Ferris State University History

Ferris State University History This page explores the rich history of Ferris State University and the people who have passed through Be respectful to others. Check your facts.

This page is sponsored by the History Task Force at Ferris State University. Many of the photos on this page are courtesy of the University Archives. The page administrators are:

Mary Kay MacIver
231.591.3739
[email protected]

Jennifer Thede
231.591.5346
[email protected]

We welcome interactions with our fans. You are welcome to post questions, comments or concerns on this page. Our goal is t

o build a community where our fans can share content, express their ideas, share experiences and provide helpful information to each other. Please note the rules of this site below and understand that we reserve the right to remove any post that does not comply. It is fine to voice a complaint or to disagree with another post, but please do so in a constructive and polite manner. Profanities, personal attacks, defamation or use of obscenities about any person, group, organization or belief are not acceptable and will be removed. If you post something that isn’t true, we will correct you and remove it. Your posts should always be relevant to Ferris State University History. Do not use this site to promote any other business, political candidate or other causes. We welcome links to other pages and/or groups associated with Ferris State University. We remove posts with links to groups that do not have a direct association to Ferris. Specifically, we will remove posts such as:
-Discounts offered to Ferris students, alumni or employees
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-Rental housing ads
-Political, religious or activist groups that are not directly associated with Ferris
Excessive or continuously negative posts
Check to see if this is an appropriate place for your post. There might be a better venue for your post if:
-You have a job opening – these are best directed to our Career Services site at ferris.edu/htmls/othersrv/placement/ or our Alumni page at facebook.com/FerrisAlumni.
-If you are a vendor who would like to share information about a discount for our students, faculty, staff or alumni, please visit our purchasing site at ferris.edu/htmls/administration/purchase/
-You are a landlord. You can promote your rental opening by contacting the Torch student newspaper at fsutorch.com/

Protect your privacy. Your comments are visible to all. Never include your phone number, e-mail address or other personal information in a post. If you want individual follow-up, send a message through the site to a page administrator. Ferris State University is not responsible for the content of any website outside of the ferris.edu domain. The inclusion of any non-Ferris link, whether by a Ferris employee or anyone posting on the site, does not imply endorsement by Ferris State University of that website. Posts by page administrators will appear next to the official page icon. Any other comments on the site do not necessarily reflect the opinions and positions of Ferris State University. You are legally responsible for the comments you post. Our Fans’ Commitment

By posting any comments, links or other material on Ferris-sponsored websites, you give Ferris State University the irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works from, and otherwise use your submission for any purpose in any form and on any media. You also agree that you will not:

1. Post material that infringes on the rights of any third party, including intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights.

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Ferris State University students gather on the Robinson Quad to watch the May 8, 2024 solar eclipse.
04/08/2024

Ferris State University students gather on the Robinson Quad to watch the May 8, 2024 solar eclipse.

As we get ready to send the 2023-24 Founders' Day calendar to the press, how many people realized that the 2022-23 calen...
08/03/2023

As we get ready to send the 2023-24 Founders' Day calendar to the press, how many people realized that the 2022-23 calendar was based on the Grays Sports Almanac from the movie "Back to the Future"?

The annual calendar is only available on Founders' Day, which is August 31, 2023. Plan to attend!

Ferris Family MausoleumHistory Task Force EventThe Ferris History Task Force and Facilities Management will open the Fer...
05/22/2023

Ferris Family Mausoleum
History Task Force Event

The Ferris History Task Force and Facilities Management will open the Ferris Family Mausoleum on Thursday, May 25 from 11 a.m. to noon at Highlandview Cemetery in Big Rapids. This is your opportunity to pay your respects to the founders of Ferris State University and to see the beautiful marble interior of the structure, as well as the stained glass window that was created by nationally known artist Richard Hanley of Omnibus Studios. The structure is maintained by the Ferris State University grounds staff who annually maintain the structure and plant flowers in the urns. Facilities Management staff will be onsite to greet visitors, along with members of the History Task Force.

The Ferris Family Mausoleum
Woodbridge and Helen Ferris are interred in the Mausoleum along with their sons Carleton and Phelps and Carleton's wife Marguerite.

Here is a photo of Clark  Hall residents after winning the prize for the first NCA days
05/02/2023

Here is a photo of Clark Hall residents after winning the prize for the first NCA days

While most people know our first president Woodbridge Ferris was also Michigan governor, there was a second governor nam...
03/10/2023

While most people know our first president Woodbridge Ferris was also Michigan governor, there was a second governor named Frank Fitzgerald who was a graduate of Ferris Institute. He was governor from January 1, 1935- January 1, 1937.

Here is one from a slightly later carnival
03/03/2023

Here is one from a slightly later carnival

With all the late winter weather, here are some memories of the annual snow carnival from the 1950s and 1960s. All of th...
03/03/2023

With all the late winter weather, here are some memories of the annual snow carnival from the 1950s and 1960s. All of these creations were done by student groups to win the contest. Can you name the dorms? Or figure out what its a sculpture of?

Today is the 73rd anniversary of the burning of Old Main and the Pharmacy Annex. The phone call to the fire department t...
02/21/2023

Today is the 73rd anniversary of the burning of Old Main and the Pharmacy Annex. The phone call to the fire department took place at 5:15 p.m. Much of the town came out to watch. Unfortunately, they could not save the buildings.

As President Eisler steps down, here is a photograph of an event he promoted called Pancakes with the President from 201...
06/30/2022

As President Eisler steps down, here is a photograph of an event he promoted called Pancakes with the President from 2013. Many students enjoyed meeting up with him during these events.

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1201 S State St
Big Rapids, MI
49307

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