Ferris State University

Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from Tioga County, New York, who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where he remained until his death in 1928. The school was noteworthy when it was founded for accepting female students beginning with its first graduating class. It is also the only public university in Michigan to be founded by an individual.

Today, Ferris is the ninth-largest university in the state with 14,560 students studying on its main campus, at one of the 19 off-campus locations across the state, or online. Two- and four-year degrees are offered through eight academic colleges and graduate degrees from six. Ferris grants professional doctorate degrees via its optometry and pharmacy colleges and a multidisciplinary doctorate of education in community college leadership through the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education and Human Services. The school is known for having a faculty–student ratio of 1:16, and classes that are taught by professional instructors, not graduate assistants.

The school
Big Rapids Industrial School, as it was originally named, opened on September 1, 1884 in temporary quarters in the Vandersluis Block (present location of J.C. Penney Co.) in Big Rapids. The goal of the school was to provide students with marketable skills for a changing society. By the beginning of the next semester in January 1885 the school changed its name to Ferris Industrial School. In January 1894, the School moved into and dedicated its new building, Old Main, on the corner of Oak and Ives Streets. At this same time, the school was incorporated with capital stock of $50,000.

In 1898 the institution was again renamed to Ferris Institute. In 1900, W. N. Ferris sold capital stock in Ferris Institute to the public, keeping a controlling interest in his own hands. It remained privately owned until August 25, 1931 when the Board of Incorporators, a group of 39 businessmen, purchased Ferris Institute from the old stockholders and selected a board of trustees from their number to govern the school.

The college
In February 1943, alumnus Colin Smith introduced a bill in the legislature for the state to purchase Ferris Institute. It passed both houses but was vetoed by Governor Harry Kelly. Six years later on May 17, 1949, Governor G. Mennen Williams signed the bill accepting Ferris Institute as a gift to the State of Michigan, which took over its governance on July 1, 1950. But before the state took control, fire destroyed the Old Main and the Old Pharmacy Buildings on February 21, 1950. Only the Alumni Building and some minor buildings were left standing. Immediate rebuilding of the Institute began and on July 1, 1963 it was again renamed, this time as Ferris State College.

The university
In November 1987 the institution became Ferris State University. When Ferris became a state college in the fall of 1950, it had consisted entirely of one permanent structure, the Alumni Building, and some surplus Army barracks. At that time, fewer than 1,000 students were enrolled; there were fewer than 50 faculty members, and the campus itself covered less than 20 acre. By contrast, current enrollment is more than 14,000, and the 880 acre campus contains 115 buildings, including educational, administrative, maintenance, student activity and residence hall facilities.

Campus
Ferris State University joined the state’s Higher Education System in 1950. The campus was all but destroyed by fire the same year. The only building to survive was the Alumni Building, built in 1929, at the north edge of campus. Since the fire, more than 117 buildings have been built on the main campus.

Main campus
Located on the southern edge of the City of Big Rapids, straddling the border between Big Rapids Township and the city, the university has over 880 acre for its main campus. The campus begins about four blocks south of the historic central business district. It is bordered on the north by single-family homes built in the early to middle of the twentieth century. North of Perry Street, the university is bordered by strip commercial development. The university is bordered to the south and west by Big Rapids Township. The township is mostly undeveloped and rural.

The main campus is within easy walking distance of downtown Big Rapids with its restaurants, shops, movie theater, art gallery and municipal park. Bicyclists, hikers and in-line skaters have easy access to the White Pine Trail, Michigan's longest "rails to trails" project.

The campus has undergone major changes since 1990. Several new and renovated buildings, reworked roads and parking areas, pedestrian walkways, and greenspace areas have contributed to the changes on campus.


 * The National Elastomer Center was added in 1998 to house the Plastics Engineering and Rubber Engineering Technology programs, utilizing state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms.
 * The FLITE building (FSU Library for Information, Technology and Education), located at the termination of Perry Street, reintroduced the historic front entrance to the university, and defined the adjacent quad at the campus epicenter.
 * The renovation of the Timme Library to the Timme Center for Student Services consolidated previously scattered student services in one location.
 * The Granger Center for Construction and HVACR, stimulated redevelopment of the northern part of campus. The building was designed with an open layout that left most of the mechanical components open for viewing by the students as a working lab.
 * The IRC Connector between the Business School and the Interdisciplinary Resource Center (IRC) created a collaborative meeting and lounge space which is heavily used by students at all hours.
 * Opening of the new Michigan College of Optometry building in January 2011.
 * North Hall, a state-of-the-art Living Learning Center, opened in August 2017. It is a Freshman Experience Residence Hall, and features classrooms, study rooms, a lounge, game room, and a full kitchen for residents.

The University has 3483298 sqft of building space on the Big Rapids campus, with 1764658 sqft in academic use.

Satellite and online locations
In addition to the main campus, Ferris State University has programs offered at 19 off-campus locations including Dowagiac, Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing, Traverse City, and University Center. Although the main campus of the university is located in a rural setting the satellite locations are all located in larger, more urban communities. Some programs, such as the Doctor of Pharmacy program, are split between locations having students take the first 2 years of study at a campus in one city and the next 2 years at another. These locations are managed by the division of Extended and International Operations under the heading Ferris Statewide and Online.

Administrative structure
Ferris State University is governed by a Board of Trustees which has general supervision of the institution and controls and directs institutional expenditures. Members of the Board serve eight-year, staggered terms as appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate.

The President of the University is appointed by the Board of Trustees as its principal executive officer and serves at its pleasure. The President is an ex-officio member of the Board without the right to vote.

Current leadership
At present, the University is led by its 18th president, Dr. David L. Eisler, who was inaugurated on October 2, 2003.

Student government
The mission of the Student Government of Ferris State University is to represent student interests in all aspects of campus life as well as maintain open channels of communication between students, faculty, staff, administration, and the Big Rapids community.

The General Assembly of Student Government is composed of two voting bodies; a House of Representatives and a Senate. Each registered student organization (RSO) in good standing is eligible to hold one seat on the House of Representatives. Senators are elected by the students in their respective academic colleges.

The leadership rests in the Cabinet; president, executive vice president, treasurer, director of finance, and director of internal assessment.

Academic colleges
The university has 8 colleges offering more than 170 educational programs—Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Services, Engineering Technology, Health Professions, the Kendall College of Art and Design, Michigan College of Optometry, and Pharmacy. Program offerings lead to bachelor's and associate degrees and certificates. Master's degrees in Information Security and Intelligence, Career and Technical Education, Criminal Justice, Business Administration, Curriculum and Instruction, Nursing, and Fine Arts are available. Ferris also offers doctoral degrees in Optometry, Pharmacy, and Community College Leadership.

Kendall College of Art and Design offers graduate and undergraduate fine arts degrees as well as a B.S. degree in Art History. Kendall’s campus is in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Michigan College of Optometry is one of 16 schools or colleges of optometry in the United States and the only college of optometry in Michigan. MCO doctors and student interns deliver eye-care to patients in the region. Graduates receive a Doctor of Optometry degree.

The College of Pharmacy graduates comprise more than half of Michigan’s practicing pharmacists. Graduates receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Academic schools
Within the Colleges there exist some schools of specialized education. These Schools exist to provide focused education for specific careers.

Housed in the College of Education and Human Services, there are three areas of concentration for undergraduate degrees: Corrections, Generalists, and Law Enforcement.

Housed in the College of Education and Human Services. Three bachelor's degree programs in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education in addition to master's degrees with several concentrations.

Housed in the College of Health Professions, the School of Nursing offers BSN and MSN programs.

Honors Program
The Honors Program includes students from every college and school at Ferris except Kendall—students from almost every major participate in the Honors Program. About $1/3$ of the Honors students major in Pre-Pharm or similar disciplines, but there is a large number of students in the College of Business, College of Health Professions and the College of Engineering Technology. Honors students live in specialized residence halls (mostly in single rooms), take enhanced general education courses, attend cultural events, and complete 15 hours of community service per semester.

Athletics
The Ferris State Bulldogs are the athletic teams for the university. Ferris State offers an intercollegiate athletic program that includes 14 men’s and women’s sports at the NCAA Division II level, except for men's ice hockey which competes in NCAA Division I. Ferris State is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in all sports except men's ice hockey, in which the team is part of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Year in and year out, nearly 400 student-athletes have the opportunity to compete for the Bulldogs on a regional and national level for conference titles and NCAA Championships. Ferris' men's club ice hockey won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II national title in 1994. In March 2018, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship.

Ferris State Torch
The Ferris State Torch is a student run newspaper first published in 1931. It is a weekly publication between 16 and 28 pages in length with a circulation of just under 5,000. The Torch has been completely student governed, with the exception of a faculty adviser and business manager. The Department of Languages and Literature acts as a liaison between the publication and the rest of the University.

Bulldog Radio
Bulldog Radio was a student organization on the Big Rapids campus. It operated on Channel 21 through Mecosta County Charter Communications, Channel 21 through the campus cable TV provider, and through a live webcast. Bulldog Radio broadcast information about the campus to the general public. It also aired music and talk programming. Bulldog Radio was available free, 24 hours a day, to Ferris State University, Mecosta County, and the world. Bulldog Radio is now a defunct organization.

Greek life
There are 27 Greek organizations on campus, subdivided into four different groups: Interfraternity Council fraternities, Black Greek Council Fraternities & Sororities, Panhellenic Council Sororities, and Professional Fraternities & Sororities.

Organizations in the Interfraternity Council include: Alpha Chi Rho, Delta Chi, Kappa Psi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Lambda Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Incorporated, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Sigma Pi. Black Greek Council fraternities and sororities on campus are: Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Delta Psi, and Zeta Phi Beta. Panhellenic Council member organizations are: Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Zeta, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Lambda Gamma and Zeta Tau Alpha, and honorary member Lambda Kappa Sigma. The profession fraternities and sororities include: Delta Sigma Pi, Gamma Epsilon Tau, Kappa Psi, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, Lambda Kappa Sigma, Phi Alpha Delta, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Alpha Theta, and Alpha Psi Omega.

Fight song
The first performance of the new fight song, "Fighting Bulldogs" was at Homecoming in 1958.

Alma mater
The adoption of the new Ferris alma mater song, "Ferris Fidelity" and its first performance under direction of composer Graham T. Overgard were at the Christmas concert in 1957.

Notable alumni

 * Norm Augustinus, syndicated writer/author who has appeared in over 40 television commercials; the Detroit Free Press has called him a "Cult Icon".
 * Carlton Brewster, wide receiver and kickoff returner; has also spent time on NFL practice squads with the Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.
 * Monty Brown, linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots, WWE professional wrestler
 * Jeff Blashill, current head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
 * Shawn Christian, actor on As the World Turns
 * John Gruden, former defenseman for the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals
 * Jeff Hephner, actor known for his recurring role as Matt Ramsey during the third season of The O.C., and as the lead Morgan Stanley Buffkin in the 2008 television series Easy Money. He currently plays the recurring role of football coach Red Raymond on The CW series Hellcats.
 * Al Jardine, guitarist for The Beach Boys
 * Butch Jones, former head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team. Jones previously served as head coach at Central Michigan University from 2007 to 2009, and the Cincinnati Bearcats football team from 2010 to 2012.
 * Dave Karpa, former NHL defenseman for the Quebec Nordiques, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers between 1993 and 2003
 * Dana King, former news anchor for CBS news affiliate KPIX-TV in San Francisco, California.
 * Chris Kunitz, Chicago Blackhawks NHL player
 * Stacy Erwin Oakes, former State Representative, Michigan House of Representatives, 95th District.
 * Sparky McEwen, American football player and coach
 * Harry Melling, 1988 NASCAR championship car owner (Melling Racing) and owner of Melling Tool
 * Zach Redmond, American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.
 * Andy Roach, former defenseman for the St. Louis Blues
 * Blair Riley, ice hockey player with the Belfast Giants of the EIHL
 * George Ryan, 39th Governor of Illinois from 1999 until 2003
 * Gary Waters, head basketball coach for Cleveland State University