Ferrum College - The Ferrum Newsstand

    The 9th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference will be held at Ferrum College on March 20th and 21st with the theme: “Enlarging Our Circles: College and Community.” The conference begins on the evening of the 20th with a performance by Mountain Women Rising, a poetry/performance group affiliated with the Appalachian Women's Alliance. The Conference fills the day of March 21st with multiple sessions and speakers. This year’s keynote speaker Franki Patton Rutherford, executive director of Big Creek People in Action, a grassroots organization in McDowell County, WV. Alumna speaker J. Bernice Cobbs is a 1998 graduate of Ferrum and currently principal of Snow Creek Elementary School. Registration is available online at http://www.ferrum.edu/wlc.

     In addition to the speakers, sessions are planned on examples of college-community partnerships such as the Smith Mountain Lake water Quality monitoring project, the Franklin County Schools' providing placements for our student teachers, our social work students' and the Bonner Scholars' service in various local agencies, the accounting students' tax preparation program, and the role of the Perinatal Education Clinic in counseling our students who may face pregnancy decisions.

     Also during the conference, the Smith Mountain Lake branch of the American Association of University Women will host a tea, during which junior and senior women leaders at Ferrum College will be recognized.

     The 2006 Women’s Leadership Conference will include poster and essay contests for students, including students in the community, on the subject of interactions between Ferrum College and the community.

     Helmed by Franki Patton Rutherford, Big Creek People In Action, Inc. was founded in 1990 by citizens of McDowell County, WV. Since that time, this nonprofit organization has been serving the community of McDowell County in the realms of early childhood development, education and literacy, leadership development, volunteer service, arts and culture, housing, recreation, and collaborative partnerships. The mission of BCPIA is to foster a community in which people learn, work, play, and grow together and prepare themselves for success in the 21st century. BCPIA's vision of McDowell County is one of empowered and self-sufficient people living in communities that are economically vibrant, democratic, and socially just. For more information see the Big Creek People In Action website at: http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/bigcreek/.

     J. Bernice Cobbs was recognized as a Regional Teacher of the Year in 2003 when she taught 5th grade at Boones Mill Elementary School and was a finalist for Virginia's Teacher of the Year. In 2004, she received a Virginia Lottery Excellence in Education award.

     For more information on the conference, contact Sandy Doss at (540) 365-4321. The Women’s Leadership Conference website is available at this address: http://www.ferrum.edu/wlc.

     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.

9th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference Planned For March 20-21
For Immediate Release: February 10, 2006	Contact: Dean Browell , (540) 365-4301, dbrowell@ferrum.edu
The 9th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference will be held at Ferrum College on March 20th and 21st with the theme: “Enlarging Our Circles: College and Community.” The conference begins on the evening of the 20th with a performance by Mountain Women Rising, a poetry/performance group affiliated with the Appalachian Women's Alliance. The Conference fills the day of March 21st with multiple sessions and speakers. This year’s keynote speaker Franki Patton Rutherford, executive director of Big Creek People in Action, a grassroots organization in McDowell County, WV. Alumna speaker J. Bernice Cobbs is a 1998 graduate of Ferrum and currently principal of Snow Creek Elementary School. Registration is available online at http://www.ferrum.edu/wlc. In addition to the speakers, sessions are planned on examples of college-community partnerships such as the Smith Mountain Lake water Quality monitoring project, the Franklin County Schools' providing placements for our student teachers, our social work students' and the Bonner Scholars' service in various local agencies, the accounting students' tax preparation program, and the role of the Perinatal Education Clinic in counseling our students who may face pregnancy decisions. Also during the conference, the Smith Mountain Lake branch of the American Association of University Women will host a tea, during which junior and senior women leaders at Ferrum College will be recognized. The 2006 Women’s Leadership Conference will include poster and essay contests for students, including students in the community, on the subject of interactions between Ferrum College and the community. Helmed by Franki Patton Rutherford, Big Creek People In Action, Inc. was founded in 1990 by citizens of McDowell County, WV. Since that time, this nonprofit organization has been serving the community of McDowell County in the realms of early childhood development, education and literacy, leadership development, volunteer service, arts and culture, housing, recreation, and collaborative partnerships. The mission of BCPIA is to foster a community in which people learn, work, play, and grow together and prepare themselves for success in the 21st century. BCPIA's vision of McDowell County is one of empowered and self-sufficient people living in communities that are economically vibrant, democratic, and socially just. For more information see the Big Creek People In Action website at: http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/bigcreek/. J. Bernice Cobbs was recognized as a Regional Teacher of the Year in 2003 when she taught 5th grade at Boones Mill Elementary School and was a finalist for Virginia's Teacher of the Year. In 2004, she received a Virginia Lottery Excellence in Education award. For more information on the conference, contact Sandy Doss at (540) 365-4321. The Women’s Leadership Conference website is available at this address: http://www.ferrum.edu/wlc. 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.
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