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Ferrum College is a
private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...
in
Ferrum, Virginia Ferrum is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,043 at the 2010 census, an increase of over fifty percent from the 1,313 reported in 2000. Ferrum is home to Ferrum College and its Blue R ...
. The college was established in 1913 as the "Ferrum Training School" (also referred to as the "Ferrum Institute" by its board of trustees) for primary and secondary education to serve the mountain communities of rural
Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all V ...
. The school was known as "Ferrum Junior College" between 1940 and 1976. It was founded by the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
and gradually developed from primary to post-secondary education. Today, Ferrum enrolls around 800 undergraduate and graduate students and offers over 54 undergraduate majors and four graduate programs. Ferrum College's campus is in the foothills of the
Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
near
Rocky Mount, Virginia Rocky Mount is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The town is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area, and had a population of 4,903 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. H ...
, in Franklin County. Its athletic teams, known as the Panthers, compete in
Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...
of the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
in the
Old Dominion Athletic Conference The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Of its 15 member schools, all but one are located in Virginia; the other ful ...
(ODAC). Ferrum has 11 men's teams and 14 women's teams. The football team is commonly referred to as the "Black Hats". The Ferrum College campus is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
and the
Virginia Landmarks Register The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atla ...
.


History


Founding

Charitable members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
in Virginia established the school—Ferrum Training School—in Ferrum, Virginia in 1913 to provide educational opportunities to underprivileged youth in the state's Blue Ridge Mountains region. The Virginia Conference Woman's Home Missionary Society (VCWHMS) under President Mrs. Lee Britt wished to serve and educate the rural population of southwestern Virginia. Already in 1909, President Britt informed Benjamin Beckham, presiding elder of the Danville district, that the VCWHMS had gathered $1,200 toward constructing a school somewhere in the district. In 1911, the village of Ferrum was selected as the location of the train depot on the
Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...
between Roanoke and
Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
. In 1912, Beckham offered to help raise $25,000, and in 1913, the society formed a board of trustees and purchased 80 acres of land for the campus from local farmer George Goode, with another 50 acres donated by citizens of the village, allowing the board to officially establish Ferrum Training School. Construction began in earnest in 1914 and Beckham moved his family to the site, opening the first section of John Wesley Hall to begin the first term of instruction in the fall of 1914. The small school grew with the support of the railway, which constructed a cinder road from the Ferrum Depot to Ferrum Training School. The board of trustees purchased an additional 96 acres in 1916, and Ferrum graduated their first diploma-earning student in 1917: Berta Thompson (1897–1975), who went on to become a public-school teacher. After steady growth in its first decade, despite numerous crises involving sickness, financial difficulties, and luring faculty to rural Virginia, in 1926 Ferrum's trustees voted to recast the institution as a junior college. In 1928, the village of Ferrum opened a public elementary school. Between 1926 and 1935, Ferrum Training School transitioned into secondary education with the occasional postsecondary course in religious training. After 1935, Ferrum Training School under President James A. Chapman began seeking accreditation, the name of the institution in 1940 becoming "Ferrum Training School – Ferrum Junior College".


From crisis to growth

By 1940, half of the enrolled students were college level; the elementary division closed before the end of World War II. With the closing of the original training school's primary school, some thought that the mountain mission school had served its purpose. In a 1948 editorial for the ''Richmond Christian Advocate'', its editor, George Reamey, recommended the school be closed. The resignation of the fourth president, Derby in 1948, came in part from similar concerns about the viability of the school in postwar Virginia. However, this crisis inspired a wide outpouring of support from alumni and a decision to make stronger appeals and more competitive salaries to entice faculty and staff to the college's rural location. At the same time, the school's name was shortened to just "Ferrum Junior College". President Derby's successor was fittingly one of the many alumni who championed a future for Ferrum Training School, Nathaniel Davis of the class of 1924. Under his leadership, the school continued its transition into a junior college and instituted an annual hike for the students in the surrounding mountains. By the 1950s, the junior college transformation was complete, with the high school division closing in 1955.


Ferrum Junior College

With the arrival of the new President C. Ralph Arthur in 1954, a new era on campus began. President Arthur pressed the Methodist Church for stronger financial support, oversaw the removal of undercredentialed and ill-trained faculty, and the hiring of professional collegiate-level educators to be enticed by school-provided housing that President Arthur convinced the board of trustees to build. President Arthur was a tireless fundraiser from local businesses, government officials at every level, and throughout the branches of the Methodist Church. The changes at the school led to unprecedented growth in the student population; from only 238 students in 1958 to 646 in 1962. By the 50th Anniversary celebrated in the 1963–1964 academic year, the school had 799 students and 50 full-time faculty. Another shift was the rise in collegiate athletics, exemplified by the long career of Hank Norton, who began coaching in 1960 and continued his association with the college for over three decades. As early as 1963, the Methodist Church Annual Conference had recommended that its schools in Virginia consider enrollment of all students without regard to race. In 1967, Ferrum welcomed its first four African-American students: Alice Baker and Fred Dunnings of Rocky Mount, Jerry Venable from Staunton, and Allen White from Philadelphia. Founded by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Ferrum College saw changes at the board of trustees level with the merging of various Methodist branches in 1939 (healing the split in 1844 over the differences between north and south on the criminality of slavery) and again in 1968 to form the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
. In 1970, Arthur succumbed after a long battle with cancer. His funeral was held in the newly opened Vaughn Chapel; classes were suspended, but with all students on campus to pay their respects to the man who had utterly transformed the campus from a mountain primary school to a prestigious junior college. Arthur was interred in a vault beneath the chapel bell tower.


Ferrum College

With the passing of Arthur, the ambitions of the board of trustees turned them to Joseph Hart for the eighth president. A historian and political scientist by training, Hart began his tenure by explaining to the board of trustees that Ferrum would continue to grow in academics, but also as a cornerstone of the local community, likely a change brought about by Arthur's insistence that the faculty live within the bounds of the town. Many of the junior colleges of the 1950s and 1960s began to transition either into the new community college model or otherwise to transform into four-year colleges; Ferrum Junior College was in an increasingly untenable position. In response, the school moved to attract more faculty and programs, until in 1976, Ferrum received accreditation from the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...
to operate as a four-year college, five years after it adopted its current name. In 2020, this historic trend continued when Ferrum College received similar accreditation to confer graduate degrees. Today, Ferrum College offers bachelor's degrees in over 50 major degree programs and several graduate programs. The college is affiliated with the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women of the Virginia Annual Conference.


Campus

The Ferrum campus is located on near the town of Ferrum, Virginia. The nearest large cities are
Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...
( northeast) and
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...
(70 miles south).


Notable buildings

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, designated as the State Center for Blue Ridge Folklore by the
Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
in 1986, is on the main campus near the Blue Ridge Farm Museum. Since 1973, the institute has held the annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival on the fourth Saturday in October to showcase regional traditions. In 1999, the museum's collection of Great Road pottery was featured on an episode of the American version of ''
Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...
''. The Titmus Agricultural Center has a modern barn where the students raise sheep, cattle, and horses. The farm also has a garden where students grow vegetables and herbs for the campus dining hall. In 2016, College Ranker ranked the Titmus Agricultural Center as number eight in the country for Best College Farms. Stanley Library, named after the 57th governor of Virginia, Thomas B. Stanley, is the three-storied library on campus. It serves not only as a library, but also contains many quiet areas for study, including an art gallery, the International Programs office, the Carter Center for Academic Success, and several classrooms. The Hank Norton Center contains a sports-medicine facility, locker rooms for teams, offices, and a kitchen. It was built in 2012 and named in honor of former football coach and athletic director Hank Norton, who spent 34 years at Ferrum. The Stratton House, Spilman-Daniel House, John Wesley Hall, Roberts Hall, Richeson Hall, and Beckham Hall are part of the Ferrum College Historic District and are listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.


Academics

Ferrum College currently offers 54 undergraduate degree programs and two graduate degree programs (master of science in psychology, and Ed.S. in teacher leadership and coaching). In 2020, the college started offering degrees in nursing, and a 100% online RN-to-BSN program. The college's environmental science program is the second-oldest in the country, and Ferrum is the only private college in Virginia to offer a bachelor's degree in agricultural science. In partnership with the Association of International Educators, Ferrum offers the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship to promote international students seeking education in the United States. The college currently has students representing over 12 countries on its campus. The Boone Honors is an interdisciplinary program committed to challenging students enrolled in the program. The honors program is for students enrolling with a combined math/verbal SAT score of 1200 or higher and a cumulative high school GPA of 3.5. Every student in the program is eligible to receive travel scholarship money for study abroad, and other extracurricular activities.


Student life

Ferrum College has four sororities and three fraternities. ''The Chrysalis Literary and Arts Magazine'' is a collection of works created by students and faculty. New issues are published each semester, and they display works of poetry, prose, photography, and visual art. Spiritual life at Ferrum offers students a chance to grow their spirituality. Due to COVID-19, the previously weekly in-person offerings are now shown virtually over social media. ''The Iron Blade'', established in 1955, is the campus newspaper. The content is written primarily by students, and it delivers news to the Ferrum College campus and the broader Franklin community. Norton Outdoors is the outdoor connection for students, faculty, and staff. Trips are frequently taken involving various outdoor activities such as sailing, skiing, rock climbing, hiking, and caving.


Athletics

The Ferrum athletic teams are called the Panthers. The university is a member of the
Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...
of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA), primarily competing in the
Old Dominion Athletic Conference The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Of its 15 member schools, all but one are located in Virginia; the other ful ...
(ODAC) since the 2018–19 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the
USA South Athletic Conference The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolin ...
(USA South) for most of its sports from 1988–89 to 2017–18; while its football team competed in the Atlantic Central Football Conference (ACFC) from the 1998 to 2000 fall seasons (1998–99 to 2000–01 school years) before it later joined with the rest of their sports in the USA South; and as an NCAA D-III Independent from 1985–86 to 1987–88. In 2025, Ferrum will move to
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
as a member of
Conference Carolinas Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ...
. Ferrum competes in 25 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling; women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.


History

Ferrum joined the NCAA Division III ranks in 1985 after being previously classified as a junior college. Under head coach W. H. "Hank" Norton, Ferrum won the
National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...
(NJCAA) national football championship four times (1965, 1968, 1974, 1977). Norton's last great team, in 1989, finished third overall in the NCAA Division III rankings. This team featured future AFC leading rusher Chris Warren and Freddie Stovall. Seven members of the Panthers' 1968 championship team—all of whom had transferred to
Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...
—died in the 1970 plane crash that also claimed the lives of 37 Thundering Herd players and 30 others, including the team's coaches, 25 boosters, and the entire flight crew. Ferrum was the first college in Virginia to offer collegiate women's wrestling. In March 2019, Ferrum College hosted the NCAA Division III men's wrestling championships, held at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia. In January 2020, the college announced plans to launch both women's and men's track and field programs beginning in the fall 2020 season. The spring 2020 athletics season was abruptly canceled in March of that year, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.


Notable alumni

* Watkins Abbitt, Jr., former member of the
Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
* Jake Cabell, college football assistant coach * Ed George, former NFL player * Bruce Gossett, Former kicker,
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
*
Jim Grobe Jim Britt Grobe (born February 17, 1952) is an American college football coach and former player who was most recently the defensive coordinator of the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football. His previous position to that was ...
, former head football coach *
Kevin Keatts Kevin Andre Keatts (born July 28, 1972) is an American college basketball coach who was most recently the head coach at NC State Wolfpack men's basketball, North Carolina State University. Early life and playing career Keatts grew up as an on ...
, head men's basketball coach at
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
* Jim Kitts, former NFL player * Al Latimer, former NFL player *
Billy Joe Mantooth Billy Joe Mantooth (July 23, 1951 – July 23, 1986) was an American football linebacker from Clendenin, West Virginia, known as "The Man-Eater" during his playing days. He started his career at Ferrum College; after being honored as an Nationa ...
, former NFL player * Eric Owens '93, baseball
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
.
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
,
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
,
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
, and
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
*
Larry Robinson Larry Clark Robinson (born June 2, 1951) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach, executive and player. His coaching career includes head coaching positions with the New Jersey Devils (which he held on two occasions), as well as the Los Angeles Ki ...
, former NFL player * Nick Rodriguez, former wrestler and current submission grappler *
John Paul Vann John Paul Vann (born John Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in the Vietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietna ...
, Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army, the only civilian to receive the Distinguished Service Cross in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Subject of
Neil Sheehan Cornelius Mahoney Sheehan (October 27, 1936 – January 7, 2021) was an American journalist. As a reporter for ''The New York Times'' in 1971, Sheehan obtained the classified ''Pentagon Papers'' from Daniel Ellsberg. His series of articles reve ...
's book, and the HBO series '' A Bright Shining Lie'' *
Billy Wagner William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston ...
,
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
baseball
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
for the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
;
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
,
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
, and
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
* Chris Warren '90, football
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
for the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
,
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
, and
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...


References


External links

*
Athletics website


{{authority control 1913 establishments in Virginia Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Virginia Education in Franklin County, Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1913 Private universities and colleges in Virginia Tourist attractions in Franklin County, Virginia Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools