Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus will be a major challenge for a new provost, says Dr. Jane Stephens, one of the five finalists for the job.

Stephens formerly taught history at Southeast and worked in the provost office at the school before taking a job as executive vice chancellor at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg.

At a meeting with about 30 faculty and staff members Thursday afternoon at Southeast's Glenn Auditorium, Stephens said the university will need more than $36 million to successfully develop the River Campus.

The $36 million price tag is just the cost of renovation and new construction to transform the former Catholic seminary in Cape Girardeau into a school for the visual and performing arts.

But Stephens said the university must secure money to finance new academic programs such as summer theater and scholarships for the River Campus.

It also needs sufficient operational funds if it is to succeed, she said.

Southeast also must make sure that the River Campus and the main campus are viewed as a single university as opposed to competing campuses, Stephens said.

"The challenges," she said, "are equal to the potential."

Stephens was the last of the five finalists to visit the campus. Each of the finalists spend two days on campus, visiting with faculty, staff, students and community leaders.

A university search committee is expected to recommend three finalists to Southeast President Dr. Ken Dobbins next week.

Stephens welcomed the possibility of returning to Southeast. "Most of you know that this is my second time to interview at Southeast," she said, referring to the time she interviewed for a teaching job.

"It is fun to be back," she said of her latest visit.

Stephens said higher education today is constantly changing. Computers and other new technology have transformed college campuses and continue to do so, she said.

There is increasing public dissatisfaction with higher education, Stephens said. Teachers used to be respected, she said. "I don't believe that's true today."

The public increasingly has demanded accountability in higher education, said Stephens.

Students themselves are demanding changes, she said.

"I believe the higher education arena is stressful," said Stephens.

But she said a good provost can make for a less stressful environment by promoting trust between faculty and administrators.

Stephens said she has helped improve the academic climate at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg.

"We are just kind of a diamond in the rough," Stephens said of the 30-year-old school.,

Stephens said she isn't looking to move up to a job as a university president. She said she doesn't like all the fund-raising efforts that a university president must perform.

Stephens was hired as a history instructor at Southeast in 1978. She moved up through the faculty ranks to a position as a history professor.

She served as academic associate in the provost's office from 1989 to 1993, and as assistant provost from 1993 to 1994.

She then accepted a job as vice chancellor at the South Carolina school. In that role, she has served as the chief academic officer for the school.

Stephens holds a doctor of philosophy degree and a master of arts degree in history from Ball State University. She holds a bachelor of science degree in English from Middle Tennessee State University.