News

Bishop Endowment Doubles

The Dr. Marshall E. Bishop Memorial Scholarship’s endowment for math and science scholarships at Southwestern Michigan College doubled recently to $20,000, thanks in part to a treasure hunter known as Bunky. Bunky, Bishop’s childhood nickname, lives on at Bunky’s A Bit of Everything, which opened in April inside Schoolcraft Antique Mall.

SMC Graduates Fall 2024 Nursing Class

Southwestern Michigan College Dec. 11 welcomed 14 new nurses to America’s largest health care profession with almost 4.3 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide. The fall class received associate degrees in nursing (ADN) in a pinning ceremony in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus. The class joins the ranks of 3,199 SMC nursing graduates.

SMC Board Recaps 60th Anniversary Year

At its brief final meeting of 2024, the Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Dec. 11 heard highlights compiled like a David Letterman Top 10 list. “What a year it’s been,” said President Dr. Joe Odenwald, who culled his picks from more than 70 headlines “focusing on what I think are the most impactful.”

Holiday Concert SMC's Gift to the Community

Southwestern Michigan College Department of Fine and Performing Arts’ bands and choirs Dec. 7 delivered their annual gift to the community, the Holiday Concert.

Dean Recognized for Innovative Idea

Southwestern Michigan College Dean of the School of Business and Advanced Technology Dr. Karen Reilly won second place and $5,000 in a recent statewide innovative idea pitch competition. Reilly was announced as a winner in the inaugural competition by the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) at its 13th annual conference at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant.

Mishawaka High School visits SMC for IT

A panel discussion featuring two Southwestern Michigan College students and presenters of five earlier breakout sessions concluded Mishawaka High School’s information technology visit Nov. 22.

Forester Highlights Career Paths

Jeff Steinkraus of Marcellus owns Steinkraus Forest Management and has been serving southwest Michigan and northern Indiana for almost 30 years, since 1995. As he told an audience Nov. 19 in the William P.D. O’Leary Building, he earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry in 1990 from Michigan Technological University and is a registered forester, a certified commercial pesticide applicator for Michigan and Indiana and a certified tree farm inspector.

Board Reminisces About Dr. Dan Stenberg

Dr. Daniel R. Stenberg, who was with Southwestern Michigan College in various capacities for 30 years, was remembered at the Nov. 13 meeting by a trustee who was his student. Chairman Tom Jerdon recalls Dr. Stenberg as demanding and “worldly,” making “every attempt to present the outside world to his students. His English text, The Four Worlds of Writing (the everyday world, the public world, the academic world, the work world) was challenging to say the least.”

Board Recognizes Criminal Justice Director

Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees, at its regular meeting Nov. 13 on the Niles campus, awarded Criminal Justice Director Dr. Donald Ricker with his 10-year service pin. Professor Ricker has overseen SMC’s award-winning CJ program since 2014, taking the reins in only its second year.

SMC Founders Day Celebrates 60th Anniversary

Southwestern Michigan College, “a good idea that got loose in the world,” celebrated its 60th anniversary Nov. 1 with the inaugural Founders Day. Chloe Itimu, who aspires to become a pediatrician in her native Malawi, spoke as a student benefiting from support from the Aline Ahrens Memorial and Grady scholarships.