Northern Michigan communities have long struggled to attract and retain healthcare professionals, particularly in specialized fields like pharmacy and optometry. A new academic partnership between two Michigan institutions aims to address that shortage by building a clearer path for local students to fill those roles close to home.
Ferris State University and North Central Michigan College have announced a formal transfer agreement designed to help students studying biology move directly into advanced healthcare programs without leaving the region. Under the agreement, students who complete an associate in science biology degree at North Central become eligible to transfer into Ferris State’s Doctor of Pharmacy or Optometry programs.
The initiative was driven by North Central’s recognition of a gap in healthcare access across the Northern Lower Peninsula. David Murray, associate vice president of marketing and communications at Ferris State, said the college approached his institution after identifying the unmet demand.
Murray explained the mutual benefit:
“They recognized that these were areas of need up in northern Michigan and that we can help create or develop the talent for people to work in those fields. That’s great for those communities because they need people with these skills to serve that population.”
Beyond simply training healthcare workers, the partnership is also intended to encourage northern Michigan residents to build careers where they already live. Murray noted that many students feel compelled to relocate in search of opportunity, a pattern the program hopes to break.
“People sometimes feel they have to leave to get jobs or… they aren’t able to come back and stay where they want to live,”
Murray said.
“We are blessed to be able to have the programs to develop the skills and have people serve in those areas.”
Ferris State brings considerable institutional weight to this partnership. Its pharmacy program is one of only three in Michigan, and its optometry program was the only one in the state prior to 2025. That depth of experience in specialized healthcare education positions Ferris State as a natural anchor for a regional pipeline initiative.
This agreement is not Ferris State’s first collaboration with a Michigan community college. The university has maintained a long-standing transfer partnership with Grand Rapids Community College, a relationship that has been active since 1986.
The current agreement between Ferris State and North Central is set for a three-year term, with the possibility of renewal depending on how the program develops. For more local and regional news from central and northern Michigan, WCMU also produces a weekly news podcast covering stories from across the region.
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