FERRUM (WSLS 10) – Jennifer Braaten, the 10th president of Ferrum College and Ferrum's first woman president, announced Tuesday her decision to retire in the summer of 2016.
Sam Lionberger, chair of Ferrum's Board of Trustees, had high praise for Braaten's extraordinary accomplishments during her presidency. He noted that Dr. Braaten's family was experiencing serious health issues and that she felt her obligation was to now be with family. "The College has grown in stature and reputation from her strong leadership during her tenure as President and our prayers of love and support are with her as she now enters a new phase of her life", said Lionberger.
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A Search Committee is being formed at this time to seek a successor. Braaten expressed gratitude to Lionberger and the entire Board for their strong partnership with her in sustaining the mission as well as creating a vision of vitality and viability for Ferrum. Braaten credited the success for implementation of this vision to the Ferrum team which included talented administrators, faculty, staff, coaches, and students with whom she worked closely.
"It has been an honor and privilege to be part of the Ferrum Community for the past 14 years. We have experienced positive growth in all areas, while maintaining stability and continuity. Our mission 'to serve the underserved' remains as compelling today as it was 100 years ago" said Braaten.
Braaten arrived at Ferrum College in 2002 from her previous position as the first woman president of Midland Lutheran College in Nebraska, having served prior to that appointment as provost, vice president for academic affairs and professor of history at Lynn University in Florida.
During her Ferrum tenure, enrollment increased dramatically and academic programs were enhanced, including the implementation of the May "e- (experiential) term", as well as the initiation of the College's first ever online program in Criminal Justice.
Braaten referred to Ferrum's "applied liberal arts" as a descriptor for the dual emphasis of providing a solid liberal arts core curriculum as a foundation and basis for all programs, while also strengthening such "career oriented" majors as Business, Criminal Justice, Health Sciences/Pre-professional sciences programs.The coordination and integration of academics with co-curricular service learning activities and experiences that would highlight the college's motto of "Not Self, but Others" was a particular priority. The long standing prominence of the Environmental Studies program was supplemented with additional emphasis on campus-wide sustainability. The outstanding Ferrum faculty continued to receive accolades in many areas, and have received grants from NEH, NSF, and other internationally recognized agencies.