Happy New Year 2009 and welcome to a tremendous spring semester! Students, faculty and staff returned to campus invigorated by the holiday break and ready to tackle the academic and extra-curricular opportunities that will abound throughout the next several months! As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and anticipate the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama, we are hopeful for a better, stronger future for our students, our College and our country.
This issue of Fe will bring you up to date on the progress and current plans for the proposed Hank Norton Center (HNC). Once completed the HNC will be a dramatic and essential addition to campus and will create for our students another important facet of our number one key performance indicator, student success. Special thanks again to so many of you whose gifts in memory of Margaret Clark helped purchase interior furnishings for the public spaces in Clark Hall and exterior enhancements that have added dramatic "curb appeal" to Ferrum’s newest, award winning residence hall.
Fe has been a terrific way to keep in touch with everyone. As we begin the spring semester, we are extremely excited about even better ways to tell the Ferrum story and facilitate networking as more and more of you interact with friends and fellow alums through Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter and other "venues" available in the continually expanding universe of social communication Internet sites.
We hope you have also received your annual FM Magazine, where you’ll find highlights about new faculty, student academic and athletic achievements, alumni events and recognition of our amazing donors who sustain and support us in everything we do. Thank you for your continued belief in our Mission, Vision and Aspirations. You help us make all things possible.
Sincerely yours,
Jennifer L. Braaten
President
Jennifer L. Braaten
President
Hank Norton Center Facts
Size: 28,000 sq ft (Phase I)
Serves: All students and houses outdoor sports teams, coaches, and athletic administrators
Sizzle: Exceptional training facilities for all student athletes, easy access for teams, state-of-the-art sports medicine facility, new home for the Sports Hall of Fame
Did You Know That ...
... almost 60% of Ferrum students come planning to play an intercollegiate sport?
... 30% or more than 400 students play on one or more of the college’s NCAA sports teams?
... the Norton Center will be used for sports medicine and training for all of these students?
... every Ferrum student will be able to use the wellness and training center?
Division III Athletics Compete on a Different Field Today
Only a generation ago, college athletics were treated like an afterthought, just a small complement to the academic focus of a school. Despite limited resources and towering odds, an unlikely small school in Ferrum, Virginia, delivered some of the best athletes in the country.In this era, athletics are at the forefront of higher education decisions. The enrollment competition has created an arms race for students and for athletes. Schools that prove successful in the recruitment and retention of student athletes will be the colleges and universities that can thrive for another generation. Colleges that ignore the critical importance of athletics will be in jeopardy.
In Virginia alone, other Division III colleges have built or are building state-of-the-art athletic facilities right now. At Ferrum, despite boasting one of the most impressive college athletic histories in the United States, we are trailing our competitors.
Help Us Continue to Be the Best
As an athletic director and coach, Hank Norton believed that athletes were first students, then sportsmen and women. He set the bar high for every student, and he believed that hard work and drive could make any student a winner and a champion. Hank believed in the potential of students whom others overlooked, and he made them the best, with no excuses or apologies. Pride in the Panthers meant having pride in students' potential.How is it possible that from a Division III school, without athletic scholarships and extravagant budgets, so many stars emerged? Pure love of the sport - and the minds and hearts of champions - conquered the odds.
With more than 30% of Ferrum students playing intercollegiate sports, this facility will help create a competitive edge in recruiting and retaining students. Moreover, every student can enjoy the fitness and training center.In Phase I of the project, the new Hank Norton Center will be constructed. Phase II will include a new press box, entertainment areas, concessions, and restrooms. Fundraising for Phase II will follow completion of Phase I plans.
Pictured above: Proposed Hank Norton Center: Phase II.
Plans and Renderings Gallery! To see more designs and floorplans, check out the Norton Center gallery by visiting the Norton Center page.
For continuing updates and to speak with our Panther fans, visit the Norton Center Homepage, or to give now, please visit the Online Giving Form.
Proposed Hank Norton Center: Aerial View
If You Believe Ferrum Helped Make You or a Family Member a Winner, Will You Pay the Privilege Forward?
Ferrum's Board of Trustees decided in its November 2008 meeting to undertake the next step in completing the Hank Norton Center by engaging architects and engineers to draw up full construction plans. In order for the Board to move forward beyond this step, Ferrum's alumni and friends must show their commitment to, and wish for, this facility. Will you accept the challenge and help rebuild Panther pride?With Hank Norton's assistance and blessing, this building has been designed to serve the needs of all outdoor sports. Further, all student athletes will benefit from a state-of-the-art sports medicine center and weight room. Men's and women's teams will be able to compete on a level playing field as they go head to head with other schools in the division. The Norton Center will be the new home of these outdoor teams:
- Men's
- » Football
- » Baseball
- » Soccer
- » Tennis
- » Cross Country
- » Golf
- Women's
- » Lacrosse
- » Softball
- » Soccer
- » Tennis
- » Cross Country
Basketball and volleyball teams will be able to expand within Swartz Gymnasium.
Name a Part of the Hank Norton Center
Think only big gifts can name a portion of the Hank Norton Center? While there are opportunities for large gifts to underwrite and name certain areas of the facility, smaller gifts are important too.For a gift of only $250 for four years, a locker in the center will be permanently named after your favorite student.
For a gift of $1,000 for five years, an office can be fully outfitted (furniture and technology) and named after your favorite coach, player, or a special loved one.
For a gift of $5,000 for five years, name a coach’s locker room or a head coach’s office after the person who changed your life.
For a gift of $20,000 for five years, celebrate your team or the people who gave you lifelong memories by naming the Athletic Administration Suite after your team, spouse, best friend, or small business.
For a gift of $100,000 for five years, make your company’s mark on Ferrum by sponsoring the weight and training center or the sports medicine center.
For even more opportunities to name areas in the new Hank Norton Center, visit, the Norton Center page.
Remember ...
- » Now's the time to make your Hank Norton Center commitment!
- » Pledge payments don’t have to begin until January 2010!
- » Pledges can be paid over five years!
- » Pledges can be paid with cash, stock, real estate, and much more!
Last Chance to Lock in Higher Payout Rates!
On February 1, new rates on Charitable Gift Annuities will decline throughout the United States. If you have been considering a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA), you can lock in higher rates through January 30, but you must act now to set up your annuity.Here are current versus new rates for a one-person annuity.
| Age | Current Rate | After February 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 6.1% | 5.7% |
| 75 | 6.7% | 6.3% |
| 80 | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| 85 | 8.9% | 8.1% |
| 90+ | 10.5% | 9.5% |
The new CGA rates will be in effect from February 1 through June 30, 2009, when they will be reevaluated by the American Council on Gift Annuities, the body that sets the suggested rates for non-profits nationally.
Please call toll-free at 1-877-337-7861, option 1, to get more information and to get a free, personalized annuity consultation.
Congress Allows IRA Rollovers to Continue
Through its Financial Rescue Package, Congress included an extension on the IRA Rollover plan that allows individuals to make charitable gifts from their IRA plans, thereby avoiding taxation on those dollars and meeting the IRS’s annual distribution requirements. Participation in this direct charitable rollover is subject to these stipulations ...- » The donor must be at least age 70 ½.
- » The maximum rollover is $100,000.
- » The rollover must be a direct gift (no planned gifts).
- » The rollover must be made by December 31, 2009.
Call for Nominees: Sports Hall of Fame
Dear Alumni and Friends of Ferrum College:In honor of over eighty years of Panther Athletics, and in recognition of the many contributions Ferrum student-athletes have made throughout their careers, the Ferrum Alumni Association and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its inaugural season of the Ferrum College Alumni Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. Since then, former Panthers have been honored each year with induction ceremonies held during the fall. It is again the time of year when Ferrum College seeks your assistance in identifying deserving individuals for induction into the Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Alumni Sports Hall of Fame members include: Slick Andrews, Hal Baird, Richard Barrett, Murrie Bates, Jesse "Bill" Bennett, Jr., Garland Berry, Thomas Berry, Bill Booker, Donnie L. Brown, Roy Clark, Ray Corron, Dennis Craddock, Danny Danko, Dr. James A. Davis, Joe Davis, Joel DeBoe, Donna Doonan, Larry Duty, Phil Elmassian, Gene Evans, the "Ferrum 8", Keith Gary, Richard Foutz, Everett Foxx, Ed George, Horace Green, Jim Grobe, James Hambacher, Jeffrey Lee “Mickey” Hardy, David Harper, Debra Hayes, Clint "Lew" Hege, Jr., Marlene Henley-Mathews, Bo Henson, David Hobbs, Hubert "Danny" Hodges, Jimmy Huff, Kenneth "Skinny" Journell, Kris Kahila, Temple Kessinger, Al Latimer, Wilmer Leatherman, Barbara Lewis, Jerry Little, Jud Mason, Keith Mayhew, John Mazalewski, Jim McGinnis, Don Meredith, Lu Merritt, Jr., Philip Mosser, J. Abraham Naff, Hank Norton, Lucy Anne Norton, Eric Owens, Renso "Rock" Perdoni, Linda Perdue, Joseph Philpott Jr., Paul E. Pope Sr., John Quinn, Marny Richardson, Larry Robinson, Steve Robinson, John Rose, J. Carol Sandidge, Louis F. Santospago, James Charles Schubert, Earl "Bud" Skeens Jr., Jim Sood, Frank Coleman Starnes, Wayne Stinnette, Freddie Stovall, Carl Tacy, Thomas Throckmorton, Charlie Tysinger, Billy Wagner, Sarah Quesenberry Wagner, Chris Warren, Cynthia Warring, Bobby Watson, Sam Webb, Roger Whitley, Kenneth Wilbourne, and Edward H. Witt. Members inducted posthumously are Raymond Warlick, Jr., U. Grant Hudson, and Dr. C. Ralph Arthur.
If there are individuals whom you wish to recommend for consideration, please submit their detailed biographical information by February 2, 2009, using the Hall of Fame Nomination Form. The application can be downloaded from the Ferrum College Athletics site.
It is very important that the selection committee receive as complete a package as possible for each nominee to include playing records/statistics, athletic honors, and continuing achievements and service since leaving Ferrum. Committee members rely mostly on the information provided in the nomination package, so completeness is important. In order to be considered, nominees should:
- » Exemplify the highest ideals of small college athletics, sportsmanship, and the spirit of Ferrum’s motto, "Not Self, But Others."
- » Have excelled in one or more sports while at Ferrum College, and then have gone on to achieve significant success in a career field.
- » Be an alumnus or alumna of Ferrum College. If not a Ferrum graduate, nominee should have attended Ferrum for three or more semesters. The selection committee and the Alumni Board of Directors also may induct honorary members such as Coaches and other individuals who made a significant impact on Ferrum Athletics.
- » Have graduated or transferred from Ferrum College at least 10 years prior to nomination. This year we are looking for student athletes that left the College prior to June 1999.
Judson P. Mason '67
Co-Chair
Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee
Sincerely,
Abe Naff
Co-Chair
Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee
Abe Naff
Co-Chair
Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee
Call for Nominations for the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Awards
Ferrum College will recognize the outstanding achievements of alumni who exemplify the three eras of Ferrum College: Ferrum Training School, Ferrum Junior College, and Ferrum College.Nominees should:
- » have a record of exceptional career achievement and of service to their community, church, or other organizations.
- » have been active in College life during their time at Ferrum and have remained involved in and supportive of Ferrum College as alumni.
- » be an alumnus or alumna of Ferrum College. If not a graduate, nominees should have attended for three or more semesters.
- » exemplify in all aspects of their lives the spirit of Ferrum's motto, "Not Self, But Others."
Share your story: Ferrum Sweetheart Society
Do you have a sweetheart that you met while at Ferrum? Tell us your story! Our new alumni group, the Ferrum Sweetheart Society is in the process of planning an event either on campus or off (or both) for our Ferrum couples. Let us know what kind of event you'd like to see planned by filling out our quick Sweetheart Society form!Keep in Touch with Ferrum Alumni
Keeping up with your alumni family and the most current happenings at Ferrum is just a click away! Whether you are looking to catch up with old friends or hoping make professional contacts, we have a Ferrum Alumni site available for you. Check them out!Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/fcalumni
Group: Ferrum College Alumni Association at Facebook.com
Ferrum College Alumni at www.linkedin.com/groupsdirectory
Ferrum Alumni Homepage www.ferrum.edu/alumni