Averett University Names Donald Merricks as Interim Chief Financial Officer

9/17/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Averett University is pleased to announce The Honorable Donald Merricks ’74, ’91 has been named interim CFO. Merricks is a retired bank president, entrepreneur and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and is a two-time Averett alumnus.

“We’re blessed beyond measure to have Don Merricks joining us in this critical role at this time in Averett’s history,” said Averett… Read More

Ferrum College Has Entered Into Articulation Agreements

8/29/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board
Ferrum College Has Entered Into Articulation Agreements with Patrick and Henry Community College

FERRUM, Virginia, August 29, 2024 - Ferrum College has entered into articulation agreements with Patrick and Henry Community College (P&HCC) that will enable students with associate degrees from the community college to transition smoothly into business management or social work majors and… Read More

Bluefield University Announces Dr. Steven Peterson as 10th President

8/19/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Bluefield, VA – Dr. Steven Peterson, the Vice President for Online/Digital Learning at Houston Christian University in Houston, Texas, will become Bluefield University’s tenth President in its 102-year history. The Presidential Search Committee, which began its work with the CarterBaldwin national search firm in October 2023 to find Dr. David Olive’s successor,… Read More

Conference Carolinas Sponsoring Women’s Flag Football

7/2/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

FERRUM, Va. – Conference Carolinas announced today the addition of women’s flag football as a conference-sponsored sport starting in 2025-26.

Conference Carolinas is the first NCAA Division I or II conference to sponsor women’s flag football, and second NCAA conference, joining Division III’s Atlantic East.

The league will have at least six institutions in the inaugural season… Read More

Tiffany Franks, Averett University President

7/1/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Ahead of her first job interview there, Tiffany Franks visited Averett University’s campus with her husband to scope it out — a bit of “mystery shopping,” if you will. “We fell in love,” she recalls. “It was a match made in heaven.”

Franks became Averett’s 14th president in 2008, making her the first woman to lead the university since its founding. Her tenure has been defined by… Read More

Danville Aviation Training Facility Receives Federal Funding to Develop Workforce

6/26/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

Danville has received a $4.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to build a new aviation training facility at Danville Regional Airport. The 12,532-square-foot facility will be used by students at Averett University and Danville Community College. 

The new facility is meant to support aviation workforce development in the area, according to a news release from the… Read More

A Missed Opportunity: Why Virginia Must Reconsider Lab School Exclusions

6/18/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

The president of Ferrum College urges lawmakers to reconsider provisions that ban applications from private schools unless they have a four-year public school sponsoring them.

As the president of Ferrum College, situated in the heart of Southwest Virginia, I am compelled to address a critical oversight by Virginia’s elected officials — the exclusion of certain institutions, including… Read More

Building Futures: Ferrum College and Build Smart Institute Unite

6/7/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

It's a meeting of the minds and construction know-how as Build Smart Institute joins forces with Ferrum College. Emily learns about what is involved and what this means to the future of the Virginia workforce.

Read more on the ABC13 News website HERE.

The CARC Celebrates Member Institutions' Graduations

5/10/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

RICHMOND, Va., May 8, 2024 – As commencement ceremonies are held throughout Virginia, Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges member institutions are collectively graduating 1095 students. After beginning their studies at Appalachian School of Law, Averett University, Bluefield University, Eastern Mennonite University, and Ferrum College in the bleak, COVID-19 ravaged days of 2020, members of… Read More

Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges Announces Interim President

5/3/2024 by Commonwealth Alliance Board

RICHMOND, Va., May 1, 2024 – The former longtime director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has been selected to serve as interim president of the Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges (CARC). Peter Blake began his new leadership position today.

“"I am excited to join a team whose mission is to expand access to affordable and high-quality education,” said… Read More