Ferrum College history

Construction began in earnest in 1914 and Doctor Beckham moved his family to the site, opening the first section of John Wesley Hall to open the first term of instruction in the fall of 1914.

The school’s first graduate— Berta Thompson, Class of 1917—went on to teach in the Virginia public schools for years.

President Derby's successor was fittingly one of the many alumni who championed a future for Ferrum Training School, Doctor Nathaniel Davis of the class of 1924.

Ferrum added its first junior college-level courses for the fall term of 1926, and without any recruiting, 18 students enrolled for the junior college program.

In 1928, the village of Ferrum opened a public elementary school.

In 1929—16 years after Ferrum’s founding—an estimated 17,000 school-age children were still not attending school in the five-county area around Ferrum.

Doctor C. Ralph Arthur, a visionary on the scale of Doctor Beckham, became FJC’s seventh president in 1954.

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.

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.

In 1970, Doctor Arthur succumbed after a long battle with cancer.

Selected as Doctor Arthur’s successor, Doctor Joseph Hart took office in 1971, the same year “Ferrum College” became the school’s official name.

Most importantly, FC implemented the 2+2 academic structure, offering both associate’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees, and in 1976 Ferrum’s first four-year diploma was awarded to graduating senior Martha Arnold.

With Doctor Boone’s retirement in 2002, Doctor Jennifer Braaten began her 14- year tenure as Ferrum College President.