Members of December's Class of 2022 Ferris State University graduates are shown here
on Dec. 17 in Big Rapids. Shown here are Doctorate in Community College Leadership
graduates.
Ferris State University’s final graduates in the Class of 2022 and their supporters braved wintry conditions to gather and celebrate accomplishment during commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17, in Jim Wink Arena of the Ewigleben Sports Complex.
Ferris hosted morning and afternoon sessions for the respective university college graduates and those completing the Doctorate of Community College Leadership program. More than 500 students of the 750 overall Fall 2022 graduates took part. Ana Ramirez-Saenz, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, welcomed graduates and their family members. She noted that this graduation day is a milestone for the newest Ferris alumni and their loved ones.
“It will always be an important part of your history and life story,” Ramirez-Saenz said. “You have received the best of the Ferris faculty, staff and administration.”
Ramirez-Saenz also noted the responsibilities that are now central to each graduate as they advance to careers and community leadership.
“You should take measures of self-respect, integrity, professionalism and empathy to each day in your life and work,” Ramirez-Saenz said. “Know that your university stands with you as a source of support and welcomes you to stay connected with the greater Ferris community.”
Pictured here are more graduates from Ferris State University's December 2022 ceremonies
in Big Rapids on Saturday, the 17th.
Rather than prioritizing the pomp and circumstance of commencement, President Bill Pink used his opportunity to speak at his first Ferris commencement to make clear his philosophy of being a boisterous, bullhorn-wielding supporter of those earning their degrees.
“You have people to celebrate today, both as graduates and those who came to enjoy this accomplishment,” Pink said. “Parents and friends, thank you for the support you have given the person sitting on this floor. Without you, it would have been so much more difficult to make it through.”
Delivering the keynote commencement address was 2022 Distinguished Teacher Award winner Eric Warner, an associate professor of Spanish for the Professions and faculty-in-residence at the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. Warner mixed inspirational content focused on success with reflections on his grandmother, who did not complete high school but cultivated knowledge as a priority throughout her life.
“She never accomplished her dream of becoming a nurse, but she became someone super special for me and our family,” Warner said. “She was one of the most intelligent and wittiest people I have ever met. She had an intellectual curiosity that extended from plants to history, people, food and so much more. That wonderment about life was instilled in me from a very young age, and that inspiration and motivation brought me to this podium today.”
Warner also quoted university founder Woodbridge N. Ferris to support his call for graduates to become lifelong learners and contributing citizens.
“He said, ‘Let us, in whatever way we are best qualified, serve our own community and thus fulfill the highest democracy,’” Warner said. “My challenge for you is to take the education you have gained and build on that to serve all communities, as this is a celebratory point of departure and not a final destination.”
College of Business and College of Health Professions graduates celebrated during the morning commencement ceremony. During the afternoon session, the College of Engineering Technology, College of Arts, Sciences and Education, and the Doctorate of Community College Leadership program received their tribute.