Organization:Southwestern Michigan College

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Short description: Community college in Michigan, U.S.

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Southwestern Michigan College
MottoKnowledge for All
TypePublic community college
Established1964
PresidentJoseph Odenwald
Students1,807 in Fall 2023
Location
Dowagiac
,
Michigan
,
United States

[ ⚑ ] : 41°57′57″N 86°04′57″W / 41.9658°N 86.0826°W / 41.9658; -86.0826
CampusDowagiac with one satellite campus (Niles)
MascotRonnie Roadrunner
Websiteswmich.edu

Southwestern Michigan College is a public community college with its main campus near Dowagiac, Michigan. It also has a campus just outside the city limits of Niles, Michigan.

History

Southwestern Michigan College was founded on November 19, 1964[1] after the voters of Cass County, Michigan approved a $1.5 million tax levy to fund a Cass County Community College. The name of the college was voted on and adopted by the board of trustees and approved in March 1965.[2] On September 12, 1965, ground was broken for the main campus in Dowagiac, Michigan, the ground breaking was at the site of the arts building.[3] Classes began at Southwestern Michigan College in September 1966. In April 1966 the college already had enrolled 175 students before the buildings were completed, with the expected first class to be 240 students.[4] By August the college had passed that goal and had 295 Students enrolled.[5] On September 11 the colleges enrollment was 335 students.[6] The local ratio of area high school graduates attending college in Cass county changed from one of the lowest in the state to one of the highest. In its second year of operation, the college had over 800 students and was projecting enrollment by 1972 to hit 1,800 students.[7]

The college is located three miles (5 km) outside of Dowagiac, Michigan city limits. The first president of the college was Nathan Ivey. After in taking the job, his wife, the Latin teacher in Rangely, Colorado, taught Latin class over the phone.[8][9][10]

When the campus opened it was located on 160-acre campus.[11] One of the first endowed scholarships given to the college was from the Nineteenth Century Club of $5,000 for an endowed scholarship for female students.[12] Applications for the first class of students at the college were opened on July 1, 1965.[13] The Municipal Finance Commission approved the $1.5 million bond that voters had approved, allowing the college to fund early operation and capital investment.[14] The bond was a 28-year bond with a maximum issue of 4%.[15]

The lowest bid on building the main buildings the new library arts and science was from Eisenhauer Construction Company of Marshall, Michigan for $675,500.[16][17] After the board awarded the contract, the contractor notified the board of $100,000 error in their bid, refused to sign the contract, and asked to be released.[16] Ed Eisenhauer asked to be released and a return of the 5% bond that had to be placed on the bid.[16][17] Because of the dispute, the board had to award the contact to the second lowest bid of $739,600 from Cosnick Construction Company of Benton Harbor, Michigan.[16][17] Eisenhauer Construction Company filed litigation against the college.[16][17]

The state assistant superintended Ferris Crawford issued a quote saying that "Cass County Community College District has an inadequate tax bases and is in financial trouble." In just days he walked back that remark saying it "was inaccurate, taken out of context and incomplete. Southwestern Michigan College District is not in financial trouble. It has a well-founded construction plan which will be adequate for many years."[18]

The first bursar of the college was Maxine Lyle, who prior to being brought on to run the college's financial office was office manager of Dowagiac Union High School.[19] Francis Hiscok became the first dean of vocational education.[20] Donald L. Newport was named the college dean.[21] In April 1966 the first 8 faculty members were hired by the board.[22] Mary Eileen Parks was named director of the practical nursing department.[23]

In October 1966, the board awarded a contract to Gosnick Construction Company to build the vocational technical building for $243,000.00.[24] In July 1967, the board offered Ivey a three year contract with a salary of $21,000 per year.[25]

The family of Jennie Wells File established a library fund for the college.[26] Before the new vocation building could open in 1967, the buildings was burglarized and $5,000 of tools were stolen which included "valve grinders, battery chargers, car jacks and" other tools.[27][28]

State retirement benefits exclusions

In February 2018, the Michigan Office of the Auditor General investigated Southwestern Michigan College for intentionally excluding part-time student employees from enrollment into Michigan Publics School Employees' Retirement System.[29] Although then-president David Mathews and the board of trustees filed a lawsuit against the state attempting to challenge the "constitutional authority" of the state office to audit community colleges, the Michigan Court of Claims dismissed the case.[29] The college appealed the case to the Michigan Court of Appeals, but the case was sent back to the court of claims.[29] The college withdrew the litigation in January 2019.[30] The case was started when an anonymous complaint of "fraud, waste and abuse" on March 4, 2017.[29] The Michigan Office of Retirement Services started its own investigation and found the college could owe up to $10.4 million for improperly/intentionally excluding up to 500 part-time students from the system.[29]

The Office of the Audit General alleged that emails from 2015 "unequivocally demonstrated that current administrators communicated the college's noncompliance to the president," who signed the certification forms, the report said."[29] Then-president Mathews stated "We were aware that we were not putting part-time students into the retirement system, but we were under the impression that that was the correct way to handle those part-time students whose predominant relationship with the college was that of a student.""[29]

The college was one of 16 of the 28 community colleges in the state that were treating student works as students not as employees.[29] The state legislature issued a fix in Public Act 328 of 2018 which ended the dispute. It clarified that part-time student workers should not be in the state retirement system.[30] Public Act 512 of 2018 dealt with what to do about the past issues prior to the passing of Public Act 328 which made the issue clear. Under Public Act 512 clarified that $257,569 is what was due to the state from the college, only $210,000 in past retirement contributions, the rest was late fees and interest.[30]

Presidents

As of 2023, there have been eight presidents of Southwestern Michigan College.

Name Year started Year ended Source
1st Nathan Ivey 1965 July 1, 1968 [31][32]
2nd Raymond A. Pietak July 1, 1968 July 1, 1969 [32][33]
3rd Stanley J. Hergenroeder 1969 June, 1971 [34][35]
4th Russell M. Owen July 19, 1971 May 30, 1981 [36][37]
5th David C. Briegel June 1, 1981 July 1, 1998 [36][38]
6th Marshal Bishop July 1, 1998 2001 [39]
7th David Mathews 2001 2019 [40][41]
8th Joe Odenwald January 1, 2019 Present [40][41]

Academics

Offering both on-campus and hybrid learning options, the college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degrees as well as certificate programs. SMC also offers bachelor's degrees on the Dowagiac campus through a partnership with Ferris State University, allowing students to take three years of classes at SMC's low tuition and pay only one year of the university's tuition. Additionally, the college has partnered with Michigan State University to help students earn an MSU certificate while also working toward an associate degree. Students take at least 21 credits from SMC, which are recognized by MSU toward completion of a certificate. SMC also has articulation agreements with many other four-year universities.

Athletics

In the early 1970s SMC had a strong intercollegiate athletics program, gaining national recognition for cross-country. The cross-country team won five NJCAA national championships (1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1981) and 23 Michigan Community College Athletics Association (MCCAA) championships. It produced three Hall of Fame runners, a Hall of Fame coach (Ron Gunn) and 41 All-Americans. SMC has also won four national championships in the marathon (1979, 1983, 1990, 1991) and the 1994 women’s basketball Division II national championship, for a total of 10 overall. Intercollegiate athletics were disbanded in 1997. However, men’s and women’s cross country returned in the fall of 2021, and in 2022 SMC added men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, men’s wrestling, and women’s competitive dance.

Intramural and club sports have been an active aspect of campus life throughout the college's history, and in 2022, the college added bass fishing and esports teams, both of which compete on the national level.

Main campus

The main campus houses 10 buildings:

  • Jan and A.C Kairis Building
  • Barbara Wood Building
  • Charles O. Zollar Building (Student Activity Center)[42]
  • Dale A. Lyons Building
  • Foster W. Daugherty Building
  • Fred L. Mathews Library and Conference Center
  • Keith H. McKenzie Hall[43] (Student Housing)
  • William M. White Hall[43] (Student Housing)
  • Thomas F. Jerdon Hall[43] (Student Housing)
  • David C. Briegel Building
  • William P.D. O'Leary Building

Student Activity Center

The Student Activity Center (SAC) in the Charles O. Zollar Building houses a fitness center, rock climbing wall, café, student theatre, and game room complete with pool, foosball, ping pong, arcade games, and video games. All student facilities and events are free for all students. Community members can also buy memberships or day passes to the fitness center.[44]

The SAC is also home to the 1st Source Bank Fieldhouse that serves as home to the SMC Roadrunners and seats 525 fans. It includes the McLoughlin Family Foundation Suite, a second-floor suite that houses athletic offices and the SMC Sports Medicine Center.

Satellite campus

In July 1992 the Niles Campus opened with a new 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) facility, located just outside the city limits of Niles, Michigan. In 1999 a 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) addition was completed, which came close to doubling the size of the Niles Campus. In 2001 a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) Michigan Technology Center was added. Named for a former Michigan state senator, this building is known as the Harry T. Gast Building.

References

  1. ↑ Hellmann, Paul T. (2006-02-14) (in en). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. pp. 539. ISBN 978-1-135-94859-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&q=Southwestern+Michigan+College+was+founded+on+November+19%2C+1964&pg=PA539. 
  2. ↑ "State College Name". Ann Arbor News: pp. 5. March 23, 1965. 
  3. ↑ "Ceremony Slated at Cass College". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 41. September 9, 1965. 
  4. ↑ "Proposed College Draws Enrollees". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 36. April 4, 1966. 
  5. ↑ "SMC Expects 300 Students". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 27. August 5, 1966. 
  6. ↑ "New College Has Peak Enrollment". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 48. September 11, 1966. 
  7. ↑ "Southwestern Michigan College". Grand Rapid Press: pp. 26. January 21, 1968. 
  8. ↑ "Latin Students Learn on 1,300-Mile 'Hot Line'". Detroit News: pp. 3. April 22, 1965. 
  9. ↑ "Long Distance Latin". Saginaw News: pp. 3. April 30, 1965. 
  10. ↑ "Latin by Long Distance: Dowagiac Woman Teach Colorado Class With the help of Her Kitchen Telephone". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. Sec 3 23–24. April 22, 1965. 
  11. ↑ "Cass College Library Designed". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 40. May 23, 1965. 
  12. ↑ "Gift For Cass College". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 13. May 30, 1965. 
  13. ↑ "Cass College Applications Open July 1". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 30. June 13, 1965. 
  14. ↑ "College Loan Okayed". Flint Journal: pp. 7. July 7, 1965. 
  15. ↑ "Bonds Ok For College: New School Gets State Approval". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 31. July 7, 1965. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "$100,000 Error Leads to Lawsuit". Bay City Times: pp. 11. September 29, 1965. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 "SW College Gets New Builder". Flint Journal: pp. 33. September 29, 1965. 
  18. ↑ Lewis, Robert (March 3, 1966). "Lid Placed on Local College Units". Grand Rapid Press: pp. 9. 
  19. ↑ "College Hires Woman Bursar". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 25. October 28, 1965. 
  20. ↑ "Francis Hiscok". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 26. February 15, 1966. 
  21. ↑ "Two Colleges Select Deans". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 45. March 9, 1966. 
  22. ↑ "New College Hires First 8". Jackson Citizen Patriot: pp. 19. April 28, 1966. 
  23. ↑ "College Post Filled". Flint Journal: pp. 9. May 25, 1966. 
  24. ↑ "To Build College". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 55. October 18, 1966. 
  25. ↑ "Junior College Prexy Gets New Contract". Flint Journal: pp. 9. July 20, 1967. 
  26. ↑ "Library Fund Set Up". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 17. February 19, 1967. 
  27. ↑ "Technical Tools Stolen". Jackson Citizen Patriot: pp. 2. September 23, 1967. 
  28. ↑ "New College Unit Looted At Dowagiac". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 4. September 24, 1967. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 29.7 kmille17@mlive.com, Kayla Miller | (2018-07-18). "College challenges state's claim it owes $10M for unpaid retirement benefits" (in en). https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2018/07/southwestern_michigan_college_1.html. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 "Southwestern Michigan College Withdraws OAG Lawsuit Over Student Workers" (in en-US). https://www.moodyonthemarket.com/southwestern-michigan-college-withdraws-oag-lawsuit-over-student-workers/. 
  31. ↑ Submitted (2021-04-05). "SMC’s first president reflects on career" (in en). https://www.leaderpub.com/2021/04/05/smcs-first-president-reflects-on-career/. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Southwestern College Names New President". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 25. 
  33. ↑ "SMC President Pietake Resigns for New Post". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 11. June 21, 1969. 
  34. ↑ "SMC President Settles for $12,500 Cash". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 17. June 23, 1971. 
  35. ↑ "College at Dowagiac Gets New President". Grand Rapids Press: pp. 63. September 3, 1969. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "SMC Picks its new president". Kalamazoo Gazette: pp. 31. May 7, 1980. 
  37. ↑ "Post Filled". Jackson Citizen Patriot: pp. 15. July 10, 1971. 
  38. ↑ "Obituary of David C. Briegel" (in en). https://www.starksfamilyfh.com/obituaries/4491223. 
  39. ↑ "Dr. Marshall Edward Bishop Obituary 2023" (in en). https://www.kempffuneralhome.com/obituaries/drmarshall-bishop. 
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Business community welcomes SMC president". Cassopolis Vigilant. January 24, 2020. 
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Haight, Debra (December 31, 2019). "Changing of the guard at SMC". Herald-Palladium, The (St. Joseph, MI). 
  42. ↑ "Student Activity Center | Southwestern Michigan College". Swmich.edu. https://www.swmich.edu/life-at-smc/student-life/student-activity-center/. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 "Community Colleges in Michigan with Dorms, Dowagiac, Niles| Campus Housing | Southwestern Michigan College". Swmich.edu. https://www.swmich.edu/life-at-smc/housing/. 
  44. ↑ "Student Activity Center". https://www.swmich.edu/community/community-services/gym-memberships/. 

External links



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