Students from Franklin County High School’s (FCHS) Eagle Tech AP Environmental Science and English 10/Environmental Science classes recently visited Ferrum College to experience first-hand what learning is like on a college campus. Farm Manager Sarah Isley hosted the students for a tour of the College’s Titmus Agricultural Center, where they learned about the teaching farm and met with work study students. Aaron Conover, director of Norton Outdoor Adventures and adjunct instructor of Ecotourism, together with Foundations of Ecotourism (ECT 265) students, provided hands-on learning experiences for the visiting  high school students.  

FCHS’s Eagle Tech program offers students an innovative learning environment with an instructional focus on collaboration and project-based learning (PBL). Students use technology to complete group projects as they would in a real-world work environment; the ultimate goal is college and career readiness.

Eagle Tech Ecology Teacher Chekka Lash stated, “My students were provided with the opportunity to experience what a college environment is like and to appreciate Ferrum College, which is a true gem in our community. The ecotourism course was the perfect mix of fun and collaboration. My students have chosen PBL as their preferred mode of learning and are used to presenting their work. I think it was great for them to experience PBL as guests instead of presenters. They had so much fun, and we really appreciated the hospitality!”

See more photos here.

3/9/2021

In January, Ferrum College alumna Audrey Ramsey ’18 boarded a plane bound for the Galapagos Islands. She will spend the spring collecting data in collaboration with the National Park of Galapagos, Ferrum College’s ecotourism program, and the Center for Protected Area Management (CPAM) at Colorado State University, and will return to Virginia in May.

As an undergraduate in Ferrum’s recreation leadership program, Ramsey completed an internship with CPAM where she helped with annual training courses for Latin American protected area managers. After earning her Bachelor of Science in recreation leadership with minors in ecotourism and environmental science, Ramsey enrolled at Colorado State and continued to work for CPAM. She earned her Master of Science in global conservation leadership in 2020. Her work with CPAM lead to phase one of this consultancy in the Galapagos to develop site-by-site interpretive plans for Las Grietas and Tortuga Bay, two of the most visited public use sites on the island of Santa Cruz.

“I’ve spent the last two months collecting data from park rangers, tourists, and locals to gather perceptions and learn about the two sites to aid the Park in future management decisions,” said Ramsey.

Ramsey completed her masters thesis project by doing research on the state of environmental interpretation in Latin American Protected Area Systems. “[This research] is a baseline inventory of the use of environmental [and] cultural interpretation as a tourism management tool within Latin American federal protected area systems,” explained Ferrum College Associate Professor of Recreation Leadership Christopher Mayer, who offered his expertise in environmental interpretation throughout Ramsey’s master’s thesis and now advises her on the Galapagos project.

Ramsey said she became interested in ecotourism when she traveled to Costa Rica for a family vacation in 2010. After ecotouring the Osa Peninsula, Ramsey was hooked. She knew she wanted a career in ecotourism.

“I searched for colleges that offered ecotourism and Ferrum was the one college on the East Coast that offered it as a minor,” she said. “In my first ecotourism class in 2014, Foundations of Ecotourism, I learned about the Galapagos Islands and their exceptional model of ecotourism. From that class onward, Galapagos became a dream of mine. I wanted to do some type of ecotourism work here and learn from their model. Seven years later, I arrived in the Galapagos and am living [my dream].”

In 2019, the College began offering ecotourism as a major. “When I learned that Ferrum was going to begin offering ecotourism as a major, I was incredibly excited,” said Ramsey. “That degree will offer incredible experiences for incoming students. I would never have had the opportunities I have had if it weren’t for the ecotourism program at Ferrum.”

Learn more about Ferrum College’s ecotourism program here.

Learn more about Ferrum College’s recreation leadership program here.

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.

Ferrum College announces the Department of Education’s approval of the addition of three new majors to the College’s baccalaureate degree granting programs: elementary education, music, and ecotourism. Coursework for these new majors will become available this fall 2019.

The new Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education comes with the state education board’s approval of 53 new teaching preparation programs. With this new major, Ferrum College students interested in teaching in an elementary school setting will be able to earn a degree focused in elementary education. Previously, the College was bound by Virginia state regulations to require students interested in teaching at an elementary school level to major in liberal arts and minor in teacher education.

“The mission of the Ferrum College Teacher Education Program is to develop caring, lifelong reflective learners who are committed to teaching,” explained Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Teacher Education Program Director Christine Christianson. “We provide a rigorous program of study that includes an internship experience in Franklin County Public Schools for each semester that education courses are taken, and we are proud to produce educational leaders who personify the Ferrum College motto, ‘Not Self, But Others.’”

Also beginning in fall 2019, Ferrum College will offer a Bachelor of Arts in music, with two focus tracks: music business and music performance. This degree will incorporate woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, voice, and Appalachian folk instruments.  While earning their degree, students will be able to intern for artist management agencies around the country, public relations agencies, concert venues, and record labels.

“I am very excited to get this program off the ground,” said Assistant Professor of Music and Music Department Chair Sixto Montesinos. “Ferrum College is in a region where music thrives, especially Appalachian folk music, and we are excited to bring this opportunity to our students.”

For years, Ferrum College offered ecotourism as a minor only. Beginning in fall 2019, Ferrum College students may now earn a Bachelor of Science in ecotourism. “Graduates of the ecotourism program will be able to find careers as ecotourism entrepreneurs, guides and as interpretive rangers with land management agencies like the National Park Service,” said Assistant Professor of Recreation Leadership and coordinator of the ecotourism degree program Chris Mayer.