Dr. Jim Houston, retired chairman of Community Promise Federal Credit Union, of Kalamazoo, will be the Feb. 27 speaker in the Southwestern Michigan College Spring Academic Lecture Series.

The lecture, “A Personal and Professional Journey,” will be at 10:30 a.m. in Room 457 of the Wood Building and highlights Dr. Houston’s personal journey from impoverished childhood in Alabama to today.

Other lectures in the series will be Dr. Mary Young-Marcks, social science faculty at SMC, will speak on women in history titled, “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.”

Her lecture will be at 2 p.m. March 14 in the event theatere of the Student Activity Center.

Terry Groth, quality assurance at Entergy, of Kalamazoo, and an SMC alumnus, will discuss the future of nuclear energy at 2 p.m. April 4 in the event theater of the Student Activity Center.

The final event in the series will be the college’s speech competition from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. April 19 in the event theater of the Student Activity Center.

All lectures will be on the Dowagiac campus.