A Message From The President

Dear Ferrum Friends,

     It is a pleasure to welcome you to the first edition of our e-newsletter and let you “see and hear” about all of the wonderful things happening at Ferrum College. We are excited about new and creative ways to tell the Ferrum story, to highlight our many strengths, and to focus on a comprehensive living/learning environment.

     I would also like to take this opportunity to compliment Dean Browell, our Webmaster, for his creative design for this new page. “Fe,” which stands for Ferrum e-newsletter, is also the chemical symbol for iron, once plentiful in this region and after which the College derives its name.

     The spring semester began in earnest even before our students arrived in mid-January. With the help of several trustees we crafted a new Vision Statement for Ferrum’s future. A group of dedicated faculty and staff formed “Action Teams” that met on January 8-10 to consider new initiatives that will bring this vision to fruition. The teams targeted the following areas: academic programs, active learning, financial/ facilities, and marketable identity. Various groups are continuing to meet to identify areas of synergy and we will “forge ahead” with these efforts and share the initiatives with you in future e-newsletters.

     February may be the shortest calendar month, but my schedule was filled with appointments from early morning to late at night. In addition to attending campus events such as art shows, theater programs, lectures and various student activities, it has been a great pleasure for me to journey off campus and meet so many wonderful alumni, to speak at churches and to greet friends of Ferrum at special events in and out of state. I am “on the road for Ferrum” as much as possible, including meeting with Virginia’s state legislators as we continue to try to stem the tide of budget cuts and make the case that state funding for private higher education represents tax dollars wisely spent.

     We are very excited to announce the creation of FerrumRadio.com, our own student-operated Internet radio station. Formerly, our radio programming was available only to students and those on or near the campus who could pick up the 89.9FM signal. Now, however, alumni, friends, parents and prospective students from all over the world can log onto the site and “tune in,” 24 hours a day (www.ferrumradio.com).

     I look forward to communicating with you on a regular basis, and hope you will enjoy these pages and learn from following the links in this letter and those listed below. We want to particularly thank you for your continuing support. These are trying times for all of us, given the current state of the economy and the worldwide political situation, but we will persevere. Ferrum College is a strong and vital institution, one that needs you now, more than ever.

Sincerely yours,

Jennifer L. Braaten
President

Recent News:

Ferrum Receives Reaccreditation As A College
Ferrum College received Reaffirmation of Accreditation at the 107th Annual Meeting of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in San Antonio, Texas, December 7-10, 2002. Read more...

Refer A Student And His or Her Fee Is Waived
Download the form for Alumni Referral and give it to a prospective student and they can use it to defer the application fee! It's a small Word document file that could make a big impact! Download here...

Music Inspired By Art, a New Book By Dr. Gary Evans
Dr. Gary Evans, professor of music and the director of media services at Ferrum College, recently published Music Inspired By Art: A Guide to Recordings (Scarecrow Press), a guide to music that is rooted in or based upon various works of art. Read more...

Dixie Conference Announces New Name
The Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced that it will change its name to the USA South Athletic Conference effective February 4, 2003.  The transition to the new name will continue throughout this semester, with the change being completed by June 30, 2003. Read more...

Ferrum Athletic News & Rankings
Women's Basketball 1st Seed for Dixie Conference Tournament; Men's Basketball finished 7-18; Ferrum's Baseball team was picked to win the Dixie title and alum Billy Wagner was inducted into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame. Men's Golf hosts the Ferrum Invitational March 10-11 at Smith Mt. Lake; Some seasons are just beginning, check the scoreboard for the latest on Men's and Women's Tennis, Women's Lacrosse and Softball. Read more...

Development News
The number of donors is up 23% year to date, and anyone interesting in making a gift of any size please contact Dr. Lee King, Director of Development at 540-365-4330. The number of alumni donors has increased 115% year to date and The Ferrum Fund has been challenged to reach an Alumni participation rate of 20% by June 30. We have reached 53% of this goal with 824 gifts. Your support, regardless of the amount, will move us one step closer to meeting this challenge. Show your Panther Pride by making your gift today! Contact Joanna Coleman, Ferrum Fund Director at 540-365-4310.Read more...