In 2019, Ferrum hosted the NCAA Men’s Wrestling Tournament at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, VA. 2019 photo.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced site selections for national championship events for the 2023 through 2026 cycle, and Ferrum College has been selected to host the 2023 Division III Men’s Wrestling Championships. Ferrum will host the event Friday and Saturday, March 10-11, 2023 at the Berglund Center in nearby Roanoke, Virginia.

“All of us at Ferrum College are ecstatic to be chosen to serve as the host of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling Championship” stated Ferrum College Director of Athletics John Sutyak. “The staff at Ferrum did a remarkable job back in 2019 and it is a testament to the hard work that happened here that the NCAA has rewarded us with another opportunity to welcome the world of Division III men’s wrestling back to the Roanoke Valley. This is an exciting time for Ferrum wrestling and a huge thank you goes out to Assistant Athletic Director Gary Holden, and our Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Ryan Riggs, for putting together a successful bid.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity for Ferrum College to host the Division III Men’s Wrestling National Championships again in 2023,” said Riggs. “I’m looking forward to working with the Berglund Center event staff and VBR Sports again, making it a quality experience for the competitors, coaches, and fans. We have a lot of wrestlers from the Roanoke Valley and Commonwealth of Virginia who could be wrestling for national titles. It’s exciting! I want to thank President Johns, John Sutyak, and Gary Holden for all of the work they do.”

Read more in this article on Ferrum’s Athletics webpage.

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, after an extensive review, Ferrum College received a glowing approval report from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) team.

“We are assessed according to dozens of standards ranging from academic programs, faculty qualifications, budget and finance, planning and assessment, board governance, administrative leadership, student services, general education, and the list goes on and on,” explained President David Johns in a campus-wide email. “Almost always, an institution is given a few (sometimes many!) ‘recommendations’ that MUST be enacted in order to continue its accreditation.”

Upon completion of this rigorous and extensive review process, the SACSCOC team determined that Ferrum College is 100 percent in compliance with every standard set forth, and made no recommendations. Final approval will occur in June 2021 by the SACSCOC board of trustees.

“I wish I could convey…just how absolutely rare it is to receive such a final report,” wrote Johns. “We have all worked very hard over the last few years reshaping the College, encouraging leadership, and dreaming big.”

SACSCOC is the regional accrediting body for higher education institutions in eleven southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) and Latin America. Once every decade, a SACSCOC team made up of peers from other higher education institutions performs an extensive accreditation evaluation on SACSCOC colleges.

“We have been preparing for our ten year compliance report and the off-site and on-site visits for several years,” explained Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato. “We brought together various groups of talented and dedicated faculty and staff to analyze the systems, protocols, and program offerings. I am delighted to share in the joy that our faculty, staff, and students feel across the campus.  I am proud of our work, our dedication to our students, and our mission.”

“The best part of the process of preparing the report was getting to work with people from all over the College to tell the Ferrum College story,” said Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Reilly, who spent countless hours preparing for the evaluation. “So many people worked so hard and with such excellence because they love Ferrum.”

“The final SACS report with no recommendations is so gratifying,” continued Reilly. “It means that a team made up of our peers from colleges around the southern United States took a very close look at all aspects of our College and discovered that we are doing outstanding work here at Ferrum.”

Learn more about SACSCOC and the accreditation process here.

Read The Franklin News-Post‘s coverage here.

(August 26, 2020) As students move back to college this month, the usual excitement and bittersweet goodbyes are being seasoned with apprehension and whispered prayers.

None of us are naive, we know this is going to be challenging. We know we must take extra precautions. We know everything could turn on a dime at any moment, and we all know it’s not 2019 any longer!

Every one of our schools has developed contingency plans and scenarios ranging from the likely to the apocalyptic. We are well aware that as Theodore Roosevelt once remarked: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort.” Returning to college this fall is going to require effort because, at the end of the day, it is worth it.

And it is worth it for at least three reasons: students, colleges themselves, and the communities in which our colleges are located.

First, no one stands to lose more than students if our colleges do not return to campus activity.

While colleges learned how to serve their students in unfamiliar yet effective ways, and while faculty performed the Herculean task of transitioning to remote instruction, all this has taken a toll that is unsustainable and undesirable.

One third of students in Virginia attend an independent college like Ferrum College. Although many news articles focus on flagship public universities or elite private colleges, most independent colleges have modest resources and depend mightily on tuition dollars and philanthropy.

We enroll a greater percentage of minority students, first generation college students, and students from families with economic need than do the others. This is not a criticism, but it is a fact. Vulnerable women and men are left in the lurch when our campuses are shuttered. Additionally, rebuilding our economy after COVID-19 will require that students continue developing skills of resilience, critical and imaginative thinking, and civic engagement.

Second, the return must work for the sake of colleges themselves.

Colleges are businesses that have a fundamental social mission. During the pandemic, a few have written that any college unable to survive a couple semesters without students on campus should close. This is the most foolish and ill-informed statement anyone could make. No one would suggest that a grocery chain or a clothing manufacturer was irresponsible for needing to sell groceries or clothes to continue operating. That’s what they do. Likewise colleges and universities.

The economic havoc brought about by COVID-19 will destroy many small businesses, and some of these casualties will be colleges. Losing them will cause irreparable harm to freedom and opportunity. Thus, the return to college must work in order to preserve these champions of learning, support, research and culture.

When we reach the other side of this pandemic, we will need an educated and prepared workforce to help rebuild our country and position us for tomorrow. And to prepare these women and men, we need healthy colleges.

Third, the return must work for the communities where our colleges are located.

A college in any town is an economic boon. Many of our independent colleges are located in small towns where they are a major employer. Even a college the size of Ferrum has a $100 million impact in our region. The college helps to sustain business and livelihoods in this area, as do the others in their hometowns.

It is understandable that communities are apprehensive about the return. However, the long-term damage to our communities and to thousands of families will be extensive unless we find a way to make this work.

Let’s face it: unless we are willing to remain in absolute home lockdown–every one of us–for the next 12 months or longer, then we are acknowledging there are other social and economic concerns to be balanced in addition to caring for our health and slowing the virus. We have an obligation to sustain our communities and assure a stable economy.

So, while we know this will be a challenging semester requiring effort from everyone, it will be worth it on several fronts–for our students, our colleges and our communities. The only way for us not to be defeated by COVID-19 is to live, to thrive and to stay focused on things that matter. We must be cautious and conscientious, of course, but we cannot lock ourselves away cowering in fear. This pandemic will destroy us, but only if we permit it.

Hard does not mean impossible.

This column by President David Johns appeared in The Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.

UPIKE President Burton Webb, UPIKE Provost Lori Werth, Ferrum College Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato, and Ferrum College President David Johns.

In July 2020, Ferrum College and the University of Pikeville (UPIKE) entered into an agreement to provide access to a Master of Social Work degree to Ferrum students. 

“Those who make social work a career are special individuals, and knowing that our partnership will play a part in helping those students further their education with a graduate degree is very fulfilling,” said Ferrum College President David Johns.

This agreement is the second in Ferrum and UPIKE’s history together. The two institutions began their initial partnership in September 2019, when UPIKE pledged to reserve one seat each academic year in its Doctor of Optometry program for a Ferrum College student who meets all early admissions criteria.

For UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program, the university has again agreed to reserve one seat each academic year for a Ferrum College student who meets all early admissions requirements. UPIKE’s offer of admission is open to Ferrum students who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work, as well as those who have earned a bachelor’s degree in any other field of study, provided that those students have 21 credit hours in liberal studies. 

“We are fortunate to have such great partners at the University of Pikeville,” Johns continued, “and we are pleased to collaborate with them again to provide new opportunities for our students. This pandemic has highlighted the important role social workers play in holding together the fabric of our society. I am grateful we will be working together to prepare our students for this critical career.”

“Ferrum College and the University of Pikeville are committed to finding additional ways to grow our partnership,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato. “Our memorandum of understanding regarding the Master of Social Work program at UPIKE will build yet another pathway for Ferrum College students to excel in their purpose.”

UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program is delivered online with courses offered year-round so that students may continue to work while obtaining their degree. The masters program offers a 30-hour advanced standing option for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work, and a 60-hour program for students who have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than social work, or who completed a social work degree in a non-accredited program. All accepted students are required to have at least a 3.0 GPA. 

“Our agreement with the University of Pikeville will help Ferrum College graduates press forward in their education to live out our College’s motto, Not Self, But Others,” said Dean of Health Professions and Social Sciences Angie Dahl. “There is a great need for social workers across our region, so we are thrilled to continue building our strong partnership with UPIKE to make these opportunities available to our students.”

“We are very excited by this opportunity to formally connect with UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program,” said Associate Professor of Social Work Martha Haley-Bowling. “Students will have the opportunity to attend a top notch MSW program to further their educational and career goals.”

Learn more about Ferrum College’s social work program here.

Learn more about UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program here.

(August 5, 2020) After COVID . . . What?

What awaits on the other side of COVID-19? We have all thought about it, whether out of weariness or a need to plan ahead. But, while we have imagined it, an answer is nowhere in sight.

It seems premature to ask the question because no one knows where we are on the timeline of the pandemic. If we have a vaccine in early 2021, five or six months from now, then at best we are only half way through. But are we closer to the end of the middle, or God forbid, the beginning? Regardless, it is worth thinking about what lies beyond COVID-19 since, sooner or later, we will be there. 

I have two concerns and two hopes as I think about our Post-COVID future.

My first concern is that social distancing will lead to social isolation.

We need to maintain physical distance to slow the spread of the virus. In order to do so, many businesses have sent employees home, schools have transitioned to online instruction, and communities have postponed or canceled events that often bring us together.

But distance leads to isolation when we forget the simple acts of common life. We have learned over the last few months that many of our regular activities and meetings can be conducted virtually. But how can we assure that community life thrives, and how can we be sure we are building a Post-pandemic life worth living?

My second concern is that by the time we reach the other side of COVID-19, we will have become an America fractured beyond recognition. Between daily gaslighting and politicizing this pandemic, a wedge is being driven into an already cavernous divide. The wedge is between two impulses at the heart of the American psyche – compassion for the Other, and individual liberty. 

At our best, Americans are generous people. We are present during crises at home and abroad, and we have given much for the sake of others. Yet, Americans can be stubbornly independent, regarding liberty as a license to do anything we want. Generally, we balance both impulses according to circumstance and need, but this wedge causes extremism leaving little room for compromise or restraint. 

Yet, in spite of these concerns, I have two hopes.

First, many things that were important a half year ago, seem less so today. The pandemic has kept us close to home, close to family, and close to those things as the center of our lives. Some of what consumed our time and resources, have faded into the background.

It can takes years to achieve the pared down lifestyle thrust upon us in just a few months. While it was uninvited and threw us off balance, we are living reprioritized lives, a little more grounded, and a lot less distracted. 

Thus, my first hope is that we maintain this hard eared perspective; if we can, then we will have gained something meaningful in exchange for the havoc this pandemic has brought us. 

My second hope is that COVID-19 will renew our commitment to each other and to the common good. 

We have been reminded that airborne pathogens do not seek permission before crossing barriers we erect. We have learned that reckless personal conduct causes lasting damage. And, we are learning that simple gestures, like wearing a mask in public, saves lives and slows a virus. 

Much of what makes our communities livable, from good roads, to schools and parks, to clean water, to healthcare are goods that benefit us all. Our wellbeing is wrapped up together, so if we want a good life for ourselves after COVID-19, we need to invest in each other. Our lives may run in different directions, but we all breathe the same air.

I’m not sure what lies on the other side of COVID-19, but whatever it is, it will not be something that simply happens to us. That’s not the way the future works. The future is something we create through our passion, our imagination, and our commitment. 

So, while it may seem a little early to speculate about what comes after COVID-19, we have work to do now. Allowing isolation and division to flourish will result in a future worse than any pandemic; however, if we stay grounded in what is important and lasting, and if we focus on the goods common to us all, we will build a Post-COVID future worth living.

This column by President David Johns appeared in The Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.

(June 24, 2020) No words, no official statements, no acts of contrition are sufficient in this moment of our history, because nothing can erase generations of pain and oppression. Nothing we can do will ever undo what has been done.

I am heartbroken by the violence of injustice that results in senseless death decimating families and dashing the hope of mothers who must bury their children.

And I am heartbroken by the violence that erupts when injustice persists and those crushed by its weight cry out, “enough.”

We pass through cycles, it seems, from complacency to consciousness to outrage to acceptance to complacency once again. I want to believe that at some point, in one of the passes through the cycle, we will break free and live more enlightened lives. However, I am afraid that this cycle is a slow spiral with occasional plateaus of improvement.

Perhaps our work is to hasten the movement of the cycle, speed it up and advance us more steadily toward a place of justice and being “one nation under God.”

Without a doubt, colleges and universities have contributed to inequity and injustice through the years, keeping certain groups at the top and limiting opportunity for others. Privileged faculty teaching the children of privilege has assured the continuation of class stratification.

The recent admissions scandals unveiled just how much privilege and legacy stay alive at the hands of an unscrupulous few–an entire shadow industry that profits on keeping the poor and less well connected from advancing.

However, while being far from perfect, our colleges are one of the few places left in society that intentionally bring together people from many backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and ideological perspectives to discuss, debate, and discover. We don’t always get it right, but the world would be poorer, more monolithic, and less understood without them. In fact, the difficult conversations we need to repair ruptured relations and to build a more just future, are conversations that our colleges could help facilitate–not lead, but facilitate.

Some, like Ferrum College, are leveling the playing field for minority students, those from economic disadvantage, and the women and men who are the first in their family to attend college. Rather than profit from meritocracy, we have launched generations of young people into the middle class and into lives of responsible citizenship.

Today, students at Ferrum College are nearly 50% minority, a much greater percentage than at many of the big brand universities. For decades, the College has provided opportunity when opportunity has been denied, and the lives of thousands of families have been changed for the better because of it. In a concrete and real way–not in empty promises or slogans–we live a motto that calls us to put the welfare of others before our own: “Not Self, But Others.”

No one would ever claim we have it figured out or that we are a community without blemish. We are evolving and certainly have our blind spots. And while we cannot erase the injustices that have befallen people of color, sexual minorities, children of economic need or educational disadvantage, or others who have been shut out and turned away, Ferrum College has been at the forefront of providing opportunity for anyone committed to working hard and for anyone committed to building a future with room enough for us all.

This column by President David Johns appeared in The Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.

(April 8, 2020) As the coronavirus spread across the globe engulfing community after community, our campus grew more quiet. Students began leaving for home–a dozen one day, a hundred the next. Then, staff members joined faculty by working remotely from their own homes. Like musicians walking off a stage, one by one, during a symphony, the music of campus is now only a whisper.

Spending time on a campus that is eerily quiet gives one a lot of time to think. So, what am I learning from an empty campus?

The first thing I am learning is that I don’t like an empty campus! Nearly every day of the year there is activity here, whether it’s classes, or athletic events, or whether it’s guests participating in one of our many camps. Not having what is so common makes its absence felt all the more strongly.

What am I learning? I am learning that we take each other for granted. From one day to the next, we expect to see the familiar faces of coworkers and students, and that expectation can lead to not paying attention to the present moment. For me, busyness leads to distraction, and distraction to forgetting. And, if what I forget is to acknowledge someone or thank him or her, then it can lead to taking them for granted. On an empty campus, I am painfully aware of the times I forgot to say, “thank you.”

What am I learning from an empty campus? I am learning that buildings, and lakes, and athletic fields, and hiking trails, and farms, and residence halls, mean nothing without people. Our students are the soul of the college. They animate these spaces and give them life. Our staff and faculty are the lifeblood that circulates through every artery of activity and connection. This 700-acre oasis is a place where Ferrum College happens, but it is not itself Ferrum College.

What am I learning? I am learning that, in spite of an empty campus, the soul and lifeblood of this community still exist and still pulse strong! We are living in a diaspora, as a scattered people, but we are a people nevertheless. When love binds a group together, distance cannot divide it. Faculty are conducting classes, advisors are advising, staff meet to plan next steps, trivia night still goes on, and some are sharing a drink during after-hours cocktail parties.

All online.

What am I learning from an empty campus? I am learning how much I miss human touch. Here we shake hands; we hug; we sit together and lean in close for good conversation. We literally breathe each other in. This will happen again; but for now, we touch by keeping in touch.

I am inspired by images from Siena, Italy where residents in lockdown took to their balconies to sing, and by images from Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania where neighbors join together for group exercise, all while standing in their own front lawn. Nothing is so powerful that it will forever crush the human spirit. Nothing.

What the world will look like on the other side of this pandemic is anyone’s guess. We can be sure, however, that it will not be what it once was. What we will need — community, connection, determination, imagination — all are simple things, really, but the kind of things that hold life together.

We will need each other as we rebuild our communities, our economy, and our lives. This lesson is everywhere evident, especially in the music of a springtime breeze that moves along the Blue Ridge and out across the silent acres of an empty campus.

This column by President David Johns appeared in The Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.

Above photo, from left to right: Ferrum College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato; Ferrum College President David Johns; Virginia Western President Robert Sandel; and Virginia Western Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Elizabeth Wilmer. Virginia Western photo.

Today, Ferrum College and Virginia Western Community College entered into an agreement guaranteeing admission into Ferrum College for Virginia Western students who have received an associate degree. Ferrum College also pledged to these students to provide a pathway to receive a four-year degree within two years of transfer to Ferrum, as part of the College’s Ferrum Promise initiative which was rolled out in November 2019.

“Our economic landscape is constantly evolving,” said Dr. David L. Johns, President of Ferrum College, “and our education needs to evolve with it. We are excited to partner with Virginia Western Community College to prepare students to enter the workforce and to contribute to their communities. This agreement is a commitment from both our institutions to make education accessible and affordable, and to build a strong future for Virginia.”

“We are fortunate to have such a strong partner institution in Ferrum College and we are thrilled to share this new initiative with our students,” said Dr. Robert Sandel, President of Virginia Western. “Students who transfer from Virginia Western to continue their education tend be among the highest achievers at four-year colleges and universities. The Ferrum Promise initiative will give those students a fantastic opportunity at an affordable, high-quality degree.”

The memorandum of agreement states that acceptance at Ferrum College will require Virginia Western students to have maintained a cumulative overall GPA of 2.3 or higher, and earned a grade of “C” or higher in required courses applicable to the program they choose to enter. Additionally, Virginia Western students must have earned either an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree prior to acceptance at Ferrum.

The agreement was signed on the Virginia Western campus by Sandel and Johns, along with Virginia Western Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Elizabeth Wilmer, and Ferrum College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato.

“This articulation provides a seamless pathway to degree completion in four semesters so that Virginia Western Community College students can hit the ground running when they transfer to Ferrum College,” said Sposato.

Learn more about the Ferrum Promise here.

(March 4, 2020) There is a lot of talk in Richmond and Washington, D.C. these days about the need for a skilled workforce. Without a doubt, there are gaps in trades and professions that must be filled if we are to build a good future for ourselves and for our children, and must be filled if our country is to be a global economic leader.

To hear some of the discussion, what we need to do is simply to train young people for specific high-demand jobs. In fact, a national campaign is underway, led by the Ad Council, in close association with IBM, Apple and the White House, to promote this very idea and to encourage alternatives to college. We have statewide incentives to fund workforce development, which very often means programs that teach specific skills to match the needs of industry at the present moment.

This is important. However, a skilled workforce is not the same as a prepared workforce.

In all the clamor for skills training something is missing, and that something is a demand that colleges of all types prepare students to be responsible citizens. Women and men who are informed, involved, who act with civility, humanity and who care about the future, they are crucial for the health of our country. Although education may be preparation for good work, it is so much more.

And yet, nearly every day I hear someone questioning or dismissing the value of education (even from among some talking heads who have Ivy League degrees!). It is true, of course, that one can make a living without going to college, although an average college graduate will earn $1 million more in his or her career than an average high school graduate. And yes, $1.5 trillion in student loan debt is too much; however, very few folks seem concerned about the overall amount of consumer debt, which is nine times higher and often leaves us little to show for it.

At the end of the day, if we do not take care of our democracy then having a robust economy is meaningless. Who benefits, after all, if many of our skilled workforce are denied an opportunity to learn about our history and about the ideals that gave rise to this great nation? Who benefits if only a handful of areas of study pay attention to preparing citizens? Who wins if we reject the importance of education that forms such people?

For the benefit of us all, our society needs as many people as possible who can think critically and ask questions, who understand where we came from, and who care about how a free nation should act in order to remain free.

This is why one of the goals of our strategic plan at Ferrum College is to “prepare citizens committed to integrity and service.” It’s because citizenship is the work of us all, and not the work of a few. Every one of our faculty, staff, and students can tell you that we are serious about our motto, “Not Self, But Others,” and that we believe it teaches us how we ought to live.

So, let’s build a strong workforce. Let’s provide women and men the skills necessary to build good lives and a strong economy. And, let’s be sure that our skilled workforce is also a prepared workforce, ready to live free and ready to live as responsible citizens.

This column by President David Johns appeared in The Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.

Ferrum College and NRCC signed an articulation agreement today to offer a pathway to four-year degrees for NRCC transfer students. Pictured from left to right: Ferrum College Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato; Ferrum College President David Johns; NRCC President Patricia Huber; & NRCC Vice President for Instruction & Student Services Peter Anderson. NRCC photo.

Ferrum College and New River Community College (NRCC) signed an agreement on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, guaranteeing admission into Ferrum College for NRCC students who have received an associate degree. In addition, as part of the Ferrum Promise initiative which was rolled out in November 2019, Ferrum College also pledges that these NRCC students will be able to graduate with a four-year degree in their field of study within two years of transfer to Ferrum, or tuition for their remaining coursework will be free.

“Ferrum College is delighted to begin working with New River Community College to provide a pathway for NRCC students to obtain a bachelor’s degree in two years as our Ferrum Promise guarantees,” said Ferrum College President David Johns. “Both our institutions are committed to our students’ futures and to providing the resources they need for innovative and meaningful work.”

“NRCC is pleased to partner with Ferrum College to provide this new opportunity to our local students.  In addition to our existing articulation agreement with Ferrum that allows NRCC students to transfer easily, the Ferrum Promise goes one step further to help students stay on track and be successful on their journey to earn a four-year degree,” said NRCC President Pat Huber.  “Today is an exciting day for NRCC students, and this is a great way for them to complete their pathway to success.”

The memorandum of agreement states that acceptance at Ferrum College will require NRCC students to have maintained a cumulative overall GPA of 2.3 or higher, and earned a grade of “C” or higher in required courses applicable to the program they choose to enter. Additionally, NRCC students must have earned either an Associate of Arts and Sciences or an Associate of Applied Science degree prior to acceptance at Ferrum.

The agreement was signed on the NRCC campus by Huber and Johns, along with Vice President for Instruction and Student Services Peter Anderson, and Ferrum College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato.

“Our partnership with New River Community College illustrates both of our institutions’ commitment to our students,” said Sposato. “Higher education is changing and our methods of providing a top-notch education must also change to help our students start making a difference in the world sooner than later. We are honored to partner with NRCC for this opportunity.”

Learn more about Ferrum College’s Ferrum Promise here.

Learn more about New River Community College here.

(January 29, 2020) Not long ago, I asked a group of prospective students visiting our campus: “Who knows what the word ‘Ferrum’ means?” Many folks who studied the Periodic Table of the Elements in school may remember the answer to what is labeled Fe on the table. One of the gathered students, not too far removed from his high school chemistry class, raised his hand and said with confidence: “Iron. Ferrum means iron.”

And so it does.

Born from the atoms of exploding stars and thrown to the far reaches of the galaxy, iron ore emerges from our planet one of the strongest substances known to us. Iron, and the steel produced from it, has been used to lift cathedral ceilings to the heavens, support our symbol of liberty on Ellis Island, and span the Golden Gate. It is also as common and close at hand as a paperclip or a bicycle.

Iron is tough, strong and resilient.

In our area, the Fe–Ferrum–many of us know well, has for over a century helped build lives that are strong and resilient, tough and ready for whatever lies ahead. And this is more important than we might realize.

Eager to see their student do well, some parents ask me what signs indicate whether they will be successful in college and in life. That question is actually easy to answer. After 30 years of working in higher education, I can say that success is not determined by the school someone attended or how they score on a standardized test. It’s not guaranteed by one’s family of origin or economic privilege.

One of the most important indicators of whether someone will be successful in college and in life is resilience, fierce determination or what we might call ‘grit.’ There are no gimmicks and there are no shortcuts, just a willingness to be 110% in, no matter the cost.

I am convinced that anyone can learn, if she is determined; anyone can succeed, if he picks himself up from failure and tries again; anyone can make a difference, as long as they never give up.

Ferrum means iron, and iron is tough, strong, resilient, and what I noticed as soon as I moved here in 2018, is that this quality is in the DNA of Ferrum College and in the students who study here. This gives me hope, because as I look at the challenges we face in our communities in southwest Virginia and beyond, and as I think about the changes that are part of our future, it is clear to me that we need leaders — and a lot of them — who have this grit, this determination to work hard, to be creative and to seek out solutions to benefit us all. We need women and men who are Ferrum strong.

This column by President David Johns appeared in The Roanoke Times and The Franklin News-Post. President Johns may be reached at president@ferrum.edu.

Left to right: LFCC Provost Chris Coutts; Ferrum College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato; Ferrum College President David Johns; and LFCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Karen Kellison.

On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Ferrum College and Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) officials entered into an agreement guaranteeing admission into Ferrum College’s recreation leadership program to LFCC students who have received an Associate of Science degree in recreation and outdoor leadership. Within the College’s recreation leadership program, LFCC students may choose to focus on recreation management or ecotourism. The agreement was signed on the College’s campus by Ferrum College President David Johns and Provost Aimé Sposato, and LFCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Karen Kellison and Provost Chris Coutts. LFCC President Kim Blosser was unable to attend.

Also present at the signing were Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Kevin Reilly; Dean of the School of Health Professions and Social Sciences Angie Dahl; Associate Professor of Recreation Leadership Dan Caston; Associate Professor of Ecotourism Chris Mayer; Director of Ferrum Outdoors Aaron Conover, all of Ferrum College; and Dean of Science, Engineering, Math and Health Ia Gomez; and Associate Professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Stacey Ellis, both of LFCC.

“More and more people are discovering the beauty of Virginia and they are spending time in our lakes and trails, and at our many parks and cultural sites. Tourism and outdoor recreation brings hundreds of millions of dollars into the Commonwealth,” said Johns. “Because of this, we need professionals ready to support this growing area of tourism, and we need them to be business savvy educators who are advocates for Virginia’s natural environment. Ferrum College is delighted to partner with Lord Fairfax Community College to prepare such women and men.”

“As people and communities continue to realize the impacts recreation and being outdoors have on overall wellbeing and health, there will be a growing need for professionals trained in the recreation and outdoor wellness fields,” said Blosser. “We at LFCC are grateful for the hard work put in by Professor Stacey Ellis and her counterparts at Ferrum College to ensure that LFCC students can seamlessly transfer into their bachelor’s degree programs at Ferrum.”

This agreement follows Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s July 2019 announcement of the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation, which seeks to recruit new outdoor businesses to Virginia as well as promote the outdoor recreation industry. The governor’s website indicates that Virginia’s outdoor recreation industry contributes approximately $22 billion per year in the state’s revenue, and provides nearly 200,000 jobs.

The memorandum of agreement states that acceptance into the College’s recreation leadership program with require the following: LFCC students must have earned a grade of “C” or higher in required courses applicable to the recreation leadership program; have earned a minimum of 60 transferable credits; and hold an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher prior to enrollment at Ferrum College. Additionally, the agreement allows LFCC students to transfer to the College with junior status if they have successfully completed 56 hours of curriculum with a grade of “C” or above, thereby providing a pathway to complete a Bachelor of Science in recreation leadership within two years of transfer.

“The Lord Fairfax Community College program aligns perfectly with both our recreation leadership and ecotourism degrees, and we are delighted to provide these students with a smooth pathway to the completion of a four-year degree through the Ferrum Promise,” said Sposato.

The College announced the Ferrum Promise initiative this past November, which guarantees that students who transfer from a Virginia community college with an appropriate associate’s degree will be able to graduate within two years of transfer, or they will receive free tuition for the remaining coursework.

“This is a great opportunity to create a streamlined admission process between LFCC’s recreation and outdoor leadership graduates and Ferrum College’s recreation leadership bachelor’s degree candidates,” said Dahl. “It’s the first step in facilitating a long-term partnership which will produce individuals equipped for careers that both utilize and preserve the uniqueness of where we live.”

“These agreements represent the commitment that both of our institutions of higher learning have toward educating citizens who care about the integrity of the environment and the quality of life in our communities,” said Mayer.

Caston agrees: “We are very excited by this opportunity to formally connect with LFCC. Our programs are synergistic so it just makes sense to work together for the benefit of our students.”

Read more about Ferrum College’s recreation leadership major here.

Learn more about the Ferrum Promise here.

Read more about Virginia’s outdoor recreation economy here and the Office of Outdoor Recreation here.