TCU expands under Ferrari’s leadership
By Antoinette Vega
Skiff Staff

It’s 4:45 p.m. on a Wednesday. In his pressed pants, light blue shirt and dark blue tie, Chancellor Michael Ferrari looks as if he is preparing to head to another meeting.

Instead, he is getting ready to jump into a 4-by-8 ball pit made up of 5,000 colorful balls.

Ferrari takes off his shiny black shoes. He stands with a big smile hesitant to dive into the sectioned-off play area in an apartment in the Tom Brown/Pete Wright Community.

After a couple of minutes, he leans in, back first, and slides into the ball pit. As he is swallowed up by the plastic balls, Ferrari lets out a roar of laughter and says this is the most foolish thing he has ever done.

Just like his afternoon in the ball pit, in life, Ferrari is getting ready to put work aside to play and enjoy the time with his grandchildren in Chicago.

To many people’s surprise, Ferrari announced his retirement as the ninth chancellor of TCU last spring. His reason is simple: He wants to be closer to his family.

“I feel that my time at TCU is complete,” Ferrari said. “Now I want to be closer to my family.”

When Ferrari began at TCU in 1998, he listed 10 goals for the university’s future that he wanted to meet. These included new recreational facilities and increases in faculty and staff salaries and benefits. Ferrari also wanted to develop a mission statement.

Now students visit the new 202,000 square-foot University Recreation Center daily and can recite the new mission statement from memory.

The Recreation Center is not the only addition to the TCU campus. In June 2002, TCU opened the $22-million William E. and Jean Jones Tucker Technology Center. The $7-million Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium and the Sarah and Steve Smith Entrepreneurial Hall both opened in January.

Under the leadership of Ferrari, the Board of Trustees approved a three percent raise for staff and a one percent increase toward the retirement fund in 2001.

With the creation of the Commission on the Future of TCU, Ferrari strove to finish the 10 goals he set forth for the university.

“When I first came to TCU, I knew it was a special place,” Ferrari said. “I knew not everything could be accomplished but I thought TCU could have a greater national visibility.”

Ferrari is best known for his enthusiasm and accessibility.

Ferrari said he does not know any other way to be than accessible. He said it is due to being engrossed in many student life activities throughout the course of his career.

Besides being a chancellor and a professor, Ferrari has been a resident assistant and a hall director.

“To me being accessible is just the way it is,” Ferrari said. “There is no better life than working with students.”

Even the people he works with closely that refer to him as “Mick” say his enthusiasm for TCU has not diminished during his five year tenure.

Many say his acts of selflessness exhibit what it means to be a chancellor of a university.

Provost William Koehler says Ferrari only makes decisions according to what is best for the students and the university.

“Ferrari knows right from wrong and does things to better the lives of people,” Koehler said. “He doesn’t play favorites or base decisions on what others feel.”

Koehler, who worked with former Chancellor William Tucker, said Ferrari came to TCU at the right time.

“Chancellor Tucker put TCU where it needed to be financially,” he said. “He secured the university’s future so that Chancellor Ferrari could improve facilities and build buildings.”

Ben Alexander, director of admissions marketing and TCU alumnus, said he remembers when Ferrari first came to TCU. He said Ferrari is one of the best listeners he has ever known.

“When Chancellor Ferrari arrived at TCU, he made it known that anyone could e-mail him with whatever problem they had,” he said. “Many of my friends tried it and Ferrari always responded.”

After years of thinking about others first, he is finally thinking of himself and his family. His last day at TCU is May 31. After this, he and his wife Jan will live in Chicago near his daughter and five grandchildren. His son lives in Iowa.

He said he plans to spend time with his grandchildren who are anticipating the arrival of their “Pop Pop.” He has also established his own consulting firm, Ferrari & Associates. Ferrari said he plans to advise college presidents, deans and boards of trustees about strategic planning and fund raising.

Ferrari said he will also work with a searching firm. He said he just accepted a position to be an adjunct professor at Arizona State University to get away from the harsh winters in Chicago.

On the wall of the ball pit known as “the ball wall” Ferrari writes his name in green marker. Above his name he writes, “The ball pit has been my highlight of my TCU years."

Antoinette Vega