Dear Ferrum Friends,

Congratulations to our newest alumni, the Class of 2004!  Our Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 8, including the weather, was spectacular.  The campus never looked more beautiful, our speaker, Senator Charles Hawkins, was most eloquent, and we were so proud and happy for our graduates and their families and friends.

Commencement weekend was jammed with activities, beginning with a special groundbreaking ceremony on Friday morning for the upcoming new construction/renovation projects, followed by lunch and our spring Board of Trustees meeting in the afternoon.  The day ended with an inspiring and uplifting Baccalaureate ceremony in a packed Vaughn Chapel.  A delicious picnic lunch followed the graduation ceremonies on Saturday.

The rest of May and June promise even more exhilarating campus activities.  Our annual Alumni Weekend will be held May 14-16, The Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre celebrates its 25th anniversary this season, beginning with a benefit show on May 27th, and Ferrum will host its second Summer Institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities from June 2 through June 29.   Ferrum joins the ranks of Princeton, Duke and The University of Chicago among others in hosting one of these prestigious NEH Institutes and Seminars. 

In the following pages I urge you to read about the Preserve America Award that was presented to the Blue Ridge Institute in a special ceremony at the White House earlier this month, the April 2004 Academic Awards Ceremonies, and news highlights from the Athletic Department.

Ferrum College's 88th Commencement
On Saturday, May 8 at 10:30 a.m., Ferrum College’s 150 men and women graduated in a commencement ceremony led by Dr. Jennifer L. Braaten, who presided over her second graduation as Ferrum’s 10th president. Baccalaureate was held in Vaughn Chapel on Friday. Student awards announced at the event include the James T. Catlin, Jr., Citizenship Award, the Arthur S. Owens Leadership Award, and the Senior Academic Excellence Award. The Exemplary Faculty Award and the Cheatham Fellowship will be given to faculty and the Beckham Medallion, Ferrum’s highest alumni honor, was presented to Walter Boyd. For more information, winners of awards & photos...

Senator Hawkins Gives Keynote
Virginia State Senator Charles Hawkins delivered the commencement keynote address on Saturday's Commencement. Hawkins, a Senator from the 19th District since 1992, also served in the House of Delegates from 1982 to 1992. As a member of the Senate, Hawkins serves on committees for Finance, General Laws, Privileges and Elections, Rules and serves as Chairman for the committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.. Read more on Senator Hawkins...

First Boone Honors Students Graduate
The first two students of Ferrum College’s Boone Honors Program graduated on May 8, 2004. Crystal Hutchens, Sabrina Tribbett and Sandra Via graduated at the top of their class after completing their study in only three years. Boone Honors Program, directed by Dr. Dave Howell, is a liberal arts program for academically advanced students that promotes the exploration of multiple disciplines. Students participating in the Boone Honors Program take courses outside of required courses. In addition, the students have to “honors” enrich twelve credits of their other courses by adding extra components, such as papers or projects. The program’s namesake is attributed to former President Jerry Boone and his wife Shirley, who retired in 2002. Read more...

Ferrum College Announces Major Campus Improvements & Holds Groundbreaking
Ferrum College President Jennifer Braaten and the Board of Trustees announced that the college will undertake a set of major facility improvements due to be completed in 2006. These ambitious construction projects will result in new and improved facilities across campus in the first such comprehensive enhancement of multiple areas of campus since the 1960’s. Ferrum College has retained the architectural firm Hanbury, Evans, Wright and Vlattas of Norfolk, VA for the project. Read more...

Franklin News Post Features
Read a portion of the Franklin News Post coverage of Commencement & Groundbreaking online...

Alumni Weekend Honors Alumni
Ferrum College paid tribute to three of its former students with the Distinguished Alumni Award during its Alumni Weekend May 14-16, 2004.  The 2004 recipients are: Eunice Spencer Williams ’46 of Wilmington, NC, James W. “Jim” Johnson ’63 from Northglenn, CO and Betsy Baker Dietz ’83 of Arlington, VA.

Reunions for the classes of 1984, 1989, 1994, and 1999 are being planned for Homecoming Weekend this fall. For information on any of these reunions, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@ferrum.edu or 540-365-4216.

Plans are underway for a 2005 reunion celebration to honor Fifty Years of Ferrum Football. Former football coach Hank Norton is working feverishly to locate all former football players. Please contact alumni@ferrum.edu or call 540-365-4216 for more information or to assist with locating players. Please spread the word and mark your calendars for May 20-22, 2005!

Please see the Alumni Calendar of Events for Alumni gatherings in your area. Have ideas for Alumni events? Let us know! If you would like to see an event planned for an area not on the calendar, we would love to hear from you!

Young Alumni Working to Recruit New Students
The Admissions and Alumni Offices invited back a group of young alumni to our Spring Open House to discuss ways in which alumni can assist the college in attracting new students. This brainstorming session served as the foundation to launch an alumni initiative of letter writing, phone calling, and spreading the word about Ferrum. Reaching new students can be as simple as wearing your favorite Ferrum clothing! If you are interesting in getting involved, please contact alumni@ferrum.edu or call 540-365-4216.  

Adult Education Classes Offered
Ferrum College will offer the largest selection of adult classes ever this spring and summer of 2004. Courses include: Criminal Investigations , Parenting, Art 104 – Introduction to Drawing, Art Foundation (starting June 1), Communications 201: Speech (starting June 1), Drama 101: Fundamentals of Acting (starting June 2), Math 320 – Topics in Mathematics (starting June 13), Physiology of Exercise (starting June 21), English 301 – Literature for Children and Adolescents (starting June 28), Psychology 211 – Human Growth and Development – Child and Adolescent (starting July 12) and a Praxis study course. Many of the classes will be held at the Franklin County School Board Office.

Ferrum Athletic News
The Athletics website features several new stories including: Koon earns All-Conference in Golf; Trier earns All-Conference in Tennis again; Ferrum Baseball Camp 2004 for ages 8-12 & 13-17; See how your teams did in the USA South Tournaments...

Faircloth Assumes Soccer Post at Ferrum
Ferrum graduate John Faircloth has been named men's soccer coach.  Faircloth has coached high school soccer the past 10 years at Benedictine High School and Huguenot Academy. Read more...

Alumni Calendar

Events In May:

Friday-Sunday, May 14-16
Alumni Weekend, Ferrum College

Saturday, May 22nd
North Carolina Asheboro Zoo, 9:00 am, Alumni from Virginia and North Carolina surrounding areas

Monday, May 24th
Washington, DC area alumni, Kilroy's in Springfield at 7pm

Events In June:

Saturday, June 19th
Roanoke, Franklin County/Danville Alumni, Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre, Steel Magnolias, 6:45 pm

Saturday, June 26th
Roanoke/Franklin/Henry County-Salem Avalanche Game, 6:45 pm

Events In July:

Sunday-Saturday, July 11-17th
Alumni Cruise Eastern Caribbean

Tuesday, July 20th
Roanoke Chapter- Higher Education Center, 6:00 pm, Roanoke

Events In August:

Tidewater Event- TBA

Richmond Event-TBA

See the Alumni Calendar online for more events and details...

The President's Speaking Engagements :

Wednesday, June 2nd
Keynote speaker at Annual Awards Banquet at Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation (Brookneal)

Sunday, August 15th
Guest speaker at Rocky Mount Baptist Church

Refer A Student:

...And His or Her Fee Is Waived! Download the form for Alumni Referral, 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!

Blue Ridge Dinner Theater Celebrates 25 Years For the season schedule click here... For the BRDT Website click here...

The Strategic Plan Brochure
Download the PDF

Read Past Newsletters
A new archive is available for readers of Fe to browse past issues from our launch in March of 2003 to the present! Click to visit...