Ferrum to Move to Division II, Join Conference Carolinas

4/15/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Ferrum College will move to NCAA Division II and join Conference Carolinas, becoming the 16th school in the athletic conference.

It’s the latest in a string of changes that the small, private college in Franklin County has made to attract students and fight off dwindling enrollment that has plagued it in recent years.

President Mirta Martin made the announcement at a press… Read More

Averett University Aeronautics Reveals New Plane at Aviation Day Celebration

3/18/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Averett University’s Aeronautics Department celebrated its annual Aviation Day with students, alumni, and their families on Friday.

Pilots who fly all over the globe came back down to their stomping grounds for the special occasion and spoke to students about how to take off into the world of flight in the aviation industry.

“When prospective students are starting out, a… Read More

Tazewell’s Billy Wagner

2/5/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board
Tazewell’s Billy Wagner remembers the people who helped him get to the big leagues

Perhaps Billy Wagner should have carried a map of Virginia with him in the Major Leagues.

Whenever one of baseball’s all-time great relief pitchers opened his mouth in the cosmopolitan world of the modern professional game, and that Southwest Virginia twang came out, Wagner knew what the follow-up… Read More

The Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges receives $25,000 grant from the American Electric Power Foundation.

12/14/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

The Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges (CARC/the Alliance) has received a $25,000 grant from the American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation to aid in CARC’s mission to provide member institutions with resources to ensure their students have access to an affordable, value-based education.

“Our youth are key to your future,” said Appalachian Power External Affairs Vice President Brad… Read More

Announcement at Governor's Office

12/13/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

CARC President Carthan Currin was delighted to be invited by the governor's office to attend his announcement about the the Building Blocks for Virginia Families initiative yesterday.

Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia will make a significant investment in early learning and childcare. The Building Blocks for Virginia Families initiative will empower… Read More

Ferrum Brings a Much-Loved Puppet Christmas Tale to the Stage

12/11/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Students and staff at Ferrum College built more than 30 puppets for their production of “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,” which runs through Dec. 17.

Rebecca Crocker has spent the last two months neck-deep in puppet-making.

Alongside a team of four Ferrum College students, she has designed and built more than 30 woodland creatures for a stage production of “Emmet Otter’s Jug-… Read More

CARC Visit to Averett University

11/14/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Carthan Currin visited Averett University for A Night of Connection | Fostering Minds, Fostering Tomorrow's Leaders.

"I was honored to represent the The Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges at Averett University for the "A Night of Connection | Fostering Minds, Fostering Tomorrow's Leaders" dinner reception last night! Averett University President Dr. Tiffany Franks and her team… Read More

Small Colleges Turning To These Tuition Deals To Boost Enrollment

11/14/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

As colleges begin the application and admission cycle for next year, they’re turning to various tuition strategies to attract more prospects as they attempt to stem the enrollment losses many have suffered in recent years.

Among the deals being offered, free tuition for students with financial need and tuition resets where the sticker tuition price is lowered for all students are among… Read More

Ferrum College Names Interim President Martin to Permanent Post

11/1/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Ferrum College has named interim president Mirta Martin as its 13th president.

Martin served as president of Fairmont State University in West Virginia from 2018 to 2022, and Fort Hays State University in Kansas from 2014 to 2016. Prior to Fort Hays, Martin served as the dean of Virginia State University’s Reginald F. Lewis School of Business from 2009 to 2014. Between her… Read More

CARC Tour of Virginia

10/2/2023 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

I spent part of last week touring Virginia on behalf of The Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges! The trip began Wednesday at Eastern Mennonite University, where the Alliance presented President Susan Schultz Huxman with a check for $50,000 in funds from the S. Frank Blocker, Jr. Memorial Scholarship, which will enable more students from Hampton Roads to attend EMU! We even got to see EMU'… Read More