DOWAGIAC — Southwestern Michigan College’s incoming president will be paid a base salary of $166,550.

Joseph Odenwald, SMC’s current Vice President of Student Services, will be the college’s eighth president, succeeding current president Dr. David Mathews, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Odenwald’s contract was unanimously approved by the SMC board of trustees at a special meeting held on Thursday.

The three-year contract will become effective on Jan. 1, 2020 and will extend to June 30, 2023, to align with SMC’s fiscal year.

Board of trustees president Thomas Jerdon, said increases, if any, to Odenwald’s salary would stay consistent with increases of other employees of the college.

“[The contract] has standard fringe benefits, retirement and health insurances as with the rest of the campus,” Jerdon said.

Jerdon added 25 vacation days are included as well as auto allowances.

“Specifically, the total compensation is a little more than Glen Oaks [Community College], which is about half the size of SMC,” he said. “It’s a little less than Lake Michigan College.”

At a Sept. 16 regular board of trustee meeting, a presidential compensation committee of three trustees was created. President Jerdon, treasurer Becky Moore and trustee Beth Cripe were appointed to the committee to study and research market compensation and draft an employment agreement for a recommendation to the board.

At an Oct. 21 board of trustee meeting, the board-appointed compensation committee handed out a presidential compensation committee report to the rest of the board. The report included two national surveys from 2015 and 2019 and presidential contracts from 13 community colleges, including Glen Oaks Community College and Lake Michigan College.

An employment agreement draft was worked on by the committee with assistance from college’s attorney Matthew Derby.

The only topic of discussion surrounding the approved presidential contract was a question from trustee Dr. Elaine Foster regarding the context of community engagement. Community engagement is included in SMC, Glen Oaks and Lake Michigan’s presidential compensation packages.

Jerdon confirmed community engagement is at the president’s sole discretion.

“From what I’ve observed, is that with David, he gets hit up for donations all the time,” Jerdon said.

Jerdon added Mathews has bought livestock at the Cass County Youth Fair, donated as a table captain at a Forgotten Man Ministries event and has bought from Dowagiac Fireworks.

“It goes on and on,” Jerdon said. “The president pays tax on that.”

Jerdon noted SMC’s current amount set aside for community engagement is less than Lake Michigan College’s. In 2019, Lake Michigan College’s community engagement was $15,000.

Its purpose is to advance the college, Jerdon said. Through his findings he noted 24 of 28 colleges offer community engagement.