On Aug. 28, the Television & Digital Media Production program showcased its documentary honoring Ferris’ 140th anniversary, Legacy of Opportunity.
The documentary screening had over 90 people in attendance, which included students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members. The documentary was played at the David L. Eisler Center Ballrooms B and C.
The documentary explored Ferris’ past, its rich history and the people and events that have shaped the university. It even showcased the goal that Woodbridge and Helen Ferris declared, which was to provide an opportunity to anyone willing to learn, and how that legacy has carried on over the past 140 years. It also presentedhow the Ferris family founded the Big Rapids Industrial School in 1884, the university’s former name.
Professor in the School of Digital Media Nick Kuiper the film’s lead producer and instructor for the students who participated, described the process of putting the film together, and how the idea first came about.
“This idea originated with the College of Business dean Dr. Logan Jones after he saw some of the other TDMP work,” Kuiper said. “He said, ‘Hey, it’s 140-year anniversary next year, why don’t you take this on as a project?’ Our seniors in the fall 2023 section of TDMP instructional design were approached and I brought up the opportunity. After some thought at the end of August last year, they decided to take on this project. During September of 2023, we made an outline of how we wanted the documentary to flow. A year later, we followed that outline pretty closely.”
Kuiper additionally stated that because it was a larger-scale project, the students would work on the project until they finished the semester and went off on their internships, and then Kuiperwould continue the work.
In total, the film had over 40 interviews, hundreds of hours of editing and exceeded over an hour in runtime, all to showcase 140 years of history. One student who was a big contributor to the film was TDMP alumni Nolan Harris, who graduated in the spring of 2023. He is credited as the film’s lead writer, editor, videographer and audio engineer. Harris described the film’s message and how it felt to carry that message to the university’s legacy.
“The message of the film is that if you want to learn, this is an amazing place to do it,” Harris said. “No matter who you are and no matter where you come from, you have an opportunity at Ferris. The message is to showcase that Ferris has been honoring, and even pioneering that legacy, and the legacy still exists today. The fact that us students made it reinforces that message.”
Television and digital media production junior Noah Stombaugh, who attended the film as an extra credit opportunity, enjoyed seeing how the film was put together from an emotional point of view and discovering where certain aspects of the university came from.
“I really like how they presented the emotional value of everything and how it was all brought together,” Stombaugh said. “The design of the logo, where the mascot and all the sports came from. I really liked those stories.”
The design of the logo was inspired by images of a lion roaring, the idea of having a bulldog as a mascot was first brought up in the 1930s and the athletic department now has a total of 17 varsity teams that compete at the university.
The documentary is now available on the Ferris State TDMP YouTube channel.
Nolan Harris was previously employed by the Ferris State Torch.