Charles Ferris, an Ohio native, received the bachelor’s degree from Michigan State in 1890. From 1890 to 1892, he served as civil engineer in Kentucky, with his work extending to Michigan. In 1892, while he was working in the City Engineer’s Office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, President Dabney offered him a post at the university as an instructor in mechanical drawing and freehand art.
Known as the “art teacher” on campus, Ferris became head, in 1897, of the Machine Design and Drawing School, which replaced the School of Mechanic Arts. He was very interested in athletics. In 1892 he played right tackle on the UT football team, and prior to World War I, he founded the University Realty Company, which sought to purchase property in the area of Shields-Watkins Field (surrounded by Neyland Stadium) to preserve the land against the day when the university could buy the land for physical education and athletic purposes. The University Realty Company was a stock company, and seven acres of land were acquired by taking out loans. In 1919 the company had a debt of $22,453, which it could not pay. W. S. Shields offered to pay the debt and clear the title if the stockholders would donate their stock. Ferris and the other stockholders agreed, thus paving the way for acquisition of the property.
Ferris served as secretary-treasurer of the Cooperative Bookstore and called for establishment of a correspondence division (1922). In 1898 he published a Manual for Engineers, of which 25 editions were published and sold to engineers throughout the country. The book was dubbed by the Orange and White as the “Aladdin’s Lamp” of UT, since when funds were needed for engineering projects, Ferris was said to “rub his little book” to get advertisers for the next edition to provide either equipment or cash in return for the privilege of future inclusion. He was named the first dean of engineering in 1913—a position he held until 1940.
In 1904 he published a textbook on descriptive geometry. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi. Under his supervision, the Engineering Experiment Station was established in 1921 and the engineering cooperative education program was begun in 1926–27. He designed and served as architect for the 1906 addition to Estabrook Hall. He supervised students participating in the design of the new power plant and the distribution system of steam (now Pasqua Nuclear Engineering).