News

SMC salutes 50 at Retirement and Recognition Breakfast

In addition to Dr. Mary D. Young-Marcks’ record 40 ½ years on Southwestern Michigan College’s faculty, the retirements of Susan B. Coulston, Ron Tyler and Dave Layman were celebrated May 3 at the Employee Retirement and Recognition Breakfast in Mathews Conference Center East.

‘It’s Never Too Late for a New Beginning’

Trevor Zimmerman was a COVID-19 casualty, his life, along with countless others, disrupted by the global pandemic. “Southwestern Michigan College has not only provided me with a different path, but also equipped me with the necessary tools to redefine myself and embark on a new career,” Zimmerman told SMC’s Outstanding Graduate Reception May 2 in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus.

SMC Board Opens Bids for Residential Expansion

Southwestern Michigan College’s Board of Trustees May 8 opened bids for expanding housing capacity. In January, the board decided to add new rooms with a total of 36 beds to the three existing residence halls on the Dowagiac campus to address growing housing demand. Construction will begin this summer, with the new space available beginning in January 2025.

SMC Assistant Volleyball Coach Graduates with Her Players

Southwestern Michigan College Assistant Volleyball Coach Tami Williams walked in the 57th Commencement May 4 alongside the first volleyball players SMC has graduated since pausing intercollegiate sports in 1997. Williams enjoyed a 22-year career in education, but she transferred to Western Michigan University just shy of her SMC associate degree by an economics class.

SMC’s 57th Commencement Graduates 384

A nurse and a musician spoke on behalf of Southwestern Michigan College’s Class of 2024 May 4 at 57th Commencement ceremonies outdoors for 384 students in Alumni Plaza on the Dowagiac campus. Connor Vance of Eau Claire, a trumpet player who aspires to direct bands, addressed the School of Arts and Sciences Saturday morning, while Watervliet native Ashley Minnick of Niles, a cardiac nurse for Corewell Health in St. Joseph, spoke to the Schools of Business, Advanced Technology and Nursing.

SMC Graduates 17-Member Nursing Class

Southwestern Michigan College May 1 welcomed 17 new nurses to America’s largest health care profession with almost 4.7 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide. The federal government projects that more than 203,000 new positions will be created each year through 2031.

Champions in the Fieldhouse

In November 2023, Roadrunner alumni and All-Americans Joe Ofsansky, John Roscoe and Tom Ellspermann reunited with Hall of Fame Coach Ron Gunn in 1st Source Bank Fieldhouse on SMC’s Dowagiac campus. They were recognized during halftime of the SMC’s Men’s basketball game in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 SMC Men’s Cross Country individual and team championships — the first of an unprecedented three straight National Junior College Athletic Association cross country team championships.

13 Instrumentalists Perform at SMC Spring Recital

Thirteen instrumental musicians performed April 30 at Southwestern Michigan College Department of Visual and Performing Arts’ spring semester recital in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus.

SMC Graduate Leaves Message for Future Roadrunners

Before he walks in Southwestern Michigan College’s 57th Commencement May 4, Nick Sandoval Jr. of Hartford wants to leave a message for other first-generation graduates who follow in his footsteps.

SMC’s Honors Program's ‘NoTED Talks’ Showcase Student Research

Southwestern Michigan College Honors Program’s NoTED Talks and Poster Presentation for the 2023-24 academic year took place April 23 in the Student Activity Center. Three projects presented on stage in the SAC theatre included Elena Alvarado’s ”Fairytale and Mythology in Young Adult: Cinder and Percy Jackson”; Winona Paul, “Using the Trigonometric Fourier Series to Analyze the Sounds Generated Through Simple Electrical Signals”; and Nick Weston, “The Physics of Running.”