Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Monday approved construction of what will be the college’s third student housing unit.
In response to demand for on-campus student housing, SMC authorized construction of what will be SMC’s third residential facility slated to open in 2013 and an identical replica of the two existing three-story buildings featuring two- and four-bedroom, fully furnished apartments.

More students
“Southwestern Michigan College grew by 60 percent from 2006 to 2010,” David Mathews, president of SMC, said. “Each of the college’s existing two residential facilities has opened to 100-percent occupancy every year since they opened. SMC’s on-campus housing meets students’ need for an affordable, total college life experience while generating additional revenue for the college to offset significantly reduced state funding.
“The modern suite-style floor plans, all with private bedrooms, living rooms and fully-equipped kitchens, have been immensely popular with our students,” Mathews said. “Parents have been especially impressed by the high level of security that has been incorporated into the building design, and of course, by the fact that SMC’s tuition is less than 40 percent the cost of many other colleges and universities.”
Construction of the third residential facility will be accompanied by creation of additional parking adjacent to the building and a new residential life “quad” between the three residence halls.
“We expect the new residential quad, like the center of campus Alumni Plaza, to be another exceptional space for our students to gather together, to work and to socialize,” Mathews said.

New phase
The board of trustees authorized the administration to negotiate with Shelton Construction Co. of Benton Harbor to extend the college’s contract for this third phase project.
“The Board of Trustees is pleased to extend our contract with Shelton Construction Co.,” said Fred Mathews, chairman of the board. “Continuing to work with the local organization that built Phase I and Phase II housing gives great added value to the project. Shelton’s original bid was by far the lowest among their competitors.
“They were able to reduce this cost by $50,000 and provide some quality enhancements for Phase II. We are confident that Shelton will be able to provide the highest value for this third phase by extending our contract with them. It is also a great plus for our local economy that Shelton Construction Co. draws from a strong subcontractor and supplier base from our local area.”