DR. RICHARD SOURS ACCEPTS PRESIDENCY AT WILLIAM PENN U.

February 24, 2004

     Dr. Richard Sours has resigned as the college's Executive Vice President and Dean of the College effective as of May.   Sours will join William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa as president at that time.

     Sours has served Ferrum College since 1997.    His successes include bringing new faculty leadership and enthusiasm to campus with key hires, recognizing scholarship and teaching innovation through the premiere publication PROFESS and fostering the use of technology in the classroom and beyond by faculty as part of the duPont Instructional Technology grant. Also of note is the inception and early success of the Boone Honors Program, which will graduate its first students this year.   Sours commented, “The Boone Honors Program has provided stimulus for the ‘best of the best' here at Ferrum.”

     “It is with a great deal of mixed emotions that my wife Charlotte and I leave Ferrum College.   We have thoroughly enjoyed living in the Ferrum community and working at the college where we feel that we have made a valuable contribution.   We will really miss the colleagues with whom we have worked and the good friends we have made.   We are very excited about the opportunity to provide leadership to William Penn University.   While we are looking forward to making new friends and living in, what for us, is a brand new part of our great country, we will certainly miss Ferrum and always have fond memories of our seven years here,” Sours said.

     “We would like to thank Dr. Sours for his six and a half years of service to Ferrum College.   His combination of compassion, academic background and understanding of complex education issues will combine to make a great president,” said Dr. Jennifer Braaten, Ferrum College President.

     Sours will continue to perform his duties at the college until the end of this academic year.   A photo is available at the following address: http://www.ferrum.edu/news/2004Spring/sours.jpg .   Sours can be reached by email at rsours@ferrum.edu .

      Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.