Ferrum College Senior Vice President for
Business Affairs Nominated for CFO of the Year Award

    Mr. Bobby Thompson, Ferrum College Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer, has been nominated for the CFO of the Year Award. The award, which is given out by the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and Virginia Business magazine, recognizes outstanding achievement in financial stewardship for Virginia-based public and private companies.

     During his 28 years at Ferrum College, Mr. Thompson has managed over $30 million in combined projects. In 2004 Thompson was instrumental in the college’s efforts to secure over $20 million in long-term low interest loans from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development office for a facilities renewal project. The project also included renovations and additions to existing campus buildings, as well as new construction. This effort, known as FerrumPlus!, for Project Leading to Undergraduate Success, has transformed the living and learning environment of the Ferrum College Campus. He has also arranged approximately $800,000 in historic tax credits to leverage renovation funding for many of the historic structures on the Ferrum College campus. Ferrum College’s president, Dr. Jennifer Braaten says, “Mr. Thompson not only epitomizes the best and brightest in the areas of business, finance, and facilities and human resources management, he is one of the few college administrators in my estimation who also has a keen grasp of the academic issues that are so critically important to an institution of higher learning. Through his distinguished service and in his unwavering dedication to Ferrum, he truly personifies our motto, “Not Self, But Others.”’

     Mr. Thompson is involved in many aspects of community outreach and public service. He has been a member of the Ferrum Water and Sewage Authority since 1991 and has served as chairman of its Board of Directors for over 7 years. He is a past member of the Franklin County School Board, the current president of the Virginia United Methodist Pensions, Inc. Board of Directors, and a member of the EIIA Advisory Council. EIIA (Educational and Institutional Insurance Administrators) is a national advocate to the insurance marketplace serving colleges of the United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA) and American Baptist Churches.

     The awards will be given in several different categories and represent a significant opportunity to recognize best practices and outstanding leadership at our public and private businesses, organizations and institutions in Virginia. The winners will be announced at a special awards gala to be held on June 28, 2007 at the historic Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. The winners will also be profiled in a special cover story in the July 2007 issue of Virginia Business magazine as well as various VSCPA publications.

    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.