| UPCOMING
EVENTS
July
Alumni Events
|
Special
Alumni and
Friends of Ferrum Event!
41st
Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Thursday, July 5th on the National Mall
The Blue Ridge Institute, in conjunction with the Virginia
Foundation for the Humanities, is coordinating a portion
of the festival.
On the evening of July 5th, there will be a Mountain Music
Concert sponsored by the BRI and Ferrum College. The concert
is free to the public and will be from 4:30 - 9 pm.
A special reception for the Ferrum College family will be
held at 4 - 8 pm at the Downtown Holiday Inn. |
Thursday, July 12th
Richmond Chapter
PF Chang's China Bistro, 6pm
Stony Point Fashion Park
9212 Stony Pkwy, Richmond
Saturday, July 14th
Roanoke Valley and Franklin County
Salem Avalanche game
Cost is $10 for adults and $7 for children. Enjoy snacks and the view from our covered, Open Air Spectator Deck, The Blue Ridge Copier Cove. Please reserve tickets by July 6th at 1-877-FERRUM1 or alumni@ferrum.edu
August
Alumni Events
Thursday, August 9th
Staunton-Shenandoah Valley
Details TBA
Saturday, August 11th
Roanoke Valley/
Franklin County Alumni
Mill Mountain Zoo
Special Event for Alumni
It will run from 11am-1 pm.
A picnic lunch will be provided.
Thursday, August 16th
Charlottesville Area Alumni
Details TBA
Events
on Campus!
Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre
The
World Is My Parish
Friday, July 6
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 12:15 pm
Show: 1:15 pm
The
World Is My Parish
Saturday, July 7
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 6:45 pm
Show: 8:00 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Wednesday, July 11
Location: Sale Theater
Show: 1:15 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Thursday, July 12
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 12:15 pm
Show: 1:15 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Saturday, July 14
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 6:45 pm
Show: 8:00 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Tuesday, July 17
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 12:15 pm
Show: 1:15 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Wedneday, July 18
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 12:15 pm
Show: 1:15 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Saturday, July 21
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 6:45 pm
Show: 8:00 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Tuesday, July 24
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 12:15 pm
Show: 1:15 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Wedneday, July 25
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 12:15 pm
Show: 1:15 pm
Smoke
on the Mountain Homecoming
Saturday, July 28
Location: Sale Theater
Meal: 6:45 pm
Show: 8:00 pm
WALLPAPER
Bell Tower
Vaughn Chapel
Britt Hall
More
Wallpapers...
WEATHER
Inclement Weather Information
SITE
UPDATES
New
FNS Newsletter: Volume 5, Issue 6
Art
Gallery Online Exhibits
Greenhouse
Website
Aboretum
Website
Football Practice Field
Takes Shape
Ferrum's
football players and coaches will have a new practice
field ready when they arrive in August for preseason
camp. The field has been under construction since October
of 2006 and was laid in June. » Photos
|
ALUMNI
NEWS
|
Fun
with Friends
Enjoy Fellowship and Fun
at a Gathering this Summer!
Greetings from the Alumni Office! We hope you are enjoying
the spring/summer issue of the Ferrum Magazine! Keep sending
us your updates and photos for our class notes section!
We love to hear from you!
Our next Alumni gathering will be for the Blue
Ridge Dinner Theatre performance of The World Is My
Parish on Saturday, June 30th. On Thursday,
July 5th we will have a special Alumni and Ferrum Friends
event at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in
Washington, DC
The Richmond Chapter will have a gathering
at PF Changs (Stony Point) on Thursday, July 12th at 6pm.
Our Roanoke and Franklin County Chapters
are invited to join us for at Salem Avalanche game at
7 pm on Saturday, July 14th. We will have special seating
in the Blue Ridge Copier Cove.
Events for our Staunton and Charlottesville groups
are being planned for August. Also, we’re planning
a Ferrum family gathering from 11 am-1 pm on Thursday,
August 11th at Mill Mountain Zoo in Roanoke. Bring your
entire family to this event! More details to follow on
our August gatherings.
We’ve had great responses from our Alumni
in the Greater Hampton Roads and in North Carolina.
We’re adding events to the calendar for those areas
this fall.
Plans for HOMECOMING 2007 are underway!
We’ll have the full schedule of events on our website
by early August. Mark your calendars now for Friday, October
12-Sunday October 14th. Our Corron Classic Panther
Open kicks of the weekend at Westlake Golf and
Country Club on Friday, October 12th. We’re taking
teams now!
We’re constantly updating our myspace and alumni
calendar pages. If you would like us to plan a gathering
in your area, please let us know! We hope to see you at
a gathering this summer.
|
|
Fond
Farewells
Ferrum
College bids a fond farewell to our retiring faculty members
as well as several members of our Board of Trustees. All
have dedicated countless hours of their time and talents
to Ferrum College and will be sorely missed.
Retiring as Professor of Chemistry is Dr. Jim
Bier. Dr. Bier found a home here at Ferrum College
and has taught students for over 30 years. Dr. Bier initiated
both a chemistry/health science major here at Ferrum,
and recruited faculty to teach and support those courses.
Former student Kathleen Imhof says, “Dr. Bier is
one of those teachers that his student will never forget
because he cares about us. It matters to him if we succeed
in and out of the classroom. When Dr. Bier leaves after
this semester, he will be greatly missed.”
Retiring as Professor of Drama is Dr. R. Rex Stephenson.
While Dr. Stephenson plans to phase out of teaching, you’ll
still seen him on campus. He plans on teaching one class
in the fall, and continue his work with the Jack Tale
Players and The Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre.
Retiring as Professor of Biology and Environmental Science
is Dr. Joe Stogner who has taught at
Ferrum College for 36 years. He is largely responsible
for not only creating the second-oldest Environment Science
program in the nation, but also is the reason why so many
of his Environmental Science majors are widely recruited
throughout the country.
A heartfelt goodbye also goes out to our Board
of Trustee members whose term expired June 30th.
Rev.
Mary Beth Blinn has served on the Board for the
past several years while she served in her capacity as Danville
District Superintendent. During her time on the Board, she
has served as a member of the Student Affairs committee
and offered thoughtful and inspiring invocations at a number
of our meetings. Mary Beth will continue work with the Virginia
Annual Conference and we know that she’ll continue
to promote the good news about Ferrum.
Mr.
Kenneth Gassman has been on our Board since early
2000. He served as chairman of the Audit Committee and the
Investment Subcommittee. During his time, Ken has often
provided the Board with his keen insight and sage advice
on many occasions. Ken and his wife, Mary Bo, established
an endowment for faculty development for which the College
is extraordinarily grateful.
Suzanne
Robertson Kreider ’98 has served as President
of the Alumni Board of Directors for the past two years,
and in that capacity was an ex-officio member of the Board
of Trustees. She has served on the Student Affairs &
Enrollment Committee during this time. We know that as a
Ferrum alumna, she will continue to be an active and engaged
member of the Ferrum College family.
We want to wish Ken, Mary Beth, and Suzanne all the best
in their future endeavors. We thank our Board members and
faculty retirees for their gifts of time, talent and service
they have all so generously shared with us and the entire
Ferrum College community. |
 Paine Earns USA South Athletic Conference's Highest Honor
Each year the USA South Athletic Conference presents its most prestigious awards by honoring one male and one female as the Student-Athletes of the Year, as these athletes receive the Don Scalf Award.
The 2007 winners are Christopher Newport University women's soccer player Ashley Glover and Ferrum College men's tennis player Wilson Paine.
To be eligible for the Don Scalf Award a student-athlete must be either a junior or senior, have participated in a USA South sport earning at least All-Conference recognition and have a minimum 3.00 GPA. The athletic directors vote for the award winner each spring at the conclusion of all Conference schedules... READ
MORE.
|
TOP
STORIES
Ferrum's
Friends
"It’s
a reflection on You!” was the theme of Ferrum College’s
black tie event on May 3rd to kick-off of its brand new capital
campaign, “Raising the Bar: the New Campaign for Ferrum
College.” Because of you, our generous friends, we
were able to raise over $15 million during the “quiet phase”
of the campaign, or 92% of the goal $16.8 million. The College
expects to reach the $17 million mark about a year ahead of the
December 2008 schedule. Ferrum College President, Dr. Jennifer
Braaten says, “The generosity of our contributors is overwhelming
to all of us who strive every day to help our students achieve
success in their college careers. The tremendous response to the
quiet phase of the Campaign is also solid evidence that projects
such as our two new residence halls, the dramatic renovation of
Franklin Hall, including the beautiful Skeens Alumni Conference
Center, and the opening of the Ferrum Community Health Clinic
have inspired a high level of confidence in our benefactors. We
can never thank them enough, not only for being so generous, but
also for the trust they have placed in us as administrators to
steward their gifts to the highest and best purpose.”
Ultimately, donations will help support several projects, including
scholarships and teaching endowments, a state of the art athletic
center, a service-learning center, and renovations and upgrades
to several campus facilities.
During the Campaign Kick-off Gala event, an open house and dedication
ceremony was held to officially open the Anthony Giesen Gallery
of American Brilliant Cut Glass. The glass pieces, generously
donated by Ferrum College Professor of Mathematics Anthony “Tony”
Giesen, now are prominently displayed on the top floor of Franklin
Hall. We hope students, faculty, alumni, and all our friends come
to see this unparalleled art form first hand. As Tony puts it,
“pictures really don’t do it justice; it’s really
something you have to see in person to really appreciate.”
Fulbrights
Rol
Walters, Director of Career Services, and David
Sulzen, Associate Professor of Accounting, have both
been awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholarship grants during the
2007-2008 academic year, according to the United States Department
of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Walters will travel in October to be part of a research and development
project regarding the college student employment field in Germany.
He is one of five career service practitioners from around the
country who have been chosen to participate in this opportunity.
Walters will be involved in a group seminar on German higher education
and society designed for U.S. university, college and community
college administrators whose current responsibilities have a direct
relation to international exchanges in higher education. The program
includes briefings, selected government appointments, campus visits
and cultural events. The group will travel to meetings in Berlin
and other cities in eastern and western Germany, and may also
travel to a neighboring European country. Walters says, “I
have been fortunate to have served in three different types of
institutions over the past 35 years in this field which will allow
me to be an active participant in this Fulbright program.”
Sulzen has been awarded a Fulbright Lecture Award to teach for
a semester in Russia. He will be leaving in mid-August to teach
accounting and/or finance at the Pskov Polytechnical Institute
in Pskov, Russia. This is David’s second Fulbright award.
He traveled to the same institution in the fall of 1999 where
he and his wife adopted two young girls from Pskov. The older
of the two, Zoya, will be attending Augsburg College in Minneapolis
this fall. The younger, Marina, will accompany David and his wife
and their other daughter Jennifer to Pskov this fall. Pskov, located
near the Estonia border, has a population of about 200,000 people
and is a sister city to Roanoke. It’s the regional capital
of the Pskov Oblast (similar to a state in the U.S.). It is one
of the oldest cities in Russia, with center-city walls over a
thousand years old still standing.
Walters and Sulzen are two of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and
professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Scholar
Program. Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the
late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Program’s
purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of
the United States and the rest of the world.
The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international
educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States
Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has exchanged approximately
273,500 people – 102,900 Americans who have studied, taught
or researched abroad and 170,600 students, scholars, and teachers
from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in
the United States. The program operates in over 150 countries
worldwide. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the
basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated
leadership potential in their fields.
FerrumPLUS!
& FerrumPLUS2
A
major milestone has been reached with the completion of FerrumPLUS!,
the college’s most ambitious campus renovation project in
50 years. Visitors who haven’t been to Ferrum in recent
years will delight in walking around campus as they enjoy the
new and renovated buildings.
The final project was the renovation of Roberts Hall, one of the
original buildings on campus. Roberts was completely refurbished
on the interior, while the exterior of the building was preserved,
maintaining the historic integrity of the building. The inside
now has refurbished residence rooms, faculty offices, and a Student
Service Learning Center. The Center is a place where students
can get connected with non-profit and for-profit companies seeking
volunteer services, reinforcing Ferrum College’s “Not
Self, But Others” motto. The Daniel-Bell Service Learning
Center, as it is called, is named after the two of the primary
supporters of the project. Agnes Cox Bell ‘27 and Ethelyne
Daniel ‘43 both lived and worked in Roberts Hall when they
attended Ferrum College. Their gifts helped ensure that the residence
hall was refurbished to its full glory. To celebrate the completion
of the project, both Ethelyne Daniel and Agnes’s sister,
Winifred Roberson, along with members of the Ferrum College Board
of Trustees, and representatives from the USDA, recently visited
and toured the building to see the changes first-hand.
Other FerrumPLUS! projects included renovations to Franklin Hall,
which has been transformed into a multi-level student and alumni
center. The expanded facility now includes the Earl G. “Bud”
Skeens Alumni Conference Center, The Black & Gold Grille,
new offices and dramatic exterior enhancements. Beckham hall,
another original campus edifice, also underwent a complete renovation.
The second new apartment-style residence hall, a part of FerrumPLUS2
and twin to Arthur hall, will be completed in time for student
occupancy this fall.
»
USDA Recognition Ceremony Photos
Smithsonian
Folklife Festival
The Blue Ridge Institute (BRI) in partnership with the Smithsonian
Institute and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities coordinated
The Roots of Virginia Culture exhibit to be displayed at the Smithsonian
Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington D.C. from
June 27 – July 1 and July 4 – July 8th. For the first
time, Virginia is the featured state. Artisans, craftspeople,
artists, workers and performers from Southwest Virginia will be
on hand demonstrating, performing, and talking about their skills.
Some of the artisans showing off their crafts include Danny Wingate
from Elk Creek, VA. Danny, who was born and raised in Grayson
County, learned how to do leatherwork at a young age, and today
is one of the few people in this region that can do harness and
leather repair. Billy Phelps, of Woodlawn, VA will also be there
demonstrating his blacksmith work. Billy started as a farrier
(a person who shoes horses) in 1972, but in the early 1980’s,
changed to only doing repair and ornamental work. Today, Billy’s
work is sought out by architects and collectors as well as neighbors
who need an item repaired. A photo of Billy can be seen here.
On the evening of July 5th, there will be a Mountain Music Concert
sponsored by the BRI and Ferrum College. The concert is free to
the public. Several of the bands come from the region of The
Crooked Road, including, “The New North Carolina Ramblers,”
out of Danville, VA, “The Spiritual 7” from Franklin
County, VA, and Ron Short from Big Stone Gap, VA. Ron, a singer,
musician, and songwriter, was born near Clintwood, VA in the heart
of the Virginia Appalachian coalfields and grew up listening to
the music of his large and extended family. This music is not
only influenced by music from England and Ireland, but also from
southern and eastern Europe, as well as the Africa. This, along
with the influences of radio and television makes Ron’s
musical background and presentation as diverse as the region he
comes from.
Fresh
Foliage and Flowers
The Ferrum Community Arboretum on the Ferrum College Campus is
continually being modified and enhanced. Over the last months,
a number of new gardens have been added thanks to the efforts
of students, faculty and staff and with grants from the Virginia
Department of Forestry and donations from local nurseries and
supporters of the Arboretum. The gardens added include: 1) an
enhancement to the existing water garden with the addition of
a longer stream and waterfall improvements. 2) The addition of
a demonstration rain garden, an area that collects excess water
flow, before it washes into the stream in the arboretum. This
garden helps prevent erosion. 3) The construction of a conifer
garden with multiple varieties of conifers and 4) the addition
of trees lining a planned new walkway beginning on Route 40 and
heading into the arboretum.
In addition, students from the greenhouse committee of the college’s
Agriculture Club and Horticulture classes raised plants for the
spring plant sale and used some of these to improve the raised
beds and gardens on the Adam’s lakeside of Garber Hall.
Information about the arboretum can be found at the arboretum
website at www.ferrum.edu/arboretum.
Additional images from these projects and a design for the arboretum
can be found under the ‘tours’ link at the arboretum
web site. For additional information please contact Dr. Bob R.
Pohlad, professor of Biology and Horticulture at bpohlad@ferrum.edu.
»
Photo Gallery
We also want to send special thanks to our Grounds and Maintenance
staff for making our campus especially pretty during these spring
and summer months. Several flowerbeds have been added to enhance
the natural beauty of the campus and it even more picturesque.
Fellowships
 Assistant
Professor of Art Jeff Dalton recently received a Fellowship to
work at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont this summer.
He was accepted as an Artist-in -residence and will be working
with visual artists and writers from around the country. The Vermont
Studio Center is a nonprofit, year-round international creative
community, serving 600 artists and writers from across the country
and around the world and is considered the largest residency program
in the country. Dalton will be part of 7 distinguished artists/writers
who come each month to spend a week presenting their work.
The Center’s award-winning studio campus is composed of
30 historic buildings on the banks of the Gihon River. You can
visit their website at http://vermontstudiocenter.org
for more information.
We wish associate professor of English Tina Hanlon the best as
she begins a year-long sabbatical, with an ACA faculty fellowship,
to edit a collection of Appalachian folktales that focus on heroic,
smart and funny females. Along with that, she will be expanding
the materials in her web site AppLit, including the folktales
reprinted at http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/texts
from the James Taylor Adams College at the BRI.
Ferrum
Students Take Part in
Peace Exchange
In May, eight Ferrum College students and their instructors traveled
to Bradford, England for a week-long Peace Exchange organized in
conjunction with Bradford Churches for Dialogue and Diversity (BCDD).
The exchange focused on interaction between the Ferrum youth and
Bradford Muslim youth with whom they were paired, with a final goal
of the youth producing a video of their experience.
Tiffany Coleman, one of the Ferrum students, recalled how quickly
the participants bonded: “What I remember the most was how
open and comfortable everyone was. The families of the Muslim
pairs that we met were very welcoming and open to discussions
with us.” Saima Nazir of Bradford also valued having a “safe
space where we could really be honest with each other.”
In mostly
informal settings, the youth discussed many topics, media misrepresentations
and Muslim women and marriage being among the favorites. “A
lot of misinterpretations were thrown to the wind and friends
were made,” according to Virginian Robbie Wright. Mohammed
Kamran of Bradford said he was tired of his Muslim identity being
put on parade by the media and added, “you know, I think
the Americans may feel the same way.” Huw Procter, also
of Bradford, explained how “education is the key to intercultural
understanding.”
Steven Keesler of Ferrum commented that his concept of Muslim
women as soft-spoken and retiring was, “completely blown
away.” Ferrum student Andrea Henderson recalled one of the
Muslim women explaining the advantages of an arranged marriage.
“It was hard for me to imagine a smart, self-dependent woman
wanting someone to tell her who to spend the rest of her life
with.”
During the exchange, Irfan Raja invited two of the Ferrum students,
Devin Blauvelt and Michael Mills, to a Muslim wedding. Kamran
took Steven and Robbie to a cricket match. Sameera Mahmood invited
all the women—Tiffany, Saima, Andrea, Sofia Ashraf, Uzma
Mahmood, Anne Curry, and Courtney Wilson—to her home for
a traditional meal.
Ferrum students received credit for a course entitled “Intercultural
Conflict Mediation” co-taught by Peter and Beth Crow, two
weeks of which took place in Virginia. In Bradford, BCDD’s
Helen Reid and Sharon Bavington were overall coordinators, Wahida
Shaffi organized pairings and pairing activities, Phil Lewis gave
two lectures on Islam, and Chris Wright coached the Bradford students
on video work as well as filling other important roles. All the
organizers seemed well pleased with the exchange, vowing to do
it again.
One of the Virginia students, Anne Curry, summarized the experience
this way: “The Peace Exchange has made me realize that we
may have different faiths but we both share a common set of morals
and standards. It has been interesting to watch as my classmates
and I have changed into more open and understanding individuals.
We will share our experiences from the Peace Exchange and have
a ripple effect on those around us.”
Information
Systems Group
Ferrum College has a wonderful, thriving,
and expanding technology-enhanced educational program.
The INFORMATION SYSTEMS (IS) group at Ferrum College is committed
to supporting the educational process and institutional mission
of the College. We look to our students, faculty, and staff for
feedback and suggestions on how we can help and improve. We are
also fortunate to have input and guidance from the campus Technology
Committee (with its representatives appointed by the Student Government
Association, the faculty, and the administration).
There
are at least 5 parts to Ferrum's IS group:
- Instructional
Technology
- Network
services (intranet and connection to WWW via internet)
- Classroom
Technology and Computer Labs
- Administrative
Software and Computer Systems
- Student
Computer and Software Support
Although
the Administrative Software system isn't as visible to students
and parents as is the computer helpdesk or our course-management
software, all of these are essential for maintaining Ferrum's
continued growth and efficiency.
Most of the campus buildings now allow wireless access to the
campus Internet. Students can submit online homework assignments
(or, when they’re not studying, download music files) from
almost any building on campus.
Many of our classrooms are technologically enhanced with computer/projector
combinations that allow real-time display of Powerpoint presentations,
streaming video, and other digitally-based media. We have student
computer labs and classrooms spread across campus including the
Geographical Information System (GIS) lab in Garber Hall.
Ferrum uses a software program named ANGEL to deliver supplemental
materials for our classroom instruction. The majority of courses
at Ferrum now use ANGEL to deliver at least some class materials
to students. Some professors are also using advanced features
to deliver online quizzes (which can be taken outside of class),
plagiarism-detection software, and online discussions among other
exciting tools. The Library has sponsored access to ArtStor, a
huge online collection of art materials for our Arts & Humanities
courses. Library reserve materials have also moved online and
can be accessed by students in Ferrum's eReserves.
The IS group is committed to supporting Ferrum's educational mission.
We welcome questions, comments, and suggestions from parents,
students, and other friends of Ferrum College!
- Christine Stinson |
DEVELOPMENT
| Feeling
Good About Ferrum
Marriage apparently agrees with Midwesterners, while church
attendance inspires Southerners, home ownership influences
Westerners, and volunteerism motivates Northeasterners.
“To do what ?” you may ask. These regional
factors seem to be the primary indicators of whether an
American household will make charitable gifts, according
to an Independent Sector survey called A Nation of
Givers: Regional Patterns in American Giving and Volunteering.
Americans as a whole are among…READ
MORE.
|
SCOREBOARD
|
May
20
Baseball: Emory 6, Ferrum 5 (12 innings)
... Emory advances to World Series with the win ...
Justin Franklin 4-6, HR, 3 runs, RBI ... Brent Sowers
4-6, triple, run ... Ryan Cooper 10 innings, 12 hits,
6 strikeouts
May 19
Baseball: Ferrum 11, Emory 6 (12 innings)
... Panthers explode for 6 runs in top of 12th inning...
Brent Sowers 3-6, 2 runs, 2 RBI ... Brett Thomas 1-2,
HR, 3 intentional walks, 2 runs, 2 RBI ... Panthers
advance to NCAA Division III Baseball Regional title
game Sunday, May 20, at noon
May 19
Baseball: Ferrum 17, York (Pa.) 9 ...
NCAA Division III Baseball Regional at Ferrum
May 18
Baseball: Emory 9, Ferrum 6 ... Matt
Gammon 3-5, run, RBI,2 stolen bases ... Brent Sowers
2-3, 2 runs, RBI, 3 stolen bases ... Panthers remain
in NCAA Division III Baseball Regional at Ferrum
May
17
Baseball: Ferrum 5, Salisbury 3 ... Panthers
advance in NCAA Division III Baseball Regional at Ferrum
...
May 16
Baseball: Ferrum 10, York (Pa.) 2 ...
NCAA Division III Baseball Regional at Ferrum ...
|
PHOTO
GALLERIES
May
5, 2007
Commencement
Ceremony
May
4, 2007
Baccalaureate
May
2, 2007
Senior
Dinner & Dance
May
4, 2007
Roberts
Rededication
May
2, 2007
Faculty/Staff
Preview Tea
April
30, 2007
USDA
Recognition Ceremony
More
photo galleries...
PUBLICATIONS
Ferrum
Magazine
FP
Newsletter
Iron
Blade
FNS
Newsletter
Two
Ferrum Students Earn FFA's Highest Award
During
the 2006-07 school year, Ferrum College students Amy
Hoback, a sophomore General Agriculture major
from the George Wythe FFA chapter and Ashley
Pitsenbarger, a sophomore Agribusiness major
from the Buffalo Gap FFA Chapter received their American
Farmer Degrees at the 79th annual National Future Farmers
of America (FFA) Convention held in Indianapolis, IN.
The American Farmer Degree is the highest award that
can be achieved by FFA members. Less than 1⁄2
of 1 percent of all FFA members, over 495,000 nationwide,
earn the American Farmer Degree each year. Amy and Ashley
are two of 57 Virginia FFA members to earn the American
Farmer degree in 2006. A total of seven Ferrum students
have received the American Farmer degree over the past
five years. Ashley is also a member of the 2006-07 Virginia
state FFA officer team. For more information about the
American Farmer Degree click
here.
Folktales
The Jack Tale Players continue to perform
the longest, continuously running children’s show
in the U.S. This time around, Rex Stephenson
has a new adaptation of the folktale “Catskins.”
It is the 4th major folktale adaptation in the past
decade that focuses on a strong and smart female heroine
instead of Jack. “Catskins” is based on
a Wise County folktale that James Taylor Adams collected.
Stephenson says the tale was found in the archives in
the Blue Ridge Institute. Rex says he was drawn to the
Cinderella story for several reasons. First, the sister
character is not evil, but tries to be helpful and,
while Catskins marries the Prince, she ends up running
the kingdom of Virginia. The play has an underlying
theme of not judging people based on occupation, social
standing, or appearance. It also has some clever songs
written by Stephenson and Emily Tucker.
On a related note, Tina Hanlon, Associate Professor
of English, wrote an article on Rex’s folktales
entitled; Strong
Women in Appalachian Folktale Dramatizations by R. Rex
Stephenson.
Hanlon recently gave a presentation on Virginia folktales
in children's literature at the annual conference of
the Children's Literature Association International
at Christopher Newport University and organized 2 sessions
on Virginia children's literature. Susan Mead, Assistant
Professor of Sociology took part in the discussion.
Rex, who couldn’t attend in person because of
his theatre schedule, prepared a video where he discussed
his folktales.
We wish Tina the best as she begins a year-long sabbatical,
with an ACA faculty fellowship, to edit a collection
of Appalachian folktales that focus on heroic, smart
and funny females. Along with that, she will be expanding
the materials in her web site AppLit, including the
folktales reprinted at http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/texts
from the James Taylor Adams College at the BRI.
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Fundraiser
Ferrum
College held a fundraiser in April for junior tennis player
Kevin Board. Board needs a kidney transplant and a day-long
event called “Tennis-4-K-Board” was held to raise
money and awareness of kidney disease. To date we have raised
a total of $7,658.12 for Kevin. Over 200 folks came to the tennis
courts to participate in an afternoon of fun, friendship and
fundraising to help this family with costs associated with the
pending surgery. While a suitable match has not yet been found
among the many who have volunteered to be tested as potential
donors, the search continues! READ
MORE.
Food
Ferrum College’s Certified
Executive Chef Cooks Up Healthier Meals
Students
at Ferrum College are noticing a difference in their cafeteria
meals, they’re healthier, and there are more options.
“We’re trying to keep food as fresh as possible,
and as healthy as possible,” says Executive Chef Timothy
(Bo) Bernard.
In support of a growing national trend, Chef “Bo”
has decided to cut trans fats from many of the foods he serves
at the cafeteria. Now, all deep-fried foods will be cooked in
trans-fat free oil. Trans fat, or trans fatty acids, is a specific
type of fat formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats
like shortening and hard margarine. Trans fat behaves like saturated
fat by raising LDL or “bad” cholesterol and lower
the levels of HDL, or “healthy” cholesterol. Many
companies are voluntarily cutting the trans fat, or trans fatty
acids from their foods after the Food and Drug Administration
required food manufacturers to list trans fat on Nutrition Facts
and some Supplement Facts panels... READ
MORE.
Forrest S. and Jean B. Williams Distinguished Teaching Professorship
Dr. Richard L. Smith, Professor of History, has been selected as the next Forrest S. and Jean B. Williams Distinguished Teaching Professorship in the Humanities at Ferrum College. Dr. Smith’s scholarly specialization is in the history of North and West Africa. He has had a distinguished career as a teacher/scholar. For thirty-five years, he has taught history in the academy, and for thirty-one of those years he has hailed from Ferrum College! His manuscript entitled What Happened to the Ancient Libyans? Chasing Sources Across the Sahara from Herodotus to Ibn Khaldun (Journal of World History, 2003) is considered a seminal work among key referred journals in history. The recent publication of a book entitled Ahmad al Mansur: Islamic Visionary (Pearson Longman 2005) is already considered to be a major contribution the literature of his field and is currently being used in numerous world history survey courses across North America. He is currently at work on another book entitled Premodern Trade in World History (under contract with Routledge Publishing Company)... READ
MORE.
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