INSIDE
December 10, 2019 | Vol. 65, Issue 4
Black Friday p. 2 E-Gaming Room p. 4 Senior Spotlight p. 5 Chris Warren p. 6 Sports Recaps p. 7
Letter from the Editors
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Happy Holidays and end of the semester, Ferrum! This past semester The Iron Blade has enjoyed providing you with Ferrum College news. During the semester we covered everything from Homecoming to the Empowerment Concert. We hope you enjoyed reading this semester’s volume of The Iron Blade and we look forward to bringing you Volume 66 when we return next semester. If you or anyone you know would like to join The Iron Blade staff next semester, please reach out to Dr. Mingxiao Sui or send an email to IBlade@ferrum.edu.
Final Exam Study Guide
Tis’ the Season... By AnnGardner Eubank Since January of 2018, Ferrum College President Dr. David Johns has been hitting the ground full force with wide varieties of change on Ferrum’s campus both internally and externally. From campus beautification and revamping residence halls to adding three new majors to Ferrum’s curriculum, Johns has spent nearly two years making major changes on campus. One of the most recent and significant changes Johns has recently announced is the dissolving and merging of several majors in the college’s curriculum. “Merging some of these majors is a way to preserve teaching in those areas and also to save on some expenses,” Johns said. “By doing this, it impacts the size of faculty needed and brings together areas of study that have kinship and can connect people with a wider variety of colleagues.” While some may see merging, downsizing, or dissolving as a sign of a faltering business or administration, Johns made it clear it’s just a step many colleges, universities, and corporations do regularly. “There’s no reason for people to be worrying about the college. I’d be worried about the college if it doesn’t make changes,” said Johns. Some majors that are merging include Philosophy and Religion, along with Political Science and History. The language curriculums will also undergo changes as well, including English being offered in a different format and Spanish being taught with more emphasis in areas like education or criminal justice. “We’re following student interests while also being driven by the outside market and job demand,” said Johns. Programs with consistent low enrollment are being reevaluated in order to make sure academic resources are being appropriately distributed. Johns said that it’s also critical for Ferrum graduates to be competitive in the workforce, so the academic teams have been analyzing the bureau of labor statistics to understand which degrees, majors, and programs are in high demand. “This kind of thing happens all the time in colleges everywhere. We’re closing programs, but we’re opening up new ones, too,” said Johns. The sociology major is one of several that is planned to be dissolved and will be replaced with something in a related field of study and will be driven by student demand. Johns is confident the merging of majors won’t put anyone at a disadvantage. Students who have already declared their major and have remained on track with their course plans will still be able to graduate with their majors. Among other significant changes through campus, Johns was proud to announce that Ferrum will be the first college in the state of Virginia to guarantee transfer students from Virginia community colleges will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in two years. The “Ferrum Promise,” as it’s been coined, is hoping to give Ferrum a competitive edge and attract a larger enrollment. The changes in majors and minors, along with the enactment of the Ferrum Promise, will begin in the Fall semester of 2020.
For the Changes By Mary Stoudt
Throughout the history of higher education, changes are often made in order for colleges and universities to be sustainable. Ferrum College is currently going through a period of change in order to be a sustainable institution and to keep up in today’s world. According to Ferrum President, Dr. David Johns, the idea of offering voluntary retirement packages to employees came about over a year ago. These retirement packages were offered to faculty ages 55 and older and go hand in hand with other changes happening at Ferrum. Johns said, “This incentive helped make retirement possible for people close to retirement age and nothing about this retirement plan is age driven.” Even with the retirement plans being offered to employees, Johns noted how important it was to keep as many people as possible at Ferrum to avoid outsourcing. The retirement packages being offered to Ferrum employees is not unique to Ferrum. The Roanoke Times published on November 12 about Radford University offering early retirement to select employees due to interest being voiced by faculty. “Interested teaching and research faculty must be 50 or older with at least 15 years of service at the college or a minimum of 15 years in the Virginia Retirement System by May 9, 2020,” (Roanoke Times). Even though Ferrum and Radford’s retirement packages came about for different reasons, the end goal is still the same: Offer employees the opportunity to retire early if they desire. As of now, some faculty and staff have accepted the retirement packages and depending on their position, Ferrum will seek a replacement for those positions, according to Johns. “In order to be strong and competitive the college needs to make changes,” said Johns. The retirement packages being offered to Ferrum employees are not an indication that Ferrum is closing. Instead, the retirement packages are a way to keep Ferrum current and up-to-date.