Ferris State University
Overview
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
with its main campus in Big Rapids
Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,849. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but is politically independent.-Geography:...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris
Woodbridge Nathan Ferris
Woodbridge Nathan Ferris was an educator from New York, Illinois and Michigan, as well as Democratic statesman and the 28th Governor of Michigan .-Early life in New York, Michigan and Illinois:...
, an educator from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where he remained until his death in 1928. The school was noteworthy at its time for accepting female students beginning with its first graduating class. It is also the only public university in Michigan to be founded by an individual.
Today Ferris is the ninth largest university in the state with 14,381 students studying on its main campus, at one of the 19 off-campus locations across the state, or online.
Discussions
