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When students, parents and alumni think about the administration of the University, they might think first about the president. However, the president is appointed by Ferris' Board of Trustees, which has general supervision of the University and its expenditures. Members of the Board serve eight-year, staggered terms as appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Michigan State Senate.
Like their compatriots, the two newest members of Ferris'
Board of Trustees - George Menoutes (P'51) and Ron Snead (EHS'71) - have
impressive resumes backing up their commitment to the University and its
mission. The two men share something else. As alumni, both attended Ferris
at moments of crisis for the institution: Menoutes was a student during
the fire that destroyed the Old Main building in 1950; Snead played a central
role in bridging the racial divide on campus during the late 1960s.
Appointed in January 2005 to serve eight-year terms, the two bring very personal connections to their duties in helping chart a course for the University's future.
George Menoutes: Witness to Growth
Back on campus for a meeting of the Board, Menoutes is struck yet again by the changes on Ferris' campus from when he was a Pharmacy student. "It's amazing to me that the campus is more than 800 acres," Menoutes says. "After the fire, the school continued because we had some army Quonset huts with stoves in the middle brought in, and that's where we had classes."
Menoutes, like other trustees, has a long history of public service. He was elected to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, served as chairman of the Flint Township Planning Commission, was vice president of the Michigan State Board of Pharmacy, and served on numerous other boards in and around his native Flint. He demonstrated his leadership qualities during his time at Ferris, serving as Pharmacy class president and captain of the football team.
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During the monumental Old Main fire of 1951, George Menoutes helped salvage Pharmacy professors' teaching notes.
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As someone who attended Ferris on the G.I. Bill during a time when tuition was $115 a semester for "Trade and Industry" majors, and $75 for all others, Menoutes is keenly aware that the cost of higher education is one of the University's critical concerns.
"It's a tough time for higher education funding in Michigan," Menoutes says. "I was lucky to have help from Uncle Sam. Today, there's still help out there for some students who need assistance. Many Alumni have contributed money for scholarships for students in need." Menoutes himself, along with his wife, created the George and Kathryn Menoutes Scholarship Endowment.
For the University's future, Menoutes sees a continued and increasingly important role played by those programs that used to be labeled "Trade and Industry."
"There's going to be new technologies in the future, such as fuel cells, and we want Ferris to be a part of that," says Menoutes. "I just hope I can add something that's worthy of the position and make the University even stronger."
Ron Snead: Both Sides Now
In 1969, the person who would ultimately become a member of Ferris' Board of Trustees was chatting with the president of the University. Unfortunately, the conversation was taking place in the county jail.
"President [Victor] Spathelf came down to the jail and asked me what I was doing there," Snead recalls, chuckling at the memory. "I explained that I was requested by his vice president to help break up a riot and ended up getting arrested."
During those tumultuous times, Snead was president of the local NAACP chapter, and the school called on him to help diffuse incidents that could turn violent. As a result of the incident that landed Snead in jail, 12 students were expelled. Although Snead was exonerated, he considered leaving school.
"Then, Tom McHenry, the dean of students at the time, called Jerry Nielsen, who was president of Student Government, so we all met in the president's office and that's when we came up with the unity ribbon to pin on everyone," Snead recalls. "In the end, I decided to stay. The next year I became vice-president of Student Government, and I've been involved with the institution ever since graduation in '71."
Like Menoutes, Snead sees funding as one of the greatest challenges facing the University. He points out that when he was a student in the late 1960s and early '70s, the state provided approximately 70 percent of public higher education funding a percentage that has dropped by about half. "My goal is to do some other things in terms of creating funding," Snead says. "We need to increase private funding from Alumni and businesses."
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From the Snead scrap book: "The women of Alpha Xi Delta present Ron E. Snead of Alpha Phi Alpha with the Douglas J. Waldo Greek Man of the Term Award." (From left) Carmen Setta, corresponding secretary; Terree Gray, president; Ron Snead; Patti Denny, recording secretary; and Marilyn Fox, vice president.
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Despite challenges, Snead sees Ferris increasing its outreach in a number of areas. He notes the University's acquisition of the historical Federal Building in Grand Rapids and new articulation and program agreements with community colleges. In addition to his duties on the Ferris Board, Snead serves on numerous other boards, including the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, which itself is fund-raising to establish a more accessible public space. It's an ambitious agenda, but Snead knows that difficult times offer their own opportunities.
"Ferris gave me self-confidence and the skills to provide a standard of living for my children," says Snead. "Ferris means a lot to alums, so I'm excited because George Menoutes is a Bulldog, too. Sometimes, these appointments can be more about politics than the institution. But in this instance, we're both Ferris alums and we're ready to do what we can to help the University."
On the Ferris State University Board of Trustees, Menoutes and Snead join
Arthur L. Tebo, Board chair. Appointed March 8, 2001. Term expires Dec. 31, 2008.
Tebo, a retired businessman, graduated from Ferris State University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and served as a counter intelligence agent in Washington, D.C., during the Vietnam War. He returned to Michigan in 1970 to become general manager of Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs. From 1984 to 2004 he served as chief operating officer of Boyne USA Resorts.
Tebo and his family currently reside on Walloon Lake.
James K. Haveman Jr., vice chair. Appointed Oct, 22, 2002. Term expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Haveman is currently with the Haveman Group, having previously served as director of the Michigan Department of Community Health since April 1996. Prior to that, he was director of the Michigan Department of Mental Health.
President George W. Bush appointed Haveman senior advisor to the Ministry of Health in Iraq. He was in Iraq as interim head of the MOH from June 2003 to May 2004.
Haveman has received the National Governors' Association Distinguished Service award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Calvin College, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1966. He also earned a master's in social work from Michigan State University.
R. Thomas Cook, secretary. Appointed
Aug. 2, 1995, Reappointed October 22, 2002. Term expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Cook, a 1967 graduate of Ferris State University's College of Pharmacy, is a past president of the Pharmacy Alumni Board and has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Cook has served on the board of Junior Achievement for Southeast Michigan, the Michigan Health Data Corporation, the Northville Michigan High School Outcomes Based Education Task Force, the Northville Schools Business and Education Partnerships Program and is actively involved with several professional organizations.
He is president of R. Thomas Cook Consulting, Inc.
Dr. Gregory Patera, immediate past
chair. Appointed Feb. 13, 1991, Reappointed Apr. 29, 1999. Term expires
Dec. 31, 2006.
Patera, a self-employed optometrist and former consultant to Vision Enrichment Services of Grand Rapids, has served on the Ferris Board since 1991. He also is a member of the University's College of Optometry Advisory Board.
In 1987, Patera was named Michigan Optometrist of the Year and is a recipient of the Optometric Recognition Award for Continuing Education from the American Optometric Association.
He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1973.
Olga Dazzo. Appointed April 29, 1999.
Term expires Dec. 31, 2006.
Dazzo is president of Physicians Health Plan, a not-for-profit Health Maintenance Organization and subsidiary of the Sparrow Health System. In 1996 she was named "Career Woman of the Year" by the National Association of Career Women, Lansing Founding Chapter. She also has served on the Meridian Township Economic Development and the Michigan Home Health Assembly Finance Committee boards.
The Cuban-born Dazzo speaks Spanish fluently. She holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting and a master's in Finance, both from Michigan State University.
Gary L. Granger. Appointed March 8,
2001. Term expires Dec. 31, 2008.
Granger, president and chief executive officer of Granger Group of Companies, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado and is a 1992 graduate of the Harvard Business School's Owner/President Program.
The Hickory Corner resident holds multiple board positions, including president of Lansing Christian School Board and president of the Burcham Hills Retirement Facility Board of Directors.
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