Revered Professor Taught 39 Years

Dr. Stephen E. Jess, Southwestern Michigan College social studies instructor, retired in 2016 after 39 years teaching an estimated 7,000 students. Before he joined the SMC history faculty in 1977, Dr. Jess, who died March 11 at 84, taught at the University of Nebraska, from which he earned his doctorate and master of arts degree in English history.

SMC's 59th Commencement Graduates 417

A future pediatrician and a business graduate spoke on behalf of Southwestern Michigan College’s Class of 2026 on May 9 at the 59th Commencement ceremonies outdoors in Alumni Plaza on the Dowagiac campus. Chloe Itimu addressed the School of Arts, Science and Business and School of Advanced Technology Saturday morning. Kaylee Bradshaw spoke to the School of Arts, Science and Business and School of Nursing and Health Services Saturday afternoon.

SMC Graduates 13-Member Nursing Class

Southwestern Michigan College May 6 welcomed 13 new nurses to America’s largest health care profession with more than 4.3 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for more than 200,000 new RNs each year to meet demand and replace retiring nurses. SMC’s spring class received associate degrees in nursing (ADN) in a pinning ceremony in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus.

Itimu Has Dreamed of Being a Pediatrician Since She Was 8

After college, Chloe Itimu plans to return to her native Malawi and, as a pediatrician, fulfill a dream her grandmother suggested to her at 8 years old.

Bradshaw Makes the Most of Her Second Act at SMC

There seem to be two distinct Kaylee Bradshaws. Both hail from Hartford. One has a straight-A grade average and was selected to speak at Southwestern Michigan College’s 59th Commencement May 9.

17 PTK Inductees Hear Coach Nate

Southwestern Michigan College Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Jenny Nate shared her success secrets, such as eating frogs, with 17 Sigma Psi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) inductees May 1. In four seasons since intercollegiate athletics returned to SMC after a 25-year hiatus, Nate built winning teams that made the postseason every season and this year won the conference championship and Western Conference Coach of the Year.

SMC Art Award Winners Announced

Dr. Klint Pleasant revealed himself as a Pearl Jam fan in presenting his first President’s Choice to Eau Claire’s Arly Fitzgerald’s oil painting April 28 at the SMC Student Art Show Award Ceremony. Pleasant said the art and history galleries have quickly become his two favorite spaces on campus.

SMC Honors Outstanding Graduates

College stereotypically conjures images of 18-year-olds moving into dorms, traipsing huge campuses and “following a pretty straight line” to graduation. “But that’s not the only version of college. For many of us, that was never our version at all,” business major Cole Kilboy told SMC’s Outstanding Graduate Reception April 28 in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus.

McCreary Wins Williams Scholarship

Southwestern Michigan College’s Math/Science Department April 27  paid tribute to Austin McCreary. McCreary received the Darrin Williams Memorial Scholarship in a presentation at the end of her Chemistry 102 class, sharing cupcakes with her classmates.

Community Welcomes Dr. Pleasant

Southwestern Michigan College’s ninth President Dr. Klint Pleasant was officially introduced to the community April 24 at a Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce reception on the SMC campus in the Charles O. Zollar Building’s Student Activity Center. Pleasant brings 28 years of experience in higher education, including two decades in leadership roles. His background spans enrollment management, athletics, development, student retention, mentoring and community relations.Southwestern Michigan Coll