Alumna's Gift Allows Ferris Students to Thrive

Dr. Teresa Cook has established the Teresa K. Cook Memorial Accounting Endowed Scholarship, fulfilling a lifelong commitment to Ferris State University. Teresa was inspired to create the endowment in order to support accounting students.

"One day, in class, it hit me like a lightning bolt—my students were me," Teresa says, recalling the demands of going to school full time while working part time and being involved in extracurricular activities to build her resume. "I remember being them."

The realization motivated her to found the endowment, giving students like her the opportunity to thrive in a university without the chains of student loans.

As a former Ferris student, she saw her own experiences reflected in her students. Academics have always played an important role in her life; she was an outstanding student, scored in the top percentile on the ACT and was 10th in her class. Yet, academic scholarships were not readily available for her. In order to afford school, she graduated in three years, tackling six classes every semester, working part time and taking out student loans. The stress of graduating with little-to-no financial assistance was a tremendous burden, but she couldn't afford not to push herself. Senior year, the pressure finally got to her and she received her first 'D' on an exam in an economics course.

"I thought I was going to fail, not graduate," Teresa says. But the trip-up only strengthened her resolve, and she studied hard to master the subject, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in accountancy in 1982.

The Teresa K. Cook Memorial Accounting Endowed Scholarship is designed to support outstanding students in the Accounting program and members of the Student Accounting Association. Awarding upper-level students who have completed one accounting internship or will be doing an internship in the spring semester with scholarships, Teresa hopes to lessen the burden of a student who shows academic excellence, yet misses the mark for financial assistance.

"Even if I help one student, it is worth it," she confides.

Additionally, Teresa hopes to inspire other faculty members to give back. She was inspired by Stan Veazey who wrote Ferris and Grand Valley State University into his life insurance plan. After reviewing her own retirement plan before a trip abroad, Teresa realized she also had the opportunity to create an endowment.

"We as faculty need to give back," Teresa explains. "And I hope my endowment will encourage other faculty to do the same."

The Teresa K. Cook Memorial Accounting Endowed Scholarship symbolizes that you don't need millions to make a difference in student lives, but can "pay it forward" any way you can. Teresa wants her story to encourage other donors to reach out and share their experiences to foster a culture of philanthropy on campus.

Supporting Ferris for 18 years, Teresa is an exemplary alumna and faculty member. Her dedication to students cannot be questioned; on numerous occasions she has been awarded for her excellence as a professor. Her diverse approach to teaching comes from 15 years of experience in the field. Her love for accounting has transcended the years, but her passion is teaching. When she was offered a job teaching at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, she eagerly took the position. Then, in 2000, Teresa was given the opportunity to return to Ferris.

"All the stars aligned," Teresa says.

She reconnected with, and married, her college sweetheart and settled into Ferris. She credits Ferris with starting her career, and she hopes to end it here, too, with her endowment in place to continue her legacy.

For more information about establishing an endowment, please contact The Ferris Foundation at FerrisFoundation@ferris.edu or (231) 591-2365.