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Ferris State president highlights "opportunity university" Carnegie designation and workforce mission
Summary
Ferris State University President told the appropriations subcommittee that Ferris earned the Carnegie "opportunity university" designation that pairs access with earnings and emphasized the school's workforce-focused programs and first-generation student supports.
Ferris State University President Bill Pink told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges that Ferris State has been designated an "opportunity university" by Carnegie, a label the president said recognizes institutions that combine access with strong earnings outcomes for graduates.
Pink said Ferris State celebrated 140 years of educating Michigan's workforce and highlighted programs ranging from optometry and nursing to welding engineering and construction management. He said about 54 percent of Ferris students are first-generation college students and that Ferris recently graduated roughly 1,300 students across five commencement ceremonies.
The president said Carnegie's new secondary designation—described in testimony as an "access and earnings" category—places Ferris among the institutions that provide measurable postgraduation earnings gains for students who start with lower incomes. "I'm proud to say that I work for one of those institutions that ranked as an opportunity university," Pink told the committee.
When Representative Zoe Rogers asked about federal grant impacts, Pink said Ferris would provide numbers if needed and indicated the campus had seen very minimal losses to date. He offered to follow up with more precise estimates.
No committee action was recorded following the presentation.
