Southwestern Michigan College announced two construction projects today: an expansion of the Charles O. Zollar Building to include a brand-new wrestling room for the Roadrunners and upgrades to the Dale A. Lyons Building to improve music facilities for faculty, students and the community.

“For over a decade, SMC’s mission has included giving our students a total college life experience,” said Tom Jerdon, Board of Trustees Chair. “Athletics and performing arts are critical pieces of that experience, and based on attendance and enthusiasm, we know that the local community fully supports them. These projects will leverage existing buildings to expand opportunities for current and future students, and they will be completed responsibly without imposing any additional debt on taxpayers. This is a very exciting day for our college.”

A new 11,195-square-foot wing of the Zollar Building will quadruple the space available to the men’s and women’s wrestling teams. It will double the mat capacity for practice sessions and provide additional competition space for hosting conference and regional meets. The new facility will also include a dedicated fitness and warm-up area, coaches’ offices, locker rooms and additional restrooms. Multiple contractor bids were opened at a public meeting of the Board of Trustees on Feb. 26, and the project was awarded to E & L Construction of Flint, Mich., a week later. On-site work is slated to begin in April 2025, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for May 2025 and occupancy targeted for February 2026.

After SMC Wrestling moves from its current practice space in the Lyons Building to its new home in Zollar, updates to the Lyons Building will begin in Summer 2026. Planned improvements for the music programs include a redesigned choir room with enhanced acoustics; a 1,980-square-foot expansion of the band room to accommodate 20 additional members and provide a dedicated Jazz Ensemble space; remodeling of six practice rooms, four ensemble rooms and a multi-purpose classroom; plus renovations to Lyons’ main bathrooms and lobby area. These phased upgrades should be completed in 2028. 

Construction costs are estimated to total $11.0 million. To help fund the projects, the college, in partnership with the Southwestern Michigan College Foundation, is launching the “Room to Grow” capital campaign. Contributions of any size are welcome, and donors wishing to pledge large gifts of support will have access to naming rights opportunities in highly-visible wrestling or performing arts spaces. 

“The championship success of SMC Wrestling in just three seasons is incredible, and the high-quality of the performances by our choir, band and musical theater students over many decades is unquestioned,” said Dr. Joe Odenwald, SMC President. “Student learning takes place every day, all across campus - not just in the classroom - and we need to continue to provide modern facilities that measure up to the level of excellence the faculty, staff and students are already achieving. We urge community members to embrace this opportunity to build more room for them to grow.”

The SMC Men’s Wrestling team returned to action in 2022 after a 30-year hiatus and has won three straight MCCAA championships. This season, the Roadrunners bested three nationally-ranked teams to win the Great Lakes District championship and qualified the maximum of 10 wrestlers for the NJCAA National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa. SMC finished #14 in the country and had two wrestlers named as All-Americans. SMC will be the first college in Michigan, and only the 30^th in the country, to offer NJCAA Women’s Wrestling beginning in Fall 2025.    

SMC’s band and choir ensembles welcome students of all majors. Courses range from music theory to vocal performance and are available for credit or personal enrichment. From Concert Choir to Pep Band, students have a variety of opportunities to explore music, build confidence and enhance their college experience. SMC hosts music camps and clinics for local high school students to help hone their talents, and the college offers several public band and choir concerts, free of charge, throughout the year.

Those interested in donating to support wrestling and performing arts at SMC via the “Room to Grow” campaign may do so at https://givebutter.com/roomtogrow, or contact Emily Schrock, Manager of Development, at 269.782.1279 or eschrock02@swmich.edu.