Physical Plant Listening Session

January 7, 2009

• View The Slide Show

All employees who are part of the custodial crew were invited to attend a dinner hour listening session to share their views on the Criteria for Accreditation. Thirty-five individuals attended the session facilitated by Paul Blake, Mike Cooper, and Robbie Teahen. The group was divided into three smaller groups, and they were asked to offer their observations on both the strengths and opportunities for improvement related to each criterion. Copies of the Criteria for Accreditation were provided.

Attendees were asked to share the number of years they have been at Ferris. Within the group, there is a cumulative 369 years of service.

Facilitators’ Executive Summary: Overall, the group identified many strengths. Chief among them are the quality and diversity of our programs and our overall commitment to quality education, as evidenced by the commitment of faculty and staff and the enhancements to our buildings. Another strength is the supportive community, including the Big Rapids area. Among these strengths are the maintenance of the buildings, including cleanliness and beautiful grounds. Chief among the concerns are the need for increased levels of communication among all employee groups; concerns about waste, including limited recycling; and perceptions of inequities in application of processes, including hiring. Recommendations include making the mission more visible to all; enabling the sharing of the tuition benefit plan; using the buildings and programming more actively for the benefit of all in the community, including students for more social opportunities; and making staff use of the recreation facilities more possible. The Custodial personnel understand their role in part as training future workers. They also appreciate the value of Ferris to the community, and for their careers, including the development opportunities and provisions of appropriate equipment. They would like to be more involved.

Criterion One

• Strengths
• Diversity signs – attractive
• Science – see a lot of one-on -one between students and instructors. Go above and beyond, e.g. Dr. Friar and Kent Sun
• Cleanliness of buildings
• Cleanliness of campus in general
• Better-looking campus
• Community among employees and with students – caring about them
• Active in community – e.g. playscape, MOISD, bulldogs around town, figure skating club, share football fields, work directly with Chamber of Commerce, student nurses intern at hospital
• Summer camps
• Multicultural activities
• Communication
• Enhanced technology
• Cell phones
• Computers
• 3 million square feet of building space to be covered
• FSU in the news
• We Care Program
• Provides opportunities
• Mentoring students
• How to cope with people (respectfully)
• We provide our students with a clean, Healthy and pleasant environment
• Our vandalism rate is very low which indicates our students appreciate what we provide.
• Both students and staff appreciate and have sense of ownership for a well kept environment and healthy communication
• Dawg Days
• Retention from Dawg Days 80 – 90%?


• Areas for improvement
• Williams could be used more for cultural things
• Parking – needed where buildings are
• Need programming for local community – not serving with current types of events
• Need better housing for single students – “terrible”
• Communication needs to be improved
• In past, would send out papers
• 10 years ago it was better
• People would come and tell you about things
• Need to know about events in building
• Too many building keys out – everybody has a key
• No one takes responsibility (example of building open with computers when people were not around)
• Clarity and visibility of the Mission Statement
• Signs need to go in the Torch, green spaces, significant spots in buildings
• Need signs to be visible to everyone that comes on campus
• Honesty of opportunity
• Are we really honest about the opportunities and where those opportunities are that are available for our graduates.
• How visible is the FSU mission statement?
• It is the administration’s job to make the mission visible and to assure the mission indicates the direction in which the university is moving. There is need for improvement here. For example, make it more conveniently visible to all FSU groups e.g. custodians
• Why should custodians (or anyone else) have to search for it on the website to find it? Make it visible in lots of places (e.g. from Perry Street when driving onto campus – a big banner could display the mission) for visiting parents, students, and others to see it right off
• In some areas FSU does a great job updating buildings, technology e.g., Granger – but more updating is needed to keep programs current and living conditions for students attractive
• There is varied program and program promotion support – make other programs (besides the usual ones like optometry) shine – in addition to pharmacy, optometry, technology (we do a really good job with these programs - and should continues – need to add support for others as well)

Criterion Two

• Strengths
• Reach out to Middle School and High School students to promote Ferris – classes from High School transfer in, e.g. MOISD (new in last 5-6 years) where students get credit for courses taken there
• Granger – open up the building – first in nation
• Optometry building
• FLITE
• Redoing the Rock to be more updated
• Mascar – to be more competitive with other schools
• We get money for these projects
• Purchase property for expansion (trailer park)
• Summer University
• Wireless campus
• Grounds and cleanliness
• FSU is looking to the future e.g., capital initiative to fund Optometry Program facilities; purchase of future-use properties
• FSU is good at asking for money (getting donations from individuals)
• Suggest asking companies for current-equipment donations
• Custodial equipment and supplies are very good. FSU support custodial work with good equipment – especially given the current economic conditions

• Limitations or Opportunities
• FLITE – 1/3 of space wasted – outdated when opened. All the special keys, light blue carpet can’t clean
• Use of budget – e.g.. could corner lot purchase money be better spent for parking?
• Concern for needs for cleaning when planning and building
• Recycling – waste here – should be in walls – hidden
• Texts thrown away (instructors’ desk or examination copies)
• Turning the lights off
• Need to go to automatic flushers and lights
• Waste of things that could have been used – very good (such as ceiling tiles)
• Ferris needs more oversight for checks and balances
• Summer University
• Since the year Banner was initiated, allowed themes and ideas to die because there is no follow through
• Since the year Banner was initiated, began to exclude some groups and ideas
• Continue including custodial staff as presenters at new student orientation (e.g. during summer)
• Include teaching personal financial responsibilities to incoming freshmen

Criterion 3

• Strengths
• Faculty come in after hours to meet with students (both a plus and minus)
• Structured learning
• Dean Potter
• Grown from 1-2 to 20+
• Educational counselors work to steer students in right direction
• Most of buildings – needed IRC – competition – really trying to do a good job
• Great access to computers
• Tech assistance – diagnosing student computer problems at no cost, don’t have to do that
• Lot of student service
• Professional and personal maturity of our students (product we are producing)
• Low vandalism on campus
• FLITE

• Limitations or Needing Improvement
• In one example, problem student had – willing to help but instructor difficult to understand, language difficulty, they just switched her class to someone different
• Some of instructors are horrible, math teacher no help (named)
• In some science classes: 100 medical fields but instructors in science don’t show her where they can use this subject
• One student’s experience:  Had 3 advisors in 1st year – others quit
• Need to advise students about athletic requirements: If child to pursue sport, had to take certain number of classes – high schooler didn’t know
• Program choices in the sense that our students are on tight academic schedule, therefore, maybe not allowing them to take classes for enjoyment
• Positive about the tuition waivers, but even for them sometimes they felt that they could not just take courses for their enjoyment but rather for a specific program.
• Content learning
• Disrespect by programs and faculty & coaches for facilities
• Better communication and follow-through
• Public relations
• When you don’t have faculty, coaches, etc. respecting facilities and teaching their students the same respect, then when we have visiting teams, dogs, etc., then we are creating a public relations image that is negative.
• The custodial department employs students ... We try to show and expect good work ethic from student workers – in fact we promote a strong work ethic. We work with student workers to instill this ethic.
• We support focus on their learning – both while here at Ferris and for developing careers
• We encourage them to work hard on their studies
• On the job we will work (up to a point) to try to help new workers develop this ethic (be on time, work hard/steady, pay attention to quality, get along with other workers)
• This work experience gives student workers real world experience (with emphasis on student development – more so then they would likely find on their first career job)
• FSU should focus more on medical related programs in GR – given what’s happening in GR
• FSU should focus more on main-campus programs – on growing the main campus
• FSU is a "suitcase college" – focus on providing activities attractive to students on weekends, etc. – in order to keep students on campus more of the time – focus here on what students want and what parents want for them
• FSU main campus provides excellent 1-1 classroom education to our students – need also to focus on industry and company connections to provide student internships and job placement
• FSU wastes money in some areas – for example, the extent to which some areas have lights running beyond the need for safety or security
• FSU administration should ask custodians for ideas, then listen to those ideas, then give feedback on decisions made: this would generate good ideas (e.g. for cost savings in the areas of light, leaks, etc.) and also develop stronger sense of community among admin/staff/faculty – all through the year, not just for HLC visit. “we are on the front lines – we see a lot that others may not and we interact with students and others everyday.

Criterion 4

•  Strengths
• Research in plastics
• Auto – actually work on vehicles – people from town
• Science building with greenhouse
• Card Wildlife Center
• Heavy equipment – donations
• Dental – do cleaning
• Optical services
• HVAC – looking at fuels and better ways of heating and cooling
• Sabbaticals
• Study Abroad
• Forensics – process of determination
• Enrollment of foreign students
• Internships
• Research on where she could go
• Nuclear medicine – great choices
• CJ program
• Top – notch pharmacy program
• Involved different cultures – open to commuter
• International events, such as Cajun food event
• Faculty has Summer University
• Time flexibility and adjusted work schedules
• Shows respect
• Phone numbers and communication (being able to be reached by other physical plant employees across campus)
• Available opportunities
• Tuition credit
• Study away
• All scholarships
• Summer University
• Internships
• Williams Auditorium programs
• Etc.
• Classroom renovation
• Pat-on-the-back Award
• The Janus project
• Emergency responses by staff
• Students know that they can go to staff in emergency situations
• Custodial staff are provided good training programs on a variety of job related topics e.g., safety
• We have tuition waiver – but it’s tough taking classes while working the late shift – some have done it
• We appreciate having access to the Rec Center

• Areas for improvement:
• The bomb – aspirin item (science experiment gone awry)
• “Know too much sometimes”
• Supposed to be oversight – don’t think they have gotten group together
• Part of the pay should be usage of the UREC

Criterion 5

• Strengths
• 8 free credits is the greatest thing in the world
• Shooters loves us
• Gate really loves us
• Ferris is largest employer pioneer in the community. Without Ferris, the community would fall
• More online teaching – “Ferris right up on that”
• Kendall, Flint, TC, etc.
• Good advertising
• New Year's Eve – supplied buses in GR
• Example of doors – (don’t recall what this was)
• MOISD – best thing that ever happened to her (a student)  – graduated with 24 college credits
• MOISD full – needs to expand
• Snow festival was a great community thing
• Comfortable 2-way communication
• Appeal process
• Advising
• Courses and programs
• Class cancellations
• Text messages and alerts
• “open avenues”
• Promoting Town Gown
• Services
• Emergency phones and lighting
• Lansing exposure (President Eisler)
• Billboard advertisement on MI highways
• Consistent leadership (especially at the Dean and Presidential level)
• Keep emphasis on life-long learning – to keep-up job security for all of us – and students and others – especially in this economy
• Stakeholders include students, parents, employers, Big Rapids, etc.
• FSU works well with Big Rapids – events on campus are often open to the public (e.g. BR).
• FSU also cooperates well with the city in terms of public safety e.g., fewer snow closings helps reduce snow-day related incidences on and off campus, so number of related instances snow-day troubles for the city have been reduced

• Areas for Improvement
• Need to improve Rankin Center as a social setting
• Lot of students drive and if they can’t park, can’t do special events
• Ramp needed and then build buildings around it.  Put into tuition.
• Idea with tickets (parking tickets) is to make money – have someone monitoring ramps, have CJ kids to do it
• Need shuttle service on campus for students in wheel chairs
• Elimination of 2 year programs is a problem – fewer options for students e.g., court reporting, tech illustration, lot of people can’t afford a 4-year degree but it would bring them in
• Lots of students from other countries and dorms shut down – stuck somewhere had one – needs to be addressed. Can’t just shut the University down
• Meal ticket – 15-20 left at end of every month and won’t remember that paid for but not getting
• Meal tickets at Mascar – if over the $5.50 e.g., take another punch. Students get charged for almost double – discourages students from going into dorms
• Books – figure out a buy-back program. Only get $10-12; inst. doesn’t even use, get pennies on
• Ferris should offer benefits to faculty and staff to use Rec Center
• Lot of people who don’t use their tuition benefit credits – would be good to offer scholarships or be able to grant to someone – even a percentage
• Ferris has to recognize that they have to create more of a social climate. Need to create more options vs. library, dorm, or bar
• Security issues - no one wants to be responsible. Public Safety -> Physical Plant -> Cultural life building opened at 6 – open until 8 a.m. with no security
• Drag their feet a lot on things that should be obvious – had 1.5 people
• Work with high school more
• Hiring – very slow – no procedure followed. Rules here broke – “it’s a myth”
• Have a temporary surplus – others gone, 3-4 months
• Don’t fill with person best qualified not what you know but who you know
• No one set of rules
• Grounds – hard going to create new job
• Fighting for 1% raise, then purchase corner for green space – make the city clean up
• “Copy Center” – less parking now and smaller facility
• Communication (the negative side of the above)
• The need for 24 hour medical and counseling services
• More campus cameras
• More card access
• One area of improvement here (in terms of FSU/BR cooperation) would be to improve access by visitors to hassle-free parking

Overall Prioritized (by Individuals) Observations

Each individual was provided with a sheet on which they were to write what they believed were the three greatest strengths and the three areas most needing improvement.  Here are their responses:

Greatest Strengths

• Interaction between community at school
• Molding and forming and creating productive individuals for a strong future
• Hands-on learning that comes from other sources -- not the classroom
• A learning school
• To be able to grow in student number
• West MI needs a college
• Communication between student/faculty/staff and community of Big Rapids
• Employees who care about students and learning
• Respect for one another
• Community support
• Diversity
• Wireless
• FLITE
• Employees
• Mutual respect
• Availability of information
• Safety and health
• Respect
• Scholarships
• Safety
• Communication with the community
• Scholarship programs
• Diversity on campus
• Availability of variety of classes, majors and degrees
• Technology is the way of the future – Ferris has strength in that direction
• Prepares students to go into a world that needs varied education background
• Extended learning opportunities
• Many different degrees
• Vast variety of culture – students and professors
• Its ability to keep up to date with economic advancements in society
• Its ability to have a one-on-one educational environment with individual support
• The strength of our faculty/teachers and staff that creates one of the best higher education learning experiences in the state of Michigan
• Looks for the needs of future students and society with things such as the new optometry building, planning for the future and educating staff
• Feeling of community involvement, allowing the various groups on campus to interact in a safe and secure place
• Using the resources that are available in a productive and proactive way. Ex: updating the classrooms to promote an interactive learning experience
• Keeping up with technology
• Help students when possible with questions they have concerning Ferris
• To make Ferris affordable to attend compared to other universities
• Keep updating programs such as surveying, printing, etc.
• Ferris is well known
• Good atmosphere, safe, friendly, hometown school
• Its long history of education in Michigan
• Beginning updating its facilities as resources allow, i.e., computers and other technology
• Number of degrees and programs available in a small town setting. You’re not just a number you’re a community member
• The part of the mission statement that promotes diversity and equality is very welcoming to many types of students
• The safety of the small town is reassuring for parents. The extra measures Ferris has taken recently to upgrade safety
• Looking forward to future growth, etc.
• Small hometown makes parents feel good. Safe sending student here
• Safety throughout campus
• The best optometry and pharmacy
• Great faculty and staff
• Great technology in surveying, welding, agricultural building
• I believe diversity is one of Ferris’ best kept secrets, they truly make an effort to make everyone feel like they belong
• Ferris also takes the time to listen to the input of all their employees who see things from the front lines
• The overall look of grounds and buildings are beautiful
• The help with aid (money) to include most all incomes
• Helpful staff and faculty
• Overall look of grounds and cleanliness of buildings
• Help to community by pharmacy, dental, jobs, sport activities
• Some caring instructors
• Ferris takes pride in the appearance
• We have very clean buildings
• Students working with staff and staff helping students
• Campus looks in general
• Willing to listen to staff and faculty and wanting to improve
• Teaching
• Clean
• Looks
• Education
• More students get jobs after leaving Ferris
• Working with students and staff
• The landscaping of the campus
• Faculty and student interaction is very good
• Keeping up on modern technology and instruction and equipment
• Offering a lot of different curriculums and courses
• Outgoing teacher, staff
• Signs on US-131
• The recruiting area has done a great job and really improved on that
• Services provided in the Timme center seem to go out of their way to help students
• All the out-of-town sister campus such as Kendall, Flint, Traverse City etc. is productive
• Involvement in the community
• Working with young people through camps/youth programs
• Multicultural programs

Most Needed Improvement

• Follow through with programs that are offered to employees. So in turn we can pass what we learn on to students
• The health center open 24 hours a day
• Departments coming together with their school
• Make sure students have all credit for graduation way before graduation day
• Reality about where they will find jobs (perhaps out of state)
• All share responsibility of building each other up to higher standards
• Improve safety
• There is more to teaching and instructing than the subject matter
• Developing a closer relationship with community students and instructors – faculty and staff
• Improve safety
• Taking ownership
• Teachers help students develop work and cleanliness ethics
• Parking
• More communication between departments
• Interdepartmental communication
• Advisor responsibility for student credits
• More recognition of Physical Plant employees
• Communication
• Information for students
• Knowledge of programs
• Health and wellness
• Respectful to all
• Up-to-date technological equipment to prepare students for real world situations in the work force
• Make transfer from other colleges easier by accepting classes and having counselors up to date on what transfers so students don’t end up short on credits at graduation time
• Buildings and residence halls that are current as possible to attract students because Ferris is an up to date institution
• Give more attention to putting the mission statement out to the community – not necessary through Internet
• Don’t think we react to changing economic trends as fast as we should
• I think some programs are over stated. Is automotive engineering an actual degree?
• Highlight some of our less known degrees that FSU offers
• Make our mission statement more visible and accessible to all
• Some programs are given more resources and visibility than others causing some programs to struggle to keep up with the times (ex: accounting program vs. optometry)
• Help with job placement for graduating students or if the resources are already available make them more visible
• Needs to try to get more input from all members of the Ferris community from students to staff
• Focus on all careers as an equal
• To listen to all employees and be respectful of their concerns
• To listen to what students have problems with
• More parking for students
• More building updating
• Keep up with program updating
• More communication between all staff
• Begin to treat staff groups equally not just the faculty
• Involving the Physical Plant in the mission of “community”
• Enlightening middle management on the more positive ways to promote change and success among employees. New ideas
• Visualize mission statement
• Interaction between administration, faculty and staff
• Better needed equipment to transition students between school and real job
• Update buildings
• Bring in newer materials
• Parking
• Help students with learning what their field of classes will do as a future job
• Parking spots
• Having to live on campus (dorm life) outside housing not the best
• Not enough 2 year programs or hands on learning
• Need more parking!
• Some departments need to really work on their yearly budgets
• The design team (remodeling classrooms and labs) need to really think about cleaning the area when they design them and to really look at the contractors’ work because the ones they have have been doing a crappy job -- they leave a lot of things undone
• Parking
• Cost of tuition and living conditions
• Waste of construction material and food
• Management decisions being made
• Money usage on things
• Common service -- stop and thinking of whole picture
• Communication in the department we work in
• Cut down on waste, turn off lights (construction)
• Recycle more
• Parking
• Teachers students can understand! (English)
• Communication within departments
• Need to look into being more energy efficiency and more green
• More improvement in security of buildings
• Communication within department
• Accountability of departments
• Recycling of waste