BILL ATCHLEY SETTLES IN AS SEMO PRESIDENT

Dr. Bill Atchley settled in over the Labor Day weekend and promptly was greeted by a Cape Girardeau woman who told him she hoped he would "straighten up" Southeast Missouri State University.

Atchley laughs when he tells the story. But even in his first day behind the desk Tuesday, the university's interim president made it clear he won't just steer the same course as his predecessor, Dr. Kala Stroup.

He plans to rearrange his Academic Hall office right down to the desk.

The 63-year-old Cape Girardeau native said he wants to improve rapport between the city and the university. He said a black-tie dance might be a good way to improve "town and gown" relationships.

A university can be a solid asset to a community, said Atchley, who formerly headed Clemson University in South Carolina and most recently the University of the Pacific at Stockton, Calif.

At Stockton, the school helped reduce the regulatory red tape faced by businesses in dealing with city hall.

Atchley said it is important to reduce "turf guarding" on the part of all entities.

"I think the university should be the central point to help some of those things happen," he said.

Atchley and his wife, Pat, arrived in Cape Girardeau Sunday with a few belongings. They stayed at the school's Johnson House Sunday night and moved into Wildwood, the official residence, Monday.

The movers were scheduled to unload the bulk of their belongings Tuesday.

Atchley will serve as interim president until a permanent president can be hired. That could take a year or less.

Atchley said he won't keep his eye on the calendar, but simply do his job as he sees it.

The Board of Regents hired Atchley in late July and he quickly made it clear he wouldn't be a caretaker president.

He faces some unfinished business left by Stroup in the form of a new merit-pay plan for faculty. The Faculty Senate approved the plan a week ago and Stroup signed it late last week before leaving for her new job as Missouri's commissioner of higher education.

Merit pay has proven controversial with the faculty, with some professors wanting to scuttle it entirely.

Atchley said he will review the issue. The final decision likely will rest with the Board of Regents.

But Atchley said he believes in merit pay for all university employees. "I believe in people being judged and evaluated."