COPPER DOME: UNIVERSITY CAMPAIGN RAISES $22 MILLION

Southeast Missouri State University's capital campaign has raised more than $22 million of its $25 million goal, university officials announced Thursday night.

The running total was publicly disclosed at the annual Copper Dome Society dinner, held at the Show Me Center. Nearly 600 people attended the event. The Copper Dome Society has 2,200 members.

The more than $22 million raised in the "New Vision of Excellence" campaign includes both gifts and pledges.

Robert Foster, executive vice president at the university and executive secretary of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, voiced happiness with the progress of the capital campaign.

"Tonight, we're exuding optimism, cruising along in high gear, with the goal well within reach," said Foster.

He thanked the members of the Copper Dome Society, whose contributions, he said, have been instrumental to the success of the capital campaign. The Copper Dome Society has 2,200 members.

Current and former members of the Board of Regents have contributed in excess of $2 million to the capital campaign, Foster said.

He praised the "volunteer spirit" of university supporters. "You, the Copper Dome members, are the ones that make it happen," Foster told the gathering.

"We're not popping champagne corks yet. We're not celebrating the victory," said Foster. "But I speak tonight with confidence because I know the quality of the team."

The featured speaker, James R. Adams, president and chief executive officer of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., also praised the university's capital campaign.

He said the campaign's success is "amazing" in light of the nation's economic slowdown. He added that the university has "a great product to sell."

Adams also lauded Southeast's innovative KSAM (Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade Science and Mathematics Improvement) program.

The program, conceived in the early 1980s, was implemented with the support of many Copper Dome members and the university foundation.

Southwestern Bell has been a big supporter of the program, contributing $97,000 to it.

Adams said Southeast educators found "that in general, elementary teachers felt ill-equipped and lacked the skill in teaching math and science. In fact, many teachers said they were afraid to teach the courses.

"Other programs had pinpointed students as the ones needing improvement, but Southeast's willingness to face the facts put educators on an entirely different road."

So far, more than 7,000 Missouri teachers have received KSAM training, learning how to make math and science interesting for their students, Adams said.

He added that "quality, whether in education or in business, demands change. And change isn't easy."

Adams said that challenges still remain. "For example, KSAM isn't yet in as many classrooms as we'd like. And there are financial restrictions, which all of us want to see resolved."

But he said that university supporters should take pride in the success of KSAM.

"Because through your partnership with Southeast, you've helped make it happen. You can be assured that when you support the (university) foundation, you are supporting quality education with a capital E.

"Of course, KSAM isn't the only thing the Copper Dome Society supports. But it's a model of what education and business and our nation need more of a zeal for quality, the commitment to make continuous improvement a reality," said Adams.