Berrien County Math & Science Center


The Berrien County Math & Science Center is a collaboration of county districts, institutes of higher education, business and industry in Southwest Michigan. The program is directed by Berrien County Intermediate School District and serves public and private schools districts in a 1000 square mile area. The Center is one of six secondary specialized schools in Michigan and one of fifty such schools in the nation--a member of the National Consortium of Secondary Specialized Schools for Mathematics, Science, and Technology. The Center began operation in the fall of 1991 and also operates an extensive K-12 math/science outreach program for all area students.

The county districts are in Berrien County and west Cass County. Originally there were three sites: one at Lake Michigan College, one at Lakeshore Public High School (a school within a school) and the other located at Andrews University. The LMC site closed after the 1991-92 school-year and the north county schools were merged in with those at Andrews. Lakeshore was separated from the Center in 1997 but continued many of its former functions. The Andrews site absorbed the Bridgman, River Valley, Galien, and New Buffalo systems and ramped up from 30 to 50 per grade level starting in 1997. Starting in 2001 they will be ramping back down.

In addition to those school systmes listed above, students attending the Andrews University site come from: Benton Harbor, Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Brandywine, Coloma, Dowagiac, Eau Claire, Edwardsburg, Niles, and Watervliet. Private schools within these districts, such as Immanuel Christian (now closed), and Andrews Academy (finally) also send students. The program at Andrews University is unique in that area public high school students are bussed in for a half day schedule: Freshmen/Sophomores classes 8:00-10:40 and Juniors/Seniors 11:30-2:10. The students spend the rest of their school day at their sponsoring (home) high school.

The students take mathematics each year, a computer course the first two years, and a science course each year. Their Junior and Senior years they can take an elective which often is a college class. For further information go to the following department or individuals:


  • e-mail: calkins@andrews.edu
  • voice-mail: 616 471-6629; BCM&S Smith Hall 105; Andrews University
  • fax/classroom: 616 471-6646; Smith Hall 100; Berrien Springs, MI 49104-0140
  • home: 616 473-2572 610 N. Main St.; Berrien Springs, MI 49103-1013
  • URL: http://www.andrews.edu/~calkins/bcmsc.htm
  • Copyright © 1998, Keith G. Calkins. Revised on or after July 16,1998