By Staff
Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees approved a salary freeze, awarded a service pin, accepted gifts and grants, opened bids and conducted other business at the monthly meeting for May held Thursday evening at the Dowagiac campus.
The board approved a salary freeze for full- and part-time faculty and administrative and classified employees for the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
Salaries will be continued at the current rates.
According to Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Fred L. Mathews, "Southwestern Michigan College has always worked within a balanced budget while maintaining the academic programs and services that provide students with a quality education.
drastic pace. As the college develops our budget for next year, we will
continue to put students, teaching, and learning first. This is the
approach that SMC has taken since the college was first established, and
it is the approach that the college will continue to take."
The Trustees awarded a service pin to Jack Crouse of Cassopolis.
Crouse joined Southwestern Michigan College as a part-time instructor in
1993 and was named as a regular adjunct faculty member in 1998. In 2001
he was appointed as a full-time faculty member. Crouse has a bachelor
of arts degree and a master of arts degree from Valdosta State College.
The Board accepted $1,700 in gifts and grants from the community with a
resolution of thanks for these gifts and grants.
Lyons Industries, Dowagiac $1,000
Mr. and Mrs. Daryl Matthews, Edwardsburg $500
Cass County Ladies VFW Auxiliary $100
Justin Stopczynski, Granger $100
The Board also opened bids for tablet personal computers for SMC's
Upward Bound program and bids for the electronics needed to equip three
more "smart classrooms" for the 2003-2004 academic year. The bids were
referred to administration for review and the president was authorized
to award the bid to the lowest bidder meeting specifications.
In his president's report, Dr. David Mathews informed the Trustees that
more than 120 students attended Hispanic Day held on SMC's Dowagiac
campus last week. SMC, Ancilla College, Holy Cross College and Ivy Tech
State College sponsor this annual event to introduce area Hispanic
students to educational opportunities at two-year colleges in Michiana.
President Mathews also updated the Board on six upcoming events:
Southwestern Michigan College's 36th annual commencement ceremony will
be held on Saturday morning, May 3 at 11:00 a.m. (Michigan time) in the
Zollar Sports Center on the Dowagiac Campus. SMC will present a
distinguished alumni award to Emmy Award winning television journalist
Mary Parks, class of 1982. Parks will also address the graduating class
of 2003. The ceremony will confer more than 300 associate degrees and
certificates to SMC graduates and eight bachelor's degrees to graduates
from the cooperative SMC/Ferris State University program.
On May 7 and 8, SMC, in conjunction with the Lewis Cass Intermediate
School District, will host Career Awareness Day for Cassopolis, Dowagiac
and Edwardsburg high schools. Although this event has taken place on
the campus of SMC for the past 17 years, this year's event will utilize
a significantly different format from that of previous years. This
year's event will be organized using the career pathways concept
utilized by the schools to create interactive activities for the
students.
On Friday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. (Michigan time), SMC band, choir, dance
and theatre students will present On the Lighter Side. The performance
culminates a week long tour by the students to area schools. The
performance will be held in the theatre in the Dale A. Lyons Building on
SMC's Dowagiac campus and is free of charge.
Southwestern Michigan College will host many of the Dogwood Festival's
events on the Dowagiac campus including A Day of Antiques with Larry
Sydow on May 10 at 2:00 p.m.; Hubbard Street Dance 2 on May 10 at 8:00
p.m.; artist Judy Barrowman on Monday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.; Encore Dance
Co., Ltd. on May 13 at 7:30 p.m.; storyteller Jim May on May 14 at 7:30
p.m.; the Dogwood Tea on May 17 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; and nouveau
Flamenco guitarist Johannes on May 17 at 7:30 p.m. All times listed are
Michigan times.
The Museum at Southwestern Michigan College will celebrate the tenth
anniversary of the opening of its building on Saturday, May 17 with a
variety of activities for the public from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (Michigan
time). The building was officially opened to the public in May of 1993.
Since then, over 75,000 visitors have come to the building to enjoy the
many exhibits and programs the Museum has presented. The community is
invited to celebrate with cake and ice cream, door prizes, and family
On May 17 and 18 SMC will host the Cass County Relay for Life to benefit
the American Cancer Society. More than 50 teams have already been
formed. Volunteers will be walking and running on the SMC track for 24
hours to raise money for cancer research. Last year's Relay for Life
raised more than $78,000 and in the six years since Cass County has held
the event, over $250,000 has been raised.