Photos by Stephanie Klein-Davis | The Roanoke Times

Jennifer Braaten is marking her 10th anniversary as president of Ferrum College, but she hesitates to claim credit for the school's growth.

Moore Hall and Arthur Hall are two of the newer dormitories on the Ferrum campus. During Jennifer Braaten's tenure, the college has grown from 900 students to 1,500.

The Ferrum College campus has seen much improvement over the 10-year tenure of President Jennifer Braaten.

FERRUM -- Humble.

People say a lot of things about Ferrum College President Jennifer Braaten, but she's probably most often called humble.

Braaten became Ferrum's first female president in July 2002, winning over many faculty, staff and students with her Midwestern friendliness.

In those nearly 10 years, the school has grown from 900 students to 1,500, "gone green" with local food on cafeteria tables and energy-efficient dorms such as Dyer Hall, and is in the process of building a 29,000-square-foot, $5.5 million Hank Norton Athletic Center, expected to open later this year.

It would be easy to credit Braaten for the changes, but it's credit she's hesitant to take.

"Our motto is 'not self, but others,' and I think we need to grow with that motto," Braaten said. "It's about Ferrum, it's not about me."

'Ferrum is all about people'

Community and family are two words Braaten uses often when referring to her presidency and life at Ferrum.

"Ferrum is all about the people," she said. "We want to connect with the students."

Fifty-three percent of students are first-generation college students, and 99 percent receive some kind of financial aid, according to the school's admissions office.

For the fall semester of 2003, Ferrum had 1,315 applications and for the fall of 2011, it had 3,180, which happened through a combination of factors, including Braaten's leadership, said Gilda Woods, associate vice president and dean of admissions at Ferrum.

The school has adopted a more hands-on approach to student enrollment and financial aid, hiring an enrollment consultant and connecting with potential students through social media, email and phone calls to go through financial aid packets, Woods said.

"She's a dynamic leader, there's no question about that," Woods said. "I think they feel very connected with her. She loves to be a part of things like open house programs, with students and families coming in."

Braaten's community focus is one of the things Bobby Thompson, senior vice president for administration and treasurer, appreciates.

"It's amazing how many students ... are walking by and saying, 'Hey Dr. Braaten, how are you? We appreciate you coming to our meeting the other night,'" Thompson said.

Thompson, also an elected Franklin County supervisor and Ferrum native, said the school has contributed to the county's economy, hiring about 75 employees in the past few years.

"It's not just the impact of having people employed, but 1,500 students who not only bring family and friends here, but spend money here," Thompson said.

Ferrum College is the county's fourth-largest employer, behind the school system, Ply Gem Windows and the county government, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.

"From the county perspective, both with the local community and Franklin County, there is really a valued relationship back and forth," Thompson said.

The future of Ferrum

Although much of the focus of Braaten's time has been focused on growth, she doesn't want the school to grow unchecked, she said.

"We need planned, measured growth without losing the small community feeling," she said.

Braaten said that if she had to put a number on future growth, 2,000 students would be ideal for Ferrum. Growth is one of the top ways a school can measure itself, said David Warren, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

"More students and in turn, more faculty, provides for a much broader cultural, educational, broadly speaking, community engagement by the college," Warren said.

Ferrum, and Braaten, are members of the association, and Braaten has led the group's tax committee.

New facilities and programs are two ways that schools can attract and retain students and faculty, both of which Ferrum has grown in the past 10 years, he said.

"They've found a very compelling combination of strength of faculty and facilities, so hers clearly is one of the great success stories," Warren said.

Online classes and adult education are other areas in which the school could grow in upcoming years.

The criminal justice program, already one of the school's largest with approximately 150 students, earlier this month entered an agreement with Virginia Western Community College. The agreement allows students who finish Virginia Western's two-year degree to transfer to Ferrum's four-year criminal justice bachelor's program.

"We need to create an economy of entrepreneurs," Braaten said. "Nobody knows all the new opportunities that will be out there by the time students graduate, so we need to anticipate this creative new model of employment."