The two new labs are for nursing students and for the Great Lakes Watershed Institute.

The partnership is a guaranteed admission program for students who earn an associate degree at Grand Rapids Community College to continue on to a bachelor degree at Western Michigan University.

The three-year agreement will allow students who graduate from North Central Michigan College with an Associate of Science Biology degree to transfer to Ferris State University for its Pre-Pharmacy, Doctor of Pharmacy, or Doctor of Optometry degree programs.

The partnership will establish a direct admission transfer pathway to create a more seamless path toward a bachelor degree for students in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The Dual Advantage program will provide undergraduate students with various pathways that will help them earn both a bachelor degree and a master’s degree at the same time.

The funding will support the Entrepreneurship, Commercialization and Innovation Academy (ECIA), which will be run through the Roberts Impact Lab.

The grant funding will support the university’s FORGE: Foundations of Representative Government and Engagement initiative.

The commitment comes from longtime university benefactor Roland G. Parrish and is the largest contribution from an individual for a facility in the university’s history.

Beginning with the Fall 2027 semester, eligible Indiana residents will have their tuition covered entirely by the school, as well as will receive additional money to cover other educational expenses.

The $10,000 grant will complement the university’s existing resources that assist students experiencing financial emergencies.