BIG STEP FOR UNIVERSITY

With appropriate fanfare and a visit from Gov. Mel Carnahan, ground is to be broken today for a new building at Southeast Missouri State University to house the Donald L. Harrison College of Business.

Today's ceremony comes after a roller-coaster ride for the business building project. In August Missouri voters approved a $250 million statewide bond issue that included $12.3 million for the new building, and a groundbreaking was scheduled. But the ceremony was postponed in the heat of politicking over Amendment 7 on the general election ballot. University officials feared passage of the tax-limiting amendment might prevent the state from selling the voter-approved bonds.

Voters overwhelming rejected Amendment 7, once again giving the project a green light. Without any unforeseen hitches, the new building should be ready for occupancy by the fall of 1996.

Currently the College of Business is housed on several floors of Academic Hall and in a converted apartment building. The 1,200 business majors at the school are looking forward to the new, 100,000-square-foot facility not only for convenience, but for the new technology that will be available. The building will be linked to state and international networks as well as off-campus classrooms.

The new building is expected to cost $14 million, a major investment in the university's infrastructure. A large commitment of $2.4 million has come from the school's own fund-raising efforts, indicating strong support for the business programs.

University backers can take pride in the fact that the new building represents a key part of the future success of the school. The effort to raise funds, to secure passage of the statewide bond issue and to inform voters about the perils of Amendment 7 hasn't always been easy, but it was worth it. Today's groundbreaking is a fitting celebration. Now the task of constructing the building and making it ready for faculty and students begins.