Ferrum, VA, September 21, 2019 — In an alumni awards ceremony held Saturday, September 21, 2019 in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room on campus, Ferrum College honored four distinguished alumni and inducted five more alumni into the Sports Hall of Fame.
Samuel Camden ’66 was recognized as Ferrum College’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. This annual award recognizes alumni who have a record of exceptional career achievement and service to their community, church or other organizations; were active in college life; and remain involved and supportive of Ferrum College.
Outstanding Young Alumni were also recognized: Tyler Lee ’14, Miesha Williams ’16, and Courtney Cox ’17. These recipients are honored for their accomplishments and achievements to Ferrum College within fifteen years after their graduation.
The award recipients are nominated by alumni, faculty, or staff, reviewed by the Nominations Committee of the Alumni Board of Directors, and approved by the president.
Additionally, five alumni were inducted to the Ed George Ferrum College Sports Hall of Fame: football player Cleive Adams ’02; soccer and lacrosse player Carrie Conques ’03; football, baseball, and volleyball player Mason Lockridge, Jr. ’61; basketball player Quincy Quick ’94; and cross country runner Julie Burton Stevens ’03.
Sam Camden ’66
Sam Camden, of Roanoke, VA, earned his associate degree from Ferrum Junior College in 1966. In 1968, he obtained a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and began his career in human resources that same year with Burlington Industries, the world’s largest textile company. He also worked in human resources for Sara Lee and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He retired from Virginia Tech in 2012. Camden is an active member of the Vinton Host Lions Club and helps to conduct mock interviews for Ferrum College’s Career Services department. He and his wife, Brenda, have two sons and a daughter, three grandchildren and three step-grandchildren, and are active members of the Ferrum College Golden Panthers.
James Tyler Lee ’14
James Tyler Lee, a native of Rocky Mount, VA, graduated from Ferrum College in 2014 and is currently enrolled in the Master of Health Administration program at the Jefferson College of Health Sciences. He is the co-founder of Putting a Dent in Mental Health, a nonprofit that supports mental health first responders and serves on many local community boards. Lee was the youngest-ever executive board member for the United Way of Franklin County, and the first-ever college student in the country to serve on a United Way board.
Miesha Williams ’16
Miesha Williams of Baltimore, MD, received her bachelor’s degree from Ferrum College in 2016, and went on to obtain a Master of Science in applied information technology from Towson University and a Master of Business Administration from Frostburg State University. Currently, Williams works as a senior web developer for the University of Maryland. She founded Hustld Tech, a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore that provides technology-related skills such as building workshops, mentorship opportunities, and educational resources and support.
Courtney Cox ’17
Courtney Cox graduated from Ferrum College in 2017 with a degree in teacher education. She began her career as a social studies teacher at Culpeper Middle School and created a successful classroom management technique for her eighth grade students that yielded an 81 percent SOL test pass rate. Cox is the coach for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit organization that helps young girls learn self-esteem through physical activity, teaching them to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a curriculum that integrates running.
Cleive Adams ’02
Cleive Adams of Danville, VA, played football at Ferrum College from 1987 to 1989. In 1988, he helped win the South Region title, which advanced the Panthers to the NCAA semifinals. Adams became assistant football coach at Ferrum College in 2002 and then defensive coordinator in 2007. He was then recruited to Averett University in 2014 and has coached 37 All-Conference and 23 All-State, five All-Region, five Academic All-District, three Aztec Bowl, and two All-America selections, one Conference Player of the Year, one State Rookie of the Year, and one D3 Senior Classic participant.
Carrie Conques ’03
Carrie Conques of Fairfax, VA, played women’s soccer and lacrosse all four years at Ferrum College from 1999 to 2003. During her soccer career, she had 17 goals and six assists, was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2001, and served as team captain in 2003. Conques started every game but one during her four-year lacrosse career, posting 150 career points on 137 goals and 13 assists, and serving as captain in 2002 and 2003. At graduation, she held records for game, season, and career points, as well as game, season, and career goals. She currently teaches physical education at Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria and continues to coach soccer and lacrosse.
Mason Lockridge, Jr. ’61
Mason Lockridge, Jr. of Luray, VA, played football at Ferrum College in 1959 and baseball from 1960 to1961, as well as competing with Ferrum College’s club volleyball team. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1963 and his master’s from the University of Virginia in 1969, he served in the United States Navy from 1955 to1959. He worked in the Page County Public School system until 2001. Lockridge continues to serve on many community boards and has won a number of awards for his work.
Quincy Quick ’94
Quincy Quick, from Nashville, TN, played men’s basketball at Ferrum College from 1992 to 1994. During his basketball career, he helped the Panthers win the 1992 Dixie Conference regular season and tournament titles, as well as the 1993 Dixie regular season title. Quick went on to earn his master’s degree from Virginia State University and his doctorate from New Mexico State University. He currently serves as associate professor of biological sciences at Tennessee State University. Among other positions, he has served as the E. E. Just Endowed Professor of Biology at Grambling State University.
Julie Burton Stevens ’03
Julie Burton Stevens of Waynesboro, VA, ran cross country at Ferrum College from 1999 to 2002 and served as team captain for three of those years. She earned All-Conference honors and Academic All-Conference honors from the USA South Athletic Conference in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002; was named to the NCAA Division III All-Academic Team in 1999; and was the Dixie Conference Rookie of the Week for three weeks in September and October 1999. She received the Ferrum College President’s Cup in 2003 and teaches at Kate Collins Middle School, where she also serves as athletic director. She was named Kate Collins Middle School Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014.
Click here for photos from the event.
Ferrum College social work program students, faculty, and alumni met on Monday, September 9 in the Virginia Room on campus for the first gathering of a new series, Social Workers Speak. This series, coordinated by Assistant Professor of Social Work Martha Haley-Bowling, invites Ferrum College social work alumni back to campus to discuss their professional journey with current social work students. Alumni will provide feedback to students considering social work or interning in the field. The series will incorporate three meetings per semester.
Monday’s gathering included two Ferrum College alumnae who obtained their Bachelor of Social Work degrees at the College, and have gone on to also earn Master of Social Work degrees: Lakita Goins ’10 and Jame’E Gunter Hairston ’12. Goins is currently employed at Youth Connect in Rocky Mount, VA, and Hairston works at Piedmont Community Services, also located in Rocky Mount.
“It brings me so much joy to see our students learn and grow into these amazing social workers in our community,” said Haley-Bowling. “I have so much respect for them and their journeys that watching them interact with our students always brings me this sense of gratitude. They live Ferrum College’s motto – Not Self, But Others – daily.”
Read more about Ferrum College’s social work program here.
Katherine Anderson ’19
On Friday, September 13, from 1:25-2:45 p.m., Ferrum College alumna Katherine Anderson will present “From University to USDA: Why I sold my soul to the government” for the Natural Sciences Friday Seminar in Garber Hall #106.
Anderson, who is a member of the Ferrum College class of 2019, works for the USDA as an entomology laboratory technician. While she was on campus she was involved in independent nematology research as well as an edible landscaping project that saw blueberries planted on campus and at Titmus Agricultural Center. She’ll talk about the job she got post-graduation, how she got it, and what she does there.
Mary Hammock ’15
Ferrum College’s first Natural Sciences Friday Seminar of the 2019-2020 academic year will be held in Garber Hall #106 on Friday, September 6, from 1:25-2:45 p.m.
Alumna Mary Hammock will present “The Business of Agriculture.” Mary is a commercial agriculture loan officer with Farm Credit of the Virginias, ACA, working out of the Chatham and Rocky Mount branch offices and covering Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties. She spends her days managing relationships with full-time farmers and landowners in those areas and provides financial assistance for their operations. Mary, who graduated in December 2015 from Ferrum College with Summa Cum Laude honors, has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Science with a double emphasis in Agronomy and Agribusiness and a Business Minor.
The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College announces its newest exhibit, Travelers’ Trinkets: Souvenirs of Virginia. 
This unique exhibit focuses on the history of souvenir collecting, the various types of souvenirs, and how souvenirs have evolved throughout the years to the most popular form today—the “selfie.” Only focusing on the souvenirs of Virginia, this exhibit is the first of its kind in the Old Dominion and features collectibles ranging from refrigerator magnets, gorgeous ruby stained glass, Dale Earnhardt trading cards, to human hair. Funded by a generous grant from Virginia Humanities, the exhibit will run until December 2020.
Visit the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum’s website to learn more.
Learn more about Virginia Humanities here.
Students enjoyed Opening Convocation, held Tuesday, August 27, 2019.
Ferrum College began its 2019-20 academic year with a plethora of events: New Student Convocation; a picnic and Fall Fun Festival; Opening Convocation for all students, faculty, and staff; Praise on the Patio; and Prayers on the Porch.
Following the freshman class photo on the steps of Schoolfield Hall on Monday, August 26, new students were welcomed by College officials in Vaughn Chapel during New Student Convocation. President David Johns called on students to do three things: be open, be curious, and be grateful. He closed by saying, “I encourage you to dig into the work ahead, invest your best energy in writing a new story for yourself, and together, we will change the world for good.” See photos.
The campus community was treated to a barbeque picnic lunch under tents on Tuesday, August 27, at Franklin Hall quad. In the Panther’s Den in Franklin Hall, a Fall Fun Festival was brought to campus by the Office of Student Life, and included mini golf, a photo booth, street sign making, airbrush tattoos, prizes, and more. See photos.
Following the picnic and Fall Fun Festival, Opening Convocation was held in Swartz Gym for all students, faculty and staff. Attendees arrived to energetic music and laughed as the Panther mascot shooed President Johns away from the podium as he welcomed the campus community. See photos.
Spiritual Life hosted Praise on the Patio on Wednesday, August 28 on the Franklin Hall Quad. Representatives from local faith-based institutions were available to meet students and answer questions. There was live music, lots of fellowship, free food, and even prizes. See photos.
The busy week culminated with some reflection and prayer time outside Vaughn Chapel with Spiritual Life’s Prayers on the Porch event on Sunday, September 1. Students, faculty, and staff gathered to enjoy a meal together, chalk messages of hope on steps and sidewalks, and lift up the new academic year in prayer. See photos.
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.
Dr. Benjamin Beckham was president of Ferrum Training School from 1913-1934.
Madison Cogle, currently a senior at Washington High School in Jefferson County, West Virginia, will be the first-ever Beckham Presidential Scholarship recipient at Ferrum College.
The new Beckham Presidential Scholarship, named for Dr. Benjamin Beckham, the College’s first president (1913-1934), is awarded to students for their exemplary academic classroom achievements, leadership, and/or community service. Recipients must have a GPA of at least 3.5, with an SAT score of 1080 or higher, or an ACT score of 21 or higher. The scholarship will cover tuition and room and board, and is renewable for an additional three consecutive years.
Currently, Cogle is president of her high school’s Future Farmers of America chapter and vice president of the National Honor Society. She is also a member of Key Club, marching band, concert band, wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, and 4H. Cogle will arrive at Ferrum College in fall 2019 to study animal science. She will be a member of the College’s marching band and plans to eventually become a veterinarian.
“I learned about Ferrum at a local college fair,” explained Cogle. “It was difficult to find colleges there because my major – animal science – is so rare. I planned to come down for a Panther Preview and that day I found out about the scholarship competition.”
Cogle was drawn to Ferrum College “because of its small size but ample opportunity.” She explained, “I learn best with hands-on experiences, so I was very excited about the farm and agricultural center, as well as the study abroad opportunities. After finding out that I had received the scholarship, I felt a strong feeling that God had opened the proper doors for me to be able to attend Ferrum. This scholarship was a true blessing that I feel led me to the school that is best for me.”
Dr. Beckham once wrote to a prospective student in an undated letter, stating, “We have a wonderful school at Ferrum and it will be worth more to you to graduate at Ferrum than it would be to inherit a fortune of thousands.” His belief in Ferrum College’s students continues to live on through incoming freshman Madison Cogle.
Visit here to learn more about scholarships and financial aid at Ferrum College.
More about Dr. Benjamin Beckham: Dr. Beckham founded Ferrum Training School in 1913.Throughout his 22 years of service to the school, he maintained a compassion for students’ needs, particularly financially. In fact, he borrowed money in his and his wife’s names when Ferrum Training School desperately needed funds. In the 1920s, he traveled with glass photographic slides and a projector to showcase the school’s accomplishments; he was a true fundraiser. Dr. Beckham returned to ministry in 1935 but continued to financially support Ferrum Training School for years.
