Meramec as a 4 year institution?

By: Daphne Drohobyczer
Staff writer

I have a proposition to present to Saint Louis Community College — Meramec: to re-establish the college as both a two year and four year institution as a liberal arts university that retains the name Meramec called Meramec University.

Let’s think about it: Meramec already employs many professors with master’s degrees and doctorate degrees from respected institutions.

There is something very humble about having an excellent education, and translating it across the Meramec stage for ambition.

There are eighteen year old freshmen, thirteen year old prodigies and students, like myself, in their thirties.

Just a little about myself: I already have a bachelor’s degree from Washington University and a master’s degree in history from University of Missouri — Saint Louis.

I’ve been attending Meramec since 2007, a little on and off, but not much off.

From my experiencing attending Meramec, I would say that the college provides a beautiful campus, excellent professors, and students who are focused on learning.

Associate degrees could still be offered, but there could also be a four-year option available to all students, and even initiate some graduate programs.

Meramec could even become a major university; eventually and idyllically covering everybody’s tuition and board if it raised enough money.

I know it sounds like a stretch, but it is not impossible.

There are many routes we can take to achieve this goal: accepting donations, bringing in more talent to teach, as well as talented students, model ourselves off of other successful state schools/ universities, such as University of Missouri, University of Missouri — Saint Louis, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Truman State University, and the list goes on.

Of course, for Meramec to transition into a four year liberal arts university, several of the parking lots would have to have buildings, and Meramec would have to buy up a lot of the homes and land surrounding it.

There could be multi-level parking lots as well.

Let’s not forget about room and board: we need a beautiful set of dormitories; buy out a bunch of these excellent Victorian and Antebellum houses for students to live in.

The truth is we are very capable of becoming a fully equipped university that is respected in the state of Missouri.

The notion of a free education is already a clear and present option, what with scholarships and Secretary Hillary Clinton fghting for community college to be free of tuition costs.

Keeping in mind that Meramec would become a four year institution, we should be allowed to permit the frst two years of education for free, and still offer a lot of help, if not fully fnancing, those who want to complete a full bachelor’s degree.

Meramec University should be the pioneer university in expanding a transfer and associate degree institution into a school that offers degrees ranging from an associate degree to a doctorate degree, and also provide a school for those who just want to take random classes.