When Mike Martin graduated from Southeast in 1990, he says he felt fortunate to have been able to get a degree close enough to home to help on the family farm. After graduation, he spent two years as a grain merchandiser before going back to the farm--and he hasn’t slowed down since.

The Martin farm began more than 50 years ago in Bernie, Mo. Today, the same farm is comprised of more than 4,000 acres of prime rice-growing land.

“We were growing specialty rice for buyers in Turkey. We were shipping it to them unprocessed and a little nervous that they might not honor their contract. We decided to build a rice mill in 2000 to process it, so we could market it here in the U.S. if necessary.”

Martin says after year two, the buyers, in fact, did not honor the contract.

“We were fortunate to have already built a small mill, so we began marketing it ourselves.

After that we began to grow our business to an economical capacity.”

That growth includes three expansions in 10 years and taking the business international once again.

“When we first started, we did not know if it would work or not, so we were very cautious in spending to build,” he says. “Then, after we built our customer base, we started to grow. We knew we had to achieve certain goals to justify expanding. When we met those, we would add more equipment to ‘speed up.’”

Martin says the keys to the expansions were having a good quality product, a fair price, good customer service and business honesty.

“A little luck probably helped along the way also,” he adds.

Martin Rice uses “just-in-time” delivery.

Martin explains that the rice is not processed until the truck has almost arrived to pick it up.

He says this technique keeps the inventory at a small level.

“Dealing with a grain product, we have to take precautions with insects, storage, etc., so we try to minimize our exposure by eliminating the time we hold the product when it is ready to ship.”

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and large.

“If your competition is being innovative and you are not, they will have the advantage. Always trying to improve on what we are doing has been one of our goals,” he says. “There are a lot of different ways to do something and some are better than others. You should always be looking for a better way.”

When Martin Rice got the opportunity to expand its business to another country, however, he says it wasn’t because it was an opportunity they had necessarily pursued.

“We were working with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, and Missouri has a trade office in Taiwan. The director of that office was here and was given a bag of our rice to take back with him as a gift. After he went back, he called to say it was the best rice he had eaten, and we started shipping to a customer there.”

Regardless how the company began expanding to a global market, Martin sees it as a necessity for today’s business.

“If we do not, we will be behind everyone else,” he says. “We can send 44,000 pounds of rice from our mill to Taiwan in 28 days for about $3,000. At times, it may mean the difference between making and losing money.”

Martin thinks management and marketing, with maybe a little of that luck he mentioned, are the keys to success. But, he thinks his background hasn’t hurt any either.

“I enjoyed my time at Southeast. I’m sure my experience and background have been part of my success.”

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A Day In The Life ...

A long, cold winter is finally coming to a close at Southeast Missouri State University.

Temperatures have begun to warm and trees have begun to bloom. But when our cameras started looking around campus, students seemed much more focused on midterms than spring break.

10:05 a.m. - Dr. Alan Gathman lectures in his BI381 Genetics Course in Magill Hall.

11:11 a.m. - Jeanie Mahasongkham works on a photo editing project.

12:35 p.m. - Herb Hoke studies for his managerial accounting test in the Dempster student lounge.

11:45 a.m. - Prajwai Shakya checks pressure limitations for his study of the hydraulics machine located in the Polytech lab.

12:15 p.m. - Keith Hotop plays frisbee with friends at the practice field behind Towers.

Share photographs of a Day in Your Life With Us at Southeast Missouri State University on Facebook.

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1:15 p.m. Chris Peart finishes his finance homework in Dempster Hall’s computer lab.

2:30 p.m. - Elizabeth Kluesner returns artwork to student mailboxes at the Center for Child Studies. Elizabeth works there as part of her curriculum in early childhood education.

3:05 p.m. - Shravani Madabhushi works on an independent chemistry study with Dr. Muhammad Ali. 3:35 p.m. - Andrew Freeman works on his project to design a fully landscaped rendering of the former University Relations building on the lawn in front of the building.

8: 33 p.m. Students relax at the Aquatic Center.

3: 53 p.m. - Jessica Jenkins loads her car to head back home to Illinois for spring break.

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Entrepreneurs The Possibilities Of An Innovative Generation

At age 20, Mark Zuckerberg launched would seem to indicate a sense of, well, Facebook at Harvard University. The entrepreneurship within the self? social Web site has since become a cultural “Entrepreneurship can and should phenomenon and made Zuckerberg a be taught,” Stapleton explains. “As billionaire, the youngest person ever a defining characteristic of American to appear on Forbes’ Top 400 and, society, the global economy and culture, unquestioningly, a successful entrepreneur.

Zuckerberg is not alone. More and more young people are opting out of the traditional job search and life after college, and, instead, going into business for themselves.

“Given the steady decline in the number of jobs being provided by large corporations over the last several decades, students no longer believe they can take a job with a large corporation and expect to spend their careers there,” says Dr. James Stapleton, director of Southeast’s Center for Entrepreneurial Southeast alumnus and entrepreneur Gary Downing speaks during Studies. “Students Global Entrepreneurship Week. know they need to develop a diverse range of skills that entrepreneurship has a valuable role to play provide them maximum opportunity for in American higher education.” the future.”

That role is very evident at Southeast It is a trend Stapleton says universities and growing every day. Currently, the are seeing nationwide with the number of University offers an undergraduate schools offering entrepreneurship education minor in entrepreneurship and a general courses dramatically increasing during the education course open to students in any last two decades. major.

So how does a university teach Stapleton says today’s young entrepreneurship given it is a field that entrepreneurs are not strictly from a

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business background. They are actors, fashion designers, computer programmers, and from a host of other disciplines.

That’s why the University is working to develop specialized minors to provide nonbusiness majors an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship in their field of study.

“This fall, we’ll begin with a fine arts entrepreneurship minor. It will provide students studying visual and performance arts an opportunity to apply these concepts in the development of their art careers,” says Stapleton.

The program is a collaboration between Southeast’s Donald L. Harrison College of Business and the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts and is one of the few of its type in the United States.

A Global Effort Stapleton says “entrepreneurship is an ordinary practice in America;” however, last fall Southeast students got the chance to take their entrepreneurship global. Southeast participated in Global Entrepreneurship Week, and its activities placed the University in the top four most active universities in the nation.

The week sought to unite young people across the world in the spirit of entrepreneurship. Southeast offered panel discussions, guest speakers, workshops and even a challenge to get students thinking about creativity and innovation. The “imagine it! Innovation Challenge” gave teams of students an everyday object and challenged them to create something of value from it. At the kickoff to the week’s events, the object was revealed to be duct tape, and by the end of the week, students had used it to insulate residence halls, decorate Christmas trees,

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spearhead a peer listening campaign and even build more harmony amongst Greek organizations.

One of the speakers during Global Entrepreneurship Week was Gary Downing, a Southeast alumnus and successful entrepreneur in his own right. Downing spent the first 20 years of his career working for Fortune 250 corporations before going into business for himself. He is currently CEO of Lansinoh Laboratories, a small consumer products company where he has expanded sales both domestically and internationally. The move to his own business was something about which he felt strongly.

“I felt the desire to take full responsibility for creating the business direction and accepting full responsibility for the outcome,” he says. “I also wanted to be deeply involved in all aspects of the business, and owning your own business puts you squarely in the center of the action.”

Downing agrees that the rise of the entrepreneur is a result of today’s employees not looking for permanent jobs.

“I think one of the biggest catalysts for entrepreneurship has been the fundamental restructuring of the roles of big corporations. People no longer look at their first company or first job as a lifetime experience. As a result, people often have more than one career opportunity today to sort of ‘get it right.’ At the same time people have learned that it is okay to take a risk and be wrong, and you can still learn, adjust, and go on.”

Downing says he worked through that himself when making the move from large corporations to his own business. He says large corporations offer many support mechanisms that you can take for granted because they just exist.

“Cash flow is a great example. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to know that your business is profitable, but you still can’t pay the bills. In a large company, you are rarely presented with the complexities of trying to distinguish between being profitable and generating cash.”

That is probably one of the biggest hurdles for any budding entrepreneur to make peace with, but Downing says for some the risk is worth it.

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“I think this is the importance of more times than not, it will feel like the needing to prepare and do everything you pile is sitting on you, so you better love it,” can to understand what you are taking he says. “Second, take the time to really on. On the other side of the equation is learn everything you can about your area the excitement and gratification that you of interest. Look at the successful people get as your skills are tested. It’s a challenge in the area and study how they made it and of testing your own skills of analysis, what their success factors were.” creativity and innovation, especially if it’s Downing cautions to test your ideas also something you really enjoy and care about.”

Downing says it was his upbringing that led him to the corporate world, and it was his experiences there that let him know he was ready for his own venture. He grew up in a small Students listen to a panel discussion with Downing, Doug Greene and Dennis Payne family business and during Global Entrepreneurship Week. always thought the best thing was to work for a large company. and not to count on overnight success.

“My father always told me never to “In the end it will always come work for yourself. I really feel that I could down to your own determination and have never accomplished what I have persistence.” accomplished without spending time with That persistence doesn’t always companies such as P&G and Gillette. The apply only to someone with a business experience and education I gained there background. Downing agrees with the proved invaluable,” he says. idea of teaching entrepreneurship across The value includes everything from curriculums. He says entrepreneurs come the people he met through the industry to from a variety of backgrounds because it being able to see opportunities that large is more about the qualities an individual companies missed. Downing says he never possesses than his or her area of study. would have been able to recognize those “People tend to think of entrepreneurs opportunities without spending time inside in a ‘bigger than life’ role. The reality is of a larger business environment. While entrepreneurship is really about taking he sees the experience as beneficial to his a risk for something you love or have a current endeavors, he knows that many desire to pursue for some type of reward. of today’s entrepreneurs are starting their It’s really when, as an individual, we are careers going it alone, partially because they willing to push a little harder on the risk are more uniquely suited for it. and reward buttons we all have. It can “Today’s generation feels much be the risk/reward of owning your own more comfortable in exploring vast retail business, the risk/reward of pursuing options. In general, they are much more an acting career, the risk/reward of being accommodating of change, and this allows an artist, the risk/reward of taking a them to pursue a number of interests.” challenging position in a large company.

Generation and experience aside, The single most important quality that an Downing says his best advice is to make entrepreneur needs is a passion or intense sure you really enjoy and are curious about curiosity for what they want to pursue. It’s what you are pursuing. the passion of the pursuit that makes them “Running your own business is not an entrepreneur, not the field, industry or about sitting at the top of the pile. In fact, vocation that they chose.”

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Grow Job Your Own

School District Offers Students Scholarships and Jobs Times are tough. For soon-to-be-college graduates, searching for jobs is even tougher. These graduates are equipped with the talent, skill and knowledge to succeed, but they know that doesn’t automatically solidify them with a job upon graduation.

That could change for some education majors.

Southeast Missouri State University is partnering with Fort Zumwalt Schools in St. Louis, Mo., to offer an innovative job placement program for future teachers.

And, as an added bonus, it even helps pay for their college education.

The “Grow Your Own Teacher” (GYOT) program provides Fort Zumwalt students who are interested in teaching high-needs areas a $6,000 per year scholarship to one of five partnering universities in exchange for returning to the district to teach after graduation. The scholarships are funded by the district through its foundation.

Southeast is one of the five universities selected because of its outstanding education program. Fort Zumwalt Superintendent Dr. Bernard DuBray has first-hand experience with the program.

“I am very proud to be a

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graduate of Southeast,” says DuBray. “Southeast has a proud history of excellence in education.

The University comes from a long lineage of teacher preparation.”

According to Deputy Superintendent Patty Corum, the GYOT program began in 2004 as a way to recruit excellent teachers in math, science, foreign language, industrial technology and special education.

“We have a substantial number of candidates applying for teaching positions in elementary education, English and history,” she says. “In these areas, we receive around 2,000 applications for 20 or 40 positions.

However, in the highneeds areas, we receive 50 applicants and have 15-20 Southeast hosted 32 students from Fort Zumwalt School District in St. Louis, Mo., as part of an slots available.” innovative scholarship-job placement program.

The partnership “These same critical between Southeast and and teachers were introduced shortage areas exist in our local Fort Zumwalt has grown even to the University and met districts as well,” Noe said. more. This year, Southeast with Southeast faculty in their “Some of these students who invited 32 Fort Zumwalt fields of interest for group aren’t selected for the Fort students interested in the discussions and workshops.

Zumwalt scholarship may still GYOT program and 13 of Dr. Margaret Noe, choose to study education at the district’s faculty members Southeast’s dean of the College Southeast and then decide to to visit the campus as part of Education, thinks the visit stay and teach in the area after of a leadership seminar for may benefit the area in other graduation.” potential students. Students ways.

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The visit also gave the Fort Zumwalt faculty the opportunity to talk with Southeast professors about their fields.

“This really was a wonderful, collaborative effort between Southeast and Fort Zumwalt School District in order to cultivate life-long learners,” says Dr. Noe. To give these students a “feel” for Southeast, they were treated not just to campus tours, but also heard about

life on campus right from the source. Students visited with two of the three Southeast students who are currently participating in the GYOT program.

“The wonderful thing about Grow Your Own Teacher is that through the mentor support program, we are able to establish a better connection with the University,” says GYOT scholarship recipient and Southeast freshman Kelsie Krettler. “It shows us that

Fort Zumwalt and Southeast really care about the well-being and success of each individual scholarship student.”

In addition to mentors, the support system for students includes retreats, seminars and workshops on the teaching and learning process during their college years.

Participants in the program are selected based on references, an application review and interviews. Once a candidate is selected, he

April 23, 2009 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

University Center

or she must sign a contract agreeing to maintain 12 criteria throughout high school and college in order to fulfill the obligations of the scholarship.

“I am very proud of the partnership we have formed with Southeast,” says DuBray.

“The leadership seminar is just one example of the coaching opportunities that will be provided for the students. I hope to continue a stronger partnership with Southeast in the future.”

at Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast will host its second annual CSIS Regional Conference, featuring the following presentations: Creative Leadership: Problem Solving for the 21st Century Linda Jamison, CSIS Dean & Senior Fellow of the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy Policies for Change in 2009 and Beyond Southeast students from the CSIS Senior Seminar course The Seven Revolutions Erik Peterson, CSIS Senior Vice President & Director – Global Strategy Institute Visit www.semo.edu/csis/conference.htm for luncheon ticket information and a detailed conference schedule.

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Athletic Director Names New Basketball Coach Nutt Selected to Lead the Redhawks Southeast Missouri State University has a recent addition to the family with the hiring of new Athletic Director John Shafer. Shafer began his duties on Feb. 1, and has already made news by hiring a new men’s basketball coach.

Shafer announced in mid-March that Dickey Nutt, former coach of Arkansas State University, would take the reins of the Redhawks.

“I wanted someone who could coach and win, someone with integrity and character, a person who was tireless in his work ethic,” says Shafer of his selection.

Nutt coached 13 seasons at Arkansas State, taking the Sun Belt Conference West Division title in 2007. He is the second winningest coach in the Sun Belt Conference. Nutt also led Arkansas State to its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1999.

Shafer says Nutt will be a good fit for Southeast

and the Cape Girardeau community. That is important because Shafer sees the athletic department as a family with everyone working toward the same goals.

As for just what those goals are, Shafer says, “We want to graduate students, and we want to win.”

Shafer states his goals with great confidence, most likely because this veteran athletic director brings with him 30 years of experience with athletic programs. Shafer’s resume includes time at the University of Mississippi, the University of Georgia, Auburn University and Vanderbilt.

Throughout his career, Shafer says he has made it a point to know his studentathletes personally and by name. One of the greatest joys of his job, he says, is when former athletes contact him to share news about getting married or having a child.

As for his newest role at

Left to right: Athletic Director John Shafer and Men’s Basketball Coach Dickey Nutt

Southeast, Shafer says he is excited and optimistic about the future.

“I aim to get out into the community and get people into the stands to watch the Southeast Redhawks compete at the highest level in the Ohio Valley Conference in all sports,” he says.

Undefeated and A’s, Too The Southeast women’s gymnastics team had another outstanding season with a Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) record of 11-0. They finished the season by winning the MIC and missing a team NCAA Regional berth by .06 of a point. The team wrapped up the season No. 37 in the nation.

The drive these women have to compete at such an elite level in their sport goes far beyond the uneven bars and balance beam. Last year, the team was named the Academic National Champions of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women. Much of this success is due to outstanding recruiting by the coaching staff.

Head Coach Tom Farden has had 24 gymnasts recognized as scholar-athletes with a GPA of at least a 3.5/4.0 in his first four years.

“One of my priorities is to make sure we recruit student-athletes who are academically and athletically solid,” says Coach Farden.

The importance of those dual goals isn’t lost on the team.

“He knows we have a life after gymnastics,” says junior gymnast Jacqueline Heath of Saint Cloud, Minn.

That knowledge is helping these women succeed at Southeast both as students and athletes, as well as preparing them to succeed after their lives as college gymnasts.

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In his Own Words

Coach nutt On southeast: "I am thrilled and so excited to be your new basketball coach at Southeast. I have watched Southeast Missouri State from a short distance away for many, many years. I have always had admiration and the utmost respect for this program. I am impressed with the way the community gets behind their basketball. That's always been very impressive. I've seen how Southeast Missouri travels and the hundreds of fans following them. We want to get back to that. I hope to ignite that fan base, and in order to do that, we have to put a quality team on the floor."

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Alumni Monday Brings Alumni Back to the Classroom The Alumni Association hosted Alumni Monday on March 2. Alumni visited campus to speak to the students in the departments from which they graduated.

Alumni Monday strengthens the Southeast community by providing students opportunities to learn from and network with successful Southeast graduates. Twenty-two graduates from a variety of disciplines spoke in classes across campus and held discussions with students about the direction their careers have taken them.

Pictured top to bottom: Richard McIntosh, Flotron & McIntosh, spoke with political science students; Kyle Shaffar, MedAssets Supply Chain Systems, spoke with computer science students; and John Lawrence, University of South Florida, spoke with biology students.

Alumni Events In Your Area Get connected with other alumni in your area at the following alumni gatherings.

Brandi Barbre ‘03, Valley Park, Mo. Elaine Beussink ‘87, Jackson, Mo. Luther Bonds ‘94, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Roberta Broeker ‘80, Jefferson City, Mo. Roxanne Brown ‘01, Leopold, Mo. Jerri Coleman ‘05, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Norma Engelhardt ‘73, Nashville, Tenn.

Tim Eagan ‘06, Washington, Mo. Mark Fraser ‘80, Albuquerque, N.M. Kyrie Haddock ‘08, Lowndes, Mo. Terri Kahle ‘01, Jackson, Mo. John Lawrence ‘58, Lutz, Fla. John Layer ‘05, Jackson, Mo. Richard McIntosh ‘87, Jefferson City, Mo. Dennis Parham ‘77, Jackson, Mo. Kristin Pender ‘05, Jackson, Mo. Carly Rees ‘06, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Ellen Ryan ‘06, Keeseville, N.Y. Kyle Shaffer ‘01, Jackson, Mo. Liz Thompson ‘82, St. Charles, Mo. Donna Turnbo-Smith ‘89, East Prairie, Mo. Caleb Zustiak ‘00, Festus, Mo.

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Southeast Missouri State University is working on an alumni publication due out in December. Southeast Missouri State University Alumni: Today 2009 will be the most complete and up-to-date reference of more than 58,000 Southeast alumni worldwide.

Working in partnership with Harris Connect, LLC, the leading alumni directory publisher, Alumni Services will begin sending out questionnaires in May to all alumni to update and verify their profile for inclusion in the directory. To make networking easy with fellow alumni, included will be residence and business information, as well as e-mail addresses. Alums will also have the chance to submit a photo and essay.

When contacted, please take a few moments to verify that your information is complete and accurate. This new publication promises to be the most definitive, comprehensive reference guide available as both a library-quality book and CD-Rom. Plus, alumni will even get to help select the cover.

ShadSays is a section in iAMsoutheast News by Shad Burner, Director of Alumni Services at Southeast.

Alumni Monday Participants

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Jefferson City, mo.

Kansas City, mo. homecoming Dallas, Texas Washington, D.C. Chicago , Ill. Kansas City, mo.

Columbia, mo.

Naples, Fla. Sarasota, Fla. St. Petersburg, Fla. Phoenix, Ariz.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Palm Beach, Fla. Daytona Beach, Fla. Washington, D.C. Chicago, Ill. Dallas, Texas memphis, Tenn.

September 2, 2009 September 3, 2009 october 10, 2009 october 22, 2009 october 29, 2009 November 5, 2009 February 3, 2010 February 4, 2010 February 9, 2010 February 10, 2010 February 11, 2010 February 24, 2010 march 2, 2010 march 3, 2010 march 4, 2010 march 18, 2010 April 7, 2010 April 20, 2010 April 29, 2010

This is not a complete listing of events. The most up-to-date schedule can always be found at www.iamsoutheast.com.

Event notifications in your area will be sent via e-mail. Visit www. iAMsoutheast.com/classnotes to make sure we have your current e-mail address. Please contact the Alumni Association at (573) 651-2259 or alumni@semo.edu with questions. m I S S o U r I

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Don’t Miss Southeast Night at Grant’s Farm All alumni and their families are invited to the second annual Southeast Night at Grant’s Farm on Saturday, May 30.

This exciting family-friendly event will allow alums time to share laughs and memories with other alumni while having a “Southeast Only” viewing of Grant’s Farm. Grant’s Farm is home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 100 different species from six continents. The farm has been a St. Louis tradition for more than five decades.

The evening will kick off at 6 p.m. Cost is $25 per adult, including music, food, face painting, the Clydesdales and much more. Children 12 years of age and under are admitted free.

There are a limited number of tickets to this unique event. To reserve tickets today, visit www.iAMsoutheast.com. For more information, contact Crystal Kaufman at (573) 651-2332, toll-free at (888) 812-3769, or at ckaufman@semo.edu.

Southeast Salutes St. Louis Alumni The Southeast Alumni Association honored four very special former graduates in early April for their professional growth, service to the community, individual character and commitment to the University. Southeast Salutes celebrates St. Louis area alumni for their successes and contributions.

Barry Cooper is a 1981 Southeast graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He received his master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University. Cooper is the chief financial officer of Cooper Consulting. He is the past chairman of the National Arthritis Foundation Audit Committee. Cooper is also very involved with the Lindbergh School District, serving on the Foundation board of directors and as a past board of education member. Cooper remains involved with Southeast as a member of the University’s Corporate Planning Committee and the Harrison College of Business Alumni Development Board.

Maggie Eisenhart is a 1995 Southeast graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. As a student, she received both the Outstanding Senior and Outstanding Student Leader awards. She was a member of the Greek Honor Society and a student ambassador. Currently, Eisenhart is a specialty representative with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, serving the Southern Illinois area. She has been with Pfizer for seven years and has received several awards from the company, including the Vice President’s Cabinet award. She is an active

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member of Southeast’s St. Louis Alumni Chapter, formerly serving as president.

Ronald C. Helms is a 1971 graduate of Southeast’s education program. He received master’s degrees from both Southeast and Washington University. He is currently pursuing a doctor of educational leadership degree from Saint Louis University. Helms is principal of Lindbergh High School, one of Newsweek’s Top 1,000 Schools. He was successful in raising attendance above 95 percent, lowering the dropout rate to below 1.3 percent and raising the ACT school composite to the highest in the school’s history. In 2007, he was named Principal of the Year in the state of Missouri.

Robert D. Meyer is a 1974 Southeast graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, majoring in management.

Meyer is the CEO of McMO Management, LLC, in St. Louis. His company is developing McAlister’s Delis in the St. Louis market. He is also a partner in Mariner Electric, Inc., which provides electrical repair to vessels in the marine industry. Meyer continues to be involved with the University, serving on the Foundation board of directors. He is a member of the Foundation executive committee, chair of the resource development committee and serves on the nominating committee. Meyer is also a member of the Southeast Corporate Planning Committee in St. Louis.

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Were You In The Photo?

Many thanks to all those who shared their memories of this time and place in Southeast history.

This photo, from the 1979 Sagamore, is of the Towers Co-Council.

Row 1: Joyce Geske, Julie Flynn Rhonda Williams, Dee House, Susan McDonald, Shirley Closson.

Row 2: Jim Moore, Gary Pickett, Jim Brinkman. Row 3: Lynn Bishop, Concetta Pedrolle, Mike Sebright, Barb Frazier, Denise Schrader, Peggy Kuehler. Row 4: Linda Kramolosky, Teri Tonioli. Row 5: Gary Edler, Sue Ponder, Janet Garner, Cindy Rehm, Tom Kalinsky, Bill Nance, Steve Held, Greg Wilson, Steve Macky, Mark Hodge.

View Southeast Sagamore yearbooks online: www.iamsoutheast.com/sagamores 1940s

Sikeston, Mo. He has published two books, Max The Knife and Surgical Imposter.

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Anne (Proffer) Leyerle ’45 is retired from teaching and lives in Mt. Morris, N. Y., with husband, William. She and her husband have co-edited three volumes of art songs.

William Leyerle ’52 retired from teaching at State University of New York at Geneseo after 34 years. He received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from SUNY-Geneseo (Voice). William is still publisher of music and music textbooks for Leyerle Publications.

William “Bill” Moll ’60 concluded his term as chairman of the World Board of Governors of the USO on Nov. 14, 2008, in Washington, D.C. He will continue to serve on the Board of Governors as chair of the USO Foundation.

William Spence ’45 served many years as the dean of the College of Technology at Pittsburgh State University in Pittsburg, Kan. He continues to write full time and recently published his 40th book, most of which are in the area of residential and light commercial architectural design and methods of construction. Several of his books have been published in Russia, China and Spain. William and wife, Bettye, reside in Pinehurst, N.C.

1950s Max heeb ’50 retired in November 2008 after 50 years of surgical practice in

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William Page ’57 retired from teaching after 50 years and is now a full-time writer.

The second edition of his book, At-Risk Students: Feeling Their Pain, has recently been published.

John Lawrence ’58 received an honorary doctorate from the Universite de la Mediteranee in 2000. He was appointed professor emeritus at the University of South Florida in 2007, after 43 years as a member of the faculty of the Department of Biology.

In 2009, he presented an invited plenary lecture at the International Echinoderm Conference in Tasmania, Australia.

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Louis Summers ’62 recently at age 68 played the role of Deputy-Governor Danforth in “The Crucible,” which he previously played in a Southeast Missouri State University production at the age of 18.

James Piatchek ’63 was appointed director of the Memphis/Mid-South Chapter of the Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle.

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Jerry Ford’s ’64, 14-piece orchestra performed at Governor-Elect Jay Nixon’s Inaugural Ball and Grand March in the Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City, Mo., in January. This was his fourth consecutive appearance at Missouri’s Inaugural Ball.

William howell ’64 retired after 33 years with Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas Ciy, Mo. He is enjoying his six grandchildren and living in the Cascade Mountain foothills near Seattle, Wash.

Stuart Swickard ’65 has earned his master’s degree in divinity and is now planning to work on his doctorate.

William Stacy ’66 has been retired for the past several years. He moved to a small mountain town in the Southern Sierra Nevada, where he continues to try to write the “Great American Novel.” He enjoys hiking and being in the great outdoors, but does leave the mountains occasionally to visit his children and grandchildren.

Anita (Guentz) Sutter ’66 retired on March 27 from BJC Corporation as a senior anaylst in the IT Department.

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CLASS NOTES Robert Lipscomb ‘41 Robert Lipscomb believes you can go home again, and he does just that twice every year.

The 93-year old alumnus celebrated his birthday on Feb. 23, with a trip from his home in Blytheville, Ark., to Cape Girardeau, Mo., with his family, to celebrate the occasion with friends and former classmates.

A reception was hosted by long-time friends, followed by dinner. Also in attendance were former Southeast graduates: Elizabeth McClary '38, '38, Freck Shivelbine '48, '48, Jerry and Margaret Ford ’64 and '86 and John and Virginia Bailey, Bailey, who both attended Southeast in the late 1930s.

Sandra (Nahlik) Wynn ’66 retired from teaching family and consumer sciences at Northwest High School. She is now an independent home consultant for the Longaberger Company.

Annette (Seigel) heller ’67 has been in private practice in the field of Trademark and Copyright Law for 25 years, serving individuals and small to medium size businesses.

Susanna (Laird) Madden ’73 has the same Amazon parrot, Thammy, she had when she attended Southeast Missouri State University. She has been in real estate for 32 years and is currently with ReMax in Tampa, Fla. She is a member of the National Association of Realtors Leadership Academy.

1970s Carl Wilkins ’70 retired from 38 years of health care administration at the end of 2008 and moved to Minnesota to be near his three granddaughters.

He and his wife, Charlotte, are remodeling a home on a lake.

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Leon Book ’72 taught foreign languages and teacher education courses at Southeast Missouri State University for 33 years.

In 2005 he took on full-time administrative responsibilities directing the first-year seminar and the overall first-year experience of entering students. In addition, he oversees New Student Programs and Career Linkages.

Gail (Patton) Menefee ’72 is an executive senior sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. This year she qualified for her 19th free car, another new pink Cadillac.

Gail has been with the company since 1973.

Joe Dunn ’67 led a mission to Cuba in 2008 and also traveled to Singapore and Hong Kong.

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David Cozby ’71 is planning to retire at the end of the current school year after 34 years of teaching in public schools. Before he began teaching, he spent four years in the U.S. Air Force band.

Mark Trautwein ’71 retired from teaching in the Hillsboro, Mo., school district after 33 years of being a high school band director. He is now an adjunct professor teaching the history of rock and roll at Jefferson College. He and his wife, Donna, have a daughter, Niki.

Despite living in Blytheville since graduation, Lipscomb still calls Cape Girardeau "home" and holds a special place in his heart for Southeast Missouri State University, returning each year to celebrate Homecoming in October and his birthday in February.

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Thomas Burniski ’71 retired from teaching in 2001. He currently coaches girls track at Cor Jesu Academy High School in St. Louis. He has two daughters, one stepdaughter, two stepsons and four granddaughters.

June (Riek) Seabaugh ’71 is currently serving as a missionary teacher in Cambodia. She will be teaching at a Christian school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the next two years and doing mission work there.

Lipscomb graduated from Southeast with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. An accomplished trumpet player, Lipscomb expanded his horizons to learn about all types of musical instruments and spent his career as a music educator. During his many years in Blytheville, he transformed a very small instrumental music program into one of the top 100 high school bands in the United States during the 1960s.

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Donna Neilson ’74 is studying to become a licensed practitioner with the United Centers for Spiritual Living. She retired from federal civil service in 2007 after 33 years.

Larry Berneking ’71 is an assistant professor and graduate program coordinator for teacher education at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga.

Betty (Bowen) McIntyre ’74 works for Southeast Missouri State University Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) as a reading specialist. She travels to various schools in the southeast region and provides professional development and support to staff.

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Kathleen Sokol ‘74 retired five years ago as full professor and chair in the Hotel and Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts Department at St. Louis Community College. She then taught three years at Missouri School for the Blind, teaching students cooking and daily life skills. She currently works at Southwestern Illinois College as a job development specialist.

She enjoys traveling and has been to China, Greece, Italy and her father’s birthplace, Croatia.

Monica (heuring) Stein ’74 is employed as a legal secretary at the Arizona Attorney General’s office in Mesa, Ariz. She also serves as director of the talent show at Sunland Springs Village.

Marcia Jackson-Finn ’75 is the corporate contracts manager for Baylor Health Care System. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Drew.

Kilja Israel’s ’75 husband, Dr. Thomas Israel, passed away on Nov. 28, 2008.

Dr. Israel taught political theory and philosophy for 26 years at Southeast Missouri State University, retiring as professor emeritus in 1988.

Keith Kass ’75 is a vice president of marketing and procurement for a food distributor.

Kenneth Slavens ’75 was elected to a two-year term as chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 1, 2008.

Judith (Schaab) Burnham ’76 is now employed by Nestle Purina PetCare Company as the information specialist for Library and Information Services.

Theresa (Daspit) Dauria ’76 is currently employed by Special School District in St. Louis, Mo. She works at Pattonville High School with special needs students.

Garry Pirch ’76 retired from education on June 30, 2008.

James Stephens ’76 is the owner of ClearChoice Small Business Coaching and Development and has recently become a Professional Business Coaches Alliance (PBCA) licensed business coach.

Deborah (Bryant) Weaver ’76 works in the Ethics and Compliance Department for Entergy Services, Inc. in New Orleans, La.

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Ronald Wilcoxson ’77 is the author of Lessons I Learned from Dad. Shanon Kirchhoff ’78 is practicing orthodontics and served as president of the Missouri Dental Association in 2008.

He is involved in forensic odontology and travels as much as he can.

Beverlee (Kettler) Maschek ’78 has worked for Lutheran Senior Services on the MCU floor of Lutheran Covalescent Home on the Laclede Groves Campus for 23 years.

Gregory Stricker ’78 is a 30-year veteran of AT&T. Robert “Bob” Brown ‘79 is the author of Missouri: The Gateway to the West, a fourthgrade social studies textbook published

by Clairmont Press. This third edition of the textbook, first published in 1987, is in wide use in Missouri elementary schools.

He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in teaching at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. Robert Butler ’79 was recently selected to serve as trustee for the Greater St. Louis Dental Society (GSLDS) and to represent the component society on the Missouri Dental Association Board of Trustees for a four-year term. He also received the Award of Merit from the GSLDS for service to the community as well as to the profession of dentistry.

Mark Kaiser ‘79, a 20-year United Way volunteer, was named Volunteer of the Year for Central Missouri. Mark has been married to his wife, Debra (McKinney) Kaiser ‘82, for 26 years.

Vivian (howell) Robinson ’79 has received the Congressional Award for work in adoption and has been promoted to Administrative Case Review with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Teresa (Parrish) Sedgwick ’79 is employed with Ste. Genevieve Middle School as a family and consumer sciences (FACS) teacher.

Thomas Smith ’79 enjoyed a busy 2008 as a freelance first assistant director on several sketch comedy shows, including “Chocolate News” and “Mind of Mencia” for Comedy Central; “Talk Show with Spike Feresten” and “Man Stroke Woman,” a pilot for Fox; and the “Untitled Robert Townsend” project, a pilot for TBS. His company, Thomas Smith Productions, recently added two production services, an online picture car database and a service for businesses wanting to combine the power of video communications and e-mail.

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Michael “Mike” Lincoln ‘84 The Washingtonian regards Michael Lincoln as one of the 150 most influential people in the Washington D.C. area. And last year, the Legal Times named him one of the area’s top dealmakers, describing him as a venture-capital and mergers expert. The Washington technology community has crowned Mike Lincoln the “go-to guy” for venture deals, mergers and acquisitions.

Denise (Backhaus) Cole ’80 is teaching in the Francis Howell School District where she is in her 29th year of teaching middle school. She is married, has two children and is living in St. Charles, Mo. Bruce Gowan ’80 has been in San Diego, Calif., for 25 years and is still a SAP project manager.

Raymond Bohannon ’81 was nominated for the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce 2009 Educator of the Year Award. He is a second-year assistant professor at Southeast Missouri State University.

Luke Cano ’81 has been teaching and coaching soccer in St. Louis, Mo., at Whitfield School for the past 16 years.

He is still very much involved in ceramics and enjoys traveling and working in his garden.

Kevin Dunn ’81 is in his second year as superintendent of the Perryville, Mo., public schools.

Leanna (Rorex) Johnson ’82 is teaching computer technology to grades 1-8 at St. Paul Lutheran School in Farmington, Mo. Jay Strack ’82 is retiring from the U.S. Air Force effective May 1, 2009. Afterwards he will be staying in San Antonio, Texas, to work for Camber Corporation.

L. Glen Williams ’82 is a professor at Southeast Missouri State University. He previously taught at Indiana University, Missouri State University and Texas A&M University. Among his publications, he has co-authored Pulic Speaking and Civic Engagement, an Allyn & Bacon title.

Bradley Lemonds ’83 wrote, directed, and produced a short film entitled, “Wannabe,” which is currently on the film festival circuit.

Ronald “Ron” McAllister ’83 just celebrated his 25th anniversary working in sales and sales management in the steel pipe and tube industry. For the past 13 years, he has been the national outside sales manager for Northwest Pipe Company headquartered in Vancouver, Wash.

Phillip Milligan ’83 is in his first year as the principal of Bernard Middle School in the Mehlville School District. He is married to Teresa and has two daughters, Emily and Sarah.

Theodia Gillespie-Clay ’84 was married to Henry Charles Clay in Aruba on May 16, 2008.

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Currently, Lincoln is an attorney for Cooley Godward Kronish. After founding Cooley Godward’s East Coast office in 1999, Lincoln has had a significant share of the venture capital deals in the Washington D.C. area.

Lincoln handled 22 of the 43 venture deals completed in the fourth quarter of 2007, and he represented at least half of the companies chosen to participate in the MidAtlantic Venture Association’s venture fair this year. As co-head of Cooley Godward’s business and technology East Coast practice, Lincoln not only focuses on venture capital deals but also on public and private offerings, mergers acquisitions and representing technology and emerging-growth companies.

Last year, Lincoln also guided CoGenesys through its sale to Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical for $400 million. Some of Lincoln’s other clients have included Razorsight, Freewebs, buySAFE, Updata Capital, Avail Media, Columbia Capital, Rivermine Software and Brivo. Lincoln will also celebrate a major milestone next year as the 175-person office he opened for Cooley Godward Kronish, celebrates its 10-year anniversary.

Currently, Lincoln lives in McLean, Va. with his wife and four children.

Roger Forsythe ’84 is the author of A Crucible of Innocence, a semiautobiographical first volume in “The James Conrad Scott Chronicles.” The novel won first place for best new series in the 2009 Reader View Literary Awards. He is an adjunct professor of English at Barry University and Edison State College in Naples, Fla., where he resides.

Bryan Tucker ’84 is currently director of ABC Daytime Special On-Air Projects for ABC-TV in Los Angeles, Calif.

Thomas Tucker ’84 is the human resources director for Mental Health Center of Denver, Colo.. He is licensed as an attorney in Colorado and Iowa and serves on the board of directors of Family Star Montessori School in Denver.

Lana (Doublin) hager ’85 is in her 24th year as the business teacher at Van Buren High School, and her husband, Timothy hager ‘87, is principal at Doniphan Middle School. They have two daughters, Brittany Paige and and Macy Victoria, and recently built a home in Van Buren, Mo. Susan (Linsenman) hagin ’85 is a corporate meetings sales manager for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, handling the midwest market. She is in charge of contracting new convention business and promoting St. Louis.

David Jackson ’85 has been with the Missouri Department of Social Services

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Rhonda Price ’85 is currently working at the Boeing Company in St. Louis Mo., as a system architect in the HR systems organization. She recently completed work implementing a new learning management system for the entire enterprise.

Lorianne (Lynn) Stettler ’85 has been selected as the 2009 Recreation Alumnus of the Year by the Department of Health Education and Recreation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Gail (Tibbles) hennecke ’86 retired from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in June 2008 after working there for 11 years to begin working full time as president of Tibbles Management Company in renting two commercial buildings and 16 units of duplexes in Cape Girardeau, Mo., for Tibbles Enterprises, L.P. Carole Jones ’86 has been promoted to shift leader at Gas Mart in Fairview Heights, Ill. Kevin Katon ‘86 was promoted in late summer 2008 to a two-tier CPFR analyst at Energizer Holdings, Inc., where he manages a portion of the Energizer Personal Care business for Wal-mart. He is celebrating his 20th anniversary at Energizer.

Beth (Combs) Callis ’87 and husband, Mitch Callis ‘93, traveled to the Ukraine in December 2008 to adopt a 10-year-old girl, Abby.

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James Burnett ’88 retired from the U.S. Air Force after 33 years and is currently with ARCH Air Medical.

Dennis Lumos ’88 started a new position with the Southeast Missouri State University office of Career Linkages in February 2009. He is serving as a career advisor with the College of Liberal Arts, yet is technically employed by the State of Missouri’s Department of Workforce Development.

Susumu Uchiyama ’88 is a major in the U.S. Air Force. He currently works at the U.S. Central Command, CCJ3 (Operations), Joint Security Office, Biometrics-Forensics Branch as an action officer.

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for 23 years and is currently a program development specialist in Jefferson City, Mo.

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Laurie (Robinson) Micka ’87 is presently teaching in the De Soto, Mo., school district.

Adrian Rushing ’91 is a bank examiner with the FDIC and works out of the Springfield, Mo., field office. He resides near Springfield with his wife, Melissa (haislip) Rushing ’92, and two sons, Wesley and Cole.

Jody (Neal) Giles ’91 received her Ph.D. in educational psychology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in August. She is now an adjunct professor in educational studies, leadership and counseling at Murray State University in Murray, Ky. Sarita (Wesley) Johnson ’91, a member of the 1990-1991 Southeast Missouri State University final four basketball team, received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in organization and management from Capella University. She currently works in administration for the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County in Houston, Texas. Sarita, her husband and two children reside in Houston, Texas.

Linda (Rogers) Kennedy ’91 is presently working in Cairo, Egypt at The American International School.

Ronald Draper ’92 is currently working as a data specialist for State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill. Toni Grimes ’92 teaches second grade for the Hazelwood School District in Florissant, Mo. Kathryn (Ferrell) haupt ’92 celebrated the birth of her second son, Lukas, on June 27, 2008.

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CLASS nOtes Sheila (Wolfe) Luttrull ’92 has been a traveling nurse in an RV for five years.

Melissa (haislip) Rushing ’92 is a speech-language pathologist with the Seymour, Mo., school district. She resides near Springfield, Mo., with her husband, Adrian Rushing ’90, and two sons, Wesley and Cole.

Steve harms ’93 is working with SSM Health Care as corporate manager for claims and litigation. Steve has a daughter, Kerrie; a son, Dennis; and two grandchildren, Jack and Ella.

Koki Iwazaki ’93 has been promoted to senior staff engineering program manager for automotive camera products at Sony Electronics Inc. Dana (Dickerson) McDonald ’93 is now assistant house counsel at Under Armour, Inc. in Baltimore, Md. Christopher Abernathy ’94 works as a sales trainer for Shelter Insurance at its Columbia, Mo., home office. He is also “the voice” at the end of Shelter’s television and radio commercials and occasionally moonlights as a public address announcer at University of Missouri athletic events.

Reginald Allen ’94 has established a nonprofit organization called MOM (Men On a Mission). The creation of this organization formalizes the work he has been doing alone and with friends in the community since he moved to Chicago in 1995. The organization was created to address the issues and challenges facing young African-American boys.

Trent Ball ’94 was sworn in as presidentelect of the Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska Chapter of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel during the Association’s annual conference in St. Louis, Mo. Angela (Fisher) Christie ’94 received her doctorate degree in English from the Institut du Monde Anglophone at the Universite de la Sorbonne Nouvelle- Paris 3 in Paris, France. Her dissertation is entilted “Cultural Biography: The Ethnic Identity of Cherokee Women of North America and the Symbolism of the Sacred, Consonant Circle, 1540-Present.” She is planning to write a cultural biography of the most endangered tribes in the

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Sara (hutcheson) Daugherty ’94 is the director of physician relations for TeleMedExperts. She is also the co-owner of Daugherty Motor Company.

Michelle (herter) hahn ’94 has accepted the position of Internet sales director with KFVS 12, following a two-year stint as the public information coordinator with the City of Cape Girardeau.

Carnell Jones ’93 has recently been appointed director of admissions at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

He previously served as the university registrar. He and his wife, April, reside in Rumford, R.I.

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United States. Angela resides in Phoenix, Ariz., with her husband, Laurent. She is currently teaching writing within the Department of English at Arizona State University in Tempe.

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Jennifer (Woodsides) harsy ’94 is currently in her 14th year of teaching. She teaches third grade in Pinckneyville, Ill. Her husband, Steve harsy ’93, is farming with an operation of approximately 9,000 acres. They have two daughters, Ashley and Hannah.

Charles “Chuck” Miller ’94 is a lecturer in the Business and Commerce Program at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Melissa Dowd-Krimmel ’95 and her husband, Matt Krimmel ’94, welcomed Morgan Leigh Krimmel on April 7, 2008.

Morgan joins big sisters, Clarissa and Richelle. Melissa teaches math at St. Clair High School in St. Clair, Mo. She recently finished her master’s degree in administration.

and daughter, Maria. She is employed as a parent educator with the Parents As Teachers program in the Francis Howell School District.

Danielle (Jany) Stuart ’96 was married in October 2008 to Calvin Stuart. She works as a financial communications specialist for Monsanto in St. Louis, Mo. Trena Anderson ’97 is currently the assistant athletic director for certification/ director of basketball operations at the University of Kansas.

Jennifer Icaza-Gast ’97 is the founder and CEO of a non-profit student organization called SEMO Student Santas that collects and distributes toys to children who would otherwise have no Christmas gifts. In 2008, they gave away 6,000 toys.

William “Bill” hart ‘97 is a field representative for Missouri Preservation.

Missouri Preservation, known formally as Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation, is Missouri’s only statewide non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, supporting and coordinating historic preservation activities throughout

Bryan Wallen ’95 is currently in his 14th year in education at Central High School in Park Hills, Mo., as a math teacher and math department chair. He is also entering his 12th season as the head varsity baseball coach and is a bi-vocational youth pastor.

Joseph Gibson ’96 passed his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam recently. He has been a fiancial advisor with Edward Jones for 13 years.

Jason heisserer ’96 has been named principal of Hixson Middle School in the Webster Groves School District in Webster Groves, Mo. Terry Juden ’96 is the construction manager for the Cape Girardeau area Habitat for Humanity.

Lesie (Nail) Quarles ’96 was recently promoted to area south director with MersGoodwill Industries, a social service agency that provides employment assistance to people with barriers to employment.

Missouri.

Jason LeGrand ’97 resides in Washington, D.C., and serves as part of the major gifts team for the University of Maryland’s $1 Billion “Great Expectations” capital campaign. As the director, he works on the College Park campus but travels each month to California to meet with Maryland alumni and friends.

This fall he was in Hollywood with Neal E. Boyd ’01 for all but one of his live performances on “America’s Got Talent.”

Traci (hackstadt) Ramsey ’97 and her husband, Jared Ramsey ’95, celebrated the birth of their daugher, Anna Grace, on Sept. 15, 2008. She joins brothers Luke and Brock. Traci works part-time at Monsanto Company as a human resource leader.

Christopher Robertson ’97 is now an academic fellow and lecturer on law at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics at Harvard Law School. He lives in Belmont, Md., with his wife, Jamie, and their daughter, Sophia.

Michael Windeknecht ’97 was recently promoted to vice president/general

Kimberly Turner ’97 Southeast graduate Kimberly Turner created a new Web site last summer, and by fall it was named one of the top three “social news” sites on the Web in the Open Web Awards.

To take its place in the top three, her site, Regator.com, beat out large, established sites such as Digg and Mixx. Finalists in other categories include Google, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, YouTube, and Twitter.

Turner created Regator.com with her brother Chris and husband Scott Lockhart. The site aims to help mainstream users find blog posts that are interesting, well-written and timely. In order to do that, Regator’s editorial team scours the Web for the very best blogs. Well-written, frequently updated blogs are then put into nearly 500 categories to make it easier to search and to browse posts, no matter how tech-savvy the user might (or might not) be.

“There are more than 60 million blogs online featuring information about every topic imaginable,” notes Turner. “That’s a tremendous resource, but because that number is so overwhelming, many people aren’t sure where to start when it comes to finding high-quality content on the topics that interest them. We built Regator to solve that problem.”

The site also features advanced tools that allow users to watch video, listen to audio, comment on posts, share posts with friends, save their favorites and more.

Kimberly Turner is also a senior editor/staff writer at Atlanta Magazine. This year, her work at the magazine earned her a Gold GAMMA from the Magazine Association of the Southeast as well as a Bronze City & Regional Magazine Award, both for service journalism. She has edited and/or written for a number of Australian magazines, including ADB, Roost, Massive and Outdoor.

Jody (Schelich) Saso ’96 resides in St. Charles, Mo., with her husband, Charles,

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CLAss nOtes manager over the western region of the United States for XTRA Lease. Michael and his family have moved from Dallas, Texas to southern California.

Gina (Ware) Bradford ’98 celebrated the birth of her son, Michael, on December 14, 2008.

Jennifer (Felter) Gadberry ’98 and her husband, Russell, moved to Bertrand, Mo., and have two children, Dylan and Morgan.

She is as an instructor of psychology for Southeast Missouri State University at the regional campuses.

Charles Kish ’98 is currently in his fifth year as the director of the Wellness Center, sports information director and assistant men’s basketball coach at Mineral Area College. He has been involved in a region championship and three conference championships and has been a member of the staff that has won more than 100 games in the past five seasons.

Cynthia (Barnett) Schmoll ’98 is the director of Horizons Enrichment Center at Southeast Missouri State University.

Ronald Smith ’98 is a teacher at Parkway South Middle School.

Melissa (Outman) Adamson ’99 and husband, Justin, will be leaving for Afghanistan with the U.S. Army in June 2009. They celebrated the birth of their first child on Oct. 15, 2008.

Stuart Meyer ’01 and his wife, Amy, were married on June 7, 2008. heather (Bochenski) Dirksen ’02 and her husband, Jonathan, celebrated the birth of their first child, Avery Pauline, on August 18, 2008.

Kimberly (Mouser) Earnest ’02 works at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., as an assistant director at the University Concert Series and an account executive for KBIA, the university’s NPR station. She married Brad Earnest on Oct. 4, 2008.

Andrew Jesgar ’03 recently began working for Porex Corporation in Atlanta, Ga. He previously worked for Xerox in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Jessica Leggett ’03 was the recipient of 2008 UC Irvine Spotlight Award, which recognizes exemplary performance of fulltime staff members at the University of California, Irvine. She is currently an apartment life coordinator at the university, overseeing various aspects of apartment life for an undergraduate housing community.

Nathan Pinter ’03 has been a police officer for five years and enjoys traveling.

Steven higgins ’99 has been granted tenure as an assistant professor of English at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill. He is also the director of the writing lab.

Andrew Tinnin ’99 completed a threeyear term on the board of directors for the National Orientation Directors Association.

He is the assistant director of New Student Programs at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.

2000s Michael Ketcherside ’00 assumed the CEO role for McGill Marketing Group in Cape Girardeau in June 2008.

Tina (Simer) Reames ’00 and her husband, James, celebrated the birth of their first child, a boy, in October 2008.

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Cecelia (Annan) Yates ’03 is a full-time realtor with Coldwell Banker Premier Group in St. Louis, Mo.

Lorrie Chafin ’01 has become a licensed professional counselor in Missouri and currently works as a school counselor in Kansas. She also teaches college psychology courses and does therapy independently.

Alicia Riley ’03 was recently promoted to senior associate and facilities specialist at Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. She now manages projects that deal with hurricane-, mold-, flood- and firedamaged locations.

Andrea (McEntire) Slaten ‘03 is the project manager for Old Town Cape, Inc., in Cape Girardeau and is teaching American History at Southeast Missouri State University.

Kristen Wilkey ’03 was appointed head athletic trainer with primary oversight of women’s basketball at Georgia State University.

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Tom Belote ’04 began working for the Missouri State Water Patrol, following graduation from the Missouri Police Corps in 2004. In 2007 he was accepted on the Missouri State Water Patrol SWAT Team and assigned to the entry team. He resides in O’Fallon, Mo. Chris Krueger ’04 is in his first year of teaching 3rd-5th grade physical education in the Windsor School District at the Windsor Intermediate School. He is also the eighth grade boys’ basketball coach and assistant coach to both of the high school soccer teams.

Mark Langenfeld ’04 has been a professor of health, human performance and recreation at Southeast Missouri State University since 1987. During the 2008-2009 winter break, he taught a course in Strasbourg, France. The UI 343 Transcultural Experience class focused on health and wellness issues in Europe. His bachelor’s degree in French earned at Southeast in 2004 was a key element of his confidence in teaching the course in France.

Jessica (Kraus) McLard ’04 celebrated the birth of her daughter, Brenna Josephine McLard, on May 13, 2008.

Rebecca Popejoy ’04 is a sixth grade and junior high English teacher in Prairie du Rocher, Ill. She and her husband had their first child, Katelyn Elizabeth, on Dec. 19, 2008.

Melissa (Rehling) Anstedt ’05 married Doug Anstedt ’05 on Oct. 25, 2008.

Bryce Aubuchon ’05 has received his wings as a Naval aviator and has also passed the civilian examinations for a commercial multi-engine and instrument license. He was promoted to lieutenant junior grade on Sept. 29, 2008, and is now finishing training on the P-3 Orion in Jacksonville, Fla.

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Angela (Merkle) hester ’05 is currently working at Lindenwood University as campus director for the evening and graduate program and is working on her MBA. Angela and her husband, Scott, had their first baby boy, Henry.

Brandi (Nine) Ritter ’05 completed a specialist in counseling degree from Southeast Missouri State University in May 2008.

John Sutton ’05 is currently employed at Energizer Personal Care in St. Louis, Mo., as a supply chain specialist for Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic. He is completing his MBA from Webster University this spring.

Sarah (howard) Bolyard ’06 started a new job in September 2008 as marketing coordinator at Alton Square Mall in Alton, Ill. She lives in Livingston, Ill., with her husband, Joseph, and their dog, Eleanor.

Adam Sahaida ’06 celebrated the birth of his baby girl, Violet Claire, on Sept.

14, 2008. Adam is currently attending Saint Louis University School of Medical Science, finishing up his second degree in radiation therapy. Adam will be graduating in May 2009 and will begin practicing as a therapist.

Krista (Schubert) Theby ’06 married Eric Theby ’06 on April 27, 2007. She is working at Maritz Research as a project director of two ongoing customer satisfaction research programs. She is enrolled in Saint Louis University’s executive master of international business program.

Amber Tierney ’06 is working at St. Charles West High School as a social studies teacher.

Roberta Bailey ’07 has obtained a position with the 32nd Judicial Court, Juvenile Divison, as the community service/operation payback supervisor.

Laura (Blankenship) Becker ’07 is teaching fourth grade at the West County Elementary School in Park Hills, Mo. She was proposed to at the school by her students holding up signs saying “Will you marry me?”

She and her husband, Grant, were married on May 31, 2008.

Angela (Weaver) Birk ’07 married her husband, Derek, in January 2008. She is currently employed

by Southeast Missouri State University as an accountant.

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Fredamae (McGhee) Christian ’07 is working as a teacher’s aide at Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

is an accountant for Boeing in St. Louis.

They both are members of the Southeast Missouri State Cheerleading Alumni.

Lynsie Creasman ’08 relocated to Michigan following graduation from Southeast Missouri State University.

Jason Forys ’07 is currently at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., working toward a Ph.D. in molecular cell biology.

Carolyn Norrenburns ’07 recently became the marketing promotions coordinator for Scott Credit Union in Illinois.

Amy Daller ’08 is an elementary school teacher at Immaculate Conception in Montgomery City, Mo.

Amanda Joggerst ’07 started working as a wellness coordinator in Senior Living Community in September 2008.

David Kasky ’07 is training to become an electronic warfare officer on the AC-130U “Spooky” Gunship.

Nicole Koehnemann ’07 is working towards her Master’s of Public Administration at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She works as a graduate assistant at the university and as an administrative intern for the City of Crestwood.

Lanor Payne ’07 is currently finishing up his master’s degree in early childhood education at Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., and is scheduled to graduate on May 9, 2009. He is also a graduate assistant for the educational access program at Southeast Missouri State University and is working on his master’s degree in human environmental studies.

His goal is to start the Ph.D. program in health education at SIU-Carbondale this coming fall. He is still serving in the Missouri Army National Guard, with his contract up this December.

Travis Ratermann ’07 is graduating from Ball State University with a Master’s of Science in historic preservation.

Amanda Kridelbaugh ’07 is currently a lab assistant/phlebotomist at Saint.

Francis Medical Center and is enrolled in the BSN program.

Stacy (Schenk) Moore ’07 is a project engineer for Murray Company in St. Louis, Mo., and her husband, T.J. Moore ’06,

Dana Bailey ’08 is back home in Kansas City, Mo., working as the administrative assistant to the director of medical records at KU Hospital plus continuing her education in the coding field of medicine.

Julie Deneke ’08 is teaching social studies at Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Troy Evanson ’08 and his wife, Brogan (Jacobsen) Evanson ‘07, moved to Denver, Colo., last summer after he sold his company and took a position as vice president for Moreton & Company.

Fenton, Mo. Sarah (Schlichting) McQuay ’08 is a service coordinator with Missouri First Steps at Southeast Missouri State University. She and her husband, Ryan, were married on July 5, 2008.

Lacey Neal ’08 is employed with the Jackson School District teaching elementary art at the North Elementary, Millersville and Gordonville schools.

Karissa Scott ’08 is a writer/editor for Management Executives, a conglomeration of medical/science/ security associations.

Michael harrer ’08 is pursuing his master’s degree in music education at Truman State University.

Lauren Smith ’08 is the executive assistant for the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The club is preparing to host the 2009 U.S. National Chess Championship in May.

Matthew Knickman ’08 will be interning in conference services this summer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He recently served as an intern at the 2009 Mid-American Greek Council Association/ National Black Greek Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Mo.

Nicole (Grass) Stolzer ’08 is an accounting associate with with Buzzi Unicem USA, Inc., in Festus, Mo. She and her husband, Kyle, were married on Oct. 25, 2008, and reside in Ste. Genevieve.

Mark Matusiak ’08 is a science teacher at Rockwood Summit High School in

Rowdy’s Nest Hey Redhawks, it’s Rowdy again. I have some great stuff for all you out there! As you know, we birds flock together, and that also means we help each other out. That’s why I wanted to talk to you about some of the great opportunities and advantages that help all of us.

One of the big ways Southeast helps its students spread their wings is through Career Linkages. This is a great tool that really helps us birds as we fly out into the world and towards our future. Its mission is to educate students through career exploration and planning, incorporating real-world learning experiences to help with employment opportunities and graduate/ professional school. These dynamite people work with employers, the Division of Workforce Development and the University community to help students.

But the great thing is that mission also holds true for Southeast alumni! That’s right, whether you’re working on that graduation cap or you’ve already received your degree from Southeast, Career Linkages is right there to help prepare you for the workforce. They offer job seminars, job and internship hunts, and even resume critique and mock interviews to ensure that the Redhawks are always ready for their career. The campus isn’t the only spot you will find assistance. We even have a career specialist in St. Louis to help out our students and alumni in that area!

And Career Linkages isn’t the only thing Southeast lends a helping hand, or wing, with. The University also guides students with cutting-edge programs and assists in entrepreneurships! So no matter where you are ‘Hawks, you know you have a great opportunity with Southeast!

While we are speaking of careers and great opportunities with Southeast, I can’t forget the newest ‘Hawks in the flock, our new athletic director, John Shafer, and men’s basketball coach, Dickey Nutt. You know how big a Redhawks fan I am, and I am ecstatic to see what new heights our athletics can fly to under their wings!

Until next time, keep your feathers down, your heads up and keep flying, Redhawks!

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VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY invites applications and nominations for the position of Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director, Southeast Missouri University Foundation.

THE POSITION: As a member of the President’s executive leadership team and working closely with the Board of Directors of the University Foundation, the Vice President/Executive Director will be responsible for providing vision, strategic leadership and daily management for the University's Advancement Division.

This individual will lead a dedicated team of professional and support personnel responsible for designing and implementing the University’s strategic marketing plan; researching, designing, cultivating, coordinating, and executing all development programs such as major gifts, corporate/foundation gifts, annual telefund campaign, alumni gifts, and planned giving; and performing external relations functions including publications, media relations, video services, and web management.

THE SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION was established in 1983 as an affiliated 501(c)(3) foundation to obtain resources to support and enhance the programs and services provided by the University. The Foundation receives, manages, invests, and distributes funds raised from private sources. In 1992, the Foundation successfully completed its first capital campaign, with a goal of $25 million. A second campaign with a $35 million goal ended in 2004, with over $47 million. The total endowment is over $35 million, and gifts have typically been between $3 and $5 million annually. Governing the Foundation is a Board of Directors comprised of five officers and a minimum of 30 members-at-large. At least half of the members-at-large must be Southeast Missouri State University alumni.

QUALIFICATIONS: The Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director, Southeast Missouri University Foundation will be a transformational leader of recognized accomplishment, vision, intellectual breadth, reputation, and integrity who can articulate the vision and mission of the University and the Foundation with energy and passion while building relationships with many constituencies. The Vice President will demonstrate excellent leadership and communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively and imaginatively. The successful candidate must have a track record of distinction in either academic fundraising, business leadership, marketing, or public service and a passionate drive to build and enhance the University and the community.

Serious consideration will be given to candidates with a significant record of senior leadership and accomplishment in fundraising at a major educational or non-profit institution or significant, relevant experience in a senior leadership position in a corporate or other institutional setting. Experience working directly with a Board of Directors is required. A high degree of energy, strong business acumen, and the ability to develop an entrepreneurial, performancebased team culture within the division are essential. The successful candidate will also possess at least a bachelor’s degree and will demonstrate understanding of and strong commitment to service and cultural diversity.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY is a comprehensive regional state university with six campuses, seven colleges and schools, over 10,800 students, and a faculty and staff of approximately 1,200. Southeast is a moderately selective institution offering baccalaureate, master's and specialist degrees, and participating in a joint doctoral program with the University of Missouri. Its intercollegiate athletic program is classified NCAA Division I (FCS – Football Championship Subdivision) and the University is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, located on the Mississippi River, is the hub of a thriving county with a population of approximately 70,000. Serving a region of over 500,000 people, it is the largest retail, medical, manufacturing, communications, entertainment, and education center between St. Louis and Memphis.

The city has been listed as one of the 20 best "micropolitan" areas in the United States. The region has a cost of living slightly below the national average.

SALARY is negotiable depending on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

TO APPLY, send a confidential letter of application, current résumé and the names and telephone numbers of five professional references electronically via e-mail to jobs@semo.edu and hard copy by mail to Dana Seabaugh, Employment Specialist, Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza, Mail Stop 3150, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. References will be held in confidence, and will not be contacted until semifinalists have been identified by the search committee and have given their permission. Hearing-impaired individuals may contact the University at (573) 651-2383 (TDD Service). The position is available immediately and will remain open until filled. To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by April 24, 2009.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Permit No. 1000

Southeast Missouri State University One University Plaza MS 7300 Cape Girardeau, MO 63701-4799 www.semo.edu

A Great Getaway Awaits…

Mississippi River Tales Mural

MAY 3 Fort D Days

Southeast’s River Campus

MAY 16 9th Annual ArtsCape

JUNE 4 Jeff Dunham

MAY 10 Chamber Music Sundays

MAY 9 Southern Illinois Miners

SEPTEMBER 8 Tour of Missouri

Old Mississippi Bridge Overlook

AUGUST 16-19 American Wind Symphony

Missouri Wall of Fame Mural

OCTOBER 3 Heritage Days

Come Home To Southeast & Find Yourself Here!

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