Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. The university also has another campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ferris is classified as a Doctoral University. More than 10,000 students study on its main campus, at one of the 19 off-campus locations across the state, or online. The university offers two-year and four-year degrees through eight academic colleges and graduate degrees through six. Ferris provides professional doctoral degrees through its engineering, business, optometry, and pharmacy colleges, as well as a doctorate in education focused on community college leadership.

The Ferris State Bulldogs compete in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for most sports. However, the men's ice hockey team is part of the NCAA Division I Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

History

Big Rapids Industrial School, as it was first called, opened on September 1, 1884, in temporary buildings in the Vandersluis Block (now the empty former J.C. Penney Co. building) in Big Rapids. The school aimed to teach students skills that would help them find jobs in a changing world. In January 1885, the school’s name was changed to Ferris Industrial School. In January 1894, the school moved into its new building, Old Main, located at the corner of Oak and Ives Streets. At the same time, the school was officially registered as a company with $50,000 in invested money.

In 1898, the school was renamed Ferris Institute. In 1900, W. N. Ferris sold shares of Ferris Institute to the public but kept the majority ownership. The school remained privately owned until August 25, 1931, when a group of 39 business leaders bought the school from the original owners and chose a group of trustees to manage it.

In February 1943, a graduate named Colin Smith proposed a law for the state of Michigan to buy Ferris Institute. The law passed both the state’s legislative houses but was rejected by Governor Harry Kelly. On May 17, 1949, Governor G. Mennen Williams signed a law accepting Ferris Institute as a gift to the state of Michigan. The state took control of the school on July 1, 1950. Before this, a fire destroyed the Old Main and Old Pharmacy buildings on February 21, 1950. Only the Alumni Building and a few smaller buildings remained. Reconstruction began immediately, and on July 1, 1963, the school was renamed Ferris State College. In November 1987, it became Ferris State University.

In 1950, Ferris had only one permanent building, the Alumni Building, and some old military housing units. At that time, fewer than 1,000 students were enrolled, with fewer than 50 teachers, and the campus covered less than 20 acres. Today, the university has more than 10,000 students, and its 880-acre campus includes 115 buildings, such as classrooms, offices, maintenance areas, student activity spaces, and dormitories.

Academics

Ferris State University has eight colleges that provide more than 170 educational programs. These colleges are Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Services, Engineering Technology, Health Professions, the Kendall College of Art and Design, the Michigan College of Optometry, and Pharmacy. Programs at the university result in bachelor’s, associate, and certificate degrees. Master’s degrees are available in fields such as information security and intelligence, career and technical education, criminal justice, business administration, curriculum and instruction, nursing, and fine arts. Ferris also offers doctoral degrees in optometry, pharmacy, nursing practice, and community college leadership.

Kendall College of Art and Design provides graduate and undergraduate degrees in fine arts. It also offers a Bachelor of Science degree in art history. The college’s campus is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Michigan College of Optometry is one of 16 optometry schools in the United States and the only one in Michigan. Doctors and student interns at the college provide eye care to patients in the region. Graduates earn a Doctor of Optometry degree.

More than half of the pharmacists practicing in Michigan are graduates of the College of Pharmacy. These graduates receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Ferris State University’s most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduate numbers, are:
1. Criminal Justice/Police Science (253 graduates)
2. Business Administration and Management (211 graduates)
3. Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (139 graduates)
4. Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects (80 graduates)
5. Biology/Biological Sciences (76 graduates)
6. General Studies (63 graduates)
7. Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician (55 graduates)

Ferris State University is considered "less selective" by U.S. News & World Report. For the class of 2025 (enrolling in fall 2021), the university received 10,480 applications and accepted 8,884 (84.8%), with 1,405 students enrolling. The middle 50% range of SAT scores for enrolled students was 910–1050. The middle 50% range of ACT composite scores was 19–26.

The Honors Program includes students from every college and school at Ferris except Kendall. Students from nearly every major participate in the program. About one-third of Honors students major in pre-pharmacy or similar fields, while many others are in the College of Business, College of Health Professions, and College of Engineering Technology. Honors students live in special residence halls (mostly in single rooms), take advanced general education courses, attend cultural events, and complete 15 hours of community service each semester.

Forbes ranked Ferris State University 219th in its list of Best Public Colleges. It also ranked the university 251st in Research Universities and 99th in the Midwest. U.S. News & World Report ranked Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy among the top graduate pharmacy programs in the nation, placing it 60th out of 141 schools offering Doctor of Pharmacy degrees accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The university was also listed as one of the nation’s Best Value Colleges for the 2023–24 academic year, based on its academic quality, student success, financial aid, and net price.

Campus

Ferris State University became part of the state's higher education system in 1950. That same year, a fire almost completely destroyed the campus. Only one building, the Alumni Building, built in 1929, survived the fire. It is located at the north edge of campus. Since the fire, more than 117 buildings have been built on the main campus.

The university is located on the southern edge of the City of Big Rapids. It spans the border between Big Rapids Township and the city. The main campus covers over 880 acres (3.6 km²) and begins about four blocks south of the historic central business district. To the north, the campus is bordered by single-family homes built in the early to middle 20th century. North of Perry Street, the campus is bordered by strip commercial areas. To the south and west, the campus is bordered by Big Rapids Township, which is mostly undeveloped and rural.

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

Since 1990, the campus has undergone major changes. New buildings, renovated structures, reworked roads and parking areas, pedestrian walkways, and green spaces have been added.

• The National Elastomer Center was added in 1998 to house the Plastics Engineering and Rubber Engineering Technology programs.
• The FLITE building (FSU Library for Information, Technology, and Education), located at the end of Perry Street, restored the historic front entrance to the university and defined the adjacent quad at the campus center.
• The renovation of the Timme Library to the Timme Center for Student Services brought previously scattered student services into one location.
• The Granger Center for Construction and HVACR helped develop the northern part of campus. The building has an open layout that allows students to see mechanical components as part of a working lab.
• The IRC Connector between the Business School and the Interdisciplinary Resource Center (IRC) created a collaborative meeting and lounge space used heavily by students.
• The new Michigan College of Optometry building opened in January 2011.
• North Hall opened in August 2017. It is a "Freshman Experience" Residence Hall and includes classrooms, study rooms, a lounge, game room, and a kitchen for residents.

The university has 3,483,298 square feet (323,609.0 m²) of building space on the Big Rapids campus, with 1,764,658 square feet (163,942.1 m²) used for academic purposes.

In addition to the main campus, Ferris State University offers programs at 19 off-campus locations, including Dowagiac, Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing, Traverse City, and University Center. Even though the main campus is in a rural area, the satellite locations are in larger, more urban communities. Some programs, such as the Doctor of Pharmacy program, are split between locations, with students completing the first two years in one city and the next two years in another. These locations are managed by the division of Extended and International Operations under the heading Ferris Statewide and Online.

Organization

Ferris State University is led by a group of people called the board of trustees. This group has the responsibility for overseeing the university and making decisions about how money is used. Members of the board serve eight-year terms, which are staggered so that not all members leave at the same time. The governor chooses board members with the help of the State Senate.

The president of the university is chosen by the board of trustees. The president is the main leader of the university and works under the direction of the board. The president is not a voting member of the board but can attend meetings. Right now, the university is led by its 19th president, Bill Pink, who became president on June 30, 2022.

The mission of the Student Government at Ferris State University is to represent the interests of students in all areas of campus life. It also works to keep communication open between students, teachers, staff, university leaders, and the Big Rapids community.

The General Assembly of Student Government has two groups that make decisions: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Every registered student organization that is in good standing can have one representative in the House of Representatives. Senators are chosen by students in their college.

The leadership of the student government includes the president, executive vice president, treasurer, director of finance, and director of internal assessment.

Athletics

The Ferris State Bulldogs are the sports teams that represent Ferris State University. The university has a college-level athletic program that includes 14 men's and women's sports at the NCAA Division II level. However, the men's ice hockey team plays in NCAA Division I. Ferris State is part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for all sports except men's ice hockey, which is part of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Each year, about 400 student-athletes have the chance to compete for the Bulldogs in regional and national competitions to win conference titles and NCAA Championships. In 1994, Ferris State's men's club ice hockey team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II national title. In March 2018, the men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship. The football team won two NCAA Division II national championships in a row in December 2021 and December 2022. In December 2024, the football team won their third NCAA Division II championship in four years.

Student life

Ferris State has experienced a significant decrease in student enrollment over the past few years. In 2013, the total number of students was 14,707. By 2021, the total number of students had fallen to 10,361.

The Ferris State Torch is a newspaper operated by students and was first published in 1931.

There are many Greek organizations located on campus.

School songs

The first performance of the new fight song, "Fighting Bulldogs," took place at the Homecoming event in 1958.

The new Ferris alma mater song, "Ferris Fidelity," was introduced, and its first performance happened during the Christmas concert in 1957. The performance was led by composer Graham T. Overgard.

Notable alumni

• Norm Augustinus, writer
• Jeff Blashill, professional hockey coach
• Carlton Brewster, professional football player
• Monty Brown, professional football player and professional wrestler
• Shawn Christian, actor
• John Gruden, professional hockey player
• Zach Hankins, professional basketball player
• Jeff Hephner, actor
• Al Jardine, musician
• Butch Jones, college football coach
• Dave Karpa, professional hockey player
• Dana King, television news anchor
• Jeff Kellogg, professional baseball umpire
• Vennela Kishore, actor
• Chris Kunitz, professional hockey player
• Sparky McEwen, professional football coach
• Harry Melling, professional race car driver
• Stacy Erwin Oakes, politician
• Zach Redmond, professional hockey player
• Blair Riley, professional hockey player
• Andy Roach, professional hockey player
• George Ryan, politician
• Zach Sieler, professional football player
• Tavierre Thomas, professional football player
• Gary Waters, college basketball coach
• Frederick Weston, artist