News

Members of the Montcalm Community College Board of Trustees and MCC Foundation Board are leading by example.

They have all personally pledged to support the college’s “Transforming Lives, Empowering People” major gifts campaign, with a combined giving total of $188,250.

MCC President Stacy H. Young, Ph.D., said the board members’ financial support is a testament to their belief in the college and its mission of transforming lives through quality education.

“The fact that they have all so generously contributed their personal funds to our campaign is another way in which they endorse our work to support the college’s strategic plan, mission, vision and goals,” Dr. Young said.

MCC Foundation Executive Director Lisa Lund agreed.

“Their generous personal support of this project demonstrates their belief in the purposes of the fundraising campaign and the future of the college,” Lund said.

The “Transforming Lives, Empowering People” campaign is designed to allocate $7 million to developing programs to help students gain access and be successful at MCC. It includes six major initiatives that will enhance and expand student access, MCC’s Sidney campus and positively impact our community.

The lead initiative is a $5 million renovation of the Kenneth J. Smith Instructional Building, which originally was built in 1966 and last updated in 1999. The Smith Building is a major campus destination as it holds more than half of the college’s Sidney campus classroom space, its flagship nursing program, and courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Construction in the Smith Building is nearing completion and the building is expected to reopen in September. The renovated space features the Center for Nursing & Health Careers and the Center for STEM Learning. Specialized spaces include clinical simulation labs, preparation and debriefing rooms, treatment rooms, a clinical testing and training apartment lab, science and biology labs, phlebotomy labs and specialized student learning spaces, as well as the addition of specialized equipment and technology.

MCC President Stacy H. Young, Ph.D., said investments made through the “Transforming Lives, Empowering People” campaign will benefit the community for years to come.

“It is our belief that investing in Montcalm Community College improves the entire community. Educating the students of this county grows the economy of this community and the region,” Dr. Young said.

“In addition to creating modern, professional spaces for teaching and learning, the campaign will help fund educational resources, leading-edge equipment and scholarships to support our students,” Dr. Young added.

In addition to the Smith Building renovation, other campaign initiatives include:

• $500,000 toward a STEM Program Development and Technology Fund for equipment, technology and curriculum to support teaching and learning.
• $500,000 toward First-Generation Scholarships to benefit students who are the first in their family to go to college.
• $250,000 toward Mid-Career Scholarships to benefit middle-income students who do not qualify for financial aid, but also do not have the means to pay cash for college.
• $450,000 toward Program-Specific Scholarships to benefit students in specific program pathways.
• $300,000 toward the MCC Express Conductor Program to provide a point of contact (conductor) to work with students from their first point of contact with the college to the time they enter classes and throughout their time at MCC.

For more information, visit montcalm.edu/mccf or contact MCCF Executive Director Lisa Lund at lisal@montcalm.edu or 989-328-1284.

Media contact:
Shelly Springborn
Director of Communications and Public Relations
shellys@montcalm.edu
989-560-0833