But that's not what the mission is about. Slightly more foreign students study in Joplin now, but the number still is minuscule. Instead, the international focus lets students and professors experience the world themselves, with many overseas trips paid for by the college. Similar programs at most colleges help students find private scholarships to go overseas, but don't pay for the trips. And the international mission lets Southern students debate important issues in other nations that have a ripple effect elsewhere.
Kids grow up in southwest Missouri.
As a member of the college's governing board, alum Steve Carlton endorses the change. Going to college was a big deal, let alone Paris. That's not true for today's students. Rick Rogers graduated in December and now edits The Carthage Press. The highlight of his time at Southern was a three-week trip to Hong Kong and China.