News

SMC Shelters ‘Homeless’ Robotics Team

Southwestern Michigan College sheltered a “homeless” middle/high school robotics team in October 2023. The gesture is paying dividends today as the RoboTZ (Robo-Tech Zone, a community-based non-profit facilitating competitive robotics teams) advance to state and national competition again. RoboTZ brought home four awards from Jenison Jan. 11 — Innovate, Amaze, Judge and a hard-fought second place in the champions tournament.

First College Choice. Full College Experience

When Katelynn Flowers left Sturgis, she didn’t consider any other destination than Southwestern Michigan College. Flowers, who attended SMC from 2014-16 and served as a Keith H. McKenzie Hall resident assistant her second year, selected the college “not only because of the beautiful campus, but because of the housing opportunities SMC provided.”

Carolyn Lyons Murray Became an Accountant to Keep Enjoying Music

Coming out of Dowagiac Union High School in 1996 with the John Philip Sousa Award, music was “sort of the obvious path” for percussionist Carolyn Lyons Murray. She received a music scholarship and began studying music education at Southwestern Michigan College, where she still performs in the theatre of the building named for her grandfather, Dale, longtime Board of Trustees vice chairman.

SMC Trustees Tour New McKenzie Housing

On Jan. 8, Southwestern Michigan College’s Board of Trustees capped a morning of strategic planning updates with an afternoon monthly business meeting and a tour of the housing units recently added to the second and third floors of Keith H. McKenzie Hall.

238 SMC Students Named to Honor Rolls

Southwestern Michigan College named 48 students to the President’s List for the Fall 2024 semester. Students on the President’s List must earn a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale while carrying a full study load of at least 12 credits. The 190 students making the Dean’s List achieved at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale while carrying a full study load.

Quentin Cave, DAT, LAT, ATC

It’s been a busy year for Quentin Cave between completing his Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) degree last October and moving to Nevada for the 2024-25 school year. Cave graduated from Southwestern Michigan College in 2016 after serving as a Resident Assistant (RA) in William M. White Hall.

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.