The Honors Program at Ferris State University
Annual Report, 2016-2017
Year at a glance
84 students completed in
2016-2017, 71% of whom
are in graduate or profes-
sional school this fall.
All three winners of the Outstanding Senior Sympo-
sium award had presented their poster at an
academic conference prior to the Symposium.
30% of the Michigan College of Optometrys starting
class in fall 2017 were current or former Honors
students, as were 35% of the College of Pharmacys
starting class.
Honors students completed 19,494 hours of commu-
nity service during academic year 2016-2017.
Current Honors students hail from 11 states besides
Michigan, including New York, Texas, California and
Washingtonso we have all 4 corners covered!
The Michigan zip code with the greatest number of
Honors students is 49341: Rockford with 26 students
1
in Honors. Big Rapids is in second with 14, and
Hudsonville and Caledonia are tied for third with 13
each.
Honors students completed 94 independent Honors
Contracts during academic year 2016-2017, a huge
increase from the 57 completed in 2015-2016.
During the 2016 Days of Service and Learning, 315
Honors students and 23 facilitators volunteered at 21
different events organized for 10 community
partners: FSU Bulldog Beginnings, Barryton Mobile
Food Pantry, St. Marys Big Rapids Fun Fest, Our
Brothers Keeper, 1016 Recovery Network, Muskeg-
on Watershed, Cran-Hill Ranch, North County Trail
Association, WISE, Angels of Action. They contribut-
ed a grand total of 1,442.5 hours.
The purpose of the Honors
Program at Ferris State
University is to provide in-
tellectual challenges, re-
sources and support to
highly able and motivated
students, while encourag-
ing service and leadership
for the public good.
2
Welcome from the Director
2016-2017 was a complicated year for the Honors Program at Ferris State.
The states decision to switch from the ACT to the SAT caused significant
repercussions in our recruiting cycle and the opening of a brand-new
residence hall focused on the First-year experience did not help.
But the program, while down in enrollment, is strong in other areas. In fact,
the average highschool GPA of the entering class went up significantly for
the first time in ages. New courses based on the Reacting to the Past
pedagogy were introduced, and cultural event attendance continues to
increase. We even added ENG250 to the Honors curriculum!
Dr. Peter Bradley, Director
Honors student governance is currently being overhauled, and the peer
mentor program is getting a significant boost in training.
With the graduation in Spring 2017 of cohort Fall 2013, we completed our first
full set of assessment data, allowing us to compare student responses and
faculty evaluations across the full four years of a students undergraduate career.
That data is currently in the hands of the faculty, and we expect changes to both
the curriculum and the assessment process as a result.
2016-2017 was complicated, certainly. But there are a
good number of positive changes taking place, and
2017-2018 will no doubt keep us on our toes!

3
Enrollment
Total enrollment for 2017-2018 decreased in propor-
tion to the decrease in FTIAC students starting in
Fall 2017. We also had a small drop in the 2-3rd year
retention rate, where we had made signifcant gains
in the last 3 years.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine a sole
cause of a decline (or increase) in retention. We
suspect that the turn-over of our sole Honors Advisor
position may have had an impact. As the new
Honors Advisor, Cathy Bordeau, settles into her
position, we hope to see the retention rate return to
its highs of 2015 and 2016.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographic trends in 2016-2017 continue those
noted previously: the program continues to diversify,
both with respect to academic discipline and ethnici-
ty. The program remains about 65% women, and
retention of men remains a area of concern.
By College
The long-term trend, displayed below, is decreasing
enrollment in Arts and Sciences with corresponding
increases in Health Professions and Engineering
Technology. 2016-2017 continued these trends, with
the CAS remaining under 50%. The COB has been
steady at about 15% since 2012, while the CHP
continues to increase during the same time period.
The CET dipped a little from the all time high of 13%
in 2016 to 11% in 2017.
By Gender
The gender balance of the programmeasured
both in terms of incoming FTIACs student and
current studentsremains at 65% female.
By Ethnicity
The diversity of the program with respect to ethnicity
continues to improve. The percentage of students
from traditionally underrepresented groups remains
at 10% of the incoming class, and we anticipate this
to continue, and we are working hard to recruit
historically underrepresented populations into
Honors.
In the Spring of 2016, Dr. Bradley convened a group
of minority students in Honors to study our recruit-
ment history, and present their findings at the first
annual conference of the National Society for
Minority Students in Honors, held at Oakland
University March 9-11, 2016. That report was
accepted for publication in the societys first volume,
which will be published in 2017-2018.
4
RECRUITING
The recruiting year 2016-2017 posed significant
challenges: the State moved from the ACT to SAT,
the FAFSA deadlines moved up into the fall rather
than the spring, the University of Michigan launched
a new scholarship program for high achievers in
traditionally underrepresented populations, and the
University opened a brand new non-Honors
residence hall for first-year students.
Collaborating with Admissions, we responded to the
early FAFSA dates by creating three invitationals:
one in November, the traditional one in February,
and one in June. We also allowed students to
complete the essay at home. While our enrollment is
lower, the yield between those attending the events
and those completing the essay at home does not
differ.
Moreover, the College of Arts and Sciences
launched a live-learn community focused on
Pre-Pharmacy and Pre-Optometry. We have worked
with them to create a unified communications and hurdle for many from underrepresented back-
application process, so that our messages to grounds. The graders have long been skeptical of
prospective students do not conflict. the value of the essay as a measurement of student
Doing so requires that we streamline our application success. But more importantly, the new SAT includes
process and eliminate the essay portion. We have a measure of critical thinking in writing that surpass-
been considering this option for some time. We es our brief essay.
know, from the study conducted by minority
students, that completing the essay was a significant

* estimated
5
Special Opportunities

COLLEGE OF HEALTH PRO-

FESSIONS
The Nursing Program, Molecular Diagnostics and
Diagnostic Medical Sonography continue their
practice of priority consideration for Honors
students. Nursing has instituted a competitive

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
Enrollment of Honors Students in the Pre-Phar-
macy program continues to decrease, in real
numbers as well as percentage of the Program
(see chart above).
The total number of students starting at the
College of Pharmacy that had at least some
contact with Honors as an Undergraduate stayed
pretty constant for 2015 and 2016, but shows a
drop in 2017. This may be the beginning of the
new normal, given the low numbers of Pre-Phar-
macy students enrolling as FTIACs.

MICHIGAN COLLEGE OF
OPTOMETRY admissions framework, which reserves a handful
of seats for the most qualified students. Honors
Enrollment in the Pre-Opt Program, and subse-
has historically averaged about 25% of the
quently MCO, has been very strong in the past
starting Nursing population. The new policy has,
few years. MCO admitted 12 students that were
after clearning the backlog in 2015, produced
in Honors or started in Honors, which is a new
Fall cohorts with more than 50% Honors-affiliated
high for us.
students. Spring cohorts appear to be staying at

6
 Outstanding Professor
2017 Spring Tony Baker Sociology
the traditional level of 25%.
2016 Spring Jennifer Johnson Geography
2015 Spring Anne Spain Biology
2014 Fall Neil Patten Communication
2015-2016 was the last 2014 Spring Paul Klatt Biology
academic year when all 2013 Fall Charles Vannette Foreign Languages (German)
Honors students are required 2013 Spring Bradley Isler Biology
to complete only 10 credits 2012 Fall Stephen Lee Pharmaceutical Sciences
in Honors. All students who
enter the program as First Year students in Fall
2016 or after will be required to complete 22
credits in Honors for a Bachelors degree and 10
credits in Honors for an Associate degree.
The courses themselves, however, have not
changedat least, not yet.

HONORS COURSES
The Program offered eight sections of 200-level
general education courses in Fall 2016, and
nine in Spring 2017. New to the curriculum was
3 sections of 1-credit Reacting to the Past
games. These are indepth academic role-play-
ing games centered around some great histori-
cal conceptual collision. In spring 2017, we ran:
HONORS CONTRACTS
In Fall 20165, 35 students completed an Honors
contract. In Spring 2017, 59 did so. These
numbers are significantly higher than previous
years.
Taylor Bennett, a student in the Reacting to the Past Trial of The cohort that started Honors in Fall 2015our
Galileo game, works on the schedule for the part at Prince Cesis current second year studentsare required to
palace
complete three Contracts during their Honors
Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403BCE
experience. There is little reason to doubt that
The Trial of Galileo: Aristotelianism, the "New the rise in contracts seen in Spring 2017 is the
Cosmology," and the Catholic Church, 1616-33 beginning of the anticipated increase that will
Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal and the Rise of arrive when these students become Juniors next
Naturalism, 1861-64 fall.

Students in a Public Speaking class make deals during Chicago,

1968 7
 Strive
in the number of students
reporting a Gap Year to
prepare for graduate school.
12% of students now report
taking a gap year. A
number of those reporting
they were looking for a job
also reported plans to go to
graduate/professional
school at some point.
Through our partners on
campus, the Honors
Program offers special
opportunities for its students
seeking placement in our
graduate or professional
programs.
Bridget Keene, Pre-Optometry, presents her poster to a quizical Brutus at the
Senior Symposium 2017

COMPLETION
84 students earned their medallion in 2016-2017,
down slightly from the 89 reported 2015-2016.
Of those, 50% report going to some form of
graduate or professional school immediately and
21% report having some immediate future plans
for a job or internship. These are down slightly
from the last two years..
The largest change in recent years is the increase

8
AWARDS
The Outstanding Scholar is recog-
nized annually at the spring
banquet. Outstanding Service and
Outstanding Peer Mentor are
typically recognized at the Fall
Awards Banquet.
The 2017 Outstanding Scholar was
Tyler Ryan, a Psychology student,
who is now enrolled in Michigan
States Psychology Doctoral
Program.

HONORS STU-
DENT ASSOCIA-
TION
2017 Outstanding Scholar Tyler Ryan speaking
Renee at the Spring Awards Banquet
Weaver (Pre-Optometry)
In addition to approving the Honors Option Con-
Taylor Wildeboer
tracts, the Honors Student Council approved Travel (Applied Speech Com-
funds totaling $15,950 to 40 unique students who munication) Outstanding Scholar
traveled to 6 different countries and attended 7 Jordin Woodard
academic conferences. (Pre-Pharmacy) 2017 Tyler Ryan
2016 Aaron Zebolsy
MEHA 2015 Michelle Dunn

Our participation with the regional Honors Associa-

Student En- 2014 Danielle Lefevre
2013 Abigail Dutkiewicz
tion (MEHA, or the Mid-East Honors Assocation) gagement on 2012 Leah Kelly
was limited somewhat in 2017, as we were able to
bring only one student to the conference. Given
Campus 2011
2010
Cody Becksvoort
Hope Kwapiszewski
the large number of contracts pursued in Fall 2017, 2009 Caitlin Hutchison
2008 Anthony Cox
we hope that we will improve for the Spring 2018 Recognition of Honors 2007 Marshall Gladding
conference. students continues, not 2006 Rita Ellison
just within the Program,
SCHOLARSHIPS but by the University.
2005 Bret Muter

Edwin Harris Memorial Scholarship: Reilly Bowen
(Computer Information Systems) 2017
Maude Bigford: Caitlyn Toering (Dental Hygiene)
2017
Robert and Ellen Thompson Working Families
Scholarship:
Noelle Elmore (Biology-Environmental)
Jamie Fortenbacher (Pre-Pharmacy)
Ashley May (Actuarial Science)
Delaney Scholl (Allied Health Science)
Landry Shorkey (Pre-Criminal Justice)
Christi Sousouay (Pre-Pharmacy)
Andrew Sorteboom (Building Construction Tech)
All 5 of the Rising Star awards for leaders in the
early part of their undergraduate career went to
Honors students.
9 of the 10 Torchbearer awards, which recognize
outstanding service and leadership among graduat-
ing seniors, were given to Honors students, or
students who started in Honors.
4 students where recognized for their committment
to service with the Michigan Campus Compact
Heart and Soul.
And 2 were recognized with the MICCs Committ-
ment to Service award, the top award for service at
our university.

9
Explore

Study Abroad: April Wilson

The Costa Rica study abroad trip was an amazing experi-
ence. For four weeks, I lived with a host family, studied
Spanish and made friends from around the world. Living in
another country for four weeks was an incredible opportu-
nity that allowed me to get a glimpse into the lives of the
Costa Ricans. I really enjoyed out weekend excursions.
One weekend, we visited an indigenous tribe and learned
how the seeds inside of a cacao plant are transformed into
the rich, creamy chocolate that we all enjoy. We also
visited the beautiful, tropical beaches on the Caribbean
Sea and Pacific Ocean. As a psychology major with a
Spanish minor, this study abroad trip helped me improve
my Spanish communication skills as well as allow me to
experience the unique culture and history of Costa Rica. I
was able to complete two of the classes that I need for my
minor and greatly improve my Spanish communication
skills. Overall, I has a wonderful time and I learned so
much about Spanish and Costa Rica.

10
 Torchbearer, 2017
Shelby Alda
Leesa Deadwyler
Josh Olszewski
Tori VanOeffelen
Andrew Klarecki
Katelyn Michalski
Tiffany Newman
Justin Wolber (graduates
Fall 2017)

Rising Star, 2017

Andrew Kapanowski
Kathryn Pilczuk
Sam Gerken
Arianna Lozano
Tea Carago

Josh Olszewski, a Music Industry Management student, perfoming

11
 Contribute

SERVICE Stoles 2017

Service: Leadership:
In Fall 2016, our community management Katelyn Michalski Leesa Deadwyler
Meri Dzielinski (Fall 16, not pictured) Marc Jaruzel
specialist, Allegra Damari, organized the third
Tori VanOeffelen Josh Olszewski
annual Days of Service and Learning. Hannah Lamberg (Fall 16, not pictured) Melanie Schafer
During the Days of Service and Learning,
students are given multiple service event oppor-
tunities at various locations throughout the
month of September. The Honors Program teams The event is clearly fitting a need in our commu-
up with community partners around Big Rapids nity. We expect it to continue to grow in the next
who create a service project for over 100 few years, and look forward to working with our
students. Student facilitators, who are second community partners to provide service opportu-
years or above, provide leadership for volunteers nities throughout the academic year.
and have students reflect on their experience and
the importance of volunteering.
Days of Service and Learning started
in Fall 2014 with 6 community part-
ners and 93 student volunteers (15 of
whom were facilitators). Fall 2015s
Days of Service and Learning includ-
ed 16 community partners and 239
student volunteers (22 of whom were
facilitators). Fall 2016 tallied a whop-
ping 1,442 service hours by 315
volunteers and 23 facilitators.

12
LEADERSHIP
Honors students have, since the beginning of
the program, learned leadership skills directly:
by being placed into a position where leader-
ship is required. For many, this position has
come as part of being a peer mentor for
incoming students in the fall.
Starting in Fall 2017, the Honors Program will
collaborate with the outdoor leadership
Adventure Coordinator in the University
Recreation Center to provide hands-on train-
ing in leadership prior to the beginning of the
peer mentor relationship.
Out intent is to use Fun Day as more than an
introduction and mixer, but as an introduction
to the basic concepts in the literature on
Leadership, and the skills of leading a reflec-
tive conversation.
These lessons will be reinforced in HNRS100,
where the students will encounter some basic
readings from the academic literature on leader-
ship. We hope to develop
more courses that address
leadership directly in the
future, and plans are being
13
Success Spotlight: Jordan Dawkins
(pictured above, in the middle)
One of the greatest experiences I have had being in the
Honors Program is creating an Honors Contract for my
introductory Statistics class. My project was to conduct a
statistical study where I observed the study habits of
Honors and non-honors students. Completing this project
allowed me to gain experience working with Excel, a
program I will use often in the fields of accounting and
finance.
By presenting my research at the Mid-East Honors Associ-
ation Conference, I had the opportunity to improve my
public speaking skills. The skills I gained from doing an
Honors Contract directly relate to my field of study, and
putting their experience on my resume that helped me be
a competitive candidate when applying for internships. I
am grateful for the experience the Honors Program has
offered me!
made to take some of our student leaders on
retreatssuch as that offered by the Michigan
Honors Associationand structure seminars for
them to pass on their knowledge and experi-
ence.
Students in Tony Bakers Community Studies Honors class studying
Chicago communities directly.
Assessment
2016-2017 marks the end of four years since we
initiated the new admissions standards and assess-
ment plan in 2013-2014. As a result, much of the
summer was spent working though the now com-
plete dataset.
The Honors Program faculty will spend part of
2017-2018 analyzing the collection of data, and
reconsidering what we measure, and how we
measure it.
There were a few highlights to share:

Consistently over 2016-2017, 81-83% of students

report that the Honors curriculum challenges
them to exercise their own initiative in what and
how they learn.
1-year Retention to Ferris for students starting in
Honors continues to rise, topping 90% for 2015
and 2016.
80-85% of students agree that experience in
Honors makes them more likely to reflectively
evaluate their service experiences, and 100% of
responding seniors in 2016-2017 said they plan
to continue their committment to service after
graduation.
In part thanks to the introduction of an introduc-
tory Art History course, and the continued strong
teaching of our colleagues in Literature, 87% of
Juniors believe their experience in Honors
courses helps them more critically appreciate acts
of cultural expressionand that statistic is
consistent of all years the data has been collect-
ed.
Upwards of 90% of first year students report that
their experience joining an RSO on campus
helped them better understand leadership, but Pasha Riggins, Forensic Biology major graduating in Spring 2017
only 75% of juniors reported familiarity with some
of the basic concepts, such as leadership style.
As reported previously, we are introducing those
concepts much earlier as a resultthrough the
peer mentor program, reinforced by readings focus areas. The faculty are analyzing better direct
and discussion in HNRS100 in the first semester. measures that may substantiate these perceptions in
the future, but for right now, we see strong evidence
of a dedicated, passionate student body, ready to
All in all, the Program is in a good place. The
take advantage of all the opportunities presented to
students report growth in every one of our major
them.

14
We, as Honors students at Ferris State University, aspire
to achieve excellence through our commitments to:

Strive for intellectual autonomy and academic excel-

lence so that we may be prepared to contribute to the
advancement of our chosen professions by complet-
ing least 20% of our Ferris coursework in the Honors
Program;

Contribute our time and energy to advance the public

good so that we develop as citizens by completing 15
hours of community service per semester, joining a
Registered Student Organization and ultimately lead-
ing our peers;

Explore cultural and ethical horizons to engage a

global society through attending cultural events and
seeking out challenging opportunities for service and
leadership;

Participate in the honors community, abiding by the

honor code, to foster curiosity, dialogue and intellec-
tual rigor in ourselves and others.

15