News

Michigan Reconnect Helps Veteran Find Her Welding Passion

Katie Brownlow earned her one-year Southwestern Michigan College welding certificate in April and parlayed her internship into a job with Cotton Gin Smokers, premium, hand-crafted barbecue smokers made on Terminal Road, Niles. Brownlow, a single mom and veteran who turns 38 in July, plans to continue to her welding associate degree. “I’ve got that fire in me again,” Brownlow said, “and it’s not burning out. I’m not going backwards anymore.”

SMC Hosts 110 for Eighth STEM Camps

Volcanoes, lava lamps and blue slime don’t seem to have much in common. Except they are easily replicated in simple science experiments using familiar household products such as vinegar, baking soda, vegetable oil, dish soap and glue. Such hands-on activities help develop problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaborative teamwork.

43 Years in Nursing for ’81 Graduate

Kathy (Eby) Mikel, a 1981 Southwestern Michigan College nursing graduate, “retired” last June from South Bend’s Memorial Hospital after almost 43 years. Memorial, a 647-bed hospital, is part of Beacon Health System. “I worked as an RN in NICU for 10 years and on the mother/baby unit as a lactation consultant for more than 32 years,” she said.

SMC Approves Faculty Contract, Adopts FY ’27 Budgets

At its regular monthly meeting on June 10, the Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement reached with the faculty union and adopted budgets for fiscal year 2027. The $30.7 million general fund for July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027, anticipates $13.4 million from tuition and fees, $8.5 million from property taxes on 2.3510 mills, $8.4 million in state appropriation and $0.4 million from other revenue.