Board of Trustees member Ruth Ferguson ’92 wants students to “take full advantage of everything that Dickinson has to offer.” She also encourages students to “give back [to the school] once they’re out in the real world.”

One of the highlights of her career has been her experience working overseas in Hong Kong while working for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Ferguson states.

“[I] learned how to be a good manager,…how to be a better influencer, and [it gave me] a better understanding of other cultures.” For Ferguson, the experience was an important reminder that there are other perspectives that need to be taken into consideration outside of Western thought.

Ferguson is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer of the Related Companies, a global real estate firm and a member of the New York Choral Society. While Ferguson likes interacting with executives as the Related Company figures out where and what they will build next, the most fulfilling part of her job is managing her team. “[I] love managing a diverse team and watching them grow and develop[ing] and learn[ing] right along with [me],” she says.

While Ferguson loves her professional career, social life and travel, “being on the board is the best thing [she does].”

At Dickinson, Ferguson majored in economics and minored in French and music. She was also the college choir president, the Independent Rush Advisor for sororities for one semester and worked for the library as a student advisor.

According to Ferguson, one of the most important things she learned during her time here at Dickinson was how to communicate and express herself by not being afraid to share her opinions. Her professors also pushed her to ground her opinions in facts.

One of the most influential professors for Ferguson was Professor Truman Bullard. Ferguson describes him as having been “passionate about music” and she says he encouraged her to “appreciate music beyond the limestone walls and the impact it could have on [her] life.”

Her favorite thing about Dickinson is the student body because it is “dynamic, passionate, and intellectually curious.” She says that they make her “feel good about the future because of what [they] will do when [they] leave [Dickinson].”

Ferguson wants to remind students that the Trustees like to hear from students. She says it “reminds us [the Trustees] why we’re here.” Ferguson expressed that students are the Trustees’ inspirations for why they are on the board. The Board of Trustees wants to give back to the college and its students, whether that is through trying to make decisions that benefit the college or by funding scholarships, she says.