Louise Stienkeoway, president of Brown Mackie College-South Bend

By Phil D’Amico, director of business growth, the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County

Louise Stienkeoway, President of Brown Mackie College – South Bend started in education in 1989.

She has guided the college through enormous growth and prosperity. Literally, in the nearly two years she has been at Brown Mackie College – South Bend, she has seen student enrollment go from 700 students to nearly 1,300 students. The school started with approximately 18 certificate and degree programs, and now there are 23. Brown Mackie College – South Bend also offers several programs where students can earn a four-year Bachelor’s degree. I recently chatted with President Stienkeoway about her experiences here in South Bend.

Louise Stienkeoway, president of Brown Mackie College – South Bend

Q: President Stienkeoway, you moved here from Orlando, correct? I bet you really miss the state of Florida this time of year.
A: Actually, through education, I have lived in a number of places, including Idaho and the Dakotas, among others. So this location is actually tropical to me. I love it here.

Q: So what do you like most about this area, and specifically South Bend?
A: There is a real sense of community here. I found it very easy to immerse myself in the community. Also, I found I could make a difference here, and I could fully get involved in being a part of the transformation process.

Q: What does that mean…transformation process?
A: This community has wonderful future opportunities. We need to prepare our workforce for those opportunities and I believe education at all levels will contribute to that. It is important for any community that all residents perceive that there is a strong educational base, again at all levels of education.

Q: What, specifically, has been the key to your growth and success at Brown Mackie College – South Bend?
A: I really believe it is the one-on-one relationships that we develop with our students. They really are a big part of the family atmosphere we create here.

Q: What about the relationships you have with the business community… aren’t they just as important?
A: Oh, absolutely! We also believe that our business relationships are a huge part of our success. We believe our ability to be flexible and nimble, as well as our ability to act quickly as it relates to matching up our community’s business needs with the curriculum, are very big keys to all of us being successful.

Q: What do you think are key issues surrounding our students today?
A: Students are much more hands-on. They want to work in the classroom as if they were working at a job in the community. It is so critical for us to create that environment for a student. Also, students like technology. They want to see how technology can be used in their jobs, and how technology can help solve problems, as well as create and develop new techniques. Students are just very participative and interactive, so our classrooms must be set up to accommodate the student of today.

Q: Does that change the way our instructors teach?
A: It does, in fact. Our instructors must be technologically savvy, too. They must have ‘real world’ knowledge of what they are talking about. The more experience they have, the more credible they are, and the more they can communicate to a student.

Q: Will we have jobs for all of these students who are graduating?
A: That is a challenge you need to work on (laughing). We have always strived for 85 percent job placement. We would love to get 100 percent placed, but that is very difficult. During this downturn in the economy, we are around 70 percent job placement, which is very good for any college.

Q: Do you think I would be a good student at Brown Mackie College – South Bend?
A: Well… we have a number of programs available. I think you would have to work hard, set goals, and stay with it, which is what I would tell any student that I meet with in person.

Q: Sounds like you’re having fun here?
A: I love this school, I love this community, and I am very optimistic about the future.