The American Floral Endowment announces a new scholarship fund to honor and recognize Dr. Terry Ferriss.
Dr. Ferriss retired in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF), after 36 years of teaching. She was the first tenured female faculty member in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at UWRF; the first woman to serve as the Plant and Earth Sciences Department chair, and the first woman to serve as an associate dean for the college.
Terry served as a faculty advisor and supporter of the AFE’s Vic & Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship committee for 14 years. Following Terry’s retirement, UWRF alumni joined forces with AFE to establish a new scholarship to forever honor Ferriss and her devotion to horticulture and the floral industry. She was also a strong advocate for student internships, and she served as the director of the college internship program for many years. Terry was instrumental in assisting students to find and apply for scholarships and internships and she provided unwavering support.
“Dr. Ferriss was dedicated to ensuring student success through her teaching and advising. She engaged students in their education not only in the classroom but also through educational trips to experience the industry firsthand and with undergraduate research opportunities,” said Dr. Chad Miller, associate professor at Kansas State University and UWRF alumnus. “She was instrumental in building a well-recognized and respected horticulture program at UWRF. Local, regional, and national horticulture companies regularly turned to her to recruit highly qualified horticulturists. Terry impacted hundreds of students at UWRF, who are now all over the industry.” This scholarship was established by Miller and other former students, colleagues, and industry members who knew and respected Dr. Terry Ferriss.
Terry and her husband Ron, currently reside in Southeastern Minnesota. In their retirement, they have been enjoying the opportunities to garden, travel, bike, and spend time with their children and grandchildren.
The Ferriss Horticulture Scholarship
The Ferriss Horticulture Scholarship will be awarded annually to an undergraduate student entering their junior or senior year who is majoring in Horticulture or Plant Sciences, with a career interest in herbaceous ornamental plants and floriculture industry. Preference will be given to students who have a demonstrated interest in commercial greenhouse production of herbaceous ornamental or floriculture crops (i.e., non-edible, non-medicinal crops), research related to the production, physiology, or breeding of herbaceous ornamental and floriculture crops, and/or the sales and marketing of herbaceous ornamental and floriculture crops. The applicant should have a cumulative GPA of 2.6 or greater. This new scholarship will provide a $2,000 scholarship annually.
For more information about AFE’s scholarships, visit endowment.org/scholarships. The deadline to apply for all scholarships is May 1.
