Despite a spring semester that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the cancelation of the spring athletic season, Ferrum College is celebrating a substantial increase in unrestricted giving to the Ferrum Fund and to Ferrum athletics.

“We asked our alumni and friends for support, and they responded in an overwhelming way,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations Wilson Paine ’07.

For fiscal year 2020 (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020), the College saw a 33% increase in giving to the Ferrum Fund compared to last year, with close to 900 donations totaling over $400,000. Additionally, donations to athletics increased by 40% with gifts exceeding $140,000 from over 500 donors, which is double the donors from last year.

“It is extremely exciting to achieve this accomplishment during such a difficult and unexpected year,” said Director of Athletics John Sutyak, who arrived at the College in January of this year. “I’m continually impressed by our loyal supporter base and their commitment to Ferrum athletics and our student-athletes.”

Along with Ferrum’s dedicated donors and the addition of corporate sponsorship opportunities, Sutyak credits the increase in athletic giving to his coaching staff; Assistant Director of Athletics and Sports Information Director Gary Holden, and the institutional advancement staff, particularly Paine, Director of Development Bart Smith, and Director of Annual Giving Crystal Gibson.

Gifts to the Ferrum Fund go to a variety of programs at the College, including scholarships, academic programs, and student support. Ferrum Fund dollars help provide aid to students who may no longer have the means to continue their education due to financial hardships created by COVID-19.

“This is a great victory for Ferrum College and Ferrum athletics. We are grateful to our alumni, parents, and supporters who made gifts despite the shortened spring season and other challenges,” said Paine.

To learn how to support Ferrum athletics and the Ferrum Fund, and for more information about corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Wilson Paine at wpaine@ferrum.edu or 540-365-4211.

Learn more about the Ferrum Fund here, and more about Ferrum athletics here.

Over 40 student-athletes attended Adams’ online meeting to have a safe place to ask questions and get real answers.

With emotions running high following recent events in our nation, Ferrum College Head Football Coach and alumnus Cleive Adams ’02 decided to take action.

Adams reached out to Athletic Director John Sutyak with an idea: he wanted to invite student-athletes to an open Zoom meeting to provide support and raise awareness about social issues. 

His goal was to give Ferrum’s student-athletes a safe place to gain information and perspective, ask questions, and receive real answers.

Sutyak gave Adams his wholehearted support.

“Because I have access to a large number of student-athletes, we thought that it would be a great start to help with healing and understanding our feelings moving forward,” Adams said. “I really believed if I stepped out to take this on with my team, it could possibly start a positive trend for other teams while helping my young people deal with the issues, as well.”

Adams invited Ferrum College Police Chief Jim Owens to speak during the online meeting, held June 4, 2020 at 7 p.m. “We didn’t want it to be overly formal so we agreed that I would handle the introduction and the purpose,” said Adams. “After the introduction, the chief provided us with a breakdown of his experience as a law enforcement officer, as well as his department’s vision and mission.”

More than 40 student-athletes attended the Zoom call, along with Sutyak and all of Adams’ staff members.

“We had some good questions, but we hope the next opportunity we get together, the student-athletes will be more open to sharing their feelings,” said Adams. 

“I am incredibly thankful for Coach Adams and Chief Owens coming together to collaborate and meet with our team,” said Sutyak. “These are the types of interactions we want to encourage in an effort to come together, listen and work toward meaningful change in society. I look forward to more dialogue in the future.”

Get to know Adams here.

To learn more about Ferrum College Athletics, visit here.

During spring semester 2019, nearly 300 Ferrum College students received Dean’s List recognition and 82 of those students earned a place on the President’s List. Additionally, 79 Dean’s List recipients were student-athletes; 33 student-athletes were named to the President’s List.

To qualify for Dean’s List, a student must be full-time with a grade point average of at least 3.4 out of a possible 4.0. Students named to President’s List are full-time with a grade point average of 4.0 at the end of the spring and fall semesters.

Read more and find a list of spring 2019 Dean’s List students here and President’s List students here.

Find a list of student-athletes named to Dean’s List and President’s List here.