Ferris State University’s Office of International Education, the Office of Multicultural Student Services and Diversity and Inclusion Office are collaborating to kick off the Beyond: Diversity series on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. on the North Campus Quad stage with angklung musical instruments.
Faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to learn how to play the angklung, an Indonesian instrument made of bamboo. Tricia Sumarijanto, from the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C., plans to bring her collection of more than 200 angklung instruments for people to use. The demonstration is the kickoff event for the Beyond: Diversity, a campus-wide initiative to help students go beyond the classroom.
“The Beyond project is interested in making aware to students the importance of global diversity, of study abroad opportunities and to incorporate those things in the classroom,” said Jordan Fenton, an assistant professor of Art History at Ferris’ Kendall College of Art Design.
This year’s edition of the Beyond series will include events throughout the academic designed to promote diversity at Ferris. David Pilgrim, vice president for Diversity and Inclusion, is excited to watch how the events will enrich the university community.
“For one year, this campus will host a range of activities all designed to get us, as an institution, to think of diversity in a much deeper way,” Pilgrim said.
That sentiment was echoed by Tracy Busch, an assistant professor of History in Ferris’ College of Arts, Sciences and Education.
“The idea is that we’re going beyond the classroom, we’re going beyond existing spheres of influence and ideas, and thinking about our disciplines in a different way,” she said.
Beyond: Diversity events will include book study groups, educational banners, panel discussions, workshops and more.