December 12, 2025

Ferris State President Pink tells 500 fall commencement grads to use their new degrees to make an impact

It wasn’t easy for Olivia Rey to complete her Ferris State University bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, but she was determined to complete her classwork and internship, even while expecting her first child.

“I thought about giving up but I remembered I had little eyes watching me,” she pasted on her mortarboard, with photos of little Rowan, now aged three months.

Rey, joined by little Rowan and husband Ben, was one of about 500 graduates celebrating the university’s December commencement on Friday. She was actually visiting the Big Rapids campus for the first time after earning her degree online.

Ferris State President Bill Pink told graduates they worked hard to earn their degrees. But now it’s important to put that education to use – proudly.

“The degree that you earned, the knowledge you gained, the thing that you have been prepared for, do not let that just sit on a shelf and not be used,” he said.

“You got it for a reason. You paid the money for a reason, and you finished. And it wasn't just for that degree and that credential just to sit on a shelf. It is for you to be able to, one day, be able to feed your family, be able to have a career path so that you can truly do things for you and your family that advance you. That's what this university does.”

Ferris State recently earned the elite “Opportunity University” designation from the Carnegie Classifications, recognizing that the university is accessible to its community and that graduates earn more than their peers due to the quality of their education.

“When people see the logo of this institution, when they see that Bulldog, all across the country, if not around the world, they know what that Bulldog represents,” he said. “When they see that Bulldog, that's Ferris State University, and if you're a graduate, there's a pride about that Bulldog.”

The ceremony also honored professor Deirdre Fagan of the Colleges of Arts, Sciences and Education.

Fagan is an award-winning author of poetry and other genres who has been featured on ABC and CBS television, NPR radio and Newsweek and the Huffington Post.