Starting last year, Montcalm Community College (MCC) has increased each nursing cohort by 16 students, growing its capacity to supply essential healthcare professionals to the community with the help of recently updated facilities. 

Nursing isn’t the only program housed in the college’s Kenneth J. Smith Building, home to allied health and science offerings and now boasting high-tech science and nursing simulation tools, lab equipment, and more, thanks to a floor funded by a $1.25 million grant from the Greenville Area Community Foundation (GACF). The 2022 grant to support the Center for STEM Learning is the foundation’s largest to date. 

”The bottom-line impact is we are attracting and serving more students, thereby addressing more critical workforce needs,” said Lisa Lund, MCC Foundation Executive Director. The new floor serves nursing, along with MCC’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning experiences.  

Along with state-of-the-art technology, the building has added more inviting spaces for studying and even connecting with remote students, often important for engagement  and feeling a sense of belonging, noted Lund.   

Students have noticed. Stanton resident Tinessa Armock likes the versatility of the new study areas. “They’re secluded,” she said. “You can have one-on-one sessions, but there are also sections where you can have larger groups.”   

Originally built in 1966 and last updated in 1999, the building is home to half of the college’s instructional space on its Sidney campus. The updated equipment and learning environments paved the way for the school’s ability to enter into an agreement with Saginaw Valley State University to begin an Associate Degree in Nursing to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that began this fall.  

Lund said the flexibility of the community foundation mission and the community college’s response to new workforce needs and opportunities makes a powerful partnership. “MCC and the GACF have common missions of creating prosperity and opportunities in our region,” she said. “… together we’re creating better futures for all.” 

As GACF celebrates its 35th anniversary, we bring together the collective stories of donors, nonprofits, students, and community members to demonstrate the power of philanthropy in creating lasting impact and a stronger future.