July 28, 2025 • 5 mins
Ferris State University President Dr. Bill Pink joins us to discuss advice for parents and students as they will soon be moving to college.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning new Steve Kelly, Brett, Pikita,
Lawrence Smith. A lot of orientations going on now, college
kids headed back, some are headed for the first time
in just weeks. President of Farris State University, doctor Bill
pink Back, on the liveline with us. Doctor pink thanks
for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning, Good to be here. Good to be here?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Is what's the bigger Who's making the bigger adjustment? Parents
sending a child for the first time, or a kid
coming to Farris State for the first time.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh oh, it's all the above, all the above. So
you've got students who and mainly first time students. So
we talk about students who first time coming to college,
and even you're going even deeper and talking about not
only a first time college student, but a first generation
college student in some cases, those who are the first
(00:52):
in their family to go. You know, there's a lot
of anxiety there because of the unknown and wondering. And
one of the nice things about what many of our
higher ed institutions have done nationally, but here, right here
in West Michigan, many of us have done things to
help alleviate some of that anxiety. I think in Fair State.
We have one of the best first gen offices that
(01:14):
you're going to find that's just meant to be there
for students to help them acclimate to college. Acclimate to
this sense of independence and also acclimate too is just
a different level of academic rigor and were built for.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
That, Doctor Pink. I know for a lot of kids,
they have maybe a college that's a little bit closer
to home. For me, I came here to West Michigan,
but I lived down the street from Michigan State, and
I did struggle those first couple weeks and thought, well,
I'm just going to go back home and go to
school there. How important is it to go No, you
can do this, You can do the hard things. You
can be on your own, and how you guys step
(01:52):
in to help make that happen.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
You know, one of the worst things that college students
can do, especially those new students, is to go to
the room, stay in the room, go to class, go
to eat, go back to their room, stay in the room.
That's one of the worst things. We see that often
with students who do not get out and get involved
on campus. You don't want to overwhelm yourself, you don't
(02:15):
want to get out over your skis and try to
do any and everything. However, it is so important that
students are not staying in their rooms, staying in their dorms,
saying and to really get out experience what college life
is all about. Many of our universities and colleges have
so much in terms of student life and different things
(02:36):
that we do to help with help students with that
idea of just getting out and doing things on campus,
doing things in the community. If you're not doing that,
chances are after a few weeks we have a lot
of students who get that homesickness about themselves and call
(02:57):
home and say, hey, this isn't for me. It may
not be that not you. It just might be that
you have to give it more time for this new
sense of what.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
You're next is doctor Pink.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
When you look at the last couple of decades, whether
you were at GRCC or at Farris State, just the
word orientation has to mean so many different things to you,
right because I'm looking at Farris State University online first
do edu and and just the website itself, where Steve
Kelly and I didn't even know what a website was
when we were going to college back in the early nineties.
(03:28):
But there are so many different things online, courses and
everything to orient yourself with.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Right, oh, and the important thing you spot on the
important thing. I think I'm a big believer in telling
students go visit campus. Don't just do not just depend
on the website, social media, because I'll guarantee you we're
gonna give you a lot of information in those in
those venues. Go to campus, get on campus. Ask as
(03:53):
many questions as possible when I see students on campus,
who are visiting, who are checking out our university. I
do not leave here with a question still in your head.
If you've got questioned about what it means for not
just going to college, what does it mean to be
here at Fairs State? What does that life look like?
Don't leave college campus without having all your questions asking.
(04:16):
If you didn't ask them all, call back ask find
out as much information you need to walk out knowing
everything that you need to know in terms of how
you want to acclimate to the academic side, the student
life site, as well as understanding what the finance is
going to look like.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Do you remember your first roommate and did your room
blind with them? Or did they Did you know him
going in?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
No, no, no, I knew him going in. He was
actually from my hometown. I was a basketball player and
I went to a junior college in Nebraska from I
was in. I grew up in Texas and one of
my best buddies from high school we both went up
to that junior college. We roomed together and it was
it was really handy to know who the guy was
across the room sleeping as well. So that was that
(05:03):
was a good thing.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, I bet you shared a lot of studying advice
and that sort of thing and pizza.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Let's not let's not talk about that first semester of
college when it comes to that great that great point.
My coach gave me a really good wake up.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Call to tell you I'm president at Paris State University.
Best wishes for another great year, doctor Bill Pink, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Hey, good to talk to you.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Guys.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Go call
This is West Michigan's Morning new Steve Kelly, Brett, Pikita,
Lawrence Smith. A lot of orientations going on now, college
kids headed back, some are headed for the first time
in just weeks. President of Farris State University, doctor Bill
pink Back, on the liveline with us. Doctor pink thanks
for doing this today.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning, Good to be here. Good to be here?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Is what's the bigger Who's making the bigger adjustment? Parents
sending a child for the first time, or a kid
coming to Farris State for the first time.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh oh, it's all the above, all the above. So
you've got students who and mainly first time students. So
we talk about students who first time coming to college,
and even you're going even deeper and talking about not
only a first time college student, but a first generation
college student in some cases, those who are the first
(00:52):
in their family to go. You know, there's a lot
of anxiety there because of the unknown and wondering. And
one of the nice things about what many of our
higher ed institutions have done nationally, but here, right here
in West Michigan, many of us have done things to
help alleviate some of that anxiety. I think in Fair State.
We have one of the best first gen offices that
(01:14):
you're going to find that's just meant to be there
for students to help them acclimate to college. Acclimate to
this sense of independence and also acclimate too is just
a different level of academic rigor and were built for.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
That, Doctor Pink. I know for a lot of kids,
they have maybe a college that's a little bit closer
to home. For me, I came here to West Michigan,
but I lived down the street from Michigan State, and
I did struggle those first couple weeks and thought, well,
I'm just going to go back home and go to
school there. How important is it to go No, you
can do this, You can do the hard things. You
can be on your own, and how you guys step
(01:52):
in to help make that happen.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
You know, one of the worst things that college students
can do, especially those new students, is to go to
the room, stay in the room, go to class, go
to eat, go back to their room, stay in the room.
That's one of the worst things. We see that often
with students who do not get out and get involved
on campus. You don't want to overwhelm yourself, you don't
(02:15):
want to get out over your skis and try to
do any and everything. However, it is so important that
students are not staying in their rooms, staying in their dorms,
saying and to really get out experience what college life
is all about. Many of our universities and colleges have
so much in terms of student life and different things
(02:36):
that we do to help with help students with that
idea of just getting out and doing things on campus,
doing things in the community. If you're not doing that,
chances are after a few weeks we have a lot
of students who get that homesickness about themselves and call
(02:57):
home and say, hey, this isn't for me. It may
not be that not you. It just might be that
you have to give it more time for this new
sense of what.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
You're next is doctor Pink.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
When you look at the last couple of decades, whether
you were at GRCC or at Farris State, just the
word orientation has to mean so many different things to you,
right because I'm looking at Farris State University online first
do edu and and just the website itself, where Steve
Kelly and I didn't even know what a website was
when we were going to college back in the early nineties.
(03:28):
But there are so many different things online, courses and
everything to orient yourself with.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Right, oh, and the important thing you spot on the
important thing. I think I'm a big believer in telling
students go visit campus. Don't just do not just depend
on the website, social media, because I'll guarantee you we're
gonna give you a lot of information in those in
those venues. Go to campus, get on campus. Ask as
(03:53):
many questions as possible when I see students on campus,
who are visiting, who are checking out our university. I
do not leave here with a question still in your head.
If you've got questioned about what it means for not
just going to college, what does it mean to be
here at Fairs State? What does that life look like?
Don't leave college campus without having all your questions asking.
(04:16):
If you didn't ask them all, call back ask find
out as much information you need to walk out knowing
everything that you need to know in terms of how
you want to acclimate to the academic side, the student
life site, as well as understanding what the finance is
going to look like.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Do you remember your first roommate and did your room
blind with them? Or did they Did you know him
going in?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
No, no, no, I knew him going in. He was
actually from my hometown. I was a basketball player and
I went to a junior college in Nebraska from I
was in. I grew up in Texas and one of
my best buddies from high school we both went up
to that junior college. We roomed together and it was
it was really handy to know who the guy was
across the room sleeping as well. So that was that
(05:03):
was a good thing.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, I bet you shared a lot of studying advice
and that sort of thing and pizza.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Let's not let's not talk about that first semester of
college when it comes to that great that great point.
My coach gave me a really good wake up.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Call to tell you I'm president at Paris State University.
Best wishes for another great year, doctor Bill Pink, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Hey, good to talk to you.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Guys.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Go call
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