Investing in Student Success

For Dr. Douglas Call, investing in students at Ferris State University is something that is very dear. As a first-generation college student, he understands the struggles and hardships that students experience. Dr. Call remembers his time at Ferris where during his senior year he was working four different jobs.

Now retired, after a career as a Naval officer, pharmaceutical researcher and consultant, Dr. Call now spends a lot of time with his wife, Susan, traveling, attending live plays, and volunteering at their church and at Habitat for Humanity in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, plus helping students afford educational opportunities.

Dr. Call reflects, "[As a student,] having to work during the school year to pay for your education is difficult. Any chance I get, I attempt to make it easier for one student or more to get an education. Whatever additional assistance students can receive that will allow them to finish their degree is very important and I am happy to have the chance to provide some of this financial help."

After graduating from Reed City High School, Dr. Call continued his education at Ferris State University where he graduated with a dual major in biology and chemistry. He went on to earn a PhD at the Univ. of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. His late wife, Marilyn Schust Call of Big Rapids, also graduated from Ferris with a degree in biology. The Calls' son, Alan, and daughter-in-law, Katherine Hogg Call, are also Ferris graduates with bachelor's degrees from the College of Allied Health.

For nearly two decades, Dr. Call has annually funded the Call Family Scholarship and he has decided to generously leave a planned gift from his estate to Ferris. When asked about his motivations and goals for this gift, he explains, "Part of the estate I have been able to acquire during my working years should be put to good use. Therefore, I have decided to leave money to Ferris State University to endow the Call Family Scholarship and make life a bit easier for students in the future. Funding a scholarship is an investment in the success of deserving students."

When you include a gift to The Ferris Foundation in your estate plan, you help students focus on their studies instead of worrying about the cost of their education. Contact The Ferris Foundation at (231) 591-2365 or FerrisFoundation@ferris.edu to learn more about your options.