Dear Ferrum Friends,

Congratulations to our newest alumni, the Class of 2005! The campus was gloriously beautiful as we celebrated our 89th Commencement on Saturday, May 7. Many of our Board of Trustee members were able to join us for the ceremony and it was a great honor to have United States Senator John Warner as our speaker. His inspiring remarks were featured in newspapers across the state, and will be long remembered by our graduates and their families and friends.

Other highlights of Commencement included the awarding of our first honorary degree in more than 15 years to Mr. Cabell Brand, humanitarian and advocate for the poor from Salem, Virginia, and the awarding of the Beckham Medallion, Ferrum’s highest alumni honor, to Mr. Donnie Brown ’66, well known to many of you as “Mr. Ferrum!”

The campus also played host in May to the annual get-together of the 50 Year Club, always a great occasion, and hosted the “50 Years of Ferrum Football” anniversary reunion, our largest ever planned alumni gathering and certainly one of the most successful such events in campus history. We also want to extend a warm welcome to our new Vice President for Enrollment Management, Doug Clark, who officially joined us on May 31.

Ferrum continues to be ranked in the Top 40 Southern Comprehensive colleges as noted in U.S. News & World Report, and we also received national recognition as our Dean of the Chapel and Religious Life, Wes Astin, was named Chaplain of Year by the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation at an on-campus ceremony in late April. Our terrific softball and baseball teams advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs under the leadership of Athletic Director Abe Naff. I urge you to read about this and other exciting sports highlights in news from the Athletic Department.

FerrumPLUS!, our construction and renovation project, is in high gear, and we now have a nearly completed sidewalk connecting the campus to the Blue Ridge Institute on Route 40.

Alumni events over the summer include a gathering in the Hampton area in June and what promises to be a fantastic cruise to Nova Scotia in July, organized by Wes Astin, our Dean of the Chapel.

I want to express special thanks to our incredible staff in Institutional Advancement, and in particular to Joanna Coleman and Tracy Holley in Alumni and Family Programs. Many of the campus events during May involved countless behind the scenes hours of hard work, intense preparation and close collaboration with all the IA areas, including Athletics. This dedicated group, under the leadership of Lee King, exceeded everyone’s expectations on each occasion. And as always, special thanks to you, our amazing alumni, who continue to express your love for Ferrum and your commitment to our mission through your unending generosity and in the gifts of your time and talent as well. Have a wonderful summer!

Commencement 2005
Ferrum College celebrated its graduating seniors during its 89th Commencement Ceremonies on May 7th. 158 graduates listened to U.S. Senator John Warner's engaging speech and witnessed the first Honorary Doctor of Humanities conferred in 15 years to Salem, VA native Cabell Brand. The college's highest alumni honor, the Beckham Medallion, went to Donald L. Brown '66. The Cheatham Fellowship was given to faculty member Dr. Richard L. Smith, of Wirtz, VA. Student awards included the James T. Catlin, Jr., Citizenship Award, given to Shirley A. Bryant, of Ferrum, VA; The Arthur S. Owens Leadership Award, given to Casey E. Vassar, of Richmond, VA; and the Senior Academic Excellence Award was given to Renée Dean Dudley and Scott Allan Spitzer, both of Rocky Mount, VA. Ferrum graduating senior Curtis Curry could not attend the ceremony since he is on active duty in Afghanistan- his wife, Jennifer Curry, accepted his diploma for him in his absence.

Hear the speeches and the awards online (Quicktime required) at our special Comnmencement page. Photos from the Senior Dinner Dance, Baccalaureate and Commencement are available online. See, hear and read more...

New 50-Year-Club Members Inducted
Ferrum College’s Fifty-Year Club inducted the Class of 1955 during the weekend of May 13 through 15 on the Ferrum Campus. Alumni enjoyed an eventful weekend of visiting and reminiscing with school friends from fifty years ago. The festivities began with a Fifty-Year Club meeting and celebration dinner on Friday followed by a musical performance and evening social. Saturday brought campus tours and a reception at the Stratton House with President Braaten. The visitors were also treated to a performance by the Ferrum College Jack Tale Players and toured the Blue Ridge Institute’s most recent exhibit, “Hidden Treasures.” Photos here...

50 Years of Ferrum Football Celebrated at Special Reunion
Perhaps the most exciting summer event so far was the incredible reunion of over 400 alumni from Ferrum's football history, including Coaches Sam Webb, Carson Barnes, Hank Norton and Dave Davis. Activities included a day out on the golf course, meeting up in the residence halls, breakfast check with the coach, special campus tours, a review of the current football program, a fish-fry with team pictures and interviews, a special banquet honoring 50 years of Ferrum Football and a Sunday morning service that closed out the amazing weekend. See more in our large 4-part photo gallery...

FerrumPLUS!
A visit to the Ferrum campus right now will quickly show you the changes taking place in many corners. The most obvious work is being done inside Franklin and Beckham Halls as well as the space where the new dorm will reside. Check out our updated FerrumPLUS website to catch the latest photos and behind-the scene looks! Photos here...

New Sidewalks
Connecting the BRI, Ferrum College and the town of Ferrum are new sidewalks that pass in front of the arboretum area as well. These new sidewalks are being put in this summer.

Ferrum College Continues Monitoring Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality
In a Boston Whaler, flanked by lab technicians and armed with monitoring equipment of all sorts, Ferrum College faculty and students will begin their 19th year of the SML Volunteer Monitoring Program, monitoring water quality on Smith Mountain Lake in 2005. This summer, through the generosity of the Appalachian Power Company, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Tri-County Lake Administrative Commission, Ferrum will monitor dissolved oxygen levels in the lake. Funds were raised by the Smith Mountain Lake Association on behalf of the Ferrum College Life Sciences effort to steward Smith Mountain Lake water quality through education and monitoring. Read more...

Ferrum Athletic News The Athletics website features several new stories including: Doonan Steps Down from Ferrum Basketball Post: After 29 seasons at the helm of the Ferrum women's basketball program, Head Coach Donna Doonan has announced her retirement from coaching. Doonan plans to move to Florida to pursue other business opportunities; Baseball Makes NCAA Playoffs & Three Ferrum Players Named to NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team: Ferrum placed three players on the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team. Senior Kasey Harmon and sophomores Ryan Cooper and Brent Sowers made the squad; Catch up on all your Athletic news here & read more...

Ferrum College Cattle Show
The 2005 Ferrum College Cattle Show was held on Saturday, April 23rd. The Cattle Show is the culmination of the Fitting and Showing class (AGR-150), which is taught each spring by Dr. Daryl Nash, Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Agriculture Program Coordinator. Fifteen students showed calves in this year’s Cattle Show. During the Cattle Show, students are judged on their ability to fit (prepare by washing and grooming) their heifer for show and on their ability to show cattle (getting their heifer to stand in such away that makes the animal look its best, to lead and control their heifer, to show respect for the animals as well as the other participants, and respond to the judge’s questions and commands). This year’s judge was Gayle Cox, a 2002 Ferrum grad. Gayle was raised on a dairy farm and has an extensive background fitting cattle for show and showing cattle. As a 4-H member, she was a four-time Virginia state champion in cattle fitting and showing. Gayle is also a former Virginia state officer for the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Read more and see the photos...

Student Leadership Elected at Ferrum Five students at Ferrum College, in Ferrum, Virginia, have been elected at the Student Government Association (SGA) Cabinet and will be serving until Spring 2006. The Cabinet is composed of Wayne Brockwell, president, a senior Criminal Justice and Political Science major from Lawrenceville, VA; Ryan Hall, legislative vice president, is a junior and Political Science major from Louisa County, VA; Aundrea Burton, secretary, is a junior and Sports Management major from Potomac Falls, VA; Melissa Jones, vice president of student activities, is a junior Business major from Roanoke, VA; and David Gartrell, treasurer, a junior Political Science major from Hamilton, VA. Read more...

Librarian Assistant Danny Adams Featured in Recent Publications
Night Services Librarian Assistant Danny Adams' poem "Desperate Times For Fairy Tales" was been accepted by "Weird Tales," the oldest genre magazine of its kind. His personal essay on being the nephew of a science-fiction novelist and how it influenced his life and writing was published in the e-journal Some Fantastic.

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.

Alumni Calendar

Events In June:

Tuesday, June 14th
Hampton Area
Alumni and Friends of Ferrum College Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant
Located at 2710 W Mercury Blvd., Hampton
6:00 pm

Wednesday, June 29th
Maryland Area Alumni
Rusty Scupper
402 Key Highway, Baltimore
6:00 pm

Events In July:

Saturday, July 9th – Saturday, July 17th
Ferrum College Cruise to Nova Scotia, Join Dean of the Chapel, Wes Astin on an action packed cruise that takes you from New York City to Nova Scotia and back. For more details, please contact Wes Astin at wastin@ferrum.edu.

The President's Speaking Engagements:

Sat., Aug. 13 Dr. Braaten to speak at Whitmell UMC prayer mtg. w/ dinner, near Danville

Sunday, Aug. 14 Dr. Braaten to speak at Rocky Mount UMC

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 new online, interactive calendar!

Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2005!
The Corron Classic Panther Open will kick off the celebrations on Friday, September 30th. Reunions are being planned for after the big game on Saturday, October 1st. Nancy Miles Grand Pre and Jim Orr are working to bring the Class of 1985 back together for the weekend. For more information on Homecoming, please contact the Alumni and Family Services Office at 540-365-4216/ alumni@ferrum.edu.

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! Also suggest that they attend a Spring Open House on the Saturdays of February 19 & April 16. They can register online at this link...

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...