Al Pscholka

Bob Clark introduced our speaker for the day, Al Pscholka. Bob read off Al’s resume which is too long to repeat here. Currently he is the Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing and Government Relations at Lake Michigan College (LMC). He lives in Stevensville with his wife, Suzanne, and has a daughter and 3 grandchildren. 

Al told us that there are “lots of exciting things happening at LMC.” He proudly told us that LMC was recently ranked as the best junior college in Michigan by a firm called “Smart Assets” out of New York. They were ranked #1 due to their excellent student-to-teacher ratio, their retention rate of 79% and the low cost of attending. Most attendees pay no tuition and have their books paid for as well! 

Another outstanding statistic for LMC is a 10% increase in enrollment for 2024! The number of new, first-time college students has risen each year since 2022, from 443 up to 728 for 2024. 

Al talked about some new programs and initiatives at LMC: 

• The Police Academy just graduated its 1st class of officers. 
• There are now 200 beds available in the on-campus dorms with a wait-list of 150. 
• There is a new 7-week Marine Tech Program. 
• The Nursing Program is tops in the state. 100% of the graduates passed their nursing exam. 
• The Wine and Viticulture Program is the only one in the Midwest. 
• They are working on a 2-year on-line business degree program. 
• An agriculture program is in the works. 

On a slightly different subject, Al spoke about the Berrien Talent Collaborative. This is an apprenticeship program for high school students to help Berrien County employers have access to a pool of skilled workers. Berrien County is short of 2,600 workers. And every year, several students graduate without a solid career plan. This program will help to fill that gap, helping the students, employers and the community. It is run by a partnership of Berrien Resa, LMC, the Southwest Regional Chamber and the Greater Niles Chamber of Commerce.