John Fenn heads into familiar territory as he joins The Ferris Foundation Board of
Directors, following his appointment announced Friday, Oct. 5 by the university’s
Board of Trustees.
Fenn, who established his Sterling Heights-based land surveying and civil engineering firm Fenn and Associates in 1978, has been a fervent supporter of Ferris’ Surveying Engineering Technology program, and learning at the university, having established the John R. and Lynda D. Fenn Annual Scholarship, in 1998. The Fenns followed that generous act by creating the Digital Photogrammetry and GIS Laboratory that bears their name, which was dedicated in April 2005.
“I think this country has to be built upon supporting the education of our young people, and those generations that will follow,” Fenn said. “I am proud to have established a 25-year relationship with the Surveying Engineering Technology program at Ferris.”
At the urging of Ferris President David Eisler, Fenn recently agreed to join Adel Makki of Dearborn Heights, and Terry Stewart, of Fountain Hills, Arizona and Saugatuck, Michigan, as the latest members of The Ferris Foundation Board.
“It is an honor to join the board of directors,” Fenn said. “It’s important to see that students, faculty and staff at Ferris are provided the resources necessary to pursue excellence and build on the educational product that creates benefit for all students. I look forward to working with The Ferris Foundation administration and my peers to promote giving opportunities and scholarship.”
“John will definitely be an asset to our board,” said Carla Miller, executive director of The Ferris Foundation. “He has become a familiar face among our students and alumni, as a long-time friend of the Surveying Engineering department. We will benefit from his passion for serving our students.”
Fenn was awarded a Ferris Honorary Doctorate of Business and Industry, in 2007.
PHOTO CAPTION: Philanthropist John Fenn has been approved by the Ferris State University
Board of Trustees as a member of the Board of Directors for The Ferris Foundation.
Fenn, a Sterling Heights native, did not attend the university, but established a
scholarship for students in Ferris' Surveying Engineering Technology program, and
provided a Digital Photogrammetry and GIS Laboratory on the campus.