Founders Day 2007 Snapshots of Our Past Present Future David L. Eisler, president Ferris State University On Thursday Aug. 30, 2007, I delivered some remarks.

Founders Day 2007

Snapshots of Our

Past

Present

Future

David L. Eisler, president

Ferris State University

On Thursday Aug. 30, 2007, I delivered some remarks to the

Ferris community. This presentation is a shortened version

of those remarks. To put this online, some of the visuals have

had to be reduced in terms of their file sizes and may appear less

sharp than in the original. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this report on where the University is today, where we have been and where we will be in the future.

Our FoundersWe are unique among public universities in Michigan by being named for our founders, Woodbridge and Helen Ferris. This gives us a sense

of tradition and history that other schools don’t have.

September 1, 1884

Woodbridge taught the first class at what was then the Big Rapids Industrial school on September first, 1884.

Ten men and five women were enrolled.

Morning Exercises 1911

For many years the school day began with “morning exercises,” which consisted of communal singing and

remarks from Woodbridge Ferris.

High Tech - 1952

One of things I’m going to be talking about is how much things have changed. Here’s an example of

what high-tech looked like in 1952.

Dining Services

Then

Now

Our Dining Services has changed dramatically over the years. This is a photo of our first cafeteria. Compare that to Center Ice or any of our other

full-service dining areas.

1899-1900

I’m also going to touch upon the challenges we have, such as keeping a college education

affordable. This flyer from the turn of the 20th century advertises that

$125 would pay for living expenses, including room and board, lights and tuition for 36 weeks for students study the

Commercial course, Telegraphy or Shorthand. Other programs were

even less expensive.

Success

As a university we often look more at shortcomings than our

accomplishments. The measure of success for a university will always be its graduates. The

learning that our faculty lead and the support we provide creates great graduates, people whose lives have changed from this

experience and who are prepared to not only succeed, but to lead.

Success - Students

• Ferris attracts better prepared students

• More and more of our programs are becoming selective admission because of student demand.

• Students are more engaged both on and off campus

• Job placement rates remain high even with Michigan’ poor economy

We have been increasing our admission standards even as we have been increasing our enrollment. This means we

have better prepared students who are actively involved in the life of the campus and the

community. When they graduate they are getting good

jobs, even in Michigan’s current economic climate.

Success – IRC

I’m very excited about our completely removed IRC building. Our renovation stresses making

the spaces more learning-centered, and is designed to create possibility for education both

inside and outside of the classroom.

Success - Facilities

• Master plans have been completed for both Big Rapids and Grand Rapids campuses

• A comprehensive facility and infrastructure audit is completed

• Ferris has revised 47 classrooms as part of a project to modernize all classrooms on campus

We are working on upgrading many other sites through our classroom modernization project. Like the

renovation of the IRC, the mission of our classroom modernization is to

make our facilities user-friendly, technologically up-to-date and

geared to the mission of learning.

Success - Classrooms

Those who worked in Allied Health Building

Room 420 politely described it as dreadful.

Success - Classrooms

I taught my first Ferris class in SCI 117. In the

“before” photo, note the immovable lab

bench in the center of the teaching space and the high tech overhead

projector.

Success - Enrollment

• Today enrollment is 13,039

• Increase of –

– 550 students

– 5,782 SCH

– 237 Big Rapids students

Enrollment is one of our great success stories for this fall. For the first time in

history enrollment is greater than 13,000! Accompanying this is an increase in

credit hours. Enrollment is strong in Big Rapids locations, at FSU-GR and the Kendall College of Art and Design.

Success - Development

• Ferris Foundation grows from $18.7 million (2002) to $36.5 million (2007),a 95% increase

• In 2007 – Number University donors increase

10%– Cash donations increase 16%– Total cash contributions over $4.2

million – Dow Foundation pledges $1 million for

new Optometry Building

The Ferris Foundation continues to have strong support from donors. In the past five years, total assets for the Foundation have almost

doubled. This has helped us increase scholarship support and support for resources for faculty

and staff initiatives.

Challenges

The history of Ferris is one of challenge. Whether it was the struggle to build the Alumni Building in 1929 during the Great Depression. The economic challenges of the 20s and 40s were such that at times bedsprings were sold from residences to cover costs. Then, of course,

there was the great fire of 1950. Ferris is no stranger to significant challenges. One of our donors societies is called the Phoenix Society because this University truly did rise from the

ashes. The challenges we face today might not be as immediately dramatic, but will nonetheless require the same dedication and perseverance.

Challenges:State Support

• June 2007 – budget reduction

• August payment delayed

- $4.5 million

• State economy continues to decline

• No state budget approved

• No indications that legislature and governor have dealt with revenues

This past year has been a worst-case scenario for state support. In June, the last month of our

annual budget, the state reduced its support to us by $843,400. The governor and legislature

then delayed our August payment of $4.5 million.

Meanwhile, the state’s economy has yet to rebound.

Challenges:Cost

• Current resident tuition is $8,700

• Room and board is $7,646

• Ferris students receive fifth highest amount of financial aid.

• Average unmet need (on an annual student budget of $16,000) is more than $2,000.

The cost of a college education is increasing rapidly in

Michigan. My hope is that for spring semester we be able to

remove the $8/credit contingency fee added to help defray the delayed payment.

Safety and Security

This last Spring we had a memorial for the shooting victims at Virginia Tech. That tragedy made it painfully clear that as a community we need to do everything we can to assure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

In 2003 I asked Public Safety Director Marty Bledsoe to lead a process to develop and implement an effective and comprehensive emergency management plan for Ferris State University on its campuses in Big Rapids and Grand Rapids. From that effort, Emergency and Safety Procedures Guides were developed and distributed to all employees.

Please help me with our emergency management preparedness. Find this brochure and read it. If you can not find it, please call Public Safety at (231) 591-5000 and ask for another one.

Safety and Security

Over the past week I have read through the internal review at Virginia Tech (VT) of this tragedy. We already do a number of these recommendations. Today I will begin reading the external review released by Virginia’s Gov. Timothy Kaine this morning.

I am very pleased with the leadership of our emergency management team and find their excellent preparation validated by other colleges and universities who use our materials as a guide. This is an opportunity where can learn from the VT materials.

• Director of Public Safety, Marty Bledsoe, will lead a review of the security infrastructure

• Chief Technology Officer, John Urbanick will lead a review of the information and communications infrastructure

• Vice President for Student Affairs Dan Burcham, will lead a review of the interface and interactions in working with students at risk

• Because much of this tragedy occurred in a classroom building, Vice President Tom Oldfield will appoint co-chairs for these efforts from Academic Affairs

• These campus leaders will work with existing groups, adding members as needed to review these documents and bring back recommendations for our University.

Challenges – A Changing World and

Rapidly Changing Demographics

• The world we live in is –• Global

• Multi-cultural

• Multi-ethnic

• And growing more diverse by the moment

Because we live in a global, multi-cultural world, we need

to create a campus that is home to all of the students

who come here, and prepare all of our students to live, work and lead in a multi-

ethnic culture.

The Challenge

Create and adopt the first university-wide diversity plan in Ferris State University history

To facilitate that goal, we are undertaking our first-ever

University-wide diversity plan. Chief Diversity Officer David

Pilgrim has talked to many departments already. As an

institution, our conversations about culture, race, sexual

orientation and disabilities will help to better understand each other and create a place where

everyone can come to teach, learn and work in a welcoming

environment.

Important Priorities

• Create a new leadership structure that emphasizes the importance of academics at our University,Search for Provost

• Prepare for 2010-2011 Higher Learning CommissionAccreditation

At the end of spring semester with the assistance of the academic deans, a search

committee for a provost was organized. This effort is

underway and ably led by co-chairs Professor Robert Loesch

and Dean Ellen Haneline. This is also the year to accelerate our

preparation for the Higher Learning Commission Review in

2010-2011. I have asked Vice President Tom Oldfield and

Associate Vice President Robbie Teahen to lead these efforts.

Ferris State University

1997 -2007

Change happens continually at our University. Because we are a part of it, we don’t realize how much is occurring. But when

looking back over ten years, the results are stunning.

Arts and Sciences - then

Our physical campus has changed greatly in the last 10 years. Here’s the Arts and Sciences building 10 years ago…

Arts and Sciences Commons

and today.

Technology – then

Our central campus has changed a dramatically in the last few years.

National Elastomer Center

One of first buildings to begin to transform central campus was the National Elastomer Center. Like many of our other buildings, the

Elastomer Center was built with significant help from industry.

Ewigleben Ice Arena

One of the things I hear from alumni when they visit campus is, “where did you put that building?” While we don’t move buildings, we do change the roads.

Here’s one example, the Ewigleben Ice Arena. Recently this facility was used to host both our Alumnus Chris Kunitz when he brought the Stanley Cup to campus. It was also where returning soldiers from Iraq were honored and

reunited with family members. That road directly to south has been replaced by Wink Arena.

Bond Hall - then

At an alumni meeting in Naples, Fla., last

January I was able to show these slides to George Rapanos…

Bond Hall

…who donated the obelisk for the Circle of Inspiration, which has helped transform the Bond Hall complex.

Sadly, George passed away earlier this year.

The Art Walk (a concept)

The Michigan Art Walk has gone from concept…

The Art Walk

…to reality. Now it would be hard to imagine campus with these public works of art that have been created specifically for their individual locations.

The Press Box then

If you’ve been to Top Taggart Field during the past decade to attend football games you might want to

look for yourself in this photo!

Wheeler Pavilion

The Wheeler Pavilion has made a huge difference. For people who might first experience campus through an athletic

event at Top Taggart Field, the pavilion makes an important first impression.

Timme Library

Many people – especially students and their parents – are likely to have their first significant experience of campus at the Timme

Center for Student Services, formerly the Timme Library.

Timme Center

Like Wheeler Pavilion, the renovated Center for Student Services makes an important first impression in terms of its physical appearance, and the student services the renovation

has allowed us to consolidate in one facility.

Rankin and the QuadThen…

I think that every really great campus has an

open area that serves as the heart of the campus.

The Quad

The Quad between the Rankin Center and FLITE has become the heart of campus. A huge number of activities – both planned and spontaneous – take place on the Quad each year.

FLITE Takes Shape

Of course, no building more than the Ferris Library for Information, Technology and Education has come to define the look of our campus

FLITE

More than just being our flagship building, students make incredible use of FLITE. The library and quad together create an entirely

different campus experience than what existed just ten years ago.

Ferris State University then…

Taken together, these changes provide the resources we need to give our students…

…and Ferris State University

Today

…the best environment we have ever had to provide opportunities for learning.

Our Students

19962006

• Entering ACT 18.4 20.9

• Entering GPA 2.7 3.1

• Age 22 22

But changes aren’t just in facilities. Look at the difference in our students. The students we are attracting to campus are also the best we have ever had. Entering ACT scores and Grade Point Averages have both increased significantly.

Challenges - Costs

1996 2006

• Compensation $66,690,644 $103,942,459

• Utilities $ 1,993,416 $ 8,129,365

• Scholarships $ 3,182,000 $ 9,437,000

• Technology $ 1,087,494 $ 3,433.242

Costs have increased also during this period compensation has increased by 56%, utilities by 306%, scholarships by 196% and annual investments in technology by 216%.

Challenges – State Support

• Since 2002 state support decreases by $11.6 million– In 1996 Michigan provided 56% of

university revenue

– Today the state provides 31%

• Support per full-time student declines 28.3%– In 2001 - $6,094 per student

– In 2007 - $4,370 per student

And we do this in an environment of staggering decreases in state support. In five years, not ten, state

support has decreased $11.6 million, in 2002 the state paid for 56% of the

cost of student’s education. Five years later that is

31%. We now receive 28% less for a student.

Challenges – State Support

• Since 2002 state support decreases by $16.1 million– In 1996 Michigan provided 56% of

university revenue

– Today the state provides 31%

• Support per full-time student declines 35%– In 2001 - $6,094 per student

– In 2007 - $3,960 per student

Should we not receive the $4.5 million payments that

are currently being delayed, the impact is even

worse - $16.1 million. That would mean the state would pay only 31% of a student’s cost and support

during this brief period will have declined by 35%

Teaching and Learning

1884 –

1996 – 15.4 student to faculty ratio

2006 – 15.6 student to faculty ratio

3,060 certificates & degrees

Alumni – 114,768

In 1884 our student to teacher ratio was 15:1,

just about the same as it is today. Last year we

awarded more than three thousand degrees and certificates and we have almost 115,000

alumni.

Technology

1952 –

2006 – Faculty and staff computer replacement Campus-wide wireless network Implementation of Banner system 11, 534 SCH On-line

In 1952 we had Royal manual typewriters. Today faculty and

staff computers are regularly replaced, a wireless network

stretches throughout campus and we have implemented a new

administrative software system. This support is necessary, we now

deliver more than 11,000 credit hours on-line. This would equate to

about 385 full-time students.

Enrollment and Staffing• Ten years ago – 9,495 students

• Today - 12,986 students

• Ten years ago – 474 faculty

• Today - 530 faculty

• Ten years ago – 1312 employees

• Today - 1362 employees

We are running the university today with essentially the same number of total employees as ten years ago, even though we

have increased enrollment by about over 35%.

Strategic Planning

• Year-long University-wide effort involving all stakeholders

• Examines who we are and what we want to become

• Develops long-term goals for future direction of university

• Determines initiatives that will achieve these goals

Today and at other times during the coming weeks, we will be holding stakeholder sessions for our Strategic Planning initiative. These sessions are your opportunity to express your

feeling about who we are as a University and what we should become in the future.

Strategic Planning Identifies and Develops

• Driving Forces

• Planning Assumptions

• Core Values

• Mission Statement

• Vision Statement

• Goals

We will look at a range of some of the things that make us unique and the values that guide us. This is an ambitious undertaking that is critical to making sure that we shape our own future,

rather than just being at the mercy of each individual challenge that arises. This is being coordinated by the Strategic Planning and Resources Council, or SPARC. Heading up SPARC

is Languages and Literature Professor Robert von der Osten and Dr. David McFarland.

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning and Resource Planning Council (SPARC)

Dr. Robert von der Osten

Dr. David McFarland

Most important person in this process is You!

We need your involvement.

Did You Know . . .

The remainder of this presentation plays automatically with musical accompaniment.

If you are not connected to the Internet, you may view the remainder of the presentation by advancing to the next slide.

The FLITE Library serves 1,387 people

Each Day

The library has 28,455 full-text periodicals available

On-line

Ferris receives 1.2 to 1.4 million email messages

Daily

Over 1.1 million of the messages

are spam

Did you know . . .

Sometimes size does matter.

If you’re one in a million in China . . .

There are 1,300 people like you.

In India, there are 1,100 people like you.

The 25% of the population in China with the highest

IQ’s . . .

Is greater than the total population of North America.

In India, it’s the top 28%.

Translation:These countries have more honors students than we have students.

Did you know . . .

China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the

world.

If you took every single job in the U.S. today and

shipped it to China . . .

China would still have a labor surplus.

During the course of this 8 minute presentation . . .

60 babies will be born in the U.S.

244 babies will be born in China.

351 babies will be born in India.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s learner will

have 10-14 jobs . . .

By the age of 38

According to the U.S. Department of Labor . . .

1 out of 4 workers today is working for a company they have been employed by for

less than one year.

More than 1 out of 2 are working for a company they

have worked at for less than five years.

According to former Secretary of Education

Richard Riley . . .

The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004.

We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t

yet exist . . .

Using technologies that haven’t been invented . . .

In order to solve problems we don’t even know are

problems yet.

Name this country . . .

• Richest in the World

• Largest Military

• Center of World Business & Finance

• Strongest Education System

• World Center of Innovation and Invention

• Currency the World Standard of Value

• Highest Standard of Living

England.

In 1900.

Did you know . . .

The U.S. is 12th in the world in broadband Internet penetration.

(Behind Belgium )

In 2002 alone Nintendo invested more than $140 million in

research and development.

The U.S. Federal Government spent less than half as much on

Research and Innovation.

1 out of every 8 couples married in the U.S. last year

met online.

There are over 185 million registered users of MySpace

(April 2007) with 350,000 new registrants each day.

MySpace averages 42 Billion page views

per month.

Did you know . . .

We are living in exponential times.

There are over 2.7 billion searches performed on

Google each month.

To whom were these questions addressed B.G.?

(Before Google)

The number of text messages sent and

received every day exceeds the population of the

planet.

There are about 540,000 words in the English

language . . .

About 5 times as many as during Shakespeare’s time.

More than 3,000 new books are published

Daily

It’s estimated that a week’s worth of New York Times . . .

Contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in

the 18th century.

It’s estimated that 1.5 exabytes (that’s 1.5 x 1018) of unique new information

will be generated worldwide this year.

That’s estimated to be more than in the previous

5,000 years.

The amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years.

This could mean that fora student starting a four-year

technical or college degree

Half of what they learn in their first year of study

could be outdated by their third year of study.

It’s predicted to double every 72 hours by 2010.

Third generation fiber optics has recently been separately tested by NEC

and Alcatel . . .

That pushes 10 trillion bits per second down one

strand of fiber.

That’s 1,900 CDs or 150 million simultaneous

phone calls every second.

It’s currently tripling about every 6 months and is

expected to do so for at least the next 20 years.

The fiber is already there, they’re just improving the

switches on the ends. Which means the marginal

cost of these improvements is effectively $0.

Predictions are thate-paper will be cheaper

than real paper.

47 million laptops were shipped worldwide last year.

The $100 laptop project hopes to ship between 50 and 100 million

laptops a year to children in underdeveloped countries.

Predictions are that by 2013 a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computation

capability of the Human Brain…

By 2023, a $1,000 computer will exceed the capabilities

of the Human Brain . . .

Today’s first grader will be just 23 years old and

graduating from college. . .

And while technical predictions farther out than15 years are hard to do …

Predictions are that by 2049 a $1,000 computer

will exceed the computational capabilities

of the human race.

What does it all mean?

Shift Happens.

Now you know . . .

With grateful thanks and acknowledgement,

Karl Fisch

Director of Technology

Arapahoe High School

Centennial, Colorado

Ferris and its Future

Adam Umbrasas is a spring 2007 Ferris graduate. Adam today is Village Manager of Kingsley, Michigan, just outside of Traverse City. While at Ferris, Adam was

president of the Public Administration Association and secretary of the Interfraternity Council. Adam is just one of many recent graduates who are doing exciting things and being successful immediately after graduation. As we think about the future we’ll be looking at what we want to become in 2010. What is maybe most striking about Adam is that he could easily be in public service in the year 2040. So often we think about goals we set

for ourselves for next month, next semester or next year. We are producing graduates who will have an impact

upon the state – and the country – for decades to come. The decisions we make about the University today and the work we put into making Ferris State University a success will have affects that will be felt for years to

come – and not just on campus. Adam Umbrasas

It is an honor to serve as your

President.

Thank you so very much…

David L. Eisler, President

591-2500

[email protected]