Dear Panther Family,
Today marks the final day of our fiscal year – a fitting opportunity to pause, reflect, and celebrate what we have accomplished together.
This past year has required resilience, innovation, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to our students. Every success reflected below represents the collective efforts of faculty, staff, coaches, administrators, trustees, alumni, donors, and friends who continue to live our mission of “Not Self, But Others.” While there is still important work ahead, we should take pride in the remarkable momentum we have built. Across every area of the College, we are strengthening our academic programs, enhancing the student experience, investing in our future, and positioning Ferrum College for long-term success.
Together, we are indeed #FerrumRising.
We extend our sincere gratitude to three Trustees whose terms are concluding this year: Dr. Jeff Booker, who has served faithfully as our first Vice President; Mr. John Cougill ‘69, who gave of his time as Chair of Buildings, Grounds, and Infrastructure; and Mrs. Annita Nelson, who has represented Women in Faith with grace and dedication. Each has provided invaluable leadership, wisdom, and commitment to Ferrum College, and we are deeply appreciative of their service and lasting contributions to the institution.
At the same time, we are pleased to welcome two new members to the Board of Trustees: Mr. G. Bryan Slater ’82, a proud Ferrum College alumnus and former Secretary of Labor for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Mr. Matthew Hubbard, Regional President for C&F Bank in Southwest Virginia. We are grateful for their willingness to serve and look forward to their leadership and engagement in advancing the mission of Ferrum College.
This semester we are also pleased to welcome our new Provost, Dr. Richard Grant, who joined the College in January as Interim Provost and has since accepted the permanent position. We are deeply grateful for the significant contributions he has already made to strengthening our academic enterprise and advancing the College’s mission.
This update is longer than usual, as it reflects a compilation not only of June’s achievements, but also, in some cases, of the year’s accomplishments across our campus community. I hope you will join me in celebrating these collective successes.
Our commitment to academic excellence remains at the center of everything we do. Highlights include:
Faculty scholarship is a hallmark of academic excellence and a reflection of our commitment to discovery, innovation, and student success. Through research, scholarly inquiry, and presentations at professional conferences, our faculty contribute to the advancement of their disciplines while bringing new knowledge, perspectives, and real-world experiences back to the classroom. The accomplishments highlighted below exemplify the intellectual vitality of our faculty and their dedication to advancing both their professions and the mission of Ferrum College.
Sara Evers
Invited to speak to Franklin County High School’s Social Studies Academy in connection with its America 250 exhibit on the Declaration of Independence. Her presentation addressed public history, reaching younger audiences, and using digital tools.
Selected to facilitate a panel at the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Conference on Ferrum College’s participation in the Transformative Teaching Initiative.
Featured in short- and long-form interviews released by Making Histories, recorded during a conference in Germany.
Dana Ghioca-Robrecht
Continued her Cheatham Award-supported sabbatical project to compile and analyze nearly four decades of Smith Mountain Lake water-quality data.
Edmond Hally
Participated in the Midwestern Political Science Association Conference, April 23–28.
Delia Heck and Laurie Adams
Helped secure a NetVUE professional-development grant for Ferrum College, beginning July 1, 2026. The grant will support a faculty and staff cohort focused on vocational mentoring, workshops, common readings, and the integration of vocational exploration into FER 100 and FER 200.
Abigail Jameson
Presented her research, “From Fearful to Fearless: How Positive Emotion and Resilience Mediate Motivation and Engagement in Undergraduate Learners,” at the ACA’s 2026 Teaching and Learning Conference held at Young Harris College, June 1-4.
Yili Tseng
Completed the work supported by a 2025–26 New Faculty Grant to develop content for CSC 355, Machine Learning, and to identify potential research projects in machine learning.
Eric Vanden Eykel
Delivered the 31st annual William E. and Miriam S. Blake Lecture in the History of Christianity at Virginia Commonwealth University on April 9, 2026. The lecture, titled “Constructing the Jewish Other,” examined Judeophobia and early Christian readers.
Co-edited Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts, which received first place in Scripture—Academic Studies in the Catholic Media Association’s 2026 Book Awards.
This summer, we launched a comprehensive student retention campaign to minimize summer melt and ensure every returning student knows they matter. For the past five weeks, more than 14 members of the Ferrum College family—including Board members, SLT, faculty, and staff—have been personally calling, texting, and emailing students each week to offer encouragement, answer questions, and remove barriers to re-enrollment. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has so generously given their time and heart to this important effort. Together, we are making a difference—one student at a time.
Our inaugural year in Conference Carolinas has been marked by significant momentum across academics, recruiting, competitive success, alumni engagement, and NCAA Division II implementation. Our student-athletes continue to demonstrate that excellence is achieved not only in competition, but also in the classroom and throughout campus life. Ferrum College student-athletes continue to distinguish themselves academically.
Athletic Academic Honors
Garrett Pancione (Baseball) – CSC Academic All-District
Emily Wood (Softball) – CSC Academic All-District
Gabriel Alvarez (Men’s Tennis) – CSC Academic All-District
Emilio Munguia (Men’s Tennis) – CSC Academic All-District
Women’s Basketball Academic All-District Selections
Erin Harden
Taryn Blankinship
Maslyn Mosbacher
Gerren Jones (Men’s Basketball) – CSC Academic All-District
Conference Carolinas & Athletic Honors
Payson Shreeve (Women’s Flag Football)
Conference Carolinas Player of the Year
First Team All-Conference Quarterback
Offensive Player of the Week
Freshman of the Month (twice)
Macy Taylor (Women’s Flag Football)
Second Team All-Conference Running Back
Anastasia Rogers (Women’s Flag Football)
Second Team All-Conference Defensive Back
Gracious Wise (Women’s Flag Football)
Defensive Player of the Week
Jahmal Jones (Track & Field)
Conference Carolinas Athlete of the Week
Sebastian Ondos (Men’s Tennis)
Freshman of the Month
Two-time Conference Carolinas Player of the Week
Brian Karenzi (Men’s Tennis)
Freshman of the Month
Conference Carolinas Player of the Week
Makaila Veney (Women’s Lacrosse)
Third Team All-Conference
Abbey Bradberry (Softball)
At-Large All-Conference
Women’s Tennis Team
Recipient of the Conference Carolinas Messick Sportsmanship Award
These individual and team recognitions underscore the competitive excellence our student-athletes have demonstrated during Ferrum College’s inaugural year of Conference Carolinas membership.
Athletics Enrollment, Recruiting, and Retention
Athletics continues to serve as an important driver of institutional enrollment growth while maintaining a strategic focus on retention. Highlights include:
Bi-weekly enrollment strategy meetings continue in partnership with Enrollment Management to monitor enrollment, net revenue, and financial sustainability.
Retention projections also remain encouraging:
Throughout the summer, Athletics will continue focused outreach to minimize summer melt and support the successful matriculation of every committed student-athlete.
Athletics Alumni & External Engagement
Athletics continues to strengthen relationships with alumni and community partners. Highlights include:
Compliance remains a foundational priority for Ferrum College as we continue to strengthen policies, procedures, and practices that ensure accountability, transparency, and alignment with all applicable regulatory requirements. Compliance efforts have focused on financial aid and admissions processes, including specific attention to international student records and procedures, as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and to maintaining the highest standards of institutional integrity.
The Registrar’s Office continues to strengthen both operational excellence and regulatory compliance. Recent accomplishments include:
Summer term enrollment as of June 29, 2026
Enrollments for Summer I and Summer II enrollments
Summer 1: 230
Summer 2: 150
Full Summer: 34
FC Students Taking Acadeum Classes: 24
Total Summer Enrollment: 438
Total number of credit hours taken each term by grad and undergrad
Summer: 1
Grad: 39 credits
Undergrad: 678 credits
Summer: 2
Grad: 30 credits
Undergrad: 436 credits
Full Summer
Grad: 12 credits
Undergrad: 90 credits
These efforts strengthen both student service and institutional compliance.
Enrollment continues to demonstrate encouraging momentum. Highlights include:
Expanded personalized outreach through:
Every interaction with a prospective student and family reflects our commitment to removing barriers and helping students see Ferrum College as the place where they belong. We still need your help – we are continuing to accept applications, so if you know someone who may be looking for a home, please encourage them to reach out to Justin Muse (jmuse@ferrum.edu), and he will be glad to follow up with them.
Strong stewardship remains one of our highest institutional priorities. Among the year’s most significant accomplishments is the presentation of a balanced FY2026–2027 operating budget with no deficit—the first balanced budget in several years. This achievement is contingent upon meeting our enrollment targets of 401 new students and 510 returning students. Your continued support and engagement are essential to ensuring we reach these goals.
The budget reflects:
This milestone represents months of collaboration across campus and reflects our commitment to ensuring Ferrum College’s long-term financial health.
Our alumni, donors, and friends continue to demonstrate extraordinary confidence in Ferrum College. This year:
The generosity of our alumni, friends, and supporters continues to strengthen Ferrum College in remarkable ways. During the past fiscal year, we received nearly 4,000 gifts from more than 3,000 unique donors, reflecting broad and meaningful support for the College and its mission. Their generosity enhanced the Ferrum Fund, strengthened our endowment, and included a transformational estate gift of stock valued at more than $1 million to support an existing endowed scholarship. Each gift, regardless of size, represents an investment in our students and our future, and we are deeply grateful to every donor whose confidence and commitment continue to propel Ferrum College forward.
Our grants program also experienced tremendous success:
These investments strengthen student opportunity while advancing the College’s strategic priorities.
The Alumni Office continues to strengthen the lifelong bond between Ferrum College and its graduates by creating meaningful opportunities for alumni to reconnect with one another and with their alma mater. Through a growing series of on-campus events and regional gatherings in cities across the country, the Office has successfully brought Panthers back together to celebrate shared experiences, build new connections, and reaffirm their commitment to the College. These events have fostered renewed pride in Ferrum College while expanding opportunities for engagement with current students, faculty, and fellow alumni.
This intentional focus on alumni engagement has resulted in increased participation, stronger relationships, and a deeper sense of community among Ferrum College’s alumni. Whether returning to campus for signature traditions or attending receptions hosted in their hometowns, alumni have enthusiastically embraced opportunities to reconnect with the College and with one another.
One of Ferrum College’s defining strengths is our commitment to educating the whole person. Spiritual Life continued that mission by:
These efforts ensure every student has opportunities for spiritual growth while welcoming students from every background.
Tomorrow we begin a new fiscal year.
We do so with optimism.
We do so with momentum.
Most importantly, we do so together.
Every accomplishment shared in this update is the result of people who care deeply about this institution and, more importantly, about the lives of our students. Whether your work takes place in a classroom, residence hall, office, athletic field, laboratory, dining hall, maintenance shop, grounds, or behind the scenes, your contributions matter. They make Ferrum College stronger, and they change lives.
As we look ahead to the fall semester, we continue to welcome students who are searching for a college where they will be known, supported, and challenged to thrive. If you know of a student who is still looking for the right place to call home, please encourage them to reach out to us. There is still time to become part of the Panther family.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment, your perseverance, your creativity, and your belief in what Ferrum College can become.
The best chapters of our story are still being written.
Together, we are #FerrumRising!
Onward and Upward,
M3
Mirta M. Martin, Ph.D.
President
