BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — Ferris State University recently unveiled its new Center for Virtual Learning, a state-of-the-art facility offering various technology-based courses and an esports program.
The $32 million center was officially opened on Thursday and is housing several programs, including the Information Security and Intelligence program, School of Education and School of Digital Media.
Dave Murray, Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Ferris State University, said the Center for Virtual Learning will be able to adapt in the future by teaching skills that are "malleable", as many fields dealing with technology change rapidly.
"Students using this facility are trained for jobs today, jobs for tomorrow, and jobs that don't even exist yet," Murray said.
In the School of Education, teachers and professors are learning more about effectively teaching online, something that has become more common after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're training future teachers and even current professors, how to best use that online technology to be more engaging, and convey information and use the technology that will help students," Murray said.
The center is also hosting the university's intelligence and security program. The Faraday Room is a super-secure intelligence room that will allow students to study cyber defense, malware and artificial intelligence.
Murray said the Faraday Room will help bolster the university's security program even further.
"This will give us even more space and technology for work on artificial intelligence and project management," he said. "And this is the best one for an education in certainly the state, possibly the country."
In addition, the center boasts the university's esports arena. The Ferris esports team has 70 members who made the team—after more than 100 people tried out—and are now playing video games competitively.
"Those are transferable skills, as more and more of what we do goes online," Murray said. "That coding, those practices, those computer skills, those tech skills will all come into play. It's a very exciting facility."
Many of these courses are offered online. Murray said university officials hope to see more nontraditional students pursuing their education, now that online learning has become increasingly common.
The center was supported through funding by the State of Michigan.
To learn more about the Center for Virtual Learning, click here.
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