FSU To Miss Pep Band Student Conductor
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University Athletics
Department will lose the services of a valuable team member as
current FSU Athletic Pep Band student conductor Jason
Workman is slated to graduate this spring.
Workman, who has served in the role of student conductor for the
past two seasons, recently worked one of his final performances as
a pep band member in the Bulldog Hockey team's trip to Joe Louis
Arena for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)
Championships last weekend (March 19-20). The trip not only
included performing at two games inside the storied venue, but also
an appearance at the CCHA Fan Fest event held at the Detroit
Renaissance Center.
"Jason has been great to work with and we're going to miss his
professionalism," said FSU Associate Athletics Director Jon
Coles. "He's been open-minded to new ideas as the
student conductor and a valuable member in helping us generate
excitement.
"The pep band helps provide a great atmosphere and tremendous home
advantage for us and he's been an important part of those efforts,"
Coles added.
In his four-year tenure with the FSU Athletic Pep Band, Workman
has recorded a perfect attendance mark for all rehearsals and has
attended virtually every Bulldog home hockey, football along with
men's and women's basketball game. In fact, he's missed only
one performance over the course of his four years.
Prior to beginning his term as student conductor in the fall of
2008, Workman spent a year as the pep band's associate student
conductor. He was a pep band woodwind section leader in 2006
and began his pep band career as a clarinetist.
"We've implemented some new things with the pep band under Jason's
direction and he's been an outstanding help," said Coles. "In
his time, we've changed the way we enter games from the Bulldog,
added sing-along tunes and utilized theme nights, all of which are
things where we've asked the pep band to help play key roles."
The four-year athletics pep band member has also been a member of
the FSU Symphony Band in his time at Ferris. The Bridgman,
Mich., native, who was his high school class valedictorian, plans
to graduate magna cum laude from FSU in May with a bachelor's
degree in biotechnology.
A FSU Dean's List honoree, Workman has been active in several
other campus organizations in addition to the pep band. He's
compiled over 105 hours of volunteer work as part of the FSU Honors
Program and serves as president of the Delta Nu Alpha Biotech
Fraternity. Additionally, he's also currently a lab assistant
in the biochemistry lab at Ferris State.
Workman, who's a former volunteer librarian at the Big Rapids
Public Library, has worked as a volunteer tutor in
anatomy/physiology along with mathematics as a Ferris
student. He was also a volunteer lab technician at FSU in the
summer of 2009.
The former recipient of the FSU Athletic Pep Band Mentor Award was
chosen as an Outstanding Biology Graduate Finalist this year and
has also been a Rising Star Award nominee. He's received
numerous scholarships during his college years, including the
Woodbridge N. Ferris President's Scholarship, Kelso Battle
Scholarship, Mittal Steel Legacy Foundation Scholarship, Resident
Life Scholarship along with the FSU Dean's Ability Scholarship for
both biotechnology and music.
The FSU Athletic Pep Band regularly performs for all home
football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and
hockey games under the guidance of faculty director and visiting
assistant professor of music Dr. Dale Skornia.
Band members conduct themselves in a spirited manner that promotes
the goals of education, ambassadorship and community at all
rehearsals, performances and band social events.
The Athletic Pep Band is not an academic class. but its members
can qualify for ability-based scholarships. Members strive to
exhibit the highest levels of both musicianship and school
spirit. Overall membership is open to any FSU student and at
the sole discretion of the Faculty Director.
For more information on the FSU Athletic Pep Band, please visit
its official website at this link:
http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/artsands/link_desc.cfm?LinkID=79
