Ferrum College means something special to every alumnus, especially Robert W. Todd ’67.
“Throughout my years as a vice president in human resources for Pfizer, Inc., I was fortunate to have traveled to many countries and to have dealt with stimulating and complex employer/employee issues. I know that my experiences while at Ferrum College helped prepare me for this fulfilling career.
“I know that the compassion and attention I received from the institution’s faculty and staff transformed an ‘underachiever’ into a productive, well-prepared graduate. I like to think that I brought those uniquely Ferrum traits to my career with Pfizer and to my service as a member of the Board of Trustees. I have witnessed the great need to help provide young people (who may not have the opportunity elsewhere) with the tools necessary to compete for good jobs and a life of giving back to their own communities.
“I support the important work being done at Ferrum College at the Arthur Society level because I know that our gifts really do improve the daily lives of students on campus. We can directly help provide students with the very best education possible and support the faculty and staff who give so much to prepare them for life after Ferrum.
“As a current trustee, and more importantly as a graduate, I firmly believe that, with our help, Ferrum College will continue to reach new heights. When we all work together we can help maintain this great environment for student scholarship and unrivaled teaching. This is indeed a proud heritage.”
Joe and Jane Stogner
Ferrum College’s faculty and staff are an integral part of the institution’s success. Members of the College’s campus community support the mission and purpose financially, personally, and professionally.
The late Joe Stogner, professor of environmental science and founder of the environmental science program at Ferrum College, enhanced the institution with years of instruction and financial support. “Even though I have studied at several prestigious universities,” he once explained, “I have not found any school that truly lives up to Ferrum’s mission and motto of ‘Not Self, But Others.’”
Stogner’s wife, Jane, a retired Ferrum College art professor, worked with fellow professor Bev Thornton to grow the existing art department into a strong program. “It’s fulfilling and rewarding to share my personal passion with students, to help them become more self-aware and build self-confidence,” she noted. Along the way, she motivated herself through her students and found her passion in both creating and teaching art.
Through retirement, Stogner remained active in giving at Ferrum College. He advocated for the College, knowing that the institution lives out its mission by treating each student as an individual and offering extra time and attention as needed. Both he and Jane were first-generation college students and understood the importance of higher education. The pair consistently sought to involve other faculty and staff members in the support of development projects on campus. “It is important that people who support Ferrum share that support with others,” Jane explained.
The diverse population of both students and faculty highlights the College’s focus on quality education and experiential learning. The continued efforts of faculty members to develop their fields of study and introduce enrichment activities for students is further evidence of the strong belief in offering the best possible education to all students.
Future growth and service to Ferrum College students and the surrounding community continue to be ensured through Jane and her late husband’s centennial campaign gift, which was used to complete renovations on a new science wing in Garber Hall in 2013.
“Ferrum College is a unique community of dedicated and talented faculty, staff, and administrators who work far beyond their contracts and job descriptions to help students realize their potential,” Jane remarked, furthering emphasizing her strong feelings about the institution. “Ferrum creates a special learning environment that encourages students to develop problem-solving and leadership skills, which are necessary in the job market.”
The reasons a person gives back to his or her alma mater are often personal ones, stemming from a family history, a profound experience, a sense of civic duty or a private matter altogether. For Walter ’62 and Lynn Ayers, it is a combination of several of these. Ayers was encouraged to attend Ferrum College based on the recommendations of several of his high school teachers. While he acknowledges that Ferrum would have been the best choice for him regardless, he admits he didn’t realize that fact until after he was already a student.
He had a job on campus pasteurizing milk at the dairy farm, which supplied milk to the College cafeteria and functioned as a “hands-on” teaching tool for students. He and a classmate were picking up the milk on particular day and saw that one of the employees was attempting to help a cow with a partial birth. Ayers and his friend, Russell Leslie, were called in to provide further assistance to Mr. Milam, the farm manager and agriculture professor. Their efforts were unsuccessful; the veterinarian was called and as the calf was born, the exhausted cow moaned and collapsed to the floor. Ayers remembers Mr. Milam saying that he hoped the boys appreciated their own moms at this time. “At that moment, I really did have a whole new appreciation for my mother!” he says. Aside from his dairy farm experiences, Ayers says the fact that professors really took time to get to know their students, making students feel important, was the most memorable aspect of his years at Ferrum.
Following graduation, Ayers attended The College of William and Mary. He then went to Richmond, where he began working for the Virginia Farm Bureau. It was here that Ayers met his wife, Lynn. While still in his twenties, he was named the Farm Bureau Director of Government Relations, working with state and federal legislators and heads of federal agencies. This job would prove to be a strong foundation for his position as President and CEO of the Virginia Bankers Association. Retirement found Ayers returning to his boyhood home in Patrick County and to Ferrum College as a member of the Board of Trustees. “While there have been a few trials along the way, Lynn and I have been blessed with two sons, who have blessed again us with four grandchildren, and life has been good,” says Ayers.
Ayers believes that Ferrum College instilled in him the right combination of book knowledge and behavioral expectations. “I continue to believe that one of the keys to success in life, including success in a career, is never losing sight of the fact that one is expected to abide by certain rules—by a code of conduct and a work ethic,” he notes. Ayers says Ferrum reinforced the idea of living up to expectations and abiding by the rules that were set forth by the institution. The standards set by Ferrum College and the lifestyle that was reinforced there are certainly a part of why Ayers supports the College today. “Ferrum was such a key building stone in the foundation of the plan that ended up being my life path, it only seems logical that Ferrum should receive the lion’s share of any support we have to give,” he notes. He and his wife also believe that because Ferrum does not have the advantage of tax resources or a large alumni base, their support is even more important.
The Ayers have endowed a scholarship at Ferrum for a student who comes from either Patrick County where Ayers grew up or Accomack County where Lynn was raised. These areas are quite similar, in that both are rural and do not provide many opportunities for high school graduates. Ayers acknowledges that they are both quite proud of their rural upbringing; further noting that he may never have taken the steps to attend Ferrum if it were not for the environment in which he grew up. He says this of their gift to Ferrum, “I guess you could say this scholarship is our approach to ‘paying it forward’ in the hope that we can help young people have the same opportunities we were given. Including the opportunity that was so invaluable to me and that is to attend Ferrum College.”
Former Ferrum College Board of Trustees Chairman, Sam Lionberger, and his wife Rindy, are well known for their generous support of Ferrum College. During his time as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Lionberger says one of his main goals was to improve core academic standards.
Sam and Rindy Lionberger know their scholarship support enables students to start their career paths. “We believe Ferrum College students come to their employers with a strong work ethic and are more competitive because they require less training,” says Lionberger. “Thus, there is shorter time until they are productive in their respective positions.” He advocates teaching students they are essentially independent contractors when competing for positions in the job market. “I want Ferrum students to understand this is impressive to employers and this is what we teach at Ferrum,” he says.
Lionberger notes the institution is second to none in providing a core business education, regardless of the student’s major. “All majors, from business to environmental science, will benefit from an understanding of basic business principles,” he says. Lionberger believes “students need to understand that all employees have a function and responsibility in a business being able to be successful.”
Former members of the Ferrum College Enactus team (previously called Students in Free Enterprise).
The Ferrum College Enactus program (formerly called Students in Free Enterprise) is responsible for outreach projects in financial education, women’s empowerment, community beautification, sustainability, and small business programs.
In addition to winning regional competitions for decades, the Ferrum College Enactus team was the recipient of a Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) community improvement challenge grant. This grant provided an opportunity to raise the standard of living for local communities in need of structural, educational, municipal, and facility improvements.
The Clements Family Endowed Scholarship supports Ferrum College students with financial aid and is awarded to students from Southside Virginia localities who have achieved at least a 2.5 GPA.
“Ferrum was just the right place for me when I was looking for direction in life,” says J. Peter Clements ’77. “With the College’s strong emphasis on community involvement and leadership, I was allowed to really develop those attributes. By establishing this scholarship fund, we will be able to help others from Southside Virginia have a chance to experience the sense of community and family that really sets Ferrum apart.”
Clements is a past member of the Ferrum College Board of Trustees and President and CEO of the Bank of Southside Virginia. He is a member of both the Ruth and Arthur Societies at Ferrum College, served on the Board of The College of William & Mary, and is a member of The United Methodist Church.
The Will “Frog” Pettus Agriculture Scholarship was established in April 2010 by the Ferrum College Ag Alumni Association, and is given to Ferrum College students who are studying life science or agriculture. The original goal was to raise $25,000 to endow the fund. Fundraising efforts are ongoing with the goal to assist as many future Ferrum College students as possible.
If you would like to support the Will “Frog” Pettus Agriculture Scholarship please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 540-365-4299.
“We met at Ferrum College 50 years ago this year. Ferrum is a part of our lives and a place where we can make a difference,” says Baxter Phillips ’66, of the support he and his wife, Sharon ’66, give to Ferrum College. As a Trustee of the College, Phillips sees firsthand the necessity of maintaining the endowment and contributing to the annual Ferrum Fund. This year’s gift is a pledge to the Centennial Campaign to promote the growth and sustainability of the endowment, so that all areas of the College may prosper. The Phillips believe in continual support of the endowment as a critical aspect of the College, in part because there is less funding and grant money available to colleges and universities in the current economic climate. A strong endowment will allow Ferrum to be self-sustaining and continue its tradition of success.
Ferrum has changed significantly in the years since the Phillips were students, from a Junior College offering a 2 year Associates Degree to the modern, successful institution it is today. Sharon notes, “The last time I visited campus, I was so impressed with the expansion of the facilities, improvements and increased housing, and classrooms with greater resources for students.” The Phillips believe their life together began with their days at Ferrum College and wish to assist others in obtaining an education in a Christian environment; additionally, they hope their giving will encourage others to do the same. Says Baxter, “We have had a great life, which began Ferrum. Our giving is not intended to be short term, but will continue going forward.”
Teddy Butz ’88
The Butz Foundation was founded in the mid-1950s with a mission of support for programs that benefit humanity, education, medical research, and society as a whole. Ferrum College has gratefully been a recipient of the foundation’s generosity for several projects throughout the years. According to Teddy Butz ’88, a graduate of Ferrum and president of the family foundation, “Success is where preparedness meets opportunity. For those students who have a fire in their belly to want to succeed, I try to provide the tools to help them meet their goals.”
The Ferrum College’s Office of Academic Accessibility (OAA) recently received a $5,000 grant from the Butz Foundation for the “iPad Education Applications Initiative.” The gift enabled the purchase of four iPads along with the salary for an adjunct faculty position. The instructor teaches students with reading and writing disabilities how to use a variety of iPad applications and ensures successful strategies in the classroom.
Additional Butz Foundation funds underwrote the purchase of a classroom set of LiveScribe pens. These smart pens will increase students’ technological knowledge and add to their ability to automatically and wirelessly transfer notes written with and recorded on the pen to
a visual and audio file on their i-device or computer.
When using the specifically designed LiveScribe notepaper, students can write keywords while listening to a lecture. Later, when the student taps the pen on the word, it automatically locates the portion of the audio recording associated with that word. Additionally, students can use the Evernote software to pair handwritten notes wirelessly with the audio application and transfer them to an i-device for playback. This pen is designed help students with disabilities, such as dyslexia, with the note taking experience.
Board of Trustee Member Clay Campbell
I have been working in all aspects of business at the Martinsville Speedway since I was a young boy. The historic Virginia race track was founded by my grandfather over 60 years ago and I’m very proud of this heritage. I’m also proud of my affiliation with Ferrum College. Although I’m not an alumnus, I have adopted Ferrum as “my college.” I believe in the College’s mission of access and affordability and I see the results of the top-notch liberal arts education in folks I work with every day, in fact, several are my colleagues at the track.
Through my work as a member of the Ferrum College Board of Trustees, I am honored to represent the competitive environment of higher education. I know something about competition, whether it’s on the track, in business, or in the classroom. I see the great need to help provide young people (who may not have the opportunity elsewhere) with the tools necessary to compete for good jobs and a life giving back to their own communities.
I know that gifts at the Arthur Society level really do improve the daily life of students, faculty and staff on campus. We can directly help provide Ferrum students with the very best education possible. Through our gifts, I know together we can help to maintain this great environment for student scholarship, unrivaled teaching, and a stimulating campus.
