The Ferrum College softball team will soon notice some changes to their facility after the College successfully completed its “Batting a 1.000” campaign for a new softball complex, named after Hall of Fame softball coach Vickie Van Kleeck.
The College raised over $330,000 from 119 donors for the new complex, far exceeding its original goal of $100,000 by June 30, 2022.
The Vickie Van Kleeck Softball Complex will include new club-level seating, construction of a press box, locker rooms, and other amenities to improve the gameday experience for the players and fans.
“It was a pleasure to work with so many friends and alumni on this campaign. The success of this fundraising effort will allow Ferrum College to build the best softball stadium in the ODAC and one of the best in all of Division III,” stated Director of Development, Bart Smith. “I’m excited for our softball program and all of the athletes now and in the future that will have a chance to play in this great stadium.”
Van Kleeck was Ferrum’s softball coach for 24 seasons before retiring in 2015. During her tenure at Ferrum, Van Kleeck won 531 games, including three regular season USA South Athletic Conference championships (1994, 1995, 2013). She led Ferrum to USA South Softball Tournament titles in 2002, 2005 and 2012, earning NCAA Division III playoffs appearances all three years. She coached 140 Academic All-Conference Players, 23 All-State players, and received the 2013 USA South Coach of the Year Award. She was inducted into Ferrum College’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for the many donors who helped make our Batting a 1.000 campaign a success. In doing so, this allows us to move forward with the Vickie Van Kleeck Softball Complex,” stated Director of Athletics John Sutyak. “This was a true team effort to get us to our goal, which included our alumni, parents, staff, faculty, friends and a number of our current Ferrum softball student-athletes contributing to the campaign. The future is bright for Ferrum College softball.”
Ferrum College President David Johns spoke about what this new facility represents, stating “Athletics has always been an important part of the Ferrum College experience, and our softball program has enjoyed tremendous success over the years, on and off the field. We are delighted to honor Coach VVK and our softball players, past and present, with this new facility.”
With the successful completion of the campaign, the College hopes to unveil the Vickie Van Kleeck Softball Complex in 2023.
Ferrum College raised over $3.1 million this fiscal year, surpassing last year’s total by more than $500,000 and the total raised in 2020 by more than $1.1 Million. Over $835,000 was raised for scholarships and another $600,000 was awarded through grants to provide academic and financial support to the College’s students.
1,170 donors contributed to this year’s fundraising success, including 178 members of the Arthur Society. Named after the college’s seventh President, Reverend Dr. C. Ralph Arthur, the Arthur Society provides special recognition to alumni, parents, and friends who make annual gifts of at least $1,000 to the College over the fiscal year. Read more about Ferrum’s giving societies here.
This year, Ferrum College held its annual giving day on October 12, 2021 and participated in #GivingTuesday on November 30, 2021. The two events raised more than $250,000 from 384 donors, including $203,116 for the College’s Ferrum Fund, an unrestricted fund that covers scholarships, academic programming, and student research opportunities at the College.
The College also continued its trend in athletics fundraising with the successful completion of the “Batting a 1.000” campaign.” The “Batting a 1.000” campaign sought to raise funds for capital improvements to the softball facility including a press box, a team locker room, improved seating, and other amenities that will make Ferrum College’s softball facility one of the premiere stadiums in the Old Dominion Athletics Conference. With an initial goal of $100,000, the College raised over $330,000 from 119 donors. The new softball facility will be named after Hall of Fame softball coach Vickie Van Kleeck. Van Kleeck was Ferrum’s softball coach for 24 seasons, as well as the College’s Senior Woman Administrator, before retiring in 2015.
Ferrum College President David Johns expressed pride and gratitude for this year’s success, stating “I am proud of the work we are doing at Ferrum College to prepare students for good work and meaningful lives, and I am grateful to our many friends for helping to make this possible.”
“This year’s success affirms our commitment to providing a great experience for our students,” said Vice President of Institutional Advancement and External Relations Wilson Paine ‘07. “I am thankful to our alumni and supporters who recognize the important role Ferrum College plays for our students, our community, and our region. We have set a high bar for ourselves over the past few years, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.”
Make a gift and learn more about what your gift supports by visiting here.
Photo credit: Stephen “West” Nuttycombe, Jr. ’19
11/12/2021
Ferrum family:
I have just returned from visiting alumni on the other side of the country, one who graduated thirty years ago, another sixty years ago. One built a career in science, the other in entertainment, and in both cases, their memories were powerful and vivid, their appreciation strong. What they gained from being at Ferrum College–studying, living, working, playing–gave them the confidence, courage, and connections to be successful. They were inspiring, and I am thankful for them.
Each of you has your own Ferrum story, a story of how being part of this community has changed and is changing your life, whether you are a student, an employee, a trustee, or a friend of the College. What you are doing to improve life and to build a meaningful future is amazing. YOU inspire me–and others!–and I am thankful for you.
The past few weeks have been filled with a return to some of the campus events we love, but missed last year–Homecoming, Folklife Festival, fall sports. Thousands from the Ferrum family, and beyond, have gathered, celebrated, cheered, and simply delighted in being here, in this place…together. Being part of these events is inspiring, and I am thankful they are happening.
We are nearing the end of the semester and, since August, we have all clocked many hours on the job, in the classroom and labs, in Panther Grounds, on the field. We have seen some high points this semester, and we have experienced a few low ones as well. In short, we have done a lot.
Stop doing those things for just a moment!
Take a few minutes today to stop what you are doing, close your eyes, breathe the fall Ferrum air, listen to the sounds of campus…and…be…thankful.
Be thankful for life; be thankful for opportunity; be thankful for each other; be thankful for the semester break that is almost here; and be thankful for a new semester that awaits us in January, and for the promise it holds for each one of us.
With gratitude for each of you and for all of us.
David L. Johns, Ph.D.
President
10/14/2021
On October 12, 2021, Ferrum College celebrated its own day of giving, ending the campaign with a record-breaking day: $109,382 from 275 donors. This year’s total more than doubles last year’s, when Ferrum received $56,786 from over 260 donors on December 1, 2020 during #GivingTuesday, the global day of giving.
“During a time when it seems that unity is scarce in the world, our college community has once again joined together to enrich the lives of Ferrum students,” said President David Johns. “They will benefit from the generosity of our alumni, employees, and friends for years to come, and I am proud of the work we’re doing to educate our future leaders.”
The theme for Ferrum’s Giving Day was “The Tie That Binds,” which celebrates the long-lasting relationships that are built on campus between students, coaches, faculty, and staff.
“Through the years, spanning decades and generations, it is our shared experience that brings us all together as members of the Ferrum family,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations Wilson Paine, who is a 2007 Ferrum College alumnus. “The support we continue to receive is just astounding, and I am proud of our collective commitment to Ferrum students.”
President David Johns
(September 10, 2021) Anyone who was awake twenty years ago has a Sept. 11 story. Some people hurriedly gathered loved ones close, not knowing what to fear, but fearing it nevertheless. Others spent the day staring at a silent sky, or watching looping video images of the same two planes colliding time and time again into the same two buildings.
For my part, I had just finished reading a Time magazine article I thought was ironic. I walked down the hall to share a laugh with a coworker, ready to add some humor to the least interesting day of the week.
But he was transfixed, listening to a small radio sitting on his desk. Farther down the hall, a similar scene. Within minutes, several of us walked across the street to Clyde’s house, the nearest television we could find. There we sat for the rest of the day wondering when a plane would dive into our town.
The senses we have had since birth–taste, touch, smell, sight, sound–are how we interact with the world and how we know the lights are still on within us. But when fear is acute, these senses either shut down to protect us, or they wake up to protect us.
Mine woke up.
And while in New York City that day smelled like burnt steel, smoke, and cremation, in Richmond, Indiana, it smelled like fresh bread, laundry detergent, and the dusty sofa in Clyde Johnson’s family room.
It really is hard to know how to remember some days, or certain events, or particular people. We know this to be true, because we struggle mightily these days with monuments and memorials, and this reminds us that remembering is not as easy nor as safe as it may seem.
I am conflicted with how to remember this day. Without a doubt we must remember the victims whose lives were crushed between floors of the Towers, incinerated–ashes to ashes–and those who chose to soar rather than meet a fiery end. We must remember the spectacle of twisted steel and the ashen faces of first responders, a new breed of Super Hero that was born out of the rubble of that day.
However, these things–destruction, body count, crowds running in fear–these are images of victory for those whose goal was terror.
Twenty years removed from that day and I believe more strongly than ever that Sept. 11 is not the day we should remember. Sept. 12 is. And the 13th, and Sept. 14, 15, 16, and beyond.
Frankly, I have trouble separating what actually happened on that day from what has been kneaded into my memory through two decades of elaboration. Documentaries, conspiracy theories, cell phone videos, political pontification, and newsreels. What I can say with certainty is that September 11th exposed human cruelty and hatred, but Sept. 12 displayed human resolve and solidarity. One day was a testament to nature ‘red in tooth and claw,’ the other a testament to the ‘better angels’ of this nature.
Of course, I am misremembering and painting with a broad brush of idealism. In the days following the 11th, we heard calls for scorched earth revenge that were as ugly as any terrorist’s invective against the United States, and irrational fear caused us to look at each other with suspicion when we boarded a plane together.
But being lumped together as one by the terrorists actually made us act together as one–mostly, and for a time. It seemed to matter less who was who or what group we represented. We were Americans, dammit, and we would live or die that way!
It did not last long, but it happened–a glimpse long enough to convince some of us that it was real, and if real, then something that could happen again. And, maybe the next time, we would not need to be in the crosshairs of violence to bring it back.
I don’t know. Many days that feels like a utopian fantasy. We are as polarized as we have been for quite some time, and simply being fellow citizens does not seem to be quite enough for us to accept each other as fellow Americans.
Our lives look too much like Sept. 11–filled as they often are with fear, and anger, with twisted steel, and revenge. Twenty Septembers later, and my hope for humanity does not come from remembering that day, but from remembering the days that follow it.
This column by President David Johns appeared in Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.
9/16/2021
Ferrum College is pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin Reilly has been named Vice President for Academic Affairs. Reilly took the helm on September 15, after serving as Acting Vice President over the summer.
“I am pleased to be offered the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs,” he said. “I am excited to work with the finest faculty and staff anywhere.”
Reilly earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology in 1991 and his Master of Arts in industrial/organizational psychology in 1994, from Bridgewater State College. After receiving his Ph.D. in social cognition/personality from Lehigh University in 2002, Reilly arrived at Ferrum College as a faculty member in the psychology department. He also served as a school dean for eight years before being named Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2019.
Reilly played a substantial role in preparing Ferrum for its fall 2020 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation review, which received a glowing report and offered no additional recommendations. He also helped Ferrum to earn Level IV institution approval, which authorized the College to offer a variety of masters and specialist degree programs.
As Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, Reilly has guided the faculty through the summer and the fourth semester of teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has been instrumental in welcoming new students to campus for the fall 2021 semester. Reilly spearheaded a “Morning of Service” in late August, when students partnered with leaders from the Village of Ferrum to undertake a number of community service projects, including grounds keeping, painting, and packing food for local elementary school children.
“My vision,” said Reilly, “is to work collaboratively and build upon our strengths: delivering outstanding opportunities for students through existing programs, while developing exciting new programs, both graduate and undergraduate. We plan to provide career-oriented experiences throughout the College that prepare students for life after college.”
“Kevin is an obvious choice for Vice President for Academic Affairs,” said President David Johns. “He has been involved in many of our most important academic initiatives in recent years, and has provided smart and consistent leadership. Kevin is deeply committed to our students and his work is filled with creativity, grace, and good humor. We would be hard pressed to find someone who knows us better or loves us more.”
9/10/2021
This morning, Ferrum College faculty, staff, and students gathered at Hart International Plaza to acknowledge the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Tomorrow marks the twentieth anniversary of those events.
As the American and Ferrum College flags fluttered in a gentle breeze above the crowd, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Reilly brought remarks from President David Johns, who was unable to attend the service due to a death in his family.
“What I can say with certainty is that September 11th exposed human cruelty and hatred, but September 12th displayed human resolve and solidarity,” wrote Johns. “Being lumped together as one by the terrorists actually made us act together as one – mostly, and for a time. It seemed to matter less who was who or what group we represented.”
Following Johns’ remarks, Campus Minister Laura Robinson led a prayer and a moment of silence, saying, “When we pray together today, I know many of us will be praying for protection, for safety, for understanding, for peace, for relief. But I also ask all of us here to make room in our hearts for freedom from fear.”
Robinson concluded the service with a wish: “May we never live through another day like 9/11, but may we rise to the occasion if we do.”
See photos from the service here.
Read President Johns’ full comments in his commentary published in The Franklin News-Post.
8/6/2021
Panther Family:
I hope you are as excited as I am for a new year of connection, growth, and community. There are great opportunities for us in the months ahead, and I am eager to get underway.
As we navigate through this pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we work together to follow the guidelines I am sharing with you today. Many of these guidelines are familiar to us by now, and exercising them together with civility and grace will benefit us all as we continue to live with our new normal.
We are stronger together.
We are ready to welcome the entire Ferrum College family back to campus for the 2021-22 academic year — students, faculty, and staff. We’ll have some challenges along with our opportunities, to be sure, but as we have seen time and again, when we work together as one, we triumph as one.
Last year, our hard work and determination paid off. Together, we kept each other safe and healthy, and we upheld our motto: not self, but others. I am proud of how well we did last year, and while the world is making progress, we are not wholly through this pandemic. I wish we were, but we are not. Thus, we will need to continue caring for each other, so we can continue spending time together.
EFFECTIVE MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2021
Vaccines
At this time, Ferrum College strongly encourages all members of our campus community to get vaccinated. We will host a vaccination clinic on campus soon, and urge all students, faculty, and staff (who are able) to get vaccinated. You can also find a vaccination location near you here. Vaccinations are available at no cost to you and they are our best defense in stopping the spread of this virus and getting back to normal.
Testing
If you aren’t feeling well, get tested for COVID-19 at a pharmacy or health care provider’s office. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please refrain from participating in campus activities and get tested. Find a testing location near you here. In the future, additional testing may be required.
Face Coverings
As COVID-19 variants are now impacting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people: all students, employees, and visitors must wear face coverings while indoors at this time – regardless of vaccination status. Face coverings are strongly recommended outdoors when social distancing is not feasible or realistic.
We will communicate adjustments regarding face coverings if they change; we are hopeful vaccinated students and employees will not need to wear face coverings in the near future.
Self-Monitoring
Continue to monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19. If you notice symptoms, find a testing site near you right away and get tested. Students contact the Office of Student Life and Engagement. Employees contact Human Resources.
Classes and Campus Life
Most classes at Ferrum have returned to in-person instruction with some protocols from our previous semesters remaining in effect for the Fall. Some classes will be offered online or in a hybrid format. Reasonable accommodations will be available for those who cannot attend in-person due to quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.
Key protocols: Face coverings while indoors and continued practice of social distancing. Face coverings are strongly recommended outdoors when social distancing is not feasible or realistic.
The Dining Hall will be open for indoor dining and takeout options will be available. Dining Services employees and diners will need to follow College protocols regarding face coverings when not eating or drinking.
Events, Visitors, and Athletics
Everyone will be required to wear face coverings during indoor events. For outdoor events where social distancing is not possible, face coverings will be strongly encouraged.
Ferrum College welcomes prospective students and their families, alumni, friends of the college, and vendors to campus. Face coverings are mandatory for all visitors while indoors and are strongly recommended outdoors if social distancing is not possible.
All Ferrum Athletics teams will be competing as scheduled, and student-athletes and athletic staff will follow conference guidance. Currently, spectators are permitted to attend games and must follow Ferrum College’s visitor protocols.
Continued Monitoring
Ferrum College will continue to monitor and adjust protocols based on campus and regional COVID-19 activity, as well as recommendations from the CDC, local department of health, and the Governor’s Office.
I want to thank you all in advance for your help with these guidelines.
We all want to return to normal as quickly as possible, and we are nearly there — in person classes, athletics, campus events and activities; it is awesome to be back together! Let’s work together to squash this virus and maintain a campus environment that is safe and healthy for the entire Panther family. I strongly encourage all faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated to help us avoid additional restrictions. We are always stronger together, and I am looking forward to a dynamic and rewarding academic year.
Sincerely,
David L. Johns, Ph.D.
President
Learn more about Ferrum College’s plans for fall semester 2021 by visiting www.ferrum.edu/stronger-together.
7/9/2021
Photo by Stephen “West” Nuttycombe, Jr. ’18
Ferrum College raised over $2.5 million this fiscal year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021), surpassing last year’s total by more than $600,000. In addition to the increase in overall fundraising, the College is also celebrating an uptick in its Arthur Society members, its leadership giving society for individuals and businesses who contribute over $1,000 annually. Read more about Ferrum’s giving societies here.
For the second consecutive year, Ferrum experienced record-breaking fundraising for athletics by raising over $128,000. This comes on the heels of the recent announcement of the Black Hats football endowment that will provide ongoing support for the Ferrum College football program.
With over 1,000 donations (a 10 percent increase from last year’s giving), the Ferrum Fund raised more than $385,000 in unrestricted dollars, which will be used to develop new academic programs programs, support scholarships, provide student research opportunities, and more.
In addition to athletics and the Ferrum Fund, the College raised more than $500,000 for scholarships and over $560,000 (including the endowment) for the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum.
“Our College faced unusual and uncertain circumstances during the 2020-21 academic year,” said President David Johns. “This year’s success can be attributed to individuals who were encouraged by Ferrum’s response to COVID-19, our unwavering commitment to our students, and to our vision for the future. We are grateful for the support shown to our students and campus community.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, College officials were unable to visit constituents for most of the 2020-21 academic year. Ferrum was also forced to cancel Homecoming and other alumni events. To combat these challenges and keep constituents engaged, the College launched a series of mini-campaigns that began last August with a mask campaign in which supporters could make a contribution in exchange for receiving a Ferrum College face mask. The mini-campaigns also included the College’s Giving Day that raised over $100,000, the virtual sell out of Adams Stadium to support athletic teams, and culminated with the “It’s the People” campaign that encouraged folks to make a gift in honor or memory of an individual who played an important role in their own Ferrum journey.
“We appreciate the alumni and friends of Ferrum College who have increased their giving or gave for the first time during the pandemic,” said Ferrum College Board of Trustees Chair Scott Showalter ’73. “I encourage others to do the same to help future students realize their dreams.”
Make a gift and learn more about what your gift supports by visiting here.
173 seniors from 12 different states earned degrees from Ferrum College during the 105th commencement ceremony on May 1, 2021.
5/1/2021
On Saturday, May 1, 2021, 173 Ferrum College graduates from 12 different states crossed the commencement stage at Adams Stadium during a socially distanced graduation ceremony.
The night before, on Friday, April 30 at 6 p.m., the College hosted an in-person ceremony, also at Adams Stadium, for the class of 2020. This ceremony followed last year’s commencement exercises, which were held virtually due to COVID-19. Friday’s keynote speaker was Virginia’s 2021 Teacher of the Year Anthony Swann. Class of 2020 graduates dressed in regalia and took photos with Ferrum College President David Johns. See photos from that event here.
The class of 2021’s commencement exercises began on Saturday at 10 a.m. and included award presentations under mild, sunny skies. The keynote speaker was New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo, who has written about higher education for more than two decades.
The ceremony began with the ringing of the historic Schoolfield Hall bell by President Johns and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato. Afterward, Sposato opened the commencement ceremony with a warm welcome to the graduates, family, friends, faculty, and staff. She noted that “each graduate has a special person or many people that have supported them throughout the past four years,” and thanked them for “sending care packages at just the right time, enduring virtual classes on Zoom, and sometimes getting late night phone calls accompanied by a few tears, doubts, and challenges.”
Following the invocation given by Reverend John Heck of Saint Peter’s-In-the-Mountains Episcopal Church, Johns took the podium to welcome the crowd and remind the graduates to thank their families for the support they received over their years at Ferrum.
Johns then commended the graduates on their dedication and progress. He instructed them to use what they had learned, saying “We are all given this one life; it is precious, a gift. I urge you to invest your life in healing the world. One of the hallmarks of a Ferrum College graduate is that we are committed to our motto – Not Self, But Others…Through your work, make the world healthier, happier, more free and just. Make it better.”
Ferrum College Board of Trustees Chair Scott Showalter ’73 and Alumni Association member Beth Simms ’09 each gave greetings on behalf of their respective boards. Afterward, Professor of Religion David Howell, who is retiring after 23 years of service in teaching, was recognized.
The presentation of awards followed. Professor of Environmental Science Delia Heck received the Exemplary Faculty Award, which recognizes a Ferrum College faculty member who embodies excellence in and commitment to teaching, demonstrates concern for student welfare in areas beyond academic studies, and is recognized as a competent scholar. Heck received numerous nominations for her service to the College and the greater community.
The Senior Academic Excellence Award was presented to Alexzondra Mattson ’21 of Virginia Beach, VA. This award is based on grades earned in all college courses by a full-time student, including those taken at Ferrum, as well as those received in transfer from other colleges or universities. Mattson maintained a 4.0 GPA and has earned a Bachelor of Science in pre-professional health sciences with a pre-med emphasis. She has been accepted to multiple Juris Doctor of Law programs and plans to make a decision soon.
Jack Sheehan ’21 of State College, PA, received the Arthur S. Owens Leadership Award, which is presented annually to the senior chosen by the faculty who best exemplifies the qualities of leadership, initiative, honor, and outstanding character. Recipients of this award must also hold an excellent academic record, have participated in extra-curricular activities, and shown creative initiative in making Ferrum College a better place to study, work, and live. His next step is to attend graduate school at Utah State University.
The Lillie Warwick Slaven Award was presented to Mia Brower ’21 from Kernersville, NC. The award is given to a student who exemplifies the ideals of the ministerial profession and is recognized as an outstanding student leader at Ferrum College.
Christian Haley ’21 of Boones Mill, VA, received the James T. Catlin Citizenship Award, which is given each year to the student who has best demonstrated qualities of citizenship and leadership.
Mattson was awarded one of two Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards. The other went to Jacob Wilson ’21 from South Boston, VA. Recipients of this award are of noble character, spend their time bettering humankind, and apply fine spiritual qualities to their daily living. Wilson’s future plans involve teaching science in a secondary education setting.
Following the awards presentations, Selingo addressed the graduates, telling them to “get ready to navigate the ambiguity of life, heed the forces that take you in different, even opposite directions, and focus on what’s most meaningful to you…and in all your decisions, small and large…be patient, optimistic and yes, have a little faith.”
Student Government Association President Kintwon Pettiford ’22 of Hillsborough, NC then greeted the crowd and introduced Brower as the senior class speaker. She sent best wishes to the graduates and serenaded the crowd with a beautiful a cappella song.
Johns and Sposato conferred degrees on the eight first-ever Ferrum College graduate students receiving the degrees of Master of Science in Psychology and Education Specialist in Teacher Leadership and Coaching. The degrees were awarded by Dean of the School of Graduate and Online Education Studies Sandra Via.
Fifteen Boone Honors Program (BHP) graduates were also individually recognized and awarded a medallion by the program’s director, Professor of English Lana Whited. This year marks the highest number of honors medallion recipients, with a previous record of ten recipients in 2014. Read more about the fifteen BHP graduates here.
After the conferring and awarding of undergraduate degrees by Johns and Sposato, the crowd was asked to join in the singing of the College’s “Alma Mater.”
See photos of the 105th Ferrum College commencement ceremony here.
Davon “D” Robinson ’21 and Morganne Flinkstrom ’21 were featured in Roanoke Times and Franklin News-Post articles by Karen Dillon. Read about D here and about Morganne here.
Jack Sheehan ’21 received the President’s Cup. Read about him in this Franklin News-Post article.
4/28/2021
President David Johns and Board of Supervisors Chairman & Blue Ridge Supervisor Tim Tatum cut the ribbon during the ceremony that dedicated the new Ferrum Pedestrian Bridge.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors, Ferrum College, and the community celebrated the completion of the Ferrum Pedestrian Bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 10 a.m. Over 50 people attended the outdoor event, which took place on the Timber Line Road side of the pedestrian bridge in Ferrum.
The 360-foot-long bridge connects the Ferrum College campus sidewalk to the Dollar General Store located on the Virginia Route 40. The separate pedestrian bridge runs parallel to the narrow Sheriff Shively Bridge and is essential to keeping Ferrum students and other pedestrians safe as they cross the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.
“We are proud to partner with the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, VDOT, and the Village of Ferrum to create a safe walking space for our students and community members,” said President David Johns. “This pedestrian bridge is an important asset for Ferrum, for business and for recreation, and it is going to strengthen ties in our community for years to come.”
“The new pedestrian bridge is very important to the community, and the College,” said Franklin County Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman and Blue Ridge Supervisor Tim Tatum. “It is something that the community and College have promoted for some time. The recent Ferrum Village Plan identified this as a need to create a more walkable community that would benefit the community, the College, and the businesses in the area.”
The County successfully secured funding for the project through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s revenue sharing program and local matching funding from Franklin County and Ferrum College.
“Processes like this tend to be slow and that’s okay as long as we get there,” said Ferrum community member Bobby Thompson, who has been a longtime advocate for the construction of the pedestrian bridge. “We’ve experienced a really good partnership between the college community, VDOT, and the county. The Ferrum community is more connected now.”
3/26/2021
Ferrum College is excited to host two in-person commencement ceremonies this year. The Class of 2020 will be celebrated at Adams Stadium on Friday, April 30 at 6 p.m. Following that ceremony, the Class of 2021’s commencement exercises will take place on Saturday, May 1 at 10 a.m., also at Adams Stadium. Both ceremonies will follow the guidelines set forth in Governor Ralph Northam’s March 17 order that allows for a limited number of guests to attend outdoor graduations.
To find up-to-date commencement information for the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021, visit www.ferrum.edu/commencement.
Ferrum College will hold its 105th commencement ceremony in-person at Adams Stadium on Saturday, May 1, 2021. The College’s plans follow Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s March 17 announcement that allows for a limited number of guests to attend outdoor graduations.
“We are looking forward to celebrating our 2021 graduates during an in-person commencement ceremony this May,” said President David Johns. “These students have made Ferrum College history by overcoming enormous challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is their time to shine.”
The College expects 165 graduates to walk across the commencement stage at Adams Stadium, which includes current seniors and the first graduates of Ferrum’s psychology masters degree and EdS programs. Each graduate may invite four guests, as per the governor’s order to keep outdoor events at 30 percent of the venue capacity. The event will be live-streamed for friends and family who are not able to attend.
The keynote speaker will be New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo, who has written about higher education for more than two decades. His latest book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, was published in September 2020 and was named among the “100 Notable Books” of the year by the New York Times. Selingo is a special advisor for innovation and professor of practice at Arizona State University. He also co-hosts the podcast “FutureU” and is a regular contributor to The Atlantic.
Prior to the May 1 ceremony, graduates will have their class photo taken in Adams Stadium on April 24. Following the class photo, graduates will be invited to take individual photos with Ferrum College President David Johns.
The College will not host a baccalaureate and candlelight ceremony this year; however, an academic awards ceremony will be held on Friday, April 16, 2021.
Class of 2021 graduates may register and receive tickets for their guests here.
Watch the livestream of the ceremony here.
Ferrum College announced today that it will invite members of the class of 2020 to return to campus for an in-person commencement celebration on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 6 p.m. This event will precede the College’s commencement for the Class of 2021, scheduled for Saturday, May 1. The Class of 2020 made history last year when their commencement ceremony was held virtually to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Class of 2020 graduates who participate in this year’s outdoor commencement exercise will be able to invite four guests to attend as they cross the commencement stage at Adams Stadium. Graduates will be asked to wear their regalia and will have the opportunity to take a photo with Ferrum College President David Johns. The keynote speaker will be 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year Anthony Swann who teaches fifth grade at Rocky Mount Elementary in Franklin County. The ceremony will follow the guidelines set forth in Governor Ralph Northam’s March 17 order that allows for a limited number of guests to attend outdoor graduations.
In order to participate, Class of 2020 graduates must register themselves and their guests for the event by April 28 using this link.
