Ferrum Family:

A new semester is here and, like the last two, it will be different from others we have known. So, I want to take a moment to think about our work these next few months.

We are all getting very good at adjusting to this COVID world–HyFlex instruction, remote service and interaction, Zoom meetings, and holding things together, even while not having a map for this territory. I am proud of how we have risen to the challenges that have become part of our daily lives.

This semester begins, however, with our country on edge.

Pandemic fatigue has been washing over us for months and it can be overwhelming. And, as happens so often, a public health crisis is laying bare the social and economic disparities that have existed in our country for generations.

As we know too well, the fabric of society is not woven tightly, and a tug on loose threads is all that is needed to unravel the whole. Strains are coming from many corners, and the din is growing harsh, louder, and more dangerous.

In this time of diversivolent rhetoric, questionable loyalties, and sharply drawn battle lines, there is a temptation to rally our kin, raise our voices, and flood the world with vitriol that rivals that of the ones with whom we disagree.

But this will destroy us all, because when the anger and insults subside, and the violence falls away, how will we determine who was right and who was wrong?

At Ferrum College, we often do things differently than what happens in the public square. We try to model intelligent, contextualized, and socially principled conversation, the kind sorely lacking right now. We make the bold claim of encouraging critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills. We announce that we challenge students to strive for excellence and to be global citizens in a welcoming and supportive community. And, we undergird all of this with a moral vision that places the concerns of others before our own, Not Self, but Others.

To state it plainly: our work in the weeks ahead is to excel at what we do, and to become an even better version of ourselves. As Martin Luther King, Jr. remarked, “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.” Thus, those things we encourage in our students, we practice ourselves; what we wish for in society, we embody in our life together. We are fortunate to be in a position to add to the country’s store of goodness and clarity and generosity and truth.

Who we are as a community is itself a witness to a better way. That is a tall order, I realize, but I believe we are up to the task because it is what we do each and every day. I look forward to walking together this new year in ways that bring a little more understanding and peace to our nation.

David L. Johns, Ph.D.
Ferrum College President

President David Johns

The assault on the United States Capitol was a wake up call, a reminder that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile, and that democracy requires us all.

A longing for freedom, a longing to be heard above the crowd and to build a society with enough room for those we love, runs deep in the American spirit. Yet, how quickly these can become the very things that separate us and make us enemies to each other.

G.K. Chesterton once remarked that the line that divides good and evil is not a line between two people, but a line that passes through each individual heart. Each of us possess all that is necessary to do extraordinary good. Some, with very few resources, have transformed the world because they fed the better angels of their nature.

On the other hand, each one of us possess all that is necessary to destroy the world, and ourselves with it.

What erupted into chaos, destruction, and death at the Capitol was the cumulative effect of years of failing at the small things that build civil society. Listening, fairness, self-discipline, openness to the Other, and telling the truth. When we ignore these simple gestures, the greater things we desire are beyond our grasp.

It is tempting to rationalize and justify violence, destruction, and incivility when it erupts in support of something for which we care deeply. Self-righteous myopia is not a flaw of the right or of the left, it is a human shortcoming we must all avoid.

Here at Ferrum College, everything we do is preparing us to be generous, free, and responsible citizens. How we disagree with each other, the way we embrace our diversity, and our abiding commitment to ‘Not Self, but Others,’ give us the tools we need to build a society stronger and better than what we saw last week.

I am eager for our Panther family to begin a new semester. We will support each other through the challenges of this pandemic, encouraging each other to excel in the classroom, the court and field, in the residence halls, and in our neighboring communities. With determination and a renewed sense of purpose, we will continue to practice those things that make for a better tomorrow.

David L. Johns, Ph.D.
President