Ferrum College will hold a rededication ceremony Friday, May 4th to celebrate the completion of the Roberts Hall renovation project. A luncheon will be held at noon on the patio of Stanley Library, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony at the east entrance of Roberts. Among those attending will be many of the supporters of the project, members of the Ferrum College Board of Trustees and Alumni Board of Directors, and other dignitaries.
    
    Roberts Hall was built in 1921, and is one of the early buildings on campus. It was originally designated as Centenary Hall, but was later named Roberts Hall in honor of Miss Lutie Roberts of Ashland, Virginia. Miss Roberts served as the first Secretary of Ferrum’s Board of Trustees, and held office in the United Methodist Women of the Virginia Conference. She played a pivotal role in raising money for a Methodist school for mountain boys and girls. Dr. John Roberts, a nephew, wrote: “The fine record of the School and its accomplishments were a source of great pride to her.”

    Roberts Hall underwent a complete renovation in the winter of 2006 and is part of the final phase of FerrumPLUS! – the college’s most ambitious campus renovation projects in 50 years. While the timeless brick and white-columned exterior of the building has been preserved to maintain its historic integrity, the interior spaces have undergone dramatic changes. Newly refurbished residence rooms and social areas occupy the main and upper floors; faculty offices and a Student Service Learning Center comprise the lower level. The Daniel-Bell Service Learning Center, as it will be known, is named after two primary benefactors of the project, the late Agnes Cox Bell ‘27 and Ethelyne Daniel ’43. Both women lived and worked in Roberts Hall when they attended Ferrum College. Their generous gifts helped ensure that the residence hall was refurbished to its original glory. Mrs. Daniel and Mrs. Bell’s sister, Mrs. Winifred Roberson, will speak at the ceremony. The Daniel-Bell Service Learning Center will be a place where students will have access to a wide variety of service learning resources, including connections with entities seeking volunteer services, reinforcing Ferrum College’s “Not Self, But Others” motto.

     FerrumPLUS! is funded primarily by one of the largest USDA loans of its kind ever awarded to an institution of higher education. Other FerrumPLUS! projects include two classically styled residence halls with apartment-style living spaces and community areas. Franklin Hall, located in the heart of Ferrum College campus, has been fully renovated and enlarged into a multi-level student and alumni center. The expanded facility includes the Earl G. “Bud” Skeens Alumni Conference Center, a Subway restaurant, the Black & Gold Grille, new offices and dramatic exterior enhancements. Beckham Hall, one of the original campus buildings, was rededicated last year as the first completed Ferrum PLUS! project. Its interiors were also renovated to provide classrooms with state of the art technology and faculty offices. The exterior of the building was preserved and polished to enhance its status as a signature building on campus.

    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.