Ferris State University is growing while remaining student-centered in providing a diverse selection of education opportunities.

Evolving from its beginnings as Big Rapids Industrial School in 1884, the university now offers more than 170 degrees within eight academic colleges. The university’s main campus is nestled in the heart of Mecosta County’s Big Rapids, while it also offers instruction at Ferris-Grand Rapids, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, and more than 20 sites throughout Michigan through the College of Technology and Professional Studies.

The institution today also remains true to its founders Woodbridge N. and Helen Gillespie Ferris’ vision of education for all the people all the time.

Growth

With an enrollment of 13,532, Ferris has experienced significant growth in recent years, with 445 more students attending classes in fall 2008 over 2007 — a 3.4 percent enrollment increase. Currently, Ferris is one of the fastest growing public universities in Michigan.

“Students are responding positively to our small class sizes and the supportive educational environment our faculty and staff help create,” Ferris President David Eisler said. “The kind of career-oriented education we offer is important to students today. Our graduates leave with degrees that prepare them to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy.”

Breaking new ground

One of Ferris’ most exciting upcoming projects will be the arrival of its new Michigan College of Optometry building. The new 91,000-square-foot, $26.9 million facility will be known as the Center for Collaborative Healthcare Education.

The new facility will include an auditorium, classrooms, wet/dry laboratories and clinical areas that will be available not only for MCO students but for students and faculty from the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences and Pharmacy.

Enrollment Fall 2008
Men (51 percent) 6,911
Women (49 percent) 6,621
On Campus 11,019
Off Campus 2,513
African American (6 percent) 843
Asian/Pacific Islander (2 percent) 259
Foreign (1 percent) 163
Hispanic (2 percent) 259
American Indian/Native Alaskan (1percent) 108
Caucasian (80 percent) 10,857
Unreported (8 percent) 1,043
Total enrollment 13,532

Mean ACT (FTIAC) 21.3
Mean High School GPA (FTIAC) 3.17

Facilities - Big Rapids
19 residence halls (about a third of students live on campus)
5 dining centers
880-acre campus
Four-story, state-of-the-art library
Comprehensive student services center
Granger Center for Construction and HVACR, with a building interior design that acts as a 3-D textbook
National Elastomer Center, housing the only Rubber Technology program in the country

Unique degrees nationally

• Heavy Equipment Service Engineering Technology
• Product Design Engineering Technology
• Rubber Technology

Unique degrees in Michigan

• Automotive Management
• Computer Networks and Systems
• Digital Animation and Game Design
• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
• Music Industry Management
• Optometry (one of 18 in the nation)
• Professional Golf Management
• Professional Tennis Management
• Surveying Engineering
• Welding Engineering Technology

Unique Facts

• FSU’s Public Relations program is one of three in the nation to be housed in a college of business
• FSU awards the most Engineering Technology degrees in the nation
• PGA/PGM program created in 1975 - first university to gain PGA accreditation and offer PGM curriculum
• Fastest growing public university in Michigan
• Only university in Michigan named after its founders
• Home to the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
• Home to the Card Wildlife Education Center
• Home to the Rankin Art Gallery
• Home to the Michigan Art Walk, featuring a diverse art collection that includes one of the largest free-standing canvases in the United States
• National Elastomer Center
• Granger Center
• FLITE
• Division I men’s ice hockey
• Ferris offers a unique laddering system which allows transfer students to continue in a compatible bachelor’s degree program with little or no loss of credit
• 98 percent placement rate
• Record enrollment for the past few years, along with higher GPAs of
• incoming freshmen, and higher retention rates
• Kendall has doubled in size since its merger with FSU
• More than 20 statewide locations providing classes that lead to a degree from FSU
• Significant growth in Internet-based instruction
• WI-FI campus
• One of eight institutions chosen nationally to participate in the Political Engagement Project sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation and AASCU
• Significant growth of Honors Program
• Students have the ability to do research under faculty
• Optometry students gain hands-on experience working with underserved populations thus enhancing their experience
  Fulbright scholars at Ferris