page_title: Ferris State University
section_title: Main campus
hierarchical_section_title: Ferris State University / Campus / Main campus
caption_attribution_description: English: The Interdisciplinary Resource Center on the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan (United States).
context_page_description: Ferris State University is a public research university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from Tioga County, New York, 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 when it was founded 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 14,560 students studying on its main campus, at one of the 19 off-campus locations across the state, or online. Two- and four-year degrees are offered through eight academic colleges and graduate degrees from six. Ferris grants professional doctorate degrees via its optometry and pharmacy colleges and a multidisciplinary doctorate of education in community college leadership through the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education and Human Services.
context_section_description: Located on the southern edge of the City of Big Rapids, straddling the border between Big Rapids Township and the city, the university has over 880 acres (3.6 km²) for its main campus. The campus begins about four blocks south of the historic central business district. It is bordered on the north by single-family homes built in the early to middle of the twentieth century. North of Perry Street, the university is bordered by strip commercial development. The university is bordered to the south and west by Big Rapids Township. The township is mostly undeveloped and rural.
  The main campus is within easy walking distance of downtown Big Rapids with its restaurants, shops, movie theater, art gallery and municipal park. Bicyclists, hikers and in-line skaters have easy access to the White Pine Trail, Michigan's longest "rails to trails" project.
  The campus has undergone major changes since 1990. Several new and renovated buildings, reworked roads and parking areas, pedestrian walkways, and greenspace areas have contributed to the changes on campus.
  The National Elastomer Center was added in 1998 to house the Plastics Engineering and Rubber Engineering Technology programs.
  The FLITE building (FSU Library for Information, Technology and Education), located at the termination of Perry Street, reintroduced the historic front entrance to the university, and defined the adjacent quad at the campus epicenter.
  The renovation of the Timme Library to the Timme Center for Student Services consolidated previously scattered student services in one location.
  The Granger Center for Construction and HVACR, stimulated redevelopment of the northern part of campus. The building was designed with an open layout that left most of the mechanical components open for viewing by the students as a working lab.
  The IRC Connector between the Business School and the Interdisciplinary Resource Center (IRC) created a collaborative meeting and lounge space which is heavily used by students at all hours.
  Opening of the new Michigan College of Optometry building in January 2011.
  North Hall opened in August 2017. It is a "Freshman Experience" Residence Hall, and features classrooms, study rooms, a lounge, game room, and a kitchen for residents.
  The University has 3,483,298 square feet (323,609.0 m²) of building space on the Big Rapids campus, with 1,764,658 square feet (163,942.1 m²) in academic use.
caption: Interdisciplinary Resource Center
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