The Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees received state licensure pass rate for the college’s nursing graduates and conducted other business at its Monday meeting on the college’s Dowagiac campus.

College President David Mathews presented a report from the state of Michigan that shows SMC attained a 100 percent pass rate for the quarter, April through June 2012, for students graduating from the college’s registered nursing (RN) program. This 100 percent pass rate for SMC graduates compares to the national quarterly pass rate of 93 percent and to the Michigan rate of 94 percent.

SMC’s annual RN pass rate is 96 percent compared to the national annual pass rate of 89 percent and Michigan’s annual pass rate of 91 percent.

During this same quarter, the pass rate for SMC’s Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) graduates was also 100 percent. This percentage is also above the state and national averages of 83 percent and 92 percent respectively.

“The quality of nursing instruction at the college is evident from these outstanding licensure test scores,” board of trustees

Chairman Fred Mathews said. “SMC provides affordable access to an exceptionally high-quality nursing program. We are proud of the success of our students and of the faculty who help make this a reality.”

President Mathews also reported that the college’s Academic Assessment and Testing Services were recently awarded Test Center

Certification by the National College Testing Association (NCTA).

“Our testing center is one of the few test centers in the U.S. and Canada to have completed this intensive certification process,”

President Mathews said. “Congratulations to Charlotte McGowan and her staff for maintaining high test administration standards and for providing excellent service to a wide variety of students and community members in the performance of their duties.

This certification will be in place for five years and can be renewed by demonstrating continued compliance to national standards.

NCTA membership includes more than 615 colleges and universities as well as 42 test companies and organizations.

Dailey Road entrance open

President Mathews said the Dailey Road entrance is now open for use, just in time for fall classes to begin. The project that began earlier this summer reconfigured the entrance for safer and easier ingress and egress to the college. Construction on the college’s third student housing facility is on schedule for completion next summer, Mathews said.