 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||
 |
President's Letter |
Ferris Names Endowment, Theater Season for Sakalauskas
The University honored William Sakalauskas, director of Ferris Theater from 1979 to 1998, by dedicating the 2005-06 season in his name. Also, the Ferris Foundation established the Dr. William Sakalauskas Scholarship Endowment Fund. Considered a theater generalist, Sakalauskas developed a rich and varied theater program for Ferris students, giving them a wide range of theater experiences, including working with professional actors and playwrights, and making scholarship opportunities available to hard-working students to attend the renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Audiences also benefited from such Sakalauskas innovations, as placing audience members on stage to create an appropriate theater venue for more intimate plays. The 2005-06 season dedicated to Sakalauskas included Aristophanes' classic anti-war play Lyistrata, Mark Medoff's psychological drama The Homage That Follows, and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical, Into the Woods. "It is a pleasure to honor professor Sakalauskas for his many years of service and support for the theater program at Ferris," said Matthew A. Klein, dean of Arts and Sciences. "It could not be more appropriate to honor those efforts in part by inaugurating a scholarship that will help ensure support for students' involvement in theater for many years to come." The scholarship is available for full-time students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who are eligible to participate in Ferris Theater. Candidates must have made significant contributions to the Theater program. For more information or to make a gift to the Dr. William Sakalauskas Scholarship Endowment Fund, please contact the Ferris Foundation at (231) 591-2365 or fsufdn@ferris.edu. New Experiential Education Degree is a Natural Fit at Ferris
This summer, the University will award the first degrees in its Masters of Education Experiential Education Concentration. The program has roots in educational philosophy first formulated toward the end of the 19th century, while its delivery makes use of the newest technology. "Historically, John Dewey was one of the first people to formalize this kind of 'learning by doing.' And since Ferris in general, including the Recreation department, does a wonderful job on this campus of having students learn through experience, the Master's in Experiential Education was a natural," says Denise Mitten, assistant professor, Recreation, Leisure Studies & Wellness. "Sometimes we don't realize how much of a legacy Woodbridge Ferris created in experiential education and service-learning." The first group of graduates scheduled to complete the program, who are from Wisconsin, went through the program together as a cohort although that's not a requirement of the program. However, the group has been able to provide support for each other through regular weekly meetings of the mixed-delivery format program, as well as providing for continuity when they traveled to Big Rapids for portions of their study. "Last fall they were here for three days," explains Virginia Hines, associate professor in the School of Education. "Most of the time courses like this are taught lecture-style theory, theory, theory. My own belief is that you don't learn theory unless you have the connective tissue. So what we did was engage in practice first and then looked for where the theory fit in." The students also take online courses, keep in touch with Hines through e-mail and instant messaging, and keep a blog. In addition to being active in the digital realm, students also have taken nature trips as part of a class in "The Environment and Experiential Education." Each student also will complete a "capstone" project before graduation. One student, who is a school administrator and an artist, is organizing an art show while another is developing and instituting a curriculum to teach canoeing to people who are disabled. "The degree is very broad in its application," says Mitten. "Some medical schools are becoming much more experiential in their orientation, for example. It's all about the process." History Commemoration Task Force Re-Dedicates Williams Auditorium
Last fall, Ferris President David Eisler and the History Commemoration Task Force re-dedicated Williams Auditorium as the G. Mennen Williams Auditorium. The Big Rapids and Ferris communities were invited to join University officials in the auditorium lobby for refreshments, a portrait unveiling, reflection and speakers. It was G. Mennen Williams' leadership and support that set the foundation for favorable legislative action in securing state-college status for Ferris Institute (see the Crimson & Gold article "What's in a Name?" in the Winter 2005. Past issues are available at: ferris.edu/alumni/c&g.) The building was originally dedicated and named after Williams in 1986 25 years after Ferris State College bestowed an honorary doctoral degree upon the former Michigan governor. "The community joined us as to highlight this important figure in University history," said Mary Kay MacIver, History Commemoration Task Force chair. "As part of the re-dedication process, we will permanently display artifacts that describe who G. Mennen Williams was and his historical significance to the University." Williams was born in Detroit on Feb. 23, 1911, to Henry Phillips and Elma (Mennen) Williams. His father's family owned a prosperous Detroit pickle factory and was active in Michigan real estate, while his mother's father founded the Mennen Company, a well-known soap and pharmaceutical company. The Mennen Company is where Williams' nickname "Soapy" was derived. He served six consecutive terms as governor and was United States assistant secretary of state for African affairs (1961-66), ambassador to the Philippines (1968-69), elected to the state of Michigan Supreme Court (1970), became chief justice (1983) and taught at the University of Detroit School of Law. Williams died on Feb. 2, 1988. Construction Management Professor Helps Sri Lanka Rebuild
In Akurala, Sri Lanka, there are four auspicious days for building a house: when setting the first stone; installing the first beam; hanging the front door; and moving in. Ken Reinink, professor of Construction Management, worked with a Buddhist astrologer for all of these while serving as a Salvation Army volunteer to rebuild houses devastated by the tsunami. "The astrologer uses a computer program to find out what your auspicious day is going to be, even though there's virtually no electricity in the village and no power tools," Reinink explains. "When you get your auspicious day you have a big celebration, and build a fire to heat coconut milk. When it boils over, that's the moment you set your first stone." Reinink was recruited by Salvation Army Captain Mike McKee, who was based in Big Rapids for several years before being promoted to field officer and reassigned to London. "Mike called me in February [of 2005] and asked if I wanted to help kick off this 1,000-house project." That large project got put on hold, but when Reinink arrived in Akurala in May of last year, he began rebuilding private homes, finishing 42 of them by the time he left in August. The coastal village lost at least 500 people with many more unaccounted for, so the need was great. "At one point in time, there was probably 25 feet of water in the village," says Reinink. "The houses in the first quarter of a mile near the shore were just gone." Built at a cost of just $5,500 each, the 20 by 26 foot homes are a new beginning for a country where as many as 40,000 people lost their lives in the disaster. |
|||||||
