President's Letter
From the Alumni Director
On Campus
Applause
A Glimpse Behind the Scenes
Get "Serious" About Summer
The Ultimate Measure of Success
Because of the Paws
Museum of Hateful Things
Bulldog Bites
Bulldogs on the Rampage
An American in Pontlevoy
Black Sea Resorts, Dracula and 2,500 Years of History
Class Notes
In Memoriam
Alumni Events

Crimson & Gold Homepage

On Campus

International Exchange at Ferris Continues to Flourish

Tours to Italy led by Humanities Professor James Walker (left) let students experience Renaissance art first-hand.

   This past academic year, 103 Ferris students participated in seven faculty-led study abroad, semester exchanges and affiliate programs in a continuing sign of Ferris’ engagement with the international academic community.
   During holiday recess in January 2004, Management Department Head William Smith took a group of Ferris students on a trip to Costa Rica, with particular focus placed on the coffee industry’s supply chain. Last April, students enrolled in the RN and BSN program had a unique opportunity to fulfill their required clinical practicum by attending classes and clinical observations as special guests hosted by Ferris’ exchange partner, Hame Polytechnic, in Hameenlinna, Finland, led by Nursing Professor Susan Fogarty.
   Italy was a popular destination with trips led by Art History Professor James Walker, and Languages and Literature Professor John Caserta. Walker’s trip, which also included a visit to France, let students study art at some of the most prestigious museums in the world including the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi Gallery and the Louvre. Students on Caserta’s trip became acquainted with the writings of classic poets Dante and Petrarch as well as such 20th century writers as Eugene Montale and Italo Calvino.
   Other popular Study Abroad programs included Professor Ana Davila-Howard’s trip to Spain to study Spanish language, culture and history; Biology Professor Phillip Watson’s “Environment and Culture in Vietnam”; and an elective course in International Print Media in Germany with Professor Pat Klarecki.
   In addition to faculty-led programs, several Ferris students took part in semester exchange programs during the past year. Eight students participated in programs with partner universities in New Zealand, France, Germany and England. Four students studied abroad in Japan through the Japan Center for Michigan Universities.
   Ferris hosted 17 international exchange students during the past year from universities in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Liechtenstein and England. For further information about Study Abroad and exchange opportunities contact Debbie Carley, Study Abroad coordinator in the Office of International Affairs, at (231) 591-3921, or at carleyd@ferris.edu.

Young Scientists Get Taste of Research at Ferris
   by Dr. Tracey Boncher, College of Pharmacy

Pharmacy Professor Tracey Boncher (second front left) gave students from City High School in Grand Rapids laboratory experience this past summer. With Boncher are (from left) David Henry, Nhan Nguyen, Elianna Bootzin and Brenton Cook.

   This last past year I decided to do my part to get involved in shaping the future of some West Michigan-area young people. I wanted them to have the opportunity to become inspired by science through direct experience.
   I met with leaders from America’s Promise (an alliance of more than 400 national organizations), CVS Pharmacy and various K-12 principles to help make this happen. After nine months the idea became reality in July as the first group of high-school students started their summer internship at CVS Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, finishing up at Ferris in August in my laboratory. This program is set to continue year after year and is expected to gain interest from various school districts across West Michigan.
   As an educator I love to inspire young people to go into science. My own interest is in the field of cancer research. I work to synthesize better agents to help fight breast cancer, which is the most common cancer in women. It is estimated that in the United States more than 200,000 new cases are diagnosed and more than 40,000 people die from this disease each year. To help find a cure, new breakthrough drugs are needed to help overcome the adverse side effects of many chemotherapeutic agents and increase their selectivity. I have been working on designing several promising anti-tumor agents.
   While here at Ferris, the visiting students worked on synthesizing some of these. This next generation of researchers, along with their parents, thought this experience was fabulous. The students presented a poster session in early September in the Rankin Center with representatives from CVS and America’s Promise, along with parents, siblings and professors there to support them.
   I’m looking forward to next year and having even more researchers-in-training visit Ferris State University.

“Celebration” Extends Michigan Art Walk

Ray Katz’ sculpture “Celebration” is the most recent addition to Ferris’ Michigan Art Walk.

   On Friday, Sept. 3, on the plaza between the Business and Instructional Resource Center buildings on Ferris’ Big Rapids campus, the University unveiled the most recent addition to its Michigan Art Walk collection of public visual art.
  “Celebration,” Pontiac-based artist Ray Katz’ largest-ever aluminum sculpture, embodies his exploration of the themes of metamorphosis and transformation.
   “His sculptures often have a tripod or tepee base-support with activity and movement at the top,” noted Ferris Artist-in-Residence Robert Barnum. “The material and surface gives his sculptures an almost futuristic quality.”
   President David Eisler, Immediate Past Board of Trustees Chair Bruce Parsons, Barnum and Katz offered brief remarks to scores of onlookers.
   “Whatever its form, public art attracts attention by its presence alone,” said Katz. “Public art can heighten our awareness, question our assumptions or express community values. It can transform the places where we live, work and play into a more welcoming and beautiful environment, and create deeper interactions among people. It can make strangers talk and children ask questions. It enhances the quality of life by encouraging a heightened sense of place. Public art can help define a community’s identity. Ferris State University is making a major attempt to define a part of its identity with its Michigan Art Walk.”
   Artistic quality, originality, technical innovations of the artist’s recent work, imagery and how the scale of the art fits the site that has been chosen to host it are some of the criteria considered when selecting work by Michigan artists for the collection. Ferris Renaissance, of which the Michigan Art Walk is a major part, is a program to continually improve the aesthetics of the Ferris campus.

Friends of Ferris Event Highlights University Talents

The Friends of Ferris annual dinner and auction is the group’s major fundraising and social event. The 2004 gathering is pictured, above. Andy Rogers, Big Rapids Pioneer

   The annual Friends of Ferris dinner and auction is slated for Feb. 26, 2005, at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Big Rapids. The event benefits the Friends of Ferris Political Action Committee.
  University administrators, faculty and alumni gather with members of the Big Rapids community and state legislators to help make this one of the premier social events on campus and in the community each year.
   In the past, Friends of Ferris efforts helped secure funding for major capital projects including the Ferris Library for Information, Technology and Education, the Granger Center for Construction and HVACR, and renovation of the Timme Student Services building.
   “This event helps tremendously with building campaigns on campus and program development, which in turn supports the local economy with more students on campus and more instructors in the classroom,” said Karl W. Linebaugh, president, Chemical Bank West, and past Friends of Ferris chair.
   Previous year’s auction items have included sports memorabilia, furniture, jewelry, golf packages and much more.
   Formed in 1989, Friends of Ferris consists of University and Big Rapids community members working together to ensure that Ferris’ voice is heard in Lansing. The dinner and auction is the Friends of Ferris’ primary fundraiser.