‣ 2021 ANNUAL REPORT The Ferris Foundation

Ferris State University has a long history of dedication to issues of social justice. Our founder, Woodbridge N. Ferris, challenged faculty, staff, and students of the Ferris Institute to "make the world a better place." Not only did he create an institution where women, African Americans, Native Americans, recent immigrants, newly-naturalized citizens, and others were offered opportunities to earn an education—he made sure that they were treated with respect. That is his legacy. It is our mandate. When we work to sustain an inclusive university, we honor his legacy. When we fail to do so, we contradict and insult his vision and work. Ferris State University strives to continue the legacy he established by building and sustaining an environment welcoming to all. An environment that reflects myriad identities, perspectives and backgrounds where barriers are removed, where all have equal access to opportunity and advancement, and where everyone feels included, heard, valued and safe. To that end, we have undertaken many initiatives and continue to update our Diversity and Strategic plans to meet the challenges set forth in our mission and vision for the University.

Ferris State University Board of Trustees approved the institution’s first diversity plan in 2008. The plan had four major goals: to create a university that is welcoming to diverse populations; recruit, retain and graduate a diverse population; to hire and retain a diverse workforce; and to create environments for student learning that are inclusive of and sensitive to diverse student populations. The 2016 diversity plan was created with even more targeted goals: to create a university that is respectful of differences and civil toward people who are different; to build and maintain an infrastructure that supports diversity and promotes inclusion; to recruit, retain and graduate a diverse student population; to recruit, employ and retain a diverse workforce; to improve inclusivity by incorporating diversity and inclusion in significant ways in teaching, learning and research; and to build upon existing partnerships and create new partnerships that enhance the University’s commitment to and work with diverse populations. Ferris’ current diversity and inclusion plan expired in Summer 2021, with a final report available in February 2022. The work on a new plan began in Fall 2021, with completion expected by May 2022, and will include several changes, including a targeted focus on eliminating achievement gaps.

The Ferris Forward Strategic Plan is designed to help Ferris sustain its mission and enhance its unique, career-oriented educational niche. The plan focuses on five strategic areas identified through extensive community listening sessions: We want our students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends to influence the direction of our future while helping us to remain true to our mission, core values, vision and traditions. We have worked to create a plan that is relevant and attainable, while also being a challenge to the University. With mindful implementation of the plan and its recommended action steps, Ferris will achieve 13 key targets outlined in the plan by 2024. Some of these targets include completion of the Now & Always Comprehensive Campaign, active engagement of 40,000 alumni, increasing the six-year graduation rate to 65% and the first-year retention rate to 75%, and increasing international, minority and FTIAC students, providing opportunities for additional experienceships for current students and keeping tuition increases low. We continue to live our current strategic plan, focusing on academic and program offerings, enhancing resources, institutional effectiveness, pride and community, student success, and our university mission, vision and values, all while continually assessing our progress.

One important step in maintaining our progress is the adoption of the Ferris Equity Initiative, which the University is partnering with Education Advisory Board to bring to campus. This initiative includes Navigate, EAB’s Student Success Management System, which brings together students, administrators, advisors, faculty, and other staff in a collaborative network to holistically support students across the college journey. But FEI is more than software. It is a cohesive equity plan that provides research-backed best practices, policies and technology proven to reduce and eliminate equity gaps. For our students, that means reaching their attainment goals in less time, for less money, and achieving better career outcomes.

The University also has undertaken the task of creating a Campus Climate Team. The CCT collaborates across campus and in our communities to create a more welcoming environment for those who call Ferris home. The CCT seeks to promote a campus climate that fosters integrity, stability and respect by actively participating and leading in the assessment, analysis and sharing of campus climate data; working collaboratively with University committees, departments, and student groups to review and offer proactive education efforts that serve to address data findings; ensuring that appropriate University resources and expertise are made available to anyone who feels they have been harmed or negatively impacted because of their identity; and actively addressing the impact of campus climate concerns on the communities in which Ferris State University serves. Through assessment, analysis, understanding and education, the CCT serves to continuously improve our campus climate as well as to address incidents of bias (explicit or implicit), harassment or discrimination.

As a university, we continue to look at what we have done and what we will do with a critical eye. We know it is important to strengthen and better align the work done in the offices that work directly with diverse student populations, as well as to continually work to improve the recruitment, retention and promotion of minority employees at the University. Operating under the Ferris Equity Initiative will allow us to identify gaps in academic achievement and create tailored and comprehensive plans to reduce these gaps for students. The work of the Campus Climate Team and continued campus and community conversations will help to create a university where all are safe and respected. Through continued formulation and adoption of comprehensive Diversity and Strategic Plans for the university that address campus climate and form new partnerships, we will remain a university committed to the inclusive legacy of our founder.

PROMESA SCHOLARSHIPS

With support from private philanthropy, the Ferris State University Center for Latin@ Studies’ nationally recognized Promesa Pathways to Postsecondary Success Program breaks down barriers to enrollment, retention and success for Latinx students.

Promesa Pathways offers opportunities as early as in middle school for students to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math fields. In high school, CLS works with guidance counselors, teachers and school administrators to identify and recruit students who aspire to college but face financial, academic and/or social barriers to success. These are the target students for the Promesa Summer Success program, which boasts an 86% enrollment rate in college within a year of high school graduation, and a 50% enrollment rate at Ferris.

Nolan Valero

2021-22 Promesa Scholar | Class Year: Sophomore

Major: General Studies | Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Dear Promesa Scholar Supporter,

My name is Nolan Valero. Had it not been for the PROMESA student success program I wouldn’t be a Ferris student today. This program has helped me further my education and was a great support system while going through the pandemic.

Last year during the pandemic I was a freshman on campus struggling to get through the year as classes were fully online and we had to socially distance ourselves from others on campus. I was alone in my dorm. If it wasn’t for the PROMESA program continuously looking for ways to get me involved and introducing me to others in the program I know I would not have stayed at Ferris after the first semester. Classes through the pandemic were also tough. As my grades started to decline, I was comforted by the fact that [Center for Latin@ Studies Director Kaylee Moreno Burke] was doing everything in her power to help me maintain my grades and making sure I would finish the year strong as long as I continued to give it my all.

Choosing to be in the PROMESA student success program was one of the best decisions I have made for myself. The class gave me college credits and started me off with a strong GPA while giving me a feel for college level classes along with scholarship money. I only had to give up my summer mornings for 2 months, I would’ve most likely just been sleeping in anyways. Choosing to do this program has been one of my best life choices. I can’t thank this program enough for all of the support. I am proud to be a PROMESA scholar. Kaylee has really given me hope I can be the first Valero in my family to graduate. Promesa means promise and I could not think of a more fitting name for this program. They made a promise to see their students succeed and I feel they are accomplishing this goal.

Sincerely, Nolan Valero, Class of 2024

GROWING OPPORTUNITY 2021

Though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made gathering more difficult, with passion and a little creativity, the Ferris Grand Rapids Council held its fourth annual Growing Opportunity event outside the Fulton Street Farmers Market in May 2021. With the generous support of the event’s sponsors and major donors, more than 100 people joyfully gathered to enjoy a tailgate-style celebration.

Guests were able to back their cars up to assigned booths, parking at their table. The Ferris fight song was heard over the speakers, and a deluxe picnic dinner was distributed to guests. All had yard games and tailgate fun.

The event program celebrated students who persevered through challenging experiences during COVID; many isolated in their rooms, attending classes online, and were unable to participate in the college extracurricular activities that make campus vibrant. Guests cheered their grit and accomplishments, and laid the foundation for the next generation of students by giving to the West Michigan Opportunity Scholarship Endowment, which provides scholarships for area students to attend Ferris State University or its Kendall College of Art and Design.

THE 2021 FERRIS FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE BENEFIT

The Ferris Foundation for Excellence Benefit was held in person on Oct. 29, 2021 and was well-attended, with nearly 450 guests. The night began with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner in the Steelcase Ballrooms at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The program led with Opportunity Scholarship recipients Naomi Kumwenda and Devon Hansen, who shared their stories in heartwarming speeches. An update on Now and Always, the university’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, revealed a surprise announcement: an additional $5-million gift by alumnus Phil Hagerman put the campaign total past the goal of $115 million, with eight months still remaining in the campaign schedule. The benefit concluded with a tribute video to President David Eisler, who will retire at the end of June 2022.

To watch a video with highlights from the event, please CLICK HERE.

THE NICOLE AND CARL PEARSON SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT

For Nicole and Carl Pearson, graduates of the College of Pharmacy, financial responsibility and estate planning have driven their passion for giving at a relatively young age.

“I lost both of my parents,” Nicole (COP ’13) said. “Going through the estate chaos of closing accounts and figuring everything out while grieving a loss is not something that we want our family to have to try to navigate.”

In order to have a plan in place for their families, the Pearsons have made a planned gift, establishing the Nicole and Carl Pearson Scholarship Endowment to benefit students in Ferris’ College of Pharmacy.

“Ferris set us up for success,” Carl (COP ’14) said. “Now, we are able to help future students defray the rising costs of their college education.”

While the main goal of the Pearson’s scholarship is to help students in the Pharmacy program devote their energies to school and learning instead of finances, they also hope to set an example of financial responsibility.

“Younger people don’t think about estate planning,” said Nicole, “Finances are taboo to talk about, but you have to put in the work to learn about it. I feel like it is my personal responsibility to help people be financially healthy sooner.”

The Pearsons met during their time at Ferris as Honors Program students, residing across the hall from each other while living in Carlisle Hall. The smaller community feel of Ferris helped them to develop friendships with others within their hall, friendships that they maintain today.

As graduates of the Pharmacy program, the Pearsons have a great respect to the education they received.

“We didn’t realize what a great education we received until we got out into the working world,” Nicole said. “As a trainer of new pharmacists, I can tell who went to Ferris, based on how they act, how they talk, and their confidence. They are more well-rounded, communicate better with patients, and have a better understanding of the big picture.”

After graduation, despite having scholarship help, like many graduates, they were both left with significant educational debt.

“Student loan debt can delay grads from becoming a fully-functioning member of the economy, said Carl. “We were fortunate that as a married couple of two pharmacists, we were able to take care of that fairly quickly, but not everyone has that luxury.”

“Our generation is crippled with student loan debt. It takes longer to buy a house, to have kids; you feel like you can’t do anything until you get it under control,” added Nicole.

When asked their advice for Ferris students nearing graduation, financial planning remains a key theme for the Pearsons.

“Your relationship with the school will change as an alumnus,” Carl said, “It is hard to focus on the good parts of college when you are focused on the financial parts of it.”

“Make a budget and be aware of what you are spending your money on,” said Nicole. “You never know when it’s your time: I talked to my dad four days before he died. We were celebrating his birthday. You need to have a plan in place for your family to make their lives easier during a difficult time.”

The Pearsons’ generous gift to the university is an incredible tribute to all that they have invested in their lives and will provide vital support to those following in their footsteps.

COOPERVISION GIFT PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS AND TRAINING

To further support student education at Ferris State University’s Michigan College of Optometry, CooperVision has donated funds to The Ferris Foundation to provide scholarships and training for myopia management.

The five-year financial commitment expands CooperVision’s long-standing collaboration with MCO, which spans many years. For nearly a decade, CooperVision has offered contact lens education and fitting experiences to students through Soft Toric and Presbyopic Lens Education workshops and other educational events on campus. MCO has been an active partner in CooperVision’s Adopt-A-Patient program, which enables students to gift an annual supply of contact lenses to a well-deserving, low-income patient in their communities.

CooperVision’s financial contribution will fund student scholarships to benefit several recipients each year who have shown interest in and firmly embraced myopia management. CooperVision has further committed funding for one of the classrooms in the Michigan College of Optometry building. This comprehensive approach enables contact lens education, focusing on providing opportunities for students to learn how to treat patients with myopia and myopia management for children.

“We take great pride in the educational opportunities we have helped make available to MCO students over the years, as this helps them to better prepare for their future careers as practitioners,” said Michele Andrews, OD, vice president of Professional and Government Affairs, Americas, CooperVision. “As the prevalence of childhood myopia continues to rise, it is imperative that today’s optometry students enter the field with knowledge on how to effectively treat and manage the condition.”

CooperVision worked closely with MCO’s administration and faculty to determine how the company could best support the advancement of the College’s instruction surrounding contact lenses.

“This partnership is meaningful and exciting for MCO students,” said Robert Murray, Ferris’ associate vice president for advancement. “Our faculty are thrilled by the collaboration with CooperVision, as it will help our students start their careers with the ability and experience to positively impact their patients and the communities they serve.”

CooperVision’s support of Michigan College of Optometry is the latest in a series of expanded partnerships with optometry programs across the nation.

HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FIX-IT FOLKS

A 2020 planned gift from 1963 College of Technology alumnus Phillip J. Lapekas has established an endowed scholarship that will support future generations of students entering engineering and technology studies at Ferris State University.

Even as a child, Lapekas was always drawn to anything mechanical. Whether it was taking things apart or putting them back together, learning how they worked always drew his attention immediately. After graduating from Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Lapekas had no idea what he wanted to do next. However, with a few friends and a sister having attended Ferris Institute, he knew he needed more education, too, and enrolled in what was then the Applied Industrial program of General Printing at Ferris.

Once at Ferris, Lapekas quickly became involved in campus life and activities and even joined a fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, expanding his social life even more. Although the activities and social opportunities of campus life were enjoyable to him, he found his studies were far more engaging and gave him valuable skills that have lasted a lifetime.

Lapekas easily found employment after graduating from Ferris, yet he still yearned for something more and enrolled in Western Michigan University’s Industrial Arts – Secondary Education program to become a high school shop teacher. Little did he know that an entirely different and rewarding career was about to come to his attention.

During his junior year at Western, he attended an internship recruiting presentation for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Broadview, Illinois. The program offered credit for student teaching as well as free room and board, and he applied immediately. After completing a successful internship, he was asked to join their staff and began a 25-year career that took him across the United States, from Chicago to San Francisco. Lapekas rose within the ranks of the VA, starting as an instructor and ultimately retiring as National Program Consultant for the Veterans Administration Medical Centers of the entire western U.S.

“There is no way to foresee what the future has in store for any student but if you want results, take your studies seriously and your relationships with your classmates just as seriously you may be in business together someday,” said Lapekas.

Having started his education in mechanical skills, Lapekas credits his ability to “fix things” with giving him and his family a good life. In addition to his rewarding career with the VA, he also built and maintains several income properties—everything from installing dishwashers to re-wiring entire houses.

“I hope to help reduce the impact of the cost of education for the next generation of ‘fix-it folks’ like me,” said Lapekas, who added that he wants a future scholar to have support “so that he or she can realize the same dream I had in 1963.”

To learn more about how to make a planned gift or how planned gifts benefit students, please contact The Ferris Foundation at FerrisFoundation@ferris.edu or (231) 591-2365.

THE FERRIS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2021/22 FOUNDATION OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP:

Ja’Qaysha Benson, Social Work, Lansing, MI

Sarah Bertoia, Applied Mathematics, Vassar, MI

Jessica Bishop, Criminal Justice, Marcellus, MI

Veronica Coates, Risk Management/Insurance, Lansing, MI

Shelby Coon, Architecture/Sustainability, Big Rapids, MI

Laila Duncan, Social Work, Eastpointe, MI

Devon Hansen

Mechanical Design | Big Rapids, MI

Devon Hansen is a non-traditional student studying Mechanical Design at Ferris. Devon came to Ferris after sustaining a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a Jeep while bicycling. He couldn’t return to his job so he chose to get his degree. Devon’s life goal is to contribute to the world more than he receives. He lives by the saying, “You get out what you put in.”

Alyssa Hartzell, Nursing, Kent City, MI

Sarah Hinojosa, Social Work, Evart, MI

Naomi Kumwenda

Criminal Justice | Berrien Springs, MI

Naomi Kumwenda was born in Malawi, Africa. She came to the U.S. with her family when she was eight years old. She stated that her love of history is what led her to choosing a criminal justice degree and eventually becoming an attorney. She began at Lake Michigan College and transferred to Ferris after speaking to a professor and Ferris alum. A favorite quote of Naomi’s is from former world number one tennis player Althea Gibson, “No matter what accomplishments you make, someone helped you.”

Berani Martinez-Maldonado, Nursing, Grand Rapids, MI

Amber Maxham, Elementary Education, Stanton, MI

Blake Pekel, Mechanical Design, Big Rapids, MI

Hannah Pollard, Criminal Justice, Rockford, MI

Amy Russell, Photography, Grand Rapids, MI

Blaine Iosefa Saipaia, Marketing/Data Analytics, Massilon, OH

Gilbert Torres III, Pre-Teaching Secondary/Social Studies, Frankfort, MI

Ashley Walle, Health Information Technology, Manistee, MI

John Young, Criminal Justice, Eastpointe, MI

James Zitnik, Digital Animation and Game Design, Novi, MI

For more information on the Ferris Futures Scholarship Program, visit https://www.ferris.edu/giving/ferrisfutures/homepage.htm.

THE POWER OF EVOLUTION AND ADAPTATION: FUNDING COLLABORATIVE OUTREACHES WITH KCAD AND UICA

At Kendall College of Art and Design and the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts, this year has been marked by uncertainty and the opportunity for reflection. Yet, the complexity and history of our interconnected institutions has long strengthened and challenged us to be better: more flexible, more innovative and more conscious of our values and missions. These are finely honed muscles that we have spent years developing through practice, experiment, and lessons learned.

Thus, 2021 has been a year of acceleration and positioning, with time and space to target key strengths in intensive planning for a sustainable future. As an arts organization, UICA’s key strengths rest in a community-oriented approach, trademark accessibility and educational foundations as an embedded institution within KCAD and Ferris. In 2021, UICA relocated to the Woodbridge N. Ferris building at KCAD, and established a Bridge Fund over three years of transition as the 2 Fulton West building is sold, the next phase of UICA programming is developed, and our roots in the community are strengthened.

For UICA, this move and the Bridge Fund will be an opportunity to hone collaborative instincts, live values and pursue mission with unprecedented focus. These resources are allowing UICA to reopen as a more sustainable, accessible and community-oriented contemporary art and outreach institution. UICA will offer free admission to all, expand educational offerings with immediate support from emerging to seasoned artists, designers, and educators, and make decisions with the mission as the bottom line. UICA as an institution has adapted and changed in its location and operations many times in its history, but this year has reminded all of us of its vital role building a future in which arts and innovation serve as a bridge to the economic and cultural prosperity of all Michigan families.

As a parent institution to UICA, KCAD is deeply invested in the work of enhancing equity, inclusion, accessibility and innovation. KCAD President Tara McCrackin has established an active KCAD Equity Council made up of industry experts and community influencers who are deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion as significant factors in decision-making and priorities. As part of this initiative, McCrackin also founded the college’s Diversity and Equity Brown Bag Discussion Series, which invites three speakers per semester to share their perspectives in a forum that is open to KCAD students, faculty, staff and the public.

The work of the KCAD Innovation Hub also saw rapid acceleration in 2021, with students engaged in paid experienceships across industries, with a community and local business development focus. Past projects include students and faculty partnering on medical device design, developing a family-focused banking app, among other projects. An interdisciplinary team consisting of six faculty and 12 students from three different academic colleges within Ferris are currently developing a conceptual “neighborhood pharmacy of the future” that will help make healthcare services more accessible to rural communities.

The Hub enhances student learning and career preparedness by connecting with external stakeholders and facilitating opportunities for advanced research, sponsored project work and applied learning. The initiative aims to foster a culture of innovation for our community of professionals; and to generate project funding through a variety of grant resources and sponsored projects.

ONE DAY FOR DAWGS

One Day for Dawgs is Ferris State University’s annual day of giving. The goal is not only raising funds, but also to create a sense of community and collaboration while encouraging a culture of philanthropy among our students and young alumni. We are empowering groups to chair their own fundraiser, with the support and tools they need to make it happen.

This year’s One Day For Dawgs will be April, 13 2022.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

MALIK KINGSBY SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT

Among the success stories from Ferris State University’s 2021 One Day For Dawgs fundraising efforts was the creation and inauguration of the Malik Kingsby Scholarship Endowment. A collaborative effort by Student Affairs leadership, the university’s Advancement department and winners of Ferris’ Greek Week competition saw the campaign reach the activation threshold for the scholarship within weeks after Kingsby’s death.

Dean of Student Life Joy Pulsifer said Kingsby was an involved and beloved student leader.

“Malik was a student employee in our LGBTQ+ Resource Center and at Williams Auditorium, the president of the Art History Club, and a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, who held every role on their executive board, at one time or another,” Pulsifer said. “This collaboration will honor and continue the legacy he created in every space he entered, of love and acceptance, by specifically providing financial support in his name to students who have faced racism and homophobia or transphobia.”

Working closely with Kingsby in the center, LGBTQ+ Resource Center Coordinator Sarah Doherty said Malik’s motivations included planning and running outreach efforts and programs to support, celebrate, and educate the larger Ferris community about same gender loving and Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Black and Indigenous people and people of color.

“He and I talked a lot, in the years that he worked with me, about what FSU needed to increase opportunities for QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color) students and help them thrive,” Doherty said. “We planned to work on establishing a scholarship for students whose barriers to education include both racism and either heterosexism or cissexism. Malik and I were planning to start fundraising for a scholarship this spring. In the aftermath of his death, I reached out to our One Day For Dawgs team, as well as some supporters of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, to explore the possibility of establishing a scholarship in his memory.”

Advancement Officer Kristine Workman said credit goes to the Student Affairs staff and its contacts regarding the success this campaign enjoyed. “It was absolutely a pleasure working with Sarah and Joy to establish this scholarship and honor Malik Kingsby by creating a legacy in his name,” Workman said. “Their securing an anonymous donor to seed the endowment made it possible to award the scholarship immediately, which was one of the high points of One Day for Dawgs. The kindness of their support team and all other donors is heartwarming.”

Doherty acknowledged a groundswell of support that developed once she let peers know of their intentions.

“I want to thank everyone who came together to raise the funds, who shared pictures of him for the fundraiser, students, faculty, and staff who knew Malik or who felt his loss, as well as those who signed up to be fundraisers and others who shared our social media posts, along with Ferris Greek community members who raised money in the Greek Week penny wars,” Doherty said. “That last contribution, raised during Greek Week, meant more than $3,000 for the cause. I also contacted and got support from more than a few of my friends and colleagues from LGBTQIA+ communities all over the country who care about opportunities for QTBIPOC students.”

The Ferris Futures Scholarship Challenge match, a match from the anonymous donor and the donated funds, produced more than $35,000 for the endowment, well beyond the $25,000 required to award scholarships.

Additional gifts to the endowment are welcomed HERE and will allow the Malik Kingsby Endowed Scholarship to support more than one student per year. Doherty said donors should specify their intention to support the Kingsby Scholarship Endowment, where the first recipient would be identified and receive their support this summer.

“Applications for the scholarship award for 2021-22 are open through June 10, and then students can apply for the scholarship every year in December-January for the following academic year,” Doherty said.

“Malik did so much for LGBTQIA+ students of color and brought so much warmth and joy to the Ferris community while he was with us, and I think he’d like this tribute to his work and his life.”

THE FERRIS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVED NEARLY $45,000 IN EXCEPTIONAL MERIT GRANT AWARDS TO EIGHT FACULTY AND STAFF:

Faculty: Mark Dunneback, Mark Rusco, Nathan Leatherman, Lou Nemastil, Bruce Hammond

Project: Quality Certificate Online Project

Project Description: Fund part sample validation equipment necessary to support an Online Quality Certificate offering at Ferris.

Faculty: Patrick English PhD

Project: Auto 480 Electrified Vehicle Program Continuation and Enhancement

Project Description: To continue to support advanced technology vehicle instruction with hands on opportunities to students.

Faculty: Jason Kruse

Project: Dynamometer Lab Expansion

Project Description: Acquire engines and components that demonstrate modern technology and enhance dyno class accessibility.

Faculty: Dr. Sonali Kurup

Project: Optimization of dual-targeted EFGR/AURK inhibitors as cell permeable anticancer agents

Project Description: To purchase a reverse phase chromatography system for the P1’s lab and build research infrastructure.

Faculty: Dr. Susan Owens, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, Brian McDowell, O.D., Mark Young, PharmD, BCPS, BCSCP, Lillian Kalaczinski, OD, FAAO

Project: Collaborative pre-diabetes intervention project benefiting Ferris State University community

Project Description: Screen Ferris students and community members for prediabetes using the CDC’s prediabetes risk test and checking A1C levels.

Faculty: Dr. Janet Vizina-Roubal, Carrie Thompson, Dr. Michael Berghoef, Dr. Kathryn Woods, Dr. Carolyn Sutherby

Project: Teaching trauma therapy via strategic SIMulated Scenarios

Project Description: To initiate a pilot program that will incorporate an innovative simulation software call.

Faculty: Lenna Westerkamp, MSN, RN, Pamela Smyth, MSN, RN, Shannon Love, DNP, RN, Jeremy Brook, DNP, RN, Wendy Lenon, DNP, RN, Wes Thompson, MSCTE

Project: Creating interactive videos to impact student learning

Project Description: Create customized interactive videos to reinforce concepts and promote critical thinking.

MERIT GRANT INTERVIEW: PATRICK ENGLISH

Patrick English is a program coordinator and professor for Automotive Service in Ferris State University’s College of Engineering Technology, and the recipient of a 2021 Ferris Foundation Merit Grant.

The Ferris Foundation: How did the merit grants you have received help you as a faculty member?

Patrick English: The merit grants have provided a vehicle to support innovations and progress in my class lab. Proving hands-on education with modern tools and equipment is a constant challenge. The pace of technology and its cost makes it that much harder to keep up. Merit Grants provide the support to offer learning experiences that the students might otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in. The grants have allowed me to turn ideas into experiences that have greatly updated and enhanced what I can offer my students.

FF: How have the merit grants helped your students?

PE: “My students are better prepared for the future and more marketable to employers because of what The Ferris Foundation grants have done for my classes. Hands-on labs with the vehicles and equipment that will be the new standard for transportation provides tremendous educational value and increases the employment potential for the students.

FF: Why do you feel The Ferris Foundation Exceptional Merit Grants are important?

PE: Merit grants create a way for faculty to take a concept and turn it into a reality in a short period of time. Merit grants bring a host of benefits to students, faculty and the university as a whole. A great deal of the innovation that benefits the students all across Ferris began as a faculty merit grant.

FF: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

PE: Without the support of The Ferris Foundation, there would only be theory-based classes on electrified vehicles; hand-on activities would not be possible. The progress I have been able to make in offering students an education in electrified vehicles that will benefit them well into their future was made possible through The Ferris Foundation Exceptional Merit grants. The educational core that has been created to support a sustainable transportation service degree in the near future was created through the merit grants and the generosity of The Ferris Foundation.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

THE FERRIS FOUNDATION WELCOMES NEW DIRECTORS

Matthew C. Bissett

With more than 23 years of industry experience, Bissett is senior vice president of Atwell LLC’s Power & Energy & Oil/Gas Market Sectors, which serves the renewable energy, power generation, crude oil pipeline, gas transmission and power delivery markets. He has served as the principal-in-charge on more than 21,000 MW of energy projects including solar, gas, and transmission and distribution line projects throughout the United States and Mexico.

Bissett leads the team in overall business strategy, market strategy development, operational management, financial performance, and client relationship growth. His role is integral, bringing together all in-house disciplines including Right-of-Way Services, Engineering Services, Environmental Services, Land Surveying Services, and Construction Management. Current clients include organizations such as: NextEra Energy Resources, DTE Energy, ITC Holdings, Exelon, TC Energy and CenterPoint Energy.

Bissett is a licensed professional surveyor in more than thirteen states and participates in several industry organizations such as the American Council on Renewable Energy, the American Wind Energy Association and the U.S. Oil and Gas Association. He is a member of the American Wind Energy Association’s Siting Committee, which manages the wind industry’s agenda related to siting issues at the national level, including federal agency guideline development, wildlife research, and outreach and education efforts. The committee also serves as a forum to exchange information about siting issues and best practices with other industry professionals.

Prior to working in the power and energy arena, Bissett focused on providing technical and project consulting services to residential land developers and commercial real estate users such as retailers, healthcare providers, educational institutions and large corporations. Clients in this area include Pulte Homes, Brookwood Gas, University of Michigan and Ford Motor Company.

Bissett is one of ten owners of Atwell. He supports corporate governance, strategic planning, professional development initiatives and business development pursuits designed to build the firm’s consulting capabilities and employee opportunities. He was voted a member of the firm’s board of directors in 2009.

Graduating from Ferris State University in 1998, Bissett continues to support the academic advancement of surveying professionals through personal and corporate contributions to Ferris’ four-year surveying engineering program, one of two in the state of Michigan. He is also active in local charitable activities and drives; is an avid runner and cyclist; and is an active board member for his homeowners association.

Jenifer Cutter

Jenifer Cutter, a 20-year veteran of AHC Hospitality, is a regional general manager currently overseeing five distinguished properties within the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company’s portfolio: Hyatt Place Grand Rapids/Downtown, Hotel Saint Regis Detroit, The Brownwood Hotel and Spa, The Waterfront Inn and Peter Island Resort and Spa.

Prior to her role as regional general manager, Cutter served as the general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Grand Rapids Downtown, where she oversaw more than 100 associates, maintaining the hotel’s high occupancy and exceptional guest-service scores. Before this, Cutter served as the director of front office operations at the historic Amway Grand Plaza, where she managed all front desk, bell stand, concierge and business center operations, working closely with the housekeeping, reservations, motor lobby, engineering, sales and catering, and food and beverage departments to ensure a seamless guest experience. Before joining AHC, Cutter was a front-end leader at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North in Arizona. She graduated from Ferris State University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Business with concentrations in resort/hospitality management and marketing.

Cutter’s work ethic can be seen through her successful tenure as general manager at the Courtyard Grand Rapids Downtown in 2013. Mere days after accepting the role, she was welcomed by a flood that devastated the property. Thanks to years of experience in the hospitality industry, Cutter and her team rehabbed and reopened the hotel, bigger and better than before. Beyond this experience, Cutter is proud to share that numerous employees became managers and supervisors under her mentorship.

The leadership Cutter exhibits overseeing all aspects of hotel operations is one of the qualities she’s most proud of in her work. “She has helped AHC’s hotels achieve high-level occupancy and the highest guest score responses,” says one colleague. These traits are what have earned her the Manager of the Year accolade at Amway Grand Plaza, as well as spots on the Experience Grand Rapids board of directors and Ferris State University hospitality program’s advisory board. The former Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association named Cutter one of the “Stars of the Industry” for excellence in hospitality. She also won the Experience Grand Rapids Lodging Wave Award for her customer service and leadership at the Amway Grand Plaza and has been recognized as a Connect Magazine’s 40 Under 40 winner.

Cutter loves to enjoy the industry she works and thrives in; she can often be found venturing out to experience hotels, resorts, restaurants and everything in between. She is also a mother of two young children, Ayden (6) and Amylia (4).

Denise Graves

Denise Graves is the University Relations Director for the Entrepreneurship & Innovation team at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. In this role, she interacts with Michigan’s public universities, hospital systems, key entrepreneurial stakeholders, partners, and investors; developing and managing programs that support statewide collaboration and the commercialization of early-stage technology. She has developed strong partnerships within Michigan’s high-tech entrepreneurial ecosystem and venture capital community that support the funding goals of university technologies and startups. Graves has been instrumental in creating and building award winning programs to support the MEDC’s first statewide university program portfolio supporting tech commercialization for faculty inventors, postdocs, fellows and clinicians. She has been a great cheerleader for Ferris faculty who have been recipients of funds from the programs and have gone on to receive mentoring support and significant federal funding for their projects.

A 1989 graduate of the College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Graves has significant experience in sales, business development and public speaking complemented by a deep understanding of commercializing university technologies, working with portfolio companies and mentoring startups and student ventures. Prior to joining the MEDC in 2011, she held sales and business development positions in startup and growth stage high-tech companies in Ann Arbor which included work in new business development, channel partner relations, client relations, sales, strategic planning, public speaking, and contract negotiation and management.

Graves serves on several boards, including the External Advisory Board for University of Michigan’s Center for Integrated Research and Critical Care, In2Being’s MedTech Crossroads and University Center for Regional and Economic Innovation at Michigan State University. Passionate about entrepreneurship, she spends time mentoring startups and supporting various student entrepreneurship programs as a mentor and pitch judge throughout Michigan including Grand Valley State University, Central Michigan University, and Burgess Institute of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University.

With a passion for helping, Graves firmly believes in and lives through a quote by Zig Ziglar: “You can have everything in life you want, if you help other people get what they want”.

Residing in the Brighton area, she enjoys spending time with her sons, staying active and tackling various DIY projects.

Dana King

Dana King graduated from Big Rapids High School in 1978 and attended what was then Ferris State College, graduating with a B.S. degree in Marketing in 1982, in the middle of a recession. King waited a week after obtaining her diploma from Ferris, packed up all she could fit into her Volkswagen and drove to Los Angeles, California. She used her marketing skills to land a job and build a career in broadcast television sales, which she successfully navigated for the next five years until her boss decided he wanted her to be an on-air reporter. From there, she built a 25-year career as a broadcast journalist, traveling the world, covering living history while garnering five Emmys, two Edward R. Murrow Awards and two Gracie Awards in the process. During her last few years on air before leaving the business in 2012, King went back to school to obtain an MFA in Fine Art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She is now in her third and final career as an award-winning classical figurative sculptor who creates public monuments of Black bodies in Bronze.

King’s work explores a subversive concept in a traditional form. She sculpts Blackness and elevates African descendants by reclaiming an art form that has been a significant tool of white supremacy in America. King rescues everyday Black American heroines and heroes from unjust obscurity and then ennobles their tenacity and courage through figurative sculpture.

King’s public sculptures are in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the country. In addition to her most recent installation of a bust of Dr. Huey Newton in West Oakland, California, her life-size bronze artwork is located in South Berkeley, California, New Haven, Connecticut, and at the Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. She also has installed and dedicated “Monumental Reckoning” in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and is the first African American to create a sculptural installation in the park representing the history of African descendants.

King prefers sculptures because they inhabit space, and space is power. She believes sculpture provides an opportunity to shape culturally significant memories that determine how African descendants are publicly held and remembered. King’s work was recognized with the Artadia Award in September, 2021.

Equity and justice are integral to Dana King’s art practice and her volunteer work. King is the secretary of the board for the Oakland Museum of California and is in her ninth year as chair of the Community Engagement Committee, the work of which is about diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. She has just been selected to join the board of Illuminate the Arts, a San Francisco non-profit whose mission is to rally large groups of people together to create impossible works of public art that, through awe, free humanity’s better nature. King is also on Ferris State University’s Jim Crow Museum Cabinet.

Dana King is the mother of an awesome young woman, mother-in-law to a terrific young man and “gramma jamma” to the most amazing, soon-to-be 5-year-old grandson who moonlights as her junior studio assistant.

David Pilgrim

David Pilgrim is a prolific public speaker and one of this country’s leading experts on issues relating to diversity, equity, and race relations. He has been interviewed by CNN, National Public Radio, Time magazine, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and dozens of newspapers, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. He is best known as the founder and director of the Jim Crow Museum, a 20,000-piece collection of racist artifacts located at Ferris State University, where he also serves as vice president for Diversity, Inclusion, and Strategic Initiatives.

He is the author of Understanding Jim Crow (PM Press, 2015), Watermelons, Nooses, and Straight Razors (PM Press, 2017), and Haste to Rise (with Franklin Hughes, PM Press,2020). His other writings appear on the museum’s website (ferris.edu/jimcrow). He has delivered lectures at many institutions, including Stanford University, University of Michigan, Smith College, and University of North Carolina.

Pilgrim is an applied sociologist with a doctorate from The Ohio State University. He believes that racism can be objectively studied and creatively assailed. In 2004, he produced the documentary Jim Crow’s Museum to explain his approach to battling racism. The film won several awards, including Best Documentary at the 2004 Flint Film Festival. Marc Haefele, a film critic at the Los Angeles Daily News, called the documentary a “grisly low-key masterpiece.” Jim Crow’s Museum is shown nationally on affiliates of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Dr. Pilgrim has appeared in other documentaries, most notably, a profile of the museum on C-SPAN (VIEW VIDEO).

In 2006, Dr. Pilgrim served as a consultant to Will Smith (in the latter’s directorial debut) for the UPN television show, All of Us. Smith wanted to make sure that the episode—called “The N-Word”—dealt with issues of race and racism in a non-stereotypical fashion.

Pilgrim challenges audiences to think deeply about diversity and race relations. He is a skilled teacher—Ferris State University Distinguished Teacher for 2003—and an orator known for objective, insightful analysis and a biting sense of humor. He is a creative storyteller. He has spent his adult life using objects of intolerance to teach tolerance. It works. No audience is left unmoved. His goal is to get people talking about diversity and race relations in meaningful ways—and, then, to go and do something positive.

Pilgrim is committed to building a new, stand-alone building to house the Jim Crow Museum—a facility with state-of-the-art technology and archival capacity. He envisions the museum as a destination site for politicians, corporate leaders, scholars, civic leaders, and all who are interested in a deeper, nuanced understanding of race, race relations and racism.

Christine Visner

Christine Visner is a community volunteer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has served in this capacity for more than 42 years.

Visner became affiliated with Ferris as a young girl, when in 1955, her father, Dacho Dachoff, accepted a position at Ferris Institute as the director of Music. She grew up in Big Rapids and attended the public schools from kindergarten through her senior year, when she graduated as Valedictorian. Living in Big Rapids for so long qualified her to become known as a “townie” when she applied to Ferris for her college education.

While Visner was at Ferris, she played clarinet in the concert and marching bands. She was actively involved in All-College Student Government as a senator for two years and then became the first woman president during her senior year. She was selected as Woman of the Year in 1972. She was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. Upon graduation, Governor Milliken asked Visner to serve on the Ferris Board of Control. This was a tremendous honor; however, she determined that it was not the right time for her to make that kind of commitment.

Visner graduated from Ferris in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, in Biology and Mathematics. She taught math at East Grand Rapids High School until 1978, when her first child was born. Visner then decided to commit to being a full-time mom and a community volunteer.

Over the years, Visner has served on the parish committees of St. Robert of Newminster; as chair and on numerous committees for Marywood, St. Paul the Apostle and St. John’s Home boards; as president of the Chair of the Guild Ball; on the board of D.A. Blodgett/St. John’s; as board chair for Ele’s Place Grand Rapids; and on the Grand Rapids Diocese Bishop’s Our Shcepherds Capital Campaign Cabinet. She also has provided fundraising for St. John’s Home Guild for 31 years, and was recognized as the 2011 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

She currently serves on the D.A. Blodgett/St. John’s Advisory Board and the Ele’s Place West Michigan Advisory Board, and on the Beacon Hill Foundation Board. She has been married to Russ Visner (B ’73) for 48 years. They have two children, Angela and Brett (Katie), and one granddaughter, Julia.

Russ Visner is a retired CEO and a past owner of Etna Supply Company, a distributor of plumbing, water metering, fire protection, sewer and water, PVF and hydronics products with 22 sales and distribution sites in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. The company's three fabrication locations service the fire protection and municipal waterworks industries. During Visner’s 36 years with Etna, it grew from a single location with 12 employees to 450 employees at multiple sites.

Visner currently serves on the Etna Distributors Board of Directors, the Jandernoa Entrepreneurial Mentoring Board, and is a founding board member of the Grand Rapids Catholic Diocese cemetery and planning committee.

Visner graduated from Ferris in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and received his certified public accountant designation in 1975. While he was at Ferris, Visner was involved in All-College Student Government, where he served as treasurer, vice president and president. He was involved in Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, and was inducted into national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa. After graduation from Ferris, he went to work for Seidman and Seidman public accounting firm (later BDO). He worked at Seidman for eight years.

Over the years, Visner has served on the Mercy Health St. Mary's Governing Board, as chair and on and numerous committees; as lead director for the Affiliated Distributors Board, the largest wholesale marketing group in North America; on the Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools Board; on the Parish council for the Foundation for Catholic Education; and on the Grand Rapids Diocese Bishop’s Our Shepherds Capital Campaign Cabinet.

Visner has been married to Christine (Dachoff) Visner (ASE '72) for 48 years. They have two children, Angela and Brett (Katie), and one granddaughter, Julia.

THE FERRIS FOUNDATION

Timothy Murphy EHS ‘83, Chair, Sarasota, FL

Jack Roberts, Chair-elect, Traverse City, MI

Kurt Hofman T ‘83, Current Past Chair, Caledonia, MI

Emily Hancock P ‘76, Secretary, Indianapolis, IN

Robert Murray, Executive Director, Mecosta, MI

Barbara Benda, Associate Director, Rockford, MI

Jim Bachmeier, Treasurer, Big Rapids, MI

Kenneth Bailey T ‘90, Grand Rapids, MI

Kevin Cross B’86, Ada, MI

Paul Doyle EHS ‘79, Caledonia, MI

Paul Eichenberg T ‘92, Novi, MI

David Eisler, Big Rapids, MI

Jean K. Elder H Doc. ‘87, Grand Rapids, MI

John Engelman AS ’64, H Doc. ‘03, Jonesborough, TN

John Fenn H Doc. ‘07, Sterling Heights, MI

Robert Friar, Big Rapids, MI

Arlen-Dean Gaddy B ‘87, Caledonia, MI

Gary Granger, Byron Center, MI

John Hare B ’68, H Doc. ‘08, Dallas, TX

Susan K. Jones, East Grand Rapids, MI

Andrew Kalinowski B ‘15, Santa Monica, CA

Karl Linebaugh H Doc. ‘09, Stanwood, MI

Adel Makki P ‘05, Detroit, MI

Matt Nawrocki T ‘95, Lone Tree, CO

Randall Phelps B ‘81, Ada, MI

Thomas Scholler B ’59, H Doc. ‘84, Clarkston, MI

Richard Shaw T ’63, EHS ‘71, Grand Rapids, MI

Kevin Simon B ‘07, Grand Rapids, MI

Alton Smith HP ‘95, Grosse Pointe Park, MI

Terry Stewart B ‘69, Saugatuck, MI

Howard Stross, Palm Harbor, FL

EMERITI DIRECTORS

Mindy Anderson, Palo Alto, CA

Michael Bigford, Big Rapids, MI

Dale DeHaan B ‘70, Alto, MI

Mary Garvelink EHS ’72, H Doc. ‘17, Colorado Springs, CO

James Giroux T ‘75, Grand Rapids, MI

Richard Hurst T ‘62, Rockford, MI

Stephanie Leonardos H Doc. ‘09, Ada, MI

Dennis Lerner B ‘70, Big Rapids, MI

Joseph Mikols, Big Rapids, MI

Elizabeth Peacock EHS ‘77, Sunset, SC

Karl Roth P ‘55, Bay City, MI

Gary Trimarco, Naples, FL

Sueann Walz, Big Rapids, MI

The Ferris Foundation is the fundraising arm of Ferris State University. Since 1991, the foundation has been responsible for receiving, investing and distributing endowment gifts, which provide a source of perpetual support for Ferris State University.

In January 2015, The Ferris Foundation’s role expanded beyond managing endowments, becoming the umbrella organization that receives and acknowledges all gifts to the university. This includes annual gifts that meet present needs, with the goals of enhancing stewardship and communication with donors, creating a more efficient and unified approach to philanthropy, and further strengthening the foundation’s mission as a valued and trusted intermediary between Ferris State University and its donors.

For a complete list of members of The Ferris Foundation Board of Directors, visit https://www.ferris.edu/giving/ferris-foundation/board.htm.