"We Are
Ferris State University!"
A look at Crimson & Gold Alumni Readers

An Honor to Serve
By Maude Bigford, Honors program coordinator

During the past year Honors program students have volunteered their hands (Habitat for Humanity), their eyes (FSU Optometry Clinic), their blood (American Red Cross), their hearts (Hospice and Tots' Place), and their minds (FSU Academic Support Center). They have looked for people and places that have needed them, and they have gladly responded to the need.

The wide range of personalities, ages, gifts and interests of the Honors students means a wide range of people and places affected by their contributions. They have served as docents for local school children at a "Calder For Kids" exhibit, hosted Russian students in cramped dorm rooms for 10 days and spent hours cooking ethnic cuisine with the internationals students to prepare for the International Fair.

Community service has been a vital component of the Honors program since it was established in 1997. Then University College Interim Dean Linda Travis proposed that each Honors student lead by example and volunteer 15 hours each semester to give something back to the community.

Naturally, there have been glitches along the way. A football player who volunteered at a day care center was overwhelmed by the crying kids who were thrilled that there was a man in their midst. Occasionally students have been underutilized and languished at desks with little challenge. However, for the most part, the students are happy with the choices they have made and the contacts that have resulted. When they help a beleaguered math student crack the code, or see the smiles on the faces of the kids who are attached to them at Latch Key or help out the teachers at the Big Rapids Carnival, these students know they have made a difference.

Congratulation to Our Alumni Survey Drawing Winners

1st Prize $1,000 Student Scholarship in Winner's Name Scott A. Speet (T'83), Tucson, Ariz.

2nd Prize Paid Registration for Alumni Golf Outing Susan A. Styles (B'94), Traverse City

3rd Prize Ferris State University Sweatshirt Bert S. Kasven (P'69), Autora, Colo.

The results are in! The Alumni Relations office conducted a survey of Crimson & Gold readers last spring with the goal of learning more about our readers that we might better serve them. We extend our thanks to all who took the time to complete and return the survey and our congratulations to the three prize winners whose names were drawn.

A diverse group with a common bond
The survey provided an interesting overview of where a Ferris State education can take a person in life. Crimson & Gold readers are a diverse group of people living in every region of America, reflecting a broad spectrum of occupations, many making significant contributions to society, our nation's economy and their own communities, but having an important and lasting common thread that binds them together Ð an educational foundation from Ferris State University.

Mention almost any occupation and odds are you will find a Ferris State alum successfully working in that field. This survey of almost 2,400 readers, including nearly 60 percent men and graduates as recent as 1999 and as far back as the 1920s, shows that the primary fields of study have changed as the educational focus of Ferris State University has kept pace with the shifting occupational demands of the marketplace.

From pharmacy to public safety, with a steady flow of business leaders
Among those respondents who graduated in 1959 or before, more than a quarter majored in pharmacy. Business and general office management, accounting, finance and fundraising were other popular majors of the time. Pharmacy has declined as a major from 27 percent in the 50s to 12 percent in the 60s, 10 percent in the 70s, and six percent in recent years. Business and general office management peaked at 22 percent in the 60s as the number one major and remained the top area from the 60s to the present, ranging from a low of 14 percent in the 70s to 18 percent in the 80s, and leveling off at 17 percent through the 90s.

In the 50s and earlier, only one percent cited public safety (criminal justice, law or social work) as a major, but it has become the fastest growing area reported by readers. Industrial, manufacturing and engineering majors are growing, too, almost doubling from the early 90s to the present.

Matching majors to occupations
Many Ferris State alumni use their major areas of study in their current occupations. The highest match between major and occupation occurs among alumni who majored in pharmacy (82 percent), followed by those who studied retail, sales or food service (75 percent). Sixty-six percent of alumni respondents who majored in computer science and data processing now work in that field. With the continued and growing demand for computer skills in the workplace, this percentage is likely to increase.

A 64 percent majority of alumni majoring in medical or health care areas, and 61 percent of those who majored in accounting, finance and fundraising now work in those areas. Fifty-nine percent who majored in the growing areas of criminal justice, law or social work are putting their degrees to work in their current occupations. A more narrow 54 percent majority of Ferris alumni who studied education and library science are using their degrees, and 50 percent of automotive graduates work in the auto industry.

Fewer than half of the respondents who majored in other areas of study are now working in those areas. Forty percent of optical or optics majors, 38 percent of dentistry majors, 35 percent of industrial, manufacturing or engineering majors, and 32 percent of majors in the area of advertising, TV, radio, and communications, report having occupations that are directly related to their fields of study.

Women closing the personal income gap by closing the educational gap
While respondents' figures show men still earning more than women, the gap is closing, largely because the educational gap between men and women is closing.

Eighteen percent of women and only six percent of men who graduated in the '70s reported making under $40,000 per year in personal income.Sixteen percent of women and 34 percent of men reported incomes over $60,000, with double the number of women (46 percent) as men (23 percent) making between $40,000 to $60,000.

Among '80s graduates, if you look at the 24 percent of women compared to nine percent of men who made personal incomes under $40,000, the data at first glance would suggest that not a great deal of progress has been made regarding income equity between men and women. However, when you isolate the higher income categories, 22 percent of women earn over $60,000 (up six points over '70s graduates), with 30 percent of men making the same amount (down four points).

While 33 percent of women make $40,000 to $60,000 (down 13 points from the '70s), 21 percent of men make the same amounts (down 2 points). A big difference can still be seen among the very top incomes of '80s graduates, with eight percent of men and only one percent of women making over $100,000.

Much of the progress that can be seen among women alumni can be attributed to the increasing numbers of women earning bachelor's degrees, thereby narrowing the gap between men and women. Thirty-eight percent of women and 14 percent of men graduating in the '60s or before reported earning associate's degrees and 64 percent of men and 29 percent of women said they earned bachelor's degrees. Among '70s graduates, similar patterns could be seen with 65 percent of women and 27 percent of men reporting that they earned associate's degrees, and 59 percent of men and 27 percent of women saying they earned bachelor's degrees. Also, many more women attended Ferris State University in the '70s than among earlier graduates.

In the '90s, women earning associate's degrees dropped to 39 percent with 22 percent of men saying they earned associate's degrees. The number of women reporting that they earned bachelor's degrees increased from 27 percent in the '70s to 42 percent in the '80s, with 59 percent of men (unchanged) continuing to report earning bachelor's degrees.

The increasing numbers of women attending Ferris State University between the '70s and the '90s are further evidence that educational achievement is the path that will lead toward the realization of pay equity between the sexes.

Ferris alumni haven't forgotten their college roots
Readership of Crimson and Gold demonstrates that Ferris graduates continue to show an interest in their alma mater and the campus they left behind. Favorite articles include alumni features (45 percent), campus news (25 percent) and student life at (15 percent).

Survey respondents are interested enough to make return visits to the University. Only 10 percent indicated they have not been back since graduation. One in five have been back to visit FSU 10 or more times since they graduated. Nineteen percent have returned an average of six times with 35 percent visiting twice since graduation.

A Family Tradition
Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents are married, with a third (33 percent) saying they met and married a fellow Ferris State graduate. Six percent of the readers said one of their parents attended FSU, with four percent saying at least one of their children also attended their alma mater.

Better prepared for life's challenges through FSU
An overwhelming majority indicated that Ferris State had a profound impact on their lives. Eighty-eight percent said the university effectively prepared them professionally and 84 percent said they felt FSU prepared them personally. It should come as no surprise that 95 percent of the alumni respondents said they had positive feelings about Ferris State University.