David Eisler, DMA

David Eisler, DMA

President (ret), Ferris State University
Professor of Music
Humanities
Phone: (231) 591-2340
Email: [email protected]

Education

• DMA, University of Michigan, Clarinet Performance
• MM, Yale University, Clarinet Performance, Music History\Music Theory
• BM, University of Michigan, Clarinet Performance, Woodwind Specialist, Music Teaching Credential K-12

Biography

Dr. David Eisler served as president of Ferris State University from July 2003 through June 2022 and was the senior public university president in Michigan. On campus, Dr. Eisler worked with faculty, staff and students to develop and implement a vision that focuses Ferris State University as a Career-Centered University. Under his leadership, the University has embarked on an ambitious program of curricular innovation, classroom renovation, cooperative programs with high schools and community colleges, and providing opportunity for students who may not otherwise attend college. Ferris was the first university selected to receive the Uncommon Greatness Award from the Center for Community Leadership Center of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. At Ferris he leads the Now and Always comprehensive campaign which has raised over $100 million for university students, facilities, and programs. He is a recipient of the inaugural Newsmaker of the Year in Education Award by the Grand Rapids Business Journal and is a member of the Ferris State University Welding Engineering Technology Hall of Fame and the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance Hall of Fame.

In partnership with the American Association of State College and Universities and the New York Times, Dr. Eisler helped create the American Democracy Project. In 2018 Dr. Eisler was chosen to present the President to Presidents Lecture to his nearly 400 presidential colleagues of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Dr. Eisler serves as Vice President and is chair-elect for the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and serves on the boards of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), Grand Rapids Symphony, Michigan Association of State Universities (MASU), Michigan Research Council, Michigan Works! West Central, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). He is past board chair for the GLIAC, MASU, the Michigan Nonprofit Association, University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance alumni board ,and the WCHA, and past member of the AASCU Board of Directors, AASCU-Penson Center for Professional Development, Art Serve Michigan, Connect Michigan Alliance, Talent 2025, and United Ways of Michigan.

President and Mrs. Eisler are committed to creating opportunities for foster youth and have established the Johnson Endowment, honoring Mrs. Eisler’s adopted parents and providing scholarship support for students from the foster youth system. President Eisler believes strongly the higher education experience should prepare students for successful careers, create a pattern of intellectual rigor, develop a commitment to community engagement and provide the foundation for lifelong learning.