Welcome to Southeast Missouri State University and our nationally recognized University Studies program!

We are glad that you chose Southeast and its outstanding faculty for your college education, an education that will undoubtedly prepare you to be as competitive and successful in life as Space Shuttle astronaut Linda Godwin and so many other Southeast graduates in other fields such as business, politics, medicine, science, education, music, art, criminal justice, and technology, to name just a few.

One of the reasons our graduates are successful is that they receive a broad and deep general education in our University Studies program.

The era in which we live has been characterized by some as the “information age.”  One of the characteristics of our period is that the pace of change in every field is accelerating more and more rapidly.  In some fields, experts have noted that the amount of new knowledge doubles every three to five years -- or in some cases in a matter of months.  Many futurists have pointed out that most people entering the job market these days can expect to have several different careers during their lifetimes.  This makes it more urgent that you look upon your university experience as an opportunity to prepare yourself to cope with a changing environment.

College is not just about preparing you to perform a specific task, although Southeast offers many opportunities for “real world experiences” to help prepare you for that “first job” after college. Rather, college is about creating an educated person, one who is able to function responsibly and successfully in whatever environment he or she may encounter.  Included in this booklet is a list of the nine "objectives" of University Studies. Those objectives spell out the kind of skills you will need for success during your lifetime of career changes.  I hope that you will not consider your University Studies courses as an "extra burden," but rather the "keystone" to making your life and career a success.

Again, welcome to Southeast!  I look forward to seeing you on campus!

Sincerely,

Kenneth W. Dobbins
President

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