Students from the School of Health Professions and Social Sciences received academic awards in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room on April 16, 2021. Malcolm Lofton photo.
4/21/2021
Ferrum College celebrated its students during Academic Awards Ceremonies on Friday, April 16, 2021 in Vaughn Chapel and in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room. The traditional single ceremony was split into two ceremonies to accommodate COVID-19 capacity and social distancing guidelines for indoor gatherings.
Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Reilly presided over the ceremony for the School of Arts and Sciences, which took place in Vaughn Chapel. Dean of Health Professions and Social Sciences Angie Dahl presided over the ceremony for the School of Health Professions and Social Sciences that took place in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room.
President David Johns and Athletic Director John Sutyak presented the President’s Cup to senior John “Jack” Sheehan, IV, from State College, PA. Sheehan is about to receive a Bachelor of Science in social studies with minors in history and secondary education. Awards were then presented to students during both ceremonies by the dean of their school and their professors.
A list of award recipients and honor society members follows.
See photos from the event here.
The Iron Blade Editor Commendation
Mary Stout
The Chrysalis Editor-in-Chief Award
Abigail McGovern
The Chrysalis Staff Member of the Year Award
Abigail McGovern
The Hamblin Accounting Award
Lola Cannaday
The Outstanding Student in Agricultural Sciences Award
Lindsay Koogler (equine studies)
Hunter Wimmer (agricultural education)
Zoey White (agribusiness)
Jarred Collier (crop sciences)
Macey Vest (animal science)
The Outstanding Student in Finance Award
Jeremiah Valentine
The Outstanding Student in Management Award
Matthew Yarbrough
The Outstanding Student in Marketing Award
Reina Balderas
The Outstanding Student in Sports Management
Mia Holmes
Outstanding Student in IoT Lab
Mason Hamer
Outstanding Student in Programming
Nicholas Johns
Outstanding Student in CIS Public Speaking
Helen Ogbole
CIS Academic Award
Nicholas Cook
Dakota Fletcher
The Eric Lee Baker Award for the Outstanding Student in English
Abigail McGovern
The Outstanding Student in Environmental Science Award
Alexis Davidson
Michelle Musick
Katie ShoafThe Jasse Scholarship in History Awards
Demontay Wimbush
Daeshawn Barrett
Andrew Hill
Charles Tisby
The Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar in History Award
Christian Haley
Fern Stough
The Outstanding Student in Music Award
Julio Salazar
The Academic Achievement in Music Award
Kiersten Jones
The Acey-Wood-Rose Award for Excellence in Religious Studies
Lauren Ries
Outstanding Student in Spanish Award
Suzanne Maines
Douglas W. Foard Award of International Studies
Suzanne Maines
The Theatre Arts Achievement Award
Erica Leed
Alyssa Robles
The Dance Achievement Award
Sarah LaLiberte
2021 Dr. Ken McCreedy Outstanding Criminal Justice Graduating Senior Award
Cayla Morgan Berry
The Outstanding Student in Health and Human Performance Award
Camden Mariotti
The Outstanding Student in Exercise Science Award
Kendra Powell
The Outstanding Student in Exercise Sports Studies Award
Jenna Janicki
The Frank Benjamin Hurt Award
Robert Sean Grande
Mikayla Thorpe
Outstanding Student in Pre-Professional Health Science Pre-Med Award
Elina Baltins
Alexzondra Mattson
Camryn BurkeThe Pre-Professional Health Science Pre-Therapy Award
Joshua Greenway
The Outstanding Student in Biology Award
Camryn Burke
The Outstanding Student in Psychology Award
Alexzondra Mattson
The Jane Addams Social Work Achievement Award
Mia Brower
The Jennie West Outstanding Social Work Senior Award
Madison Brown
The Dr. Betty N. Bailey Silver Weaver Award
Mallory Scott
Delta Kappa Gamma Outstanding Woman in Education Award
Amber Scott
Charles A. and Marion C. Skinner Awards for Excellence in Education Award
Elementary Education
Sarah Ellis
Secondary Education
Jack Sheehan
All-Level
Cade Rouse
President’s Cup
John F. “Jack” Sheehan, IV
4/19/2021
Selingo has written about higher education for more than two decades. His latest book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, was published in September 2020 and was named among the “100 Notable Books” of the year by the New York Times.
Selingo is the founding director of the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership at Arizona State University, where he also serves as a special advisor for innovation and professor of practice. Additionally, he co-hosts the podcast “FutureU” and is a regular contributor to The Atlantic.
Previously, Selingo served as a visiting scholar at Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities. He was the top editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, where he worked for 16 years. Selingo has received numerous awards for his work from the Education Writers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College, Selingo went on to earn a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University. He now lives in Washington, DC with his family.
More about Jeff Selingo here.
More about Ferrum College’s 105th commencement ceremony here.
3/30/2021
To find up-to-date commencement information for the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021, visit www.ferrum.edu/commencement.
Ferrum College announced today that it will invite members of the Class of 2020 to return to campus for an in-person commencement celebration on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 6 p.m. This event will precede the College’s commencement for the Class of 2021, scheduled for Saturday, May 1. The Class of 2020 made history last year when their commencement ceremony was held virtually to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Class of 2020 graduates who participate in this year’s outdoor commencement exercise will be able to invite four guests to attend as they cross the commencement stage at Adams Stadium. Graduates will be asked to wear their regalia and will have the opportunity to take a photo with Ferrum College President David Johns. The keynote speaker will be 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year Anthony Swann who teaches fifth grade at Rocky Mount Elementary in Franklin County. The ceremony will follow the guidelines set forth in Governor Ralph Northam’s March 17 order that allows for a limited number of guests to attend outdoor graduations.
In order to participate, Class of 2020 graduates must register themselves and their guests for the event by April 28 using this link.
Ferrum College will hold its 105th commencement ceremony in-person at Adams Stadium on Saturday, May 1, 2021. The College’s plans follow Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s March 17 announcement that allows for a limited number of guests to attend outdoor graduations.
“We are looking forward to celebrating our 2021 graduates during an in-person commencement ceremony this May,” said President David Johns. “These students have made Ferrum College history by overcoming enormous challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is their time to shine.”
The College expects 165 graduates to walk across the commencement stage at Adams Stadium, which includes current seniors and the first graduates of Ferrum’s psychology masters degree and EdS programs. Each graduate may invite four guests, as per the governor’s order to keep outdoor events at 30 percent of the venue capacity. The event will be live-streamed for friends and family who are not able to attend.
The keynote speaker will be New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo, who has written about higher education for more than two decades. His latest book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, was published in September 2020 and was named among the “100 Notable Books” of the year by the New York Times. Selingo is a special advisor for innovation and professor of practice at Arizona State University. He also co-hosts the podcast “FutureU” and is a regular contributor to The Atlantic.
Prior to the May 1 ceremony, graduates will have their class photo taken in Adams Stadium on April 24. Following the class photo, graduates will be invited to take individual photos with Ferrum College President David Johns.
The College will not host a baccalaureate and candlelight ceremony this year; however, an academic awards ceremony will be held on Friday, April 16, 2021.
Class of 2021 graduates may register and receive tickets for their guests here.
3/11/2021
Abigail McGovern ’23, a sophomore from Round Hill, VA won first place for her poem, “Falling Leaves,” and in prose for “A Song in the Dark.” First place for photography was awarded to Chloe Fisher ’22, a junior from Franklin County, VA for “Single,” which was also chosen as the cover photo for the magazine. First place award for art went to senior Elina Baltins ’21 for “Love Hurts.”
Judges included three Ferrum College alumni: Kala Brubaker ’17, Ryan Osborn ’11, and Shameer Shah ’06. Brubaker, a middle school English teacher who studied in Kyrgyzstan and earned her masters degree in education from William & Mary College in 2018, evaluated the prose category. Osborn, a ceramic artist whose sculptures have received national attention, evaluated art. Shah, a professional landscape photographer, video creator, and conservationist who currently lives in London , evaluated photography. The final judge was Professor Emerita of English Marcia Horn, who taught at Ferrum for 23 years, and evaluated poetry submissions.
“We got so many great submissions and the staff got so ambitious that I had to cut over ten pages from the magazine during winter break to stay within budget,” said Chrysalis advisor and Professor of English Katherine Grimes.
This year, the Chrysalis staff was able to meet in person to layout the magazine, a contrast to last spring when the staff was forced to hammer it out through Zoom meetings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s virtual reveal was the first ever in the magazine’s history. “We really missed the refreshments,” said Grimes.
McGovern, who served as editor-in-chief of Chrysalis this year, said the process to layout and publish Chrysalis is a lengthy one. “We do it in several steps. Overall, it takes us about a month to layout the whole thing, before we send the magazine to the printer,” she said. “Chrysalis is really a team process. It’s a honor to work with so many other dedicated, talented people. We all learn so much from each other, and I can say with confidence that I am always growing as both a leader and an artist.”
Read the autumn/winter edition of Chrysalis here.
Dr. Richard Smith
On February 24, 2021, the Ferrum College community bid a last farewell to Professor of History and Williams Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities Richard Lee Smith. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother; a teacher and storyteller; an internationally recognized top scholar; an author; and a warm-hearted and generous member of the community. Smith was 75 years old.
Smith rides atop a camel in the Taklamakan Desert.
Born on August 26, 1945 in Montgomery, WV, Smith spent his childhood in Cranford, NJ playing football and getting into things with his friends. He later moved to Moravia, NY where he worked on his family’s dairy farm during summers and attended college courses at SUNY-Cortland. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1967 and then enrolled at Rutgers University where he received his master’s degree in 1969 and his Ph.D. in 1972, both in history.
After teaching for four years at LaGrange College in LaGrange, GA, Smith arrived at Ferrum College in 1976, where he would spend the next 42 years teaching history. As a college professor, Smith taught more than 8,000 students, over 7,000 of them at Ferrum College.
“Richard never waited until some other time to live life to its fullness. As was evident in the display of photographs at his retirement celebration in 2018, Richard leaned into life always,” wrote Ferrum College President David Johns in a recent email announcing Smith’s passing to the campus community.
“That his first students at Ferrum grew to be among his best friends is a testament to the impact he had on generations of Ferrum students,” said Professor of History Timothy Daniels, who was a colleague and personal friend of Smith’s.
He enjoyed teaching ancient Asian and African courses, including Chinese, Indian, Southeast Asian, North African, and sub-Saharan history, along with traditional Western European and American subjects. He was known to be a great storyteller who enthralled listeners with tales of his travels to the Sahara Desert, Timbuktu, Kenya, Egypt, Peru, and more. Some of these trips included his students who arrived home with hilarious stories and fond memories, including a rafting trip down the Tambopata River that ended in a crash and fire ant attack at their rainforest camp.
Smith performs in the Ferrum College drama production, “Too Free for Me” in 1998.
Smith authored three books, which earned him international recognition as a top scholar in ancient and medieval trade and commerce. At the time of his death, he was tirelessly working on a fourth book, a thematic study of trade and commerce in the ancient and medieval worlds.
“When Richard went into the hospital for some issues not directly related to his final medical problems, I told [his wife] Kathleen to relay to him that he’d better hurry up and get out of the hospital if he wanted to make progress on his book (which was four out of seven massive chapters done by the time of his death),” remembered Daniels. “She sent me a picture of him grinning in his hospital gown, in his hospital bed, with books and yellow legal pads splayed across his lap. Only death – not any illness – was going to get in the way of his scholarship.”
He appeared on Blue Ridge Public Television’s “Public Eye” program in the 1970s and 1980s, two PBS documentaries, and the television show “Digging for the Truth” with Josh Bernstein on the Discovery Channel. He also served as consultant for several History Channel shows.
Smith enjoyed performing for Ferrum College’s drama department and appeared in numerous plays including “Too Free For Me,” “Lil Abner,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and more.
During a 2015 trip to Egypt.
He and his wife made their retirement home at Smith Mountain Lake in Wirtz, VA. There, he thoroughly enjoyed the water, captaining the boat that pulled his grandchildren across the lake during countless hours of tubing. He was a beer connoisseur and loved to grill, sharing his famous ribs and pulled pork platters with family and friends. Along with his limitless quest for knowledge, he loved music, organic gardening, and storytelling.
Once asked what he loved about Ferrum College, Smith responded, “Ferrum is special because it is a place where, as a teacher, I could help students maximize their potential if they were willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to achieving academic success. I am especially proud to see that so many of my former students have gone on to enjoy success in their chosen careers in business, public service, education, and a variety of other fields.”
“Some lives are so large, rich, and full, they spill over into the lives of others,” wrote Johns. “And not just an experience or a memory, but part of the energy and essence of that person becomes lodged inside those in his or her orbit. This was Richard, and there are many who carry within them part of the overflow of his extraordinary life.”
Smith is survived by his wife and soulmate Kathleen; sons Erik and Howard; step-children Kevin and Beth; and their families. Please share online condolences with the family here.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Richard L. Smith Academic Enrichment Scholarship in History at Ferrum College.
“Arts in the Laboratory: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Honors Education in a Small College Setting” was written by Professor of Psychology Sharon Stein and Professor of English & Director of the Boone Honors Program Lana Whited. Their seminar, Media and Violence*, explores depictions of violence in news and entertainment media, social scientists’ methods of studying the effects on society, and ways to address problems associated with media and violence.
“Experiential Learning in the Rural, Small College Setting: Creating an ‘Appalachian Cluster'” was written by Professor Emeritus of English Peter Crow; Professor of Environmental Science Delia Heck; Professor of English Tina Hanlon; Assistant Professor of Sociology Susan Mead; and Professor Emerita of Environmental Science and Biology Carolyn Thomas, who passed away in January 2020. Since 1999 they have all taught in the Appalachian Cluster, a learning community in which first-year students study modernization in Appalachia through interlinked courses in sociology, environmental science, and English.
Editors Corey Campion and Aaron Angello of Hood College designed The Synergistic Classroom to demonstrate innovations that expand the traditional boundaries of discipline-specific programs within the particular circumstances at small colleges. Blending disciplines within the curriculum can boost students’ engagement while preparing them for the kinds of critical thinking and teamwork required in the workplace.
Hanlon commented that “interdisciplinary collaboration has been the most rewarding part of my career at Ferrum since I first began team-teaching with Carolyn Thomas in the 1990s. I believe the Appalachian Cluster’s blend of introductory coursework and experiential learning while visiting communities in coal county now aligns well with President David Johns’ vision for enhancing the college’s work and outreach in our Blue Ridge environment.”
The Synergistic Classroom is available from Amazon and other booksellers, or visit Ferrum College’s library to check out a copy.
Learn more about Ferrum College’s efforts to provide interdisciplinary learning by following its Appalachian Cluster program on Facebook.
*The Ferrum College course catalog describes the Media and Violence course as “an interdisciplinary, team-taught, writing intensive study of the relationship between media and violence. The emphasis of the course will be on how violence is depicted in news and entertainment media, how media depictions of violence affect society, how social scientists study these effects, and how the problems associated with media and violence might be addressed.”
Ferrum College Commencement 2019
Ferrum College and Appalachian School of Law have entered into an agreement which will provide Ferrum students with an accelerated pathway to a career in the legal field.
“Our partnership with Appalachian School of Law is a natural fit,” said Ferrum College President David Johns. “ASL’s mission of providing community leaders and community advocates builds upon the work we do, and this partnership is one more way for Ferrum College to serve our students, our community, and our region.”
ASL President and Dean Elizabeth A. McClanahan agreed, saying that 3-plus-3 partnerships “provide students with an aspirational architecture for constructing their own futures.”
“This focused approach is particularly important,” she observed, in a time where students are searching for “a strong, reliable hope for an ordered and meaningful future.”
The program, known as a 3-plus-3 Dual Degree Agreement, will allow students to enroll at ASL after three years as an undergraduate at Ferrum College. Ferrum students will receive their baccalaureate degree after completing their first year of law school at ASL, and will then receive a law degree two years later. This efficient pathway to a law degree allows graduates to begin working in the legal field in less time and with less expense.
Admission to ASL is guaranteed for Ferrum students as long as they are on track to receive their bachelor’s degree by the end of the semester after application to ASL, maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average, and earn an LSAT score equal to or exceeding 150.
“Every partnership Ferrum College makes is developed with our students and community in mind, and we are delighted to be able to share news of our agreement with the Appalachian School of Law,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato.
Learn more about Ferrum College’s criminal justice program here.
The Outdoor Classroom is located near the Fitness Center & the Ferrum Outdoors building.
Ferrum College is preparing for another unique semester as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The College plans to closely follow the same protocol that it adopted for its fall 2020 semester, which allowed students to remain on campus and successfully complete their fall courses through hybrid instruction (half virtual, half in-person).The most striking difference is that Ferrum’s athletes will now be back in action this spring.
Spring semester classes will begin on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Students are required to check-in online prior to utilizing a staggered schedule to move back to Ferrum’s campus. They are also instructed to limit their exposure and monitor their health and temperature daily for 14 days prior to their arrival.
Students, faculty, and staff will follow the same protocol this spring as they did last semester: wearing masks during class and at work, limiting people in buildings on campus, practicing social distancing, and using the LiveSafe app to check in daily before leaving their residence halls and/or coming to campus. Housekeeping staff will continue performing both routine and deep cleaning on campus, especially for high-touch areas like light switches and door handles.
The College’s athletic teams will compete this spring; however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, spectators will not be allowed to attend indoor sports and are instead encouraged to enjoy indoor sporting events at this livestream link. A decision regarding spectators for outdoor sports events has not yet been made. Read more about Ferrum’s spring athletics season in this letter from Director of Athletics John Sutyak.
Additionally, the College is exploring the creation of a campus vaccination center as the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more available this spring. “We are hopeful for an inoculation center on campus when the vaccine gets to 1C in spring, so those who are interested can have easy access to vaccinations,” wrote Dean of Students and Pandemic Coordinator Nicole Lenez in a campus-wide email earlier this week.
Although cautious, the Ferrum College community remains optimistic for another successful semester. “I am eager for our Panther family to begin a new semester,” wrote President David Johns in recent campus correspondence. “We will support each other through the challenges of this pandemic, encouraging each other to excel in the classroom, the court and field, in the residence halls, and in our neighboring communities. With determination and a renewed sense of purpose, we will continue to practice those things that make for a better tomorrow.” Read Johns’ full letter here.
Visit www.ferrum.edu/stronger-together to learn more about spring semester 2021.
“We have all worked very hard over the last few years to reshape the College, to encourage leadership, to build positivity, and to dream big. The excitement we feel today is a direct result of a daily commitment to our students, of putting our motto, Not Self, But Others, into practice, and of working together, side by side, for the good of Ferrum College and for a better tomorrow,” wrote President David Johns in a campus-wide email announcing the College’s accomplishment.
In January 2020, SACSCOC approved Ferrum to begin offering two graduate programs in the fall of 2020: a Master of Science in psychology and an Education Specialist Degree (EdS) in teacher leadership and coaching. Prior to then, Ferrum had educated students first as a training school, then as a junior college, and finally as a four-year institution.
This is the second time that a SACSCOC review team has evaluated Ferrum College in less than two months. The first evaluation occurred in September 2020 and assessed the institution’s programs and operations in order to approve reaccreditation, a process that is completed every 10 years. SACSCOC’s initial visit also resulted in a glowing report and gave no additional recommendations.
In his email, Johns noted how rare it is for an institution to receive final SACSCOC reports that find a college to be 100 percent in compliance and make no additional recommendations: “…We have accomplished it not once, but twice…and during a global pandemic,” he wrote.
Learn more about Ferrum College’s graduate programs here.
The scholarship will be awarded to a Ferrum student who has demonstrated a financial need and is also a veteran, active or reserve military personnel, or the dependent of a military service member or veteran. Preference will be given to those who reside in Virginia.
“Our board unanimously voted in favor of the Ferrum scholarship, and we hope it is the first of many that we are able to provide throughout the Virginia higher education system,” said V4V Director and President Roddy Davoud.
“We are honored that Virginians for Veterans has partnered with Ferrum College to help advance their mission of supporting our veterans and their families,” said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations Wilson Paine ’07. “This scholarship is the latest iteration showcasing Ferrum’s commitment to our military service members and complements our efforts to expand access to more students through scholarships and financial aid.”
The V4V scholarship comes just over a year after the unveiling of the Craddock Veterans Lounge in the upper level of Ferrum’s library. The lounge is specifically designated as a space for veterans on campus, and was made possible by Army veteran and 1994 Ferrum College alumnus Greg Craddock and his family.
Ferrum College is a Yellow Ribbon partner school, meaning the College works with the Department of Veterans Affairs to match education benefits, ensuring the tuition and fees of a veteran or their dependent is paid in full. This program is commonly referred to as the “GI Bill.”
“As V4V has matured, our board has turned to different means to do good things for veterans and their families. Establishing an endowed scholarship is a wonderful way to assist veterans and their family members as they obtain an education that will help them fulfill the American dream,” said Davoud.
Per their website, V4V is a “charity formed by a group of Richmond business leaders to raise funds for specific local and regional veteran support groups.” To date, the charity has raised nearly $1,000,000 to support veterans. Learn more about V4V here.
Ferrum College will host a virtual Veterans Day celebration on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at 10 a.m. Viewers may watch the ceremony on Ferrum College’s main Facebook page, here.
If you would like to contribute to the V4V Endowed Scholarship at Ferrum College, please visit here.
The newly renovated Carter Center for Academic Success includes a space for the PRIDE program, which focuses on academic & personal excellence for student-athletes. Donna Winge photo.
In the summer of 2020, the Carter Center for Academic Success, formerly known as the Academic Resources Center, received a facelift thanks to alumnus Maury Carter ’53 and his family.
“Seven siblings from my generation were Ferrum scholars,” said Carter. “Ferrum College provided more than a college textbook education. Taught there was an outstanding education, but equally important: compassion.”
“It is an exciting time for those of us who work in the Carter Center for Academic Success,” said Dean of Student Success and Assistant Professor David Wiggins. “Now the Carter Center is even more beautiful and functional. The students are thankful for a place where they can study individually or collectively, get peer-assisted tutoring, and learn new skills to help them with their academic success. We are very grateful to the Carter family for their gift.”
Located on the lower level of Ferrum College’s library, the newly renovated Carter Center is open 24 hours a day and boasts all new furniture, paint, carpeting, and ceiling tiles, plus a new camera and monitoring system. It provides resources and services to help students achieve their greatest academic potential, including one-on-one tutoring support, individual advising sessions, study groups for first-year students and military veterans, and support for students with learning differences.
Carter’s family was not financially secure during the College’s early days. “A family of ten. Mom and Dad and eight siblings,” remembered Carter. “A poor family a bit different from the students from more populated areas. Our parents could not have afforded to send any of us to college. Ferrum College made the dream of attending college possible for our family. The professors understood us and taught us well.”
After graduating from Ferrum, Carter went on to enjoy a successful career in real estate investment, primarily in Virginia and central Florida. Based in Orlando, Maury L. Carter & Associates has closed approximately $1,500,000,000 in real estate transactions on over 200,000 acres of land since the 1990s.
“The Carter family moved to Ferrum in 1914, one year after the College opened, and have been part of the Ferrum story ever since,” explained Vice President for Institutional Advancement Wilson Paine ’07. “This gift represents over one hundred years of support from the Carter family, and is a testament to their commitment to our students, the College, and the region.”
“I love the people there,” said Carter. “I love the town and Ferrum College. When I am on the College’s campus, I have a special feeling: a feeling of being at home.”
Learn more about the Carter Center for Academic Success by visiting here.
Read 1953 alumnus Maury Carter’s full thoughts below:
“‘Not Self, But Others.’ Ferrum College provided more than a college textbook education. Taught there was an outstanding education, but equally important: compassion. ‘Not Self, But Others.’
“There in them hills was a family called Carter. A family of ten. Mom and Dad and eight siblings. Seven siblings from my generation were Ferrum scholars. A poor family a bit different from the students from more populated areas. Our parents could not have afforded to send any of us to college. Ferrum College made the dream of attending college possible for our family. The professors understood us and taught us well.
“I believe my brother began attending Ferrum around 1920. Many of our family members have attended during our 100 year relationship with Ferrum College.
“On a personal note, I say that Ferrum College kept me out of tanks in Korea. I graduated in 1953 and entered the U.S. Army. After the rigorous basic training, we were being assigned locations, most to Korea. Out of a group of several hundred, I was selected to serve as a personnel specialist. This assignment taught me how to perform in an office environment and it prepared me for a position in aerospace.
“I love the people there. I love the mountains. I love the town and Ferrum College. When I am on the college campus, I have a special feeling: a feeling of being at home.”
For an in-depth account of Carter’s early life and achievements, please visit the Maury L. Carter & Associates, Inc. website.
UPIKE President Burton Webb, UPIKE Provost Lori Werth, Ferrum College Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato, and Ferrum College President David Johns.
In July 2020, Ferrum College and the University of Pikeville (UPIKE) entered into an agreement to provide access to a Master of Social Work degree to Ferrum students.
“Those who make social work a career are special individuals, and knowing that our partnership will play a part in helping those students further their education with a graduate degree is very fulfilling,” said Ferrum College President David Johns.
This agreement is the second in Ferrum and UPIKE’s history together. The two institutions began their initial partnership in September 2019, when UPIKE pledged to reserve one seat each academic year in its Doctor of Optometry program for a Ferrum College student who meets all early admissions criteria.
For UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program, the university has again agreed to reserve one seat each academic year for a Ferrum College student who meets all early admissions requirements. UPIKE’s offer of admission is open to Ferrum students who have earned a Bachelor of Social Work, as well as those who have earned a bachelor’s degree in any other field of study, provided that those students have 21 credit hours in liberal studies.
“We are fortunate to have such great partners at the University of Pikeville,” Johns continued, “and we are pleased to collaborate with them again to provide new opportunities for our students. This pandemic has highlighted the important role social workers play in holding together the fabric of our society. I am grateful we will be working together to prepare our students for this critical career.”
“Ferrum College and the University of Pikeville are committed to finding additional ways to grow our partnership,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato. “Our memorandum of understanding regarding the Master of Social Work program at UPIKE will build yet another pathway for Ferrum College students to excel in their purpose.”
UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program is delivered online with courses offered year-round so that students may continue to work while obtaining their degree. The masters program offers a 30-hour advanced standing option for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work, and a 60-hour program for students who have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than social work, or who completed a social work degree in a non-accredited program. All accepted students are required to have at least a 3.0 GPA.
“Our agreement with the University of Pikeville will help Ferrum College graduates press forward in their education to live out our College’s motto, Not Self, But Others,” said Dean of Health Professions and Social Sciences Angie Dahl. “There is a great need for social workers across our region, so we are thrilled to continue building our strong partnership with UPIKE to make these opportunities available to our students.”
“We are very excited by this opportunity to formally connect with UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program,” said Associate Professor of Social Work Martha Haley-Bowling. “Students will have the opportunity to attend a top notch MSW program to further their educational and career goals.”
Learn more about Ferrum College’s social work program here.
Learn more about UPIKE’s Master of Social Work program here.
