News

Ricker Writing Textbook on Serial Killers

Southwestern Michigan College Criminal Justice Professor Dr. Don Ricker is writing the book on serial killers. A textbook, no less. He signed a contract with Kendall-Hunt Publishing of Dubuque, Iowa, with a target release date in January 2027 and recently submitted his first chapter.

SMC Opens Zollar Roof Bids

Meeting at the Niles campus Nov. 12, the Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees opened bids for partially re-roofing 10,716 square feet of the Charles O. Zollar Building. Base bids, ranging from $331,700 to $412,300, were submitted by three contractors, Hoekstra Roofing of Kalamazoo, Morris and Sons Roofing of Bourbon, Ind., and Midland Engineering of South Bend.

SMC ‘Rakes a Difference’ for United Way

Six Southwestern Michigan College musicians found themselves back in marching band Nov. 13 volunteering for United Way of Southwest Michigan’s 15th annual Rake a Difference. The event unfolds across Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties.

NOLA Sound Jazzes Up SMC Fall Band Concert

A jazzy New Orleans entrance by bead-dripping horn players parting the Dale A. Lyons Building theatre shot electricity through the Nov. 7 audience like Saints Marching In. “Bayou Breakdown,” Southwestern Michigan College’s fall band concert, featuring the Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Bands under the baton of Director of Bands Mark Hollandsworth, brought Bourbon Street in the Crescent City to the Grand Old City of Dowagiac.

President Harris, 1st Source honored at SMC's Founders Day

Bristol Community College President Dr. Sedgwick L. Harris has diplomas from Northwestern Oklahoma State University (bachelor’s), Western Michigan University (master’s) and Ferris State University (doctorate). But only one adorns his office in Fall River, Mass. — his associate degree in communications and media studies from Southwestern Michigan College, earned in 1988-90 when he played basketball for the Roadrunners. “That is the only degree I display because it was the first,” Harris said.

‘Red Days’ a Turning Point for SMC Theater

Southwestern Michigan College arts aficionados accustomed to Grace Phillips singing might be surprised by her dramatic turn in the Nov. 20-23 fall play, “Red Days.” The Edwardsburg graduate sings in Collegiate Chorale, Choral Scholars and Uccelli Canori — every SMC vocal group but Men’s Ensemble.

Breezy ‘Jazz on the Lawn’ Previews ‘Bayou Breakdown’

Southwestern Michigan College Jazz Ensemble’s “Jazz on the Lawn” New Orleans set outside the Dale A. Lyons Building Oct. 28 previewed “Bayou Breakdown.” SMC’s fall band concert takes place Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus.

SMC Choirs Team Up with Portage Northern

Southwestern Michigan College’s fall choir concert, “Songs of the Soul,” featured a collaboration with Portage Northern High School for the 50th anniversary of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” “It’s wonderful to have Chelsea Whiteoak conducting us on this piece by one of my favorite artists, Gordon Lightfoot,” said SMC Director of Choral Activities David Carew. “Chelsea is a Dowagiac high school graduate. I recruited her at the McDonald’s drive-through to come to SMC."

Meet SMC’s Athletic Trainer

Ashley Russo of Beacon Health System officially became Southwestern Michigan College’s athletic trainer on Sept. 28. “My favorite part about this job is creating a space for athletes to be comfortable and to feel safe,” Russo said. “Being a student athlete is difficult and can sometimes feel incredibly isolating — especially when trying to recover from an injury."

Wrestling Coach Shooting for the Moon

Ashley Courtney, Southwestern Michigan College’s first women’s wrestling coach, comes from a prominent central Kentucky wrestling family. Her father introduced her to the sport at 7. Her second-oldest brother, Harrison, a four-time state champion, coaches the mat men at their Woodford County High School, which has won 13 state championships, celebrating more than any other Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) school with 61 individual champions.