The Ferris State University Book Club has been established by the Alumni Association,
as an effort to promote lifelong learning and gather friends of the university with
current and former students, in a free, virtual moderated forum. "A Woman of No Substance"
is the first book on their schedule, beginning Monday, June 1.With an inability to gather Ferris State University graduates and other friends in group activities for an unspecified period, the Alumni Association has moved to a virtual opportunity with a Book Club, which will begin examining their first selection on Monday, June 1.
Director of Alumni Relations Brandi Behrenwald said that the intention is to bring any friend, student or Ferris graduate together in a moderated forum to consider books on lifelong learning, personal growth, novels and other genres.
“We polled a group of university employees, along with our Alumni Association Board members, which brought about the selection of ‘A Woman of No Importance,’ by Sonia Purnell,” Behrenwald said. “Our club members will vote on titles they hope to read, thereafter.”
Behrenwald said that registration in the Ferris State University Book Club is free, and those who participate are welcome to pick and choose their level of involvement, based on their interests.
“We will progress through books in two-month cycles, so if a particular title does not appeal to someone, another will begin shortly thereafter,” Behrenwald said. “It should only require an hour or two of reading each week, to keep up with online forum discussions for any particular work.”
The book club will generally select their titles from a field of New York Times bestsellers.
“In time, we will explore a larger variety of subjects, but we want to make it easy for members to acquire a book when libraries return as a resource, or by purchasing an e-book or another media option,” Behrenwald said. “We hope to keep the price point below $20, for the benefit of students and participants on fixed incomes.”
The Alumni Association chose to partner with PBC Guru, after having to cancel their “Bulldogs And Brews Tour,” a 15-event, multistate schedule of events organized by Alumni Ambassadors.
“We had a couple of tour stops before the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our opportunity to hold the events,” Behrenwald said. “We know that the Ferris State University Book Club is a safer way to gather our Bulldog family while encouraging participation in a learning community. We hope that everyone can enjoy the escape and knowledge available to them through these discussions.”