The Cape Girardeau region is a growing one, but we're not too big to be proud of one of our own.

Gary Forsee, the former chief executive officer of Sprint/Nextel, graduated from Central High School in 1968. Earlier this month he was named president of the University of Missouri.

Forsee still has a close circle of friends in Cape Girardeau with whom he keeps in touch. His education and business ventures have taken him all around other parts of Missouri. In addition to Cape Girardeau and Rolla (where he attended college), Forsee has lived in Kansas City, Moberly, St. Joseph, Hannibal, Joplin, Springfield, Charleston and St. Louis. We dare say he knows the state well.

Folks who know him say he'll make a good university president. The university obviously wanted someone with a good business background.

Congratulations to Forsee on his new post. We expect he'll make Cape Girardeau proud.