We
Shall Not Live in Vain
Thank
you Mr. Parsons and members of the Board of Trustees for those
inspiring words and charge. Thank you Ferris State University
and artist Phil Carrizini for this beautiful medallion. Thank
you choir for the wonderful anthem. Those words of Emily Dickinson
in our anthem have always held special meaning for me:
If
I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
It
is truly humbling to stand before you today, honored both by your
presence and support as we come together to honor our past, celebrate
the present and forge a new future for a wonderful institution,
Ferris State University.
Anyone blessed to be president of Ferris State
University walks in the footsteps of those who have paved the
way. Generations of faculty, staff and students have worked together
to create the university we honor today. I want to begin by thanking
the presidents who have preceded me, who each in their own way
did everything they could to move Ferris State University forward
and to leave it a much better place. I would like to express my
personal thanks and appreciation to my predecessor, Dr. Bill Sederburg,
who did so much to make this the vibrant campus it is today. We
are fortunate to have Presidents Helen Popovich and Robert Ewegleben
with us today. I would ask that they stand so we can acknowledge
them with our applause. Thank you so much.
The
Past
We
are a part of a heritage that stretches back to our founder, Woodbridge
Ferris. He moved to Big Rapids in 1884, seeking to build an "opportunity
school" for lumberjacks, miners, farm children and factory
workers. For me, Woodbridge Ferris represents an enduring symbol
of vision, character, integrity and leadership.
Ferris was joined in this enterprise by his
wife, Helen, whose 150th birthday we celebrated this past month.
Leaving as important a legacy as her husband, Helen Ferris symbolizes
one of the greatest strengths of our university-the caring commitment
of our people. She represents thousands of our faculty and staff
who have dedicated their lives to helping students. I am reminded
of the poignant words of Woodbridge Ferris, who described Helen
in this way. "If there is a teacher of teachers at the Ferris
Institute…
It is Helen Ferris."
The
Present
It
is this legacy of vision and commitment that we both honor and
celebrate today. Over the past 120 years we have grown from that
original institute of 15 students to a regional comprehensive
university of nearly 12,000 students. We provide more than 120
programs in Allied Health, Applied Science, Business, Optometry,
Pharmacy, Technology and the Liberal Arts, and offer associate
through doctoral degrees. Beyond Big Rapids, we now include the
Kendall College of Art and Design, substantial offerings in Grand
Rapids, Traverse City and Flint, and programs in Dearborn, Dowagiac,
Gaylord, Jackson, Lansing, Midland, Muskegon, Niles, Petoskey
and Winnipeg, Canada. In doing so we have held true to the vision
of our founder, providing educational opportunities for thousands
of students. Beyond that, we have created exemplary programs of
student support. I believe the goal Ferris intended for his institution
was always much more than the opportunity of education. Far beyond
access to education, Mr. Ferris wanted students to succeed in
that educational process, preparing them for successful careers
and meaningful lives.
This is an extraordinary time for Ferris State
University. We gather today at a reinvigorated university, with
buildings and a campus that are among the finest and most beautiful
anywhere in the country. We have a faculty and staff second to
none, who are truly committed to student success. And let there
be no doubt about this, the success and strength of our University
flow directly from the excellence of our people, their pride in
our institution, and the extraordinary efforts they make every
day.
This fall we experienced the second greatest
enrollment growth in our history, proof positive of the need and
demand for the Ferris degree. Our educational model, built around
faculty-student interaction in small classes, combined with connections
to the real world, is one that other institutions seek to emulate.
Our ability to help students succeed is an educational process
that truly changes lives. These are achievements of which we should
be extraordinarily proud.
The
Future
In
my conversations with you, many have spoken with great excitement
and expectation for our future. On more than one occasion I have
heard Ferris described as a university on the cusp of greatness.
I too, believe Ferris is currently positioned to enter a new era
of opportunity. What then of our future? Today I suggest five
ideas for your consideration. However, in doing so I commit myself
to a process where collaboratively we will develop a blueprint
for our future that is much more than my vision, it is our vision.
1)
Develop A Learning University.
My dream is that Ferris State University will
come to be known as a learning university, one that continually
learns from and improves on its efforts. In this way each class,
each week, semester and year is not a repetition of the one before,
but rather is based on what has been learned from previous efforts.
From study of prior experience we will learn, grow, and improve.
Our goal should be a university-wide commitment where each year's
graduates are better prepared than those from the previous year.
For me this is the hallmark of a learning institution.
2)
Build on the Traditional Strengths of Ferris.
We will find ways to embrace the vision of our
founder to promote the diversity of our people through access
and support for others. We will be first and foremost a student-centered
institution, a university that dedicates its talents and resources
to that goal. One of our great strengths is our blend of technical
and professional programs. There is no one in our state with this
program mix or who has been able to design traditional degree
programs in such a way that they cut across disciplines and uniquely
prepare students for careers and graduate study. I believe strongly
that the foundation for these programs is in traditional academic
areas. Throughout their lives, our students will change careers
and must be prepared to be lifelong learners, to have learned
how to learn. As I tell our students, we are preparing them for
a career that may not yet have been invented.
3)
Provide Access to Ferris.
The strength and power of the Ferris degree
are precisely what Michigan needs during these trying economic
times. We must proactively and aggressively find ways for students
throughout the state to access the unique education we provide.
Fortunately, we live at a time when this is more possible than
ever before. I believe education is currently undergoing the biggest
change since the invention of movable type. Just as this technology
in the 15th century made books available to the developing middle
class, today's Internet can free new demographics of learners
from educational opportunity limited by time and place considerations.
We must and will use online learning to help us become even better
partners with schools, technical centers, and community colleges.
Drawing upon the excellence of our education, the pedagogical
strengths of our faculty, and our commitment to students, Ferris
State University will be a national leader in this field.
4)
Recognize the Quality of the Ferris Experience.
We must redouble our efforts to foster broad
public recognition for the excellence of an education at Ferris
State University. In my mind the education we provide at Ferris
not merely equals, but far exceeds what a student will find at
institutions focused on research rather than instruction. For
me there is no logic that can explain how education provided in
lecture settings of 200, 300, 400 or even 500 students and that
relies heavily on graduate assistants can ever be considered the
equal of the education we provide in reasonably-sized class settings,
taught by faculty professionals who are experts in their field.
This is the Ferris experience.
5)
Build the Resource Base for Ferris.
We must all work together to create private
and public support for Ferris State University. This will require
building a strong network of alumni, donor, federal, foundation
and state support. Failure to do so will mean that we will not
be able to provide the opportunity our founder so cherished. Plainly
and simply, students cannot benefit from an education they cannot
afford. This wide-ranging effort will first begin with each of
us.
A
Life Not Lived in Vain
In
considering the future of Ferris State University I find myself
continually drawn to the legacy provided by our founder, Woodbridge
Ferris. In an early catalog he describes the school in this fashion,
"The purpose of the Ferris Industrial School is to make the
world better."
Here
at Ferris we have an extraordinary opportunity. We work daily
with bright, talented, idealistic students and through these interactions
are able to help shape and guide lives as they discover their
future. Over my nearly 30 years in academia I have come to passionately
believe that the ultimate measure of our efforts is not what each
of us receives, but rather what we give. As a teacher my greatest
satisfaction comes not in my achievements, but instead in those
of my students. This is a feeling of pride that is beyond description.
Perhaps Emily Dickinson said it best:
If
I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
For
the next few moments I would encourage each of you to look back
on your life and career and to reflect on those who have helped
you. In doing so, we realize how much we have depended upon those
who have taught, mentored, and gone far beyond expectations to
help us succeed. For me, these people are the truest representation
of a life not lived in vain. I am fortunate to have some of those
people with me today. Dr. John Mohler was my major professor at
the University of Michigan and taught a young headstrong pupil
that there was much to learn about the clarinet and about life.
Thank you Dr. Mohler.
Dr. John M. Long is one of two great mentors
in my life. When I was twenty-three with a masters degree and
no experience, he gave me my first college teaching opportunity.
It was the greatest privilege to work with him for fifteen years.
Although I did not realize it at the time, he continually challenged
me, giving me ever-greater responsibilities and preparing me for
a future I did not even imagine. It was he who first believed
that I would and should be a college president and encouraged
me to pursue this path. Few days go by when I do not find myself
relying on his principles of fairness, good judgment, commitment
to communication and common sense. More than that he taught me
about people and human nature through lessons I will never forget.
Thank you so much John and Mary Lynne for the difference you have
made in our lives.
I'd like to ask my wife, Patsy, to join me at
the lectern. For over thirty years she has been my best friend,
supporter and lifelong partner. She has always given far more
than she ever received.
On this special day Patsy and I want to pause
and thank our parents. If the measure of caring and compassion
in education and in life is how much one gives back, they gave
more than any others ever could. In our family my brother and
I always came first. I have learned about my first Christmas from
pictures in our family album. I am told that my mother needed
a winter coat that year. Instead, I received a shiny new American
Flyer train set. It was always my parents' goal that my brother
and I attend college. I remember my mother going to work at Sears
so that my parents could afford to send me to the University of
Michigan. This pattern of priority and self-sacrifice permeated
our home and shaped my life.
Patsy:
At a time when few people did so, my mother and father reached
out to me, adopting me into their family. They took a spindly,
sick infant and loved me as their own. In our family they read
to me and encouraged me, helping me to overcome dyslexia, a challenge
I did not know I had. In high school when others told me I wouldn't
make it to the University of Michigan, they believed in and supported
me. They created a rich, wonderful life and helped me achieve
my dream of becoming a teacher.
While we can never repay what you have done
for us, we will use your example to give back to others. Today
we are proud to announce that through our gifts we have created
two annual full tuition scholarships at Ferris State University
in your honor.
Dave:
Mother and Dad, our daughter Heather is presenting you with a
certificate that represents the establishment of the Jacob and
Sarah Eisler Scholarship.
Patsy:
Mom, Lindsay is presenting you a certificate that represents the
establishment of the Norris and Irene Johnson Scholarship. Although
Dad is not with us, I know he is proud.
For us this is a once in a lifetime opportunity
to say thank you. We believe strongly in the concept of giving
back and hope that others will join us in making a difference
for our students, providing the opportunity for them to receive
the lifelong benefit a Ferris education can provide. We truly
believe as Gandhi did, "We must be the change we wish to
see."
Concluding
Thoughts
In closing, I want to acknowledge the work of
our inaugural committee. My request of them was that this inauguration
not be events centered on me, but rather an opportunity for our
entire campus community to be involved. I believe they have achieved
this magnificently and I would ask that the committee stand to
be recognized.
Thank you so much for being here and sharing
this moment with our University. Patsy and I want each of you
to know how happy we are to be at Ferris State University and
how much we enjoy the Big Rapids community. We are truly delighted
to be here and thank each of you for your welcome and many, many
acts of kind hospitality.
In this period of transition the tendency is
to focus on the president. Over the past three months I have learned
that transition really involves each of us in some way. In closing
I offer these thoughts:
Once
in a while, something comes along
that marks a moment we remember as having forever changed our
life…
a door opens, we walk through
and when we turn and look back for that same opening, it no
longer exists.
We become different
Ferris
State University is an extraordinary opportunity, an institution
with a wonderful heritage and exciting future. I am honored and
humbled to be a part of this great University and look forward
to what we can accomplish together for Ferris. For together I
believe we can and will create a truly extraordinary university
of the future.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve
as your president.
David
L. Eisler
October 2, 2003
