Two intermediate school districts are partnering with the College of Education and Human Services on grants for data analysis and professional development. The Eastern UP Intermediate School District asked the College of Education and Human Services to assist with a funded project that involves analyzing the achievement data in 57 local school districts. Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District submitted two teacher quality partnership grants to the Michigan Department of Education. If the two grants are funded, faculty from the College of Education and Human Services and College of Arts and Sciences will be providing professional development to the teachers in the three counties for a two-year period.

 

Helen Ferris, as a University co-founder, exhibited and was aptly described as having traits of integrity and humanity and was an outstanding educator who nurtured students. Accordingly, to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the University, the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) has adopted Helen Ferris as it patron, and has scheduled a series of panels and activities to celebrate her legacy to the University and its continuing impact on the personal and professional lives of College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) students; the need for integrity, humanity, courteousness, toughness and conscientiousness.

The first panel was held on October 8, 2009 and was composed of both a panel of faculty and alumni representatives from each of the Departments of COEHS as well as a panel of historians from the University community. The historian panel, composed of Melinda Isler, Mary Kay MacIver, and Gary Huey, spoke specifically to Helen Ferris’ traits and the legacy to the University that they constitute. The faculty panel was represented by Dr. Christine Conley-Sowels (faculty, School of Education), Jill Buse (alumna, Big Rapids City Recreation Department), Glen Okonoski (faculty/alumnus, Television and Digital Media Production), and Kristine Walters (faculty/alumna, School of Criminal Justice). Their role as faculty and/or alumni provided a unique opportunity for them to speak not only to the values they took from their education programs in COEHS while they were students, but also how they now work to instill those values in their students now that they are faculty.

 Maude Bigford, Honors Program Coordinator, served as moderator for the panel.

The panel was open to COEHS students, the campus and the community. Between 50 and 60 students attended the event as well as faculty. Future activities and panels are planned during the coming year to further describe the role Helen Ferris played in the co-founding of the University and illuminate the legacy that is still the focus of the Ferris State University mission.  

 

 

The following article from Chicago Tribute recognized the dedication of the Dr. Robert Parsons Law Enforcement Training Center:

 

Big Rapids, Michigan – Ferris State University says it’s honoring the man who founded its criminal justice program 37 years ago by naming its firing range for him. The Big Rapids school says it will call the facility the Dr. Robert L. Parsons Law Enforcement Training Center.  Parsons retired in 2002 and now is a professor emeritus at Ferris. The school says 3,000 students have graduated from the criminal justice program since it opened in 1972. Ferris says Parsons has been a major fundraiser for the justice programs, bringing in more than $8 million for weapons certification and training efforts.

 

Students from the Law Enforcement Academy are headed to Cedar Point Amusement Park Halloween Weekend for a fundraising event. Students work at the amusement park and in turn Cedar Point donates money to the academy. This trip is both a fun-filled weekend and fundraising event. Although this trip is not the first time the academy students have worked at Cedar Point, it is their first Halloween at the park and they are looking forward to the event.

The two Criminal Justice RSO’s, Lambda Alpha Epsilon and Alpha Phi Sigma, along with students from the law enforcement academy will participate in the Eagle Village Fun Day on campus. Eagle Village, a youth corrections facility, brings their youth to campus for a day of activities to show the benefits of education and being at a university.

 

 

On October 12, 2009, the Council of Accreditation for Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services sponsored by the National Recreation and Parks Associations (NRPA) reaccredited the Recreation, Leadership, and Management (RLM) Program.   The RLM Program is one of two accredited recreation programs in Michigan and 87 in the United States.  

This re-accreditation self-study, visit, and award are the third for the RLM Program which is now accredited through 2014. 

 

The program received commendations for the following elements:

 

1.    Recognition of 10-year commitment to the accreditation process;

2.    Leadership role in student portfolio development;

3.    Student-centered faculty; and

4.    Excellent administrative staff support.

 

During the next two years, the RLM Program will be transitioning to the new NRPA standards for the next reaccreditation cycle. Additionally, the RLM faculty members will be aligning outcomes to the new standards, implementing student outcome measures, and reporting assessment results. They established a work plan for reviewing the curriculum and implemented an assessment plan.

 

 

 

Denise Mitten, Susan Hastings-Bishop, and Matt Wagenheim are pictured sharing the Certificate of Accreditation from the NRPA.

 

 

 

Online Cl@ssroon: Ideas for online instruction, a periodical for faculty who teach online, included an interview of Dr. Rick Van Sant in an article entitled “A Learner-Centered, Emotionally Engaging Approach to Online Learning.”

 

Amy Kavanaugh participated on the planning committee and as a presenter for the “Fired Up” Conference, which was held in September in Grand Rapids. The Fired Up Conference is an annual event for the Grand Rapids Area student teachers sponsored by the teacher preparation institutions which have students in that area, including Ferris State University, Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, Calvin College, Aquinas College, Hope College, and Cornerstone University.

 

Virginia Hines presented on electronic portfolios at an accreditation conference sponsored by Wayne State University on October 16, 2009.

 

Dr. Cheryl Thomas received an award in the form of a stipend from the Wallace Foundation and Western Michigan University for her work in the area of educational leadership. She recently redesigned the Master of Educational Leadership curriculum that was reviewed by the Chief Academic Officers last year. She is waiting for Michigan Department of Education approval.

 

Michigan Center for Career & Technical Education (MCCTE-FSU) Grant - Ferris State University’s School of Education was awarded a Michigan Department of Education, Office of Career & Technical Education, grant to operate the Michigan Center for Career & Technical Education. The work on the grant involves assisting the Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) staff and consultants to comply with the new Perkins IV legislation. Dr. Katherine (Kitty) Manley serves as project director and Tina Koepf and Kim Ducat (both MSCTE graduates) serve as project assistants on the grant.

The original grant was a three year grant (2006-2009) and this represents a one-year extension. The project has developed and implemented a highly innovative online database which will be used for all CTE teachers and administrators in the state to manage their curriculum. The goal of this part of the project will be to develop an electronic curriculum system that is comprehensive, statewide, user-friendly, and instructor-driven for managing the technical standards, career cluster content, segments, resource guide content, and academic alignment results. The system will be called the MI CTE NAVIGATOR and will allow all participants in the CTE community (State/Regional/Local Administrators, Instructors, Support Staff and Students) real-time access to the curriculum data necessary for educational decision-making, management and achievement. 

During the new continuation grant 2009-2010, the MCCTE will:

 

 

The streaming videos from the Television and Digital Media Production (TDMP) program also can be accessed by going directly to http://www.ferrisstate.tv. Programs include a new show featured in the line-up at Fox 32 Ferris State Live along with many other Ferris produced programs featuring campus decision makers as hosts. Among those shows is a sports show called Ferris Sports show hosted by Jon Coles and Rob Bentley. Other shows are hosted by Dr. David Pilgrim, Dean Michelle Johnston, Dr. Tom Langdon (BRPS), Leroy Wright, and Terry Doyle. The shows air locally on cable channel 22, and are later available for on-demand streaming at http://www.ferrisstate.tv.

Additionally, Ferris Sports show, which is in its fourth season and a partnership between the TDMP and Bulldog Athletics Department, has a new format. The new format will allow more in-depth interviews and expanded features.

 

Fred Wyman, Chair of the Television and Digital Media Production program in cooperation with David Baker of the Digital Animation and Game Design program of the CPTS hosted a meeting of the Media Communications Association - International mid-Michigan chapter at the ATC building on the Ferris Grand Rapids campus on Tuesday, October 13, 2009. The topic of the meeting was a Producers' Showcase where west Michigan media producers showed their recent works and responded to comments and critiques. The meet was well attended and well received.

 

Fred Wyman, Chair of the Television and Digital Media Production program served as host of a presentation sponsored by the West Michigan Film and Video Alliance on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at Grand Rapids Community College. The meeting was called "Making a West Michigan TV Series." The session permitted attendees to hear the producers of the West Michigan-produced TV series, "Come On Over". Joel Schoon Tanis, Teresa Thome and Patrick Ziegler went from "what if" to an Emmy-winning children's television program. The team navigated the processes of raising money, assembling the talent, bringing in guest stars, working with Michigan film incentives; all while maintaining a creative edge and local control.