Dear Ferrum Friends,

October has been an extraordinarily busy, beautiful and rewarding time. The leaves are finally coming into their glorious fall color, and we were thrilled to welcome thousands of visitors to campus for our annual Folklife Festival on the 22nd.

The campus is bustling with energy as students continue to be involved in many activities and class projects. We thank Dr. Leslie Lambert and the faculty for the outstanding academic experiences they provide, and Dr. Andrea Zuschin and her team for the outstanding student life experiences they encourage.

There have been many alumni gatherings during this time with many more scheduled. We are grateful to Mrs. Joanna Coleman, Mrs. Tracy Holley and Dr. Lee King and the entire Institutional Advancement staff for coordinating these events and for the wonderful Family Weekend held on October 28-29. We also greatly appreciate Mr. Doug Clark, Mrs. Gilda Woods and the entire Admissions and Financial Aid staff who hosted a fantastic group of prospective students and their families at the fall Open House, and thank our faculty who took part in a wonderful Academic Fair for these young men and women.

Our football team continues its spectacular winning streak and now is 8-0 with two more games to play in the season. We are now nationally ranked #23 by the American Football Coaches Association! Congratulations to the football players and coaches and all of the student athletes on our many other fine teams for their dedication to the ideals of body, mind and spirit as so beautifully articulated in our Mission Statement and our Vision Statement.

Many of the FerrumPLUS! projects are at or near completion, including the fabulous Black and Gold Grille and the newly renovated Panther’s Den on the lower level of Franklin Hall, and Beckham Hall which has undergone a dramatic transformation. The brickwork on the exterior of the new residence hall is almost finished. When completed in 2006, this structure will be an elegant and complementary addition to our historic campus buildings.

We particularly thank the Residence Life staff and Mr. Bobby Thompson and all of the Maintenance and Food Services staff members for their continuing patience, perseverance and service-oriented good humor in spite of the ongoing construction hurdles, particularly in and around Franklin Hall!

Overall, Ferrum College is a thriving and dynamic institution and we thank the Board of Trustees, our faithful donors, alumni and friends for your steadfast support of this wonderful place. I hope you enjoy this issue of Fe as you read about all of the other Ferrum news and events.

Alumni News
Greetings from the Alumni Office! Thank you for making Homecoming 2005 such a success! We are in the process of planning our winter alumni chapter gatherings. Please visit our alumni calendar at http://www.ferrum.edu/alumni/alumnical.htm for the most up to date schedule of alumni chapter events. If we have overlooked an area, please let us know! We are working to establish several new alumni chapters in North Carolina and we need input from our alumni base in the state to help us choose the right types of alumni gatherings. Please contact us at alumni@ferrum.edu if you have any suggestions. We hope to see you at a gathering in your area soon!
- Joanna Coleman, DIrector of Alumni & Family Services

FM Recognized by Public Relations Society of America- Blue RIdge Chapter
On Friday, October 28th, the in-house Ferrum Magazine team (Public Relations/Alumni & Family Services) was awarded an Honorable Mention for our work on the Ferrum Magazine by the Public Relations Society of America, Blue Ridge Chapter. Ferrum was one of the only in-house, small production teams to win an award in any category; nearly all recognition was geared toward large professional, independent, marketing or public relations firms. The last two magazines, the first to be designed by Lead Designer and Webmaster Suzie Kelly and edited by Dean Browell and Joanna Coleman, were submitted as a series.

Institutional Advancement Update
The Institutional Advancment division has been actively engaged in planning and executing one of the busiest Fall seasons in years. In the past few month, we have hosted the 32nd annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, Homecoming Weekend, Family Weekend, and a full-slate of athletics events. We are especially proud of our undefeated football team, and many may not know that the men's soccer team has set a new record for wins in a season. As a service to alumni and friends of the College, Ferrum athletics now offers webcasts of its athletic events. Please tune in to http://www.ferrum.edu/athletics/webcast.htm to listen. Finally, a hearty congratulations is due to the staff of the Ferrum College Public Relations office. The Public Relations staff designs all College publications from the Ferrum Magazine, to alumni communications, to the web page. The staff was recently honored by the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for excellence in magazine design for their work on the Ferrum Magazine. Congratulations to our great staff for producing a top-notch magazine that makes Ferrum alumni proud.

- Dr. Lee King, Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Academic Affairs Update
Faculty and staff in Academic Affairs are focused on the usual array of duties and responsibilities aimed at enhancing student learning in our curriculum and co-curriculum. In addition to teaching, advising, and supporting students, faculty are also involved in our new Pathways to Success program as it is in its inaugural year. The Pathways program is serving as our conceptual framework for curricular and co-curricular learning design. It includes several components: curriculum and program development that aim to provide more integration of the academic disciplines in and across the liberal arts and sciences (Dr. Pete Crow is serving as the Director of the Pathways to Success Program); the intentional integration of service learning and other experiential learning opportunities across the curriculum and co-curriculum (Dr. Susan Mead is our Director of Service Learning and the Bonner Program); assessment of student learning (Dr. Delia Heck is serving as the Director of Assessment of Student Learning); and instructional design and technology to support faculty in innovative and engaging methods of teaching (Dr. Christine Stinson is the Director of the DuPont Center for Instructional Design and Technology). Many faculty are also heavily involved in the pursuit of scholarly endeavors, including writing books, peer reviewed journal manuscripts, and other professional writing projects; performance and creative scholarship in the arts; presentations at scholarly conferences; and student/faculty research projects. As has historically been the case, Ferrum’s faculty is deeply devoted to the learning and development of its students, and to linking academic and service learning toward the transformation of the community of Ferrum as well as other communities in which they provide learning opportunities for our students.

- Dr. Leslie Lambert,Dean of the College

Student Affairs Update
Our students have been busy during the last few weeks. Not only did they have mid-term exams and Fall Break during October, they have also sponsored, organized, and participated in numerous events on campus. Among them was Alcohol Awareness Week, a series of alcohol education programs sponsored by the student organization BACCHUS (Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students) and involving collaboration with several other student organizations. The Inter-Societal Organization Council held a dance on the Virginia Dare Cruise Ship that was a big success with students in the Greek organizations. Homecoming events and activities were also very popular with the students. The next few weeks promise to be just as busy with upcoming events such as Alien Ant Farm, who will be performing on November 10, and the Snowball Dance, which is planned for December 2 (tickets for both events may be purchased through the Student Leadership and Engagement Office).

In an effort to better connect with the families of our students, the Student Affairs Office has published another Parent and Family Newsletter that shares information about specific programs, our activities calendar, and offers advice on interacting with college students.

- Dr. Andrea Zuschin, Dean of Students

Homecoming 2005
From Dr.Braaten: "I want to say thank you to EVERYONE who played a part in our glorious Homecoming weekend! Thanks in particular to the entire staff in Institutional Advancement, including Alumni and Athletic staff and coaches, and all the other faculty and staff members who made this such a wonderful event. We were thrilled by the huge number of alumni, families and friends who returned to campus for the weekend. Special recognition goes to the Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, the Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2005 inductees, and to Donnie Brown as recipient of the 2005 Beckham Medallion. Congratulations to our amazing student athletes and the Homecoming Court, as well as the many students and student organizations who contributed to the UMCOR Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The attached pictorial display shows just some of the highlights that made this particular Homecoming such a spectacular success! I look forward to seeing you all again next year!"

Click for homecoming photos...

Folklife Festival Photos!
Travelers from around the country braved weather predictions to the annual event to celebrate the heritage and traditions of the Blue Ridge at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival. This year it continued to bring some of the most authentic tastes, smells, sounds, and sights of Blue Ridge folkways. More photos here...

Ferrum to Offer Athletic Webcasts
The College will begin offering athletic web broadcasts of selected events starting October 29th with the Ferrum-Greensboro football game. The College has partnered with Rocky Mount Communications and Stretch Internet to make this service possible to Ferrum fans, friends, and family members. Read more here and listen here. Also: Get Ferrum scores in your cell phone and email with eScores! Sign up free today!

FerrumPLUS: New Dining Facilities & Experiences Debut
Ferrum College has re-opened and expanded its renovated cafeteria along with a brand new “Black and Gold Grille” dining experience. The Franklin Hall Student Center is currently undergoing massive renovations both inside and out. Recently completed interior renovations to the cafeteria include enhanced remolded dining areas that include wood-paneled columns and premium, glass-walled dining space... The Black & Gold Grille features a luxurious cherry-paneled restaurant with serving bar, booths and elevated tables and chairs with brass accents. Students can plug in and charge laptops while enjoying internet access at any booth... The 50 person capacity grille also features 3 flat-screen televisions with Dish Network satellite programming and college football packages, perfect for big game-day celebrations and casual viewing. The Black and Gold Grille has been designed with the ultimate college hangout in its sights, combining premium-restaurant style ambiance with student-minded amenities at every turn. Read more about the grille and new dining amenities here... Check out our updated FerrumPLUS website to catch the latest photos and behind-the scene looks! Photos here...

Bonner's Glean For Food Banks
On Saturday, October 1st, Ferrum College Bonner students went to Gross Orchards in Bedford for a gleaning project. Leaving campus at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, they traveled to Bedford, worked on the project and were back in time for the Homecoming game! The apples are gathered at the orchards, bagged and taken to local food banks.See more photos here!

On-Line Giving
The development office is pleased to announce that you can now make your gift to Ferrum on-line using our secure server and your credit card. It is safe, secure, and an easy way to support the Ferrum Fund or any of the other exciting activities happening at Ferrum. From the Ferrum College homepage, follow the SUPPORT FERRUM link to our on-line giving site. Ferrum uses gifts from alumni and friends to enhance the educational opportunities given to our students. Please support the College and make your gift on-line.

Download the new fall desktop here!

Alumni Calendar

Events In November:

Richmond Alumni Chapter
Wednesday, November 2nd
12:30 pm
The Grapevine II
11055 Three Chopt Road, Richmond
Dr. Jennifer Braaten will be our guest speaker.

Roanoke Alumni Chapter
Saturday, November 5th
Adopt-A-Highway
Meet at 8:30 am at Famous Anthony’s on Williamson Road for breakfast
Clean-Up to begin around 9:30 am at Summerdean Church of the Brethren

Richmond Alumni Chapter
Wednesday, November 16th
6:00 pm
Hondos
Shoppes at Innsbrook, 4024-C Cox Road, Glen Allen

Lynchburg Alumni Chapter
Tuesday, November 29th
6:00 pm
Charley’s
707 Graves Mill Road
Dr. Jennifer Braaten will be our guest speaker

The President's Speaking Engagements:

Tues., Nov. 8 Dr. Braaten to speak at Greene Memorial UMC, Roanoke, Women’s Society mtg.

Sun, Nov. 13 Dr. Braaten to speak at Penhook UMC for Founders Day

For more events on the Ferrum Campus, check out our online, interactive calendar!

Read about and listen to our podcast here!