University mourns loss of Mick Ferrari

President Mary Ellen Mazey and Mick Ferrari at the 2013 Administrative Staff Council Awards.

Dr. Michael R. (Mick) Ferrari, former interim president and a beloved Bowling Green State University administrator, died May 15 in Scottsdale, Ariz., after a long illness. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. May 26 at the Wenban Funeral Home, 320 Vine Ave. in Lake Forest, Ill. The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. May 27 at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 400 E. Westminister Road, also in Lake Forest.

Born May 12, 1940, in Monongahela, Pa., he and his wife, Janice, had two children, Elizabeth and Michael.

BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey, with whom he worked at Wright State University, said, “Mick Ferrari was a long-time friend and mentor and a true professional whom I deeply respected. He left his mark on several universities over his long career. He will be deeply missed in higher education and at BGSU.”

BGSU’s highest award for administrative staff, the Michael R. Ferrari Award, is named in his honor. The award annually recognizes an outstanding administrative staff member and is based on the attributes Ferrari embodied: innovation and initiative, a strong relationship with the University community promoting growth and harmony, and performance above and beyond the call of duty.

Bowling Green Mayor Richard Edwards, who served with Ferrari as a member of the BGSU administrative team, said, “I've just lost my best friend of 46 years. He was a brilliant leader and an even more remarkable human being. He loved Bowling Green and BGSU. The annual announcement of the Ferrari Award recipient meant so much to him.

“Whether in university life, in corporate life, or in daily life, the Ferrari touch and insight could have almost magical qualities and would always make a difference. He was a warm, loving person of great faith and he fought the good fight with Jan and the family by his side until the very end.”

In 1991, BGSU presented Ferrari an honorary doctorate of public service. He returned to Bowling Green several other times, last in 2013 to present the Ferrari Award.

Ferrari became interim president in May 1981 following the death that April of Hollis Moore. He served in the role until Dr. Paul Olscamp took up duties as the eighth BGSU president, in July 1982. Ferrari declined to return to his previous dual role of provost and executive vice president, saying a new president should have the freedom to choose his leadership team.

A management and organization specialist, Ferrari joined BGSU in 1971 at the age of 32 as coordinator of budgeting and planning, charged by Moore with developing long-range academic and financial plans. Ferrari was also an associate professor of management and sociology in the College of Business Administration.

A year after coming to BGSU, he was named acting provost, where he served from 1972-73.

In 1978, after being promoted and serving as vice president for resource planning for five years, he was named provost and executive vice president, combining his resource-planning duties with academic oversight. His deft management skills earned him the reputation of an administrator with a high respect for scholarship, a commitment to planning, a clear-cut philosophy of education and the ability to work effectively with students, faculty and staff. During his time as provost, he also chaired the Ohio Inter-University Council of Provosts.

In his year as interim president, Ferrari guided the University through some of the toughest financial pressures and uncertainties in BGSU’s 71-year history. He had to make difficult decisions when the University’s state funding was decreased significantly due to a serious deficit. Despite those pressures, Ferrari remained dedicated to maintaining the caliber of the University’s academic programming.

In 1981, he launched what was then the biggest fundraising campaign in BGSU history.

He also took steps needed to sustain BGSU’s membership in the Mid American Conference and Division 1 of the NCAA, including adding seats to Doyt Perry Stadium.

In 1982, the University surprised Ferrari at spring commencement exercises by announcing that he would be named a Trustee Professor of Administration and a major award would be named in his honor in recognition of his loyal and dedicated service to the University.

In his commendation of Ferrari, Board of Trustees President Frazier Reams called him a “model for professional behavior.”

Ferrari held three degrees from Michigan State University: a bachelor’s degree in social sciences (1962), a master’s degree in sociology (1963) and a doctorate in business administration (1968). He later received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State, in 1989.

After leaving BGSU, Ferrari was offered president and provost positions by a number of universities. He chose to become provost at Wright State University. He moved on in 1985 to the presidency of Drake University, in Iowa, where he served until 1998 and was credited with bringing the school back to life by focusing on academics and promotion and carefully tending the bottom line.

He then served as chancellor of Texas Christian University and a professor of management in its business school, from July 1998-May 2003, when he was granted the title of chancellor emeritus. He became president of the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities and chair of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Drawing upon his extensive experience, Ferrari then established a higher education consulting firm, Ferrari and Associates LLC, in 2003, serving as president; he also was senior vice president and managing director of higher education practices at EFL Associates Inc., an executive search firm.

Ferrari became the chairman at Pier 1 Imports Inc. in August 2009 and served as its director from February 1999 to January 22, 2013, leading the company back to financial solvency and market success. He served as a director of Ilona Financial Group Inc. He also served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the NCAA President Commission. He served as a trustee of the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, and as a member of the ACE Commission on International Education. In addition, he was an adjunct professor of management at the William P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Funeral arrangements are pending.