Ferrum College - The Ferrum Newsstand

    On an unusually warm Friday in November and a beautiful fall backdrop in central campus, Ferrum College welcomed its Board of Trustees, distinguished guests, administration, faculty, staff and students to a ribbon cutting at the newly renovated Beckham Hall. Descendants of Dr. Benjamin Moore Beckham assisted with the ribbon cutting. Dr. Beckham, for whom the building is named for, was Ferrum’s first president.

     Guests included Virginia State Senator Charles Hawkins; former and current representatives of the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, whose money used for planning began the FerrumPLUS process; donors that made additional renovations possible; community and county leaders, the architectural firm Hanbury, Evans, Wright and Vlattas of Norfolk, VA; the Ferrum College Board of Trustees, and other distinguished guests. Representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were also on hand to pay tribute to renovations paid for with a landmark loan, one of the largest USDA loans of its type for higher education and the largest ever given to a single institution in Virginia.

     Beckham Hall’s improvements include façade upgrades in keeping with the standards of the national historical registry, which it is a part of; major interior renovations including new classroom and office space configured with state-of-the-art; flat-screen computer labs; common areas were reconfigured to make more efficient and aesthetically pleasing use of the overall space; and full accessibility and safety upgrades included a new elevator, sprinkler system and more.

     Beckham hall exemplifies the first phase of FerrumPLUS, which met its scheduled completion date of fall of 2005. By the expected end of construction in late 2006, the campus will boast a new classically-styled residence hall with apartment-style living spaces and community areas. Franklin Hall, located in the heart of the Ferrum College campus, will be transformed into a multi-levcel student and alumni center. The expanded facility will include the Earl G. “Bud” Skeens Alumni Conference Center, sports and Internet cafés, new offices and dramatic exterior enhancements.

     For a high-resolution photo of the ribbon-cutting, visit: http://www.ferrum.edu/news/beckham/beckham2.jpg. For a high-resolution photo of a new Beckham classroom, visit: http://www.ferrum.edu/news/beckham/beckham1.jpg
For more information on the FerrumPLUS initiative and construction updates, visit the following website: http://www.ferrum.edu/ferrumplus/.

     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.

Ferrum Rededicates Beckham Hall After Renovations
For immediate release: November 4, 2005	Contact: Dean Browell , (540) 365-4301, dbrowell@ferrum.edu
On an unusually warm Friday in November and a beautiful fall backdrop in central campus, Ferrum College welcomed its Board of Trustees, distinguished guests, administration, faculty, staff and students to a ribbon cutting at the newly renovated Beckham Hall. Descendants of Dr. Benjamin Moore Beckham assisted with the ribbon cutting. Dr. Beckham, for whom the building is named for, was Ferrum’s first president. Guests included Virginia State Senator Charles Hawkins; former and current representatives of the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, whose money used for planning began the FerrumPLUS process; donors that made additional renovations possible; community and county leaders, the architectural firm Hanbury, Evans, Wright and Vlattas of Norfolk, VA; the Ferrum College Board of Trustees, and other distinguished guests. Representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were also on hand to pay tribute to renovations paid for with a landmark loan, one of the largest USDA loans of its type for higher education and the largest ever given to a single institution in Virginia. Beckham Hall’s improvements include façade upgrades in keeping with the standards of the national historical registry, which it is a part of; major interior renovations including new classroom and office space configured with state-of-the-art; flat-screen computer labs; common areas were reconfigured to make more efficient and aesthetically pleasing use of the overall space; and full accessibility and safety upgrades included a new elevator, sprinkler system and more. Beckham hall exemplifies the first phase of FerrumPLUS, which met its scheduled completion date of fall of 2005. By the expected end of construction in late 2006, the campus will boast a new classically-styled residence hall with apartment-style living spaces and community areas. Franklin Hall, located in the heart of the Ferrum College campus, will be transformed into a multi-levcel student and alumni center. The expanded facility will include the Earl G. “Bud” Skeens Alumni Conference Center, sports and Internet cafés, new offices and dramatic exterior enhancements. For a high-resolution photo of the ribbon-cutting, visit: http://www.ferrum.edu/news/beckham/beckham2.jpg. For a high-resolution photo of a new Beckham classroom, visit: http://www.ferrum.edu/news/beckham/beckham1.jpg For more information on the FerrumPLUS initiative and construction updates, visit the following website: http://www.ferrum.edu/ferrumplus/. 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.
###