At its brief final meeting of 2024, the Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees Dec. 11 heard highlights compiled like a David Letterman Top 10 list.

“What a year it’s been,” said President Dr. Joe Odenwald, who culled his picks from more than 70 headlines “focusing on what I think are the most impactful.”

SMC celebrates a half-century of Steve’s Run.

SMC spring enrollment up 11.5 percent, also led the state last year.

SMC partners with Grand Valley to offer bachelor’s degrees.

SMC board celebrates athletic success and adds three more teams (men’s and women’s track, women’s wrestling).

SMC announces $2 million nursing grant.

SMC housing expansion moving forward.

SMC wins the 2023-2024 MCCAA Charlie Chanter All-Sports Trophy.

SMC achieves third straight year of enrollment growth.

College launches free-tuition SMC Green Light Guarantee.

Inaugural Founders Day celebrates college’s 60^thanniversary.

“Businesses don’t last forever. Sixty years is a long time,” Odenwald said, “and we’re still going strong. As happy as we are about 2024, we’re keenly focused on 2025 and all we must do to maintain momentum,” with the board doing its strategic planning the morning of Jan. 8, moving the business portion of the next meeting to 1 p.m.

Trustees also awarded two service pins, one for five years to Alumni Relations and Development Coordinator Emily Schrock of Dowagiac and the other to Building and Grounds Director John Eberhart of Benton Harbor for 20 years.

Schrock was valedictorian in Constantine before coming to SMC to study business administration. She worked in the admissions office as a student for her 2016 associate degree.

Schrock continued her education through Ferris State University, working part-time as SMC’s admissions communications specialist until she graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree concentrated in digital marketing.

After three years at St. Joseph Today as marketing manager, Schrock returned to SMC in 2021 as alumni relations and development coordinator.

She accepted additional responsibilities last summer with the foundation, becoming its executive director. She organized last month’s inaugural Founders Day and last week earned her certificate of fundraising management (CFRM) from Indiana University Indianapolis.

Eberhart joined the college in November 2004 as an electrician in the Buildings and Grounds Department. He earned his electrical journeyman’s card in Michigan in 1980 and earned the highest level of licensure and expertise by becoming a master electrician in 1987.

After working on campus as an electrician for 10 years, Eberhart was promoted to director of buildings and grounds.

“Over the last 10 years, John has played an instrumental role in moving the college forward, leading several major projects including, as of late, the Niles chemistry lab renovation, 1^st Source Bank Fieldhouse and, currently, the residence halls expansion,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Brent Brewer.

The board acknowledged six gifts to the SMC Foundation totaling $2,120.