Victor Piercey
Ferris State University’s new Honors Program director, Victor Piercey, knows the campus well.
With that knowledge, Piercey intends to continue scholarly works while exposing the program’s 643 students to begin the 2023-24 academic year, to look beyond coursework, and to think broadly about the needs of communities and the globe.
“I see my role as an exciting opportunity to engage students and conduct scholarship in light of 21st-century problems facing humanity,” Piercey said. “For example, the United Nations has articulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which can be addressed at various scales from local communities to global scenarios. I want our students to think in terms of having the ability to consider, develop and lead initiatives inspired by these goals, such as reducing poverty and world hunger. At the same time, they pursue their academic interests.”
Piercey said Honors students will be encouraged to further their learning and experience in collaborative efforts across campus.
“There are faculty members in every college who have a passion, and our students can be exposed to that zeal for learning and research,” he said. “Everyone will succeed by our effort to offer them a space to work on what excites them.”
Piercey holds a doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctorate from Columbia University, beyond his accomplishments as a Michigan State University alumnus. He enters this new role excited and thankful for the team collaborating with him for the program’s success.
“I am thrilled to be working with Honors Advisor Cathy Bordeau and Retention and Student Success Dean Jason Bentley,” Piercey said. “The college is healthy, and we have a wonderful task ahead, serving the students of this program.”
Piercey is a Mathematics and Actuarial Science professor whose efforts in course creation include Quantitative Reasoning for Professionals, a National Science Foundation-funded course developed for business, nursing, and social work students and the Theory of Interest course for actuarial science students. Piercey’s latest scholarly consideration involves using data science for genocide resilience and prevention.
“My research colleagues and I believe by employing proper data storytelling techniques, a case can be made to policymakers so they will be convinced to act in their self-interest to slow or stop the onset of genocide in at-risk countries,” Piercey said. “Transparency and greater awareness are powerful tools to combat the escalation of atrocities where coup d’etats or armed interventions are the only recourse to end the violence.”