Ferris State University's Grand Rapids Advancement office provides the vision, leadership, and management for fundraising efforts in West Michigan. The office brings together university partners to strategically develop funding models and cohesive messaging to share with the community. Barbara Benda ([email protected]), Executive Director of Leadership Giving and Relationships, leads this effort in partnership with the Ferris Grand Rapids Council.
The vision of the council is to build a robust Bulldog community that ensures every area student has an accessible pathway to a Ferris education and a successful career. A group of dedicated volunteers, the council collaborates with the Ferris Foundation to cultivate Bulldog Pride, support Ferris' economic impact, and increase educational opportunity in the Grand Rapids area.
In Grand Rapids, Ferris State University meets students "where they are". Beyond traditional college recruitment, Ferris Grand Rapids works with under-connected and under-represented communities: listening, identifying needs, and finding partners.
Since 1991, Ferris Grand Rapids has been building these bridges for the educational and professional achievement of current and future students while cultivating a vibrant and supportive community around them. This important work is not done alone, in a vacuum. Our work engages partner organizations that in turn make our programming more robust and valuable to students.
Ferris Grand Rapids will address financial barriers with comprehensive scholarship development. Ferris Grand Rapids will cultivate a welcoming and inclusive outreach to diverse populations, meeting students of all backgrounds and walks of life "where they are".
Ferris Grand Rapids will echo the larger university's commitment to graduating students who are ready to work, emphasizing hands-on experiences and real-world skills. Through collaboration and community partnerships today, we will offer our students and the larger Grand Rapids community a head start on the agility and scholarship to adapt for tomorrow.
Ferris Grand Rapids will remain a community of learners. Collaborating in meaningful ways is dependent on the humility to acknowledge that no person or institution has all the answers. Ferris Grand Rapids is unencumbered by the restrictions of a conventional institution. Instead, we are a living, adaptive organization that is very comfortable in ambiguous space.
Each year, the Ferris Grand Rapids Council hosts its signature fundraiser to highlight and honor a different Ferris State University partner in Grand Rapids. In recent years, we have honored Grand Rapids Public Schools and Grand Rapids Community College. Proceeds from the event benefit college scholarships to local students through the West Michigan Opportunity Scholarship.
The Ferris Grand Rapids Council gives back to the West Michigan community through a volunteer project each fall. Council members and their friends, families, and co-workers, as well as other community members and Friends of Ferris are welcome to participate on behalf of Ferris State University.
In the West Michigan area, there are talented students who have dire need, but aren't eligible for scholarships because they come in just under the usual scholarship GPA. The West Michigan Opportunity Scholarship broadens scholarship availability beyond those who are already high-achieving, creating a base of support for West Michigan Ferris State University students to succeed. Support this scholarship online.