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DOWAGIAC — Southwestern Michigan College’s Board of Trustees heard a presentation at its regular monthly meeting Dec. 8 from co-founders Mark Pelfrey and Gary Franchy, associate math professors, on the status of the Honors Program at its five-year mark. The anniversary will be officially observed during April’s “Honors Week.”

The Honors Program has graduated a total of 63 students to date. After SMC, alumni have attended the University of Detroit Law School, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Utah State and Purdue, among others.

Students have presented graduate-level research before the American Chemical Society in Denver, San Francisco and Orlando and the American Criminal Justice Association in Minnesota.

In addition to academics, students are encouraged to be engaged in athletics, extra-curricular activities or service, which will be formalized as the “SMC Honors Volunteer Alliance” community clearinghouse as pandemic restrictions ease.

Board members also approved meeting dates for 2022. Regular meetings will occur on the second Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m. — Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8, Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 9 (at the Niles campus) and Dec. 14. On Aug. 17, trustees will conduct their annual long-range planning session. As usual, there will be no meeting in July.

Trustees accepted two donations to the college for $1,200 and acknowledged eight gifts totaling $2,125 to the SMC Foundation.