Former MSU Research Foundation Board Member Joel Ferguson Passes Away at 85

Former MSU trustee and Research Foundation board member passes at 85, leaving a legacy in business, media, and community development.

Joel Ferguson, former MSU Research Foundation Board Member

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 29, 2024) — Former Michigan State University Board of Trustee member Joel I. Ferguson passed away on October 19, 2024 in Lansing. He was 85. Mr. Ferguson served on the board of directors of the MSU Research Foundation from 1990-1992 and again from 2000-2002.

Mr. Ferguson was elected to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees in 1986 and was re-elected three times. Ferguson was the vice chair of Blue Cross Foundation, co-founder of F & S Development Company, and the developer of 14 multi-family residential complexes throughout Michigan. He was co-founder of Lansing television station WFSL-TV (Channel 47) and the founder of Lansing’s WLAJ-TV (Channel 53) television station. He also owned and developed of many major office buildings in the Lansing area. One of the original organizers of Capitol National Bank, Ferguson was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Ferguson graduated from MSU in 1965 with a degree in elementary education.