Bids were opened this week on the new $9.5-million Nursing & Health Education Building for the Southwestern Michigan College campus in Dowagiac, as the project draws one step closer to reality.
The Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees opened construction bids for the new building which is slated for opening in the fall of 2018 and immediately referred them to the project’s architect for further analysis. The board received seven bids from contractors interested in completing the project and numerous alternates for consideration, and trustees will conduct a special board meeting in the weeks to come to award the final bid.
The 12,047-square-foot 1970 facility south of the David C. Briegel Building on the Dowagiac campus will be rebuilt to 29,086 square feet with a glass atrium across the front facing residential halls.
This east-west open area encourages student and faculty interaction outside of classroom instruction.
The project doubles the size of SMC’s ACEN-accredited nursing program while adding another health-related occupation, such as occupational therapy assistant or physical therapy assistant.
Four simulation labs replicate hospital rooms with computerized mannequins augmenting clinical instruction, and two eight-bed skills labs provide students a place to practice inserting IVs, check blood pressure and perform total-body assessments.
Trustees also selected Wednesday, September 6th, for the Nursing & Health Education Building Construction Celebration, which will feature guest speaker Michigan Budget Director Al Pscholka who was instrumental as a state legislator in securing $4 million from the state for that project.
The celebration event will be open to the public, with more details to follow.
In other action this week, following a public hearing, the board adopted a balanced $23,388,000 2017-18 operating budget which increases 1.5-percent over the current year, while housing increases 3-percent, to $2,447,035 for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Thomas Jerdon serves as Chairman of the Board at SMC. He told fellow trustees, “Southwestern Michigan College remains strong.” He added, “This 1.5-percent increase shows we are committed to affordable access to quality higher education. SMC has adopted a structurally balanced budget every single year since the college’s 1964 founding. I am proud of the Board of Trustees and the college administration for unwavering commitment to sound fiscal management.”
