News

At its regular meeting on Dec. 13, Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees reviewed a study evaluating options to provide additional housing capacity. The administration will bring a formal recommendation to the board in January.

In his President’s Report, Dr. Joe Odenwald said housing is projected to remain close to full occupancy for Spring 2024.

Noting standing-room-only audiences for the Holiday Concert and wrestling’s inaugural James Judd Holiday Duals, the president said, “This is strong evidence of interest in our students and what they’re doing with their varied talents as we conclude a banner 2023. Final exams will be complete by Friday. The semester’s final basketball games are a week from today.”

In other business, trustees presented a 20-year service pin to Financial Aid Systems Analyst Danielle Lucas and three five-year pins to Workforce Development and Adult Recruitment Manager Megan Kupres of Niles, Elementary Education Director Ranee Conley of Granger and Associate Nursing Professor Stacey Dwyer of Paw Paw.

Lucas, who serves on Dowagiac City Council, started as a student worker in 1996 in the development office and testing center. She completed her associate degree in general studies in 1997 and went on to attain her bachelor’s degree in business administration from IUSB in 2001.

In 2003, Lucas became an intake specialist in the financial aid office, where she has been in her current position for 12 years.

Kupres joined the college as an admissions counselor in 2018.

“In the last five years, she has helped to recruit over 2,000 traditional and non-traditional-aged students,” Odenwald said.

This past year Kupres became adjunct faculty, teaching EDUC 120 (Educational Exploration) and, this spring, communications at Dowagiac Union High School. She is also a yoga instructor. Kupres holds a bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and a master’s degree in communications from Arizona State University.

Conley, associate professor of early childhood education, has been leading SMC’s program since 2018. She has a master’s degree in education/special education. The 32-year veteran attended Indiana University and taught in Bloomington for seven years.

The Elkhart native started her career in Indiana public schools in 1991. For almost 17 years she worked with 2-year-olds to eighth graders as a special education teacher.

In 2012, she joined St. Joseph County, Ind., Intermediate School District in an administrative role. Prior to its renaming as Heritage Southwest, Conley served with Lewis Cass ISD as an early childhood special education teacher and Early On provider.

Dwyer, hired in 2018 to oversee Foundations of Nursing, is an SMC graduate, adding BSN and MSN degrees from American Sentinel University.

“She was so impressed by her SMC faculty when she was here,” Provost Dr. David Fleming said, “she told herself that one day she would come back and teach for SMC.”

Previously, she was staff development coordinator for Atrium Health, a triage nurse at the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo and an education services instructor at Bronson, where she also worked in the general medical unit.

The board decided to continue regular meetings at 8 a.m. on second Wednesdays in 2024.

Trustees acknowledged eight donations totaling $5,125 to the Southwestern Michigan Foundation. The board accepted $3,036 from five donations to the college.