Ferris State University's faculty advisers of the Michigan Epsilon chapter of Tau Alpha Pi, the national honor society for engineering technology students, announced their 2019 list of inductees. From left to right, Richard Goosen, Bill Koepf, Matthew Simmons, Ryan Heintzleman, Chuck Drake, Ken Kuk, Chandlar Gabara, Troy Bearden, Evan Gronsman, Blade Dick, Tyler Denett, Mackenzie Dawes, David Eisler, Paul Blake and Jim Rumpf.
The faculty advisers of the Ferris State University Michigan Epsilon chapter of Tau Alpha Pi, the national honor society for engineering technology students, are pleased to announce their 2019 inductees. The students are Mackenzie Dawes, of DeWitt; Blade Dick, of Ravenna; and Ryan Heintzleman, of Grand Rapids, in Mechanical Engineering Technology; and Tyler Dennett, of Byron Center; Chandlar Gabara, of Cadillac; and Evan Gronsman, of Ada, in Manufacturing Engineering Technology; and Matthew Simmons, of Freesoil, and Jaclyn Stone, of Holton, in Product Design Engineering Technology; and Troy Bearden, of Ashley, in Welding Engineering Technology.
“Eligibility for membership is limited to the top four percent of all full-time students who have completed at least three-fourths of their studies in an eligible engineering technology program, so these are the best students in some of Ferris State University’s toughest programs,” said chapter advisor Jim Rumpf. “In addition to being academically eligible, candidates also must be recommended by their faculty group, so these inductees were not only academically outstanding but also have displayed excellent character during their careers at here. They have earned both our respect for their accomplishments and our appreciation for their performance.”
Rumpf and fellow faculty advisers Gary Todd, Chuck Drake, Ben Upham, Ken Kuk and Bill Koepf processed the nominations earlier this semester. Inductees received their certificates, pins, and diploma seals on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at a presentation ceremony with President David Eisler, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Paul Blake and College of Engineering Technology Dean Richard Goosen, and will have their names added to the Tau Alpha Pi plaque on display in the College of Engineering Technology.
The Michigan Epsilon chapter of Tau Alpha Pi was established at Ferris in 2000. Tau Alpha Pi is the national honor society for engineering technology, as Phi Beta Kappa is for liberal arts and Tau Beta Pi is for engineering. Founded in 1953, membership is open to both associate-degree and baccalaureate candidates. The society’s purpose is twofold:
- to recognize high standards of scholarship among students in engineering technology
programs, and
- to promote and encourage scholastic achievement by offering outstanding engineering technology students membership in the society. Tau Alpha Pi rewards selected scholars for past achievements and accomplishments while encouraging a lifetime of commitment to learning and scholarship.