Patrick Ferry is an American academic administrator and pastor, serving as the president of Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, Wisconsin, from 1997 to 2021. The higher education institution is affiliated with the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

(LCMS).

Background

Ferry began his career at Concordia University Wisconsin as a professor of history in 1991. Prior to that time, he served as an educator for the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

during the 1990-1991 school year, the Lutheran campus pastor for the University of Wyoming in

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated 32,711 in 2019, making it the third-largest city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Located on the Laramie River in southeastern ...

, from 1989 to 1991, and the assistant pastor at Wheat Ridge Lutheran Church in

Wheat Ridge, Colorado The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is located immediately west of Denver and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The ...

, from 1987 to 1989. In July 2019, Ferry published his first book, a memoir entitled ''Faith in the Freshman: A Story of Hopes and Hoops'' that recounts his formative years, including his time as a basketball player at what he described as one of the worst college basketball programs in the country, St. John's College in

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. Hi ...

, the early formation of his Lutheran faith; and his experiences as a father and college president. In September 2020, Ferry announced his intent to retire from Concordia University Wisconsin in June 2021 after 30 years of service, 24 as president.

Education

Ferry earned his

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

degree from St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas in 1981.He completed his

M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1987. He also earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in European history from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

in 1996. Ferry is the board chairman for the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America and a member of the board of the Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges. Ferry also serves as a vice president of the Concordia University System of the LCMS.

Religious affiliation

Ferry is a member of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. He is an ordained pastor of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferry, Patrick Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Concordia University Wisconsin faculty University of Wyoming alumni St. John's College (Kansas) alumni Concordia Theological Seminary alumni University of Colorado alumni Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod people 21st-century American male writers