Braaten to retire from Ferrum College

Jennifer Braaten announced Tuesday that she will retire from Ferrum College this summer.

Braaten, Ferrum’s first woman president, has led the college for 14 years. She became the college’s 10th president in 2002 after serving as president of Midland Lutheran College in Nebraska.

Braaten said she decided to retire because of health issues in her 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”, Sam Lionberger, chair of Ferrum’s board of trustees, said in a statement.

During her term, school enrollment grew from around 950 to more than 1,300 students, two capital campaigns raised about $45 million, and $30 million in new construction and renovation projects were completed.

Braaten chaired the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, the Appalachian College Association and the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church. She was also on the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS/COC), which serves as the accreditation body for colleges and universities in 11 states.

She currently chairs the audit committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and also chairs the New President’s Advisory Committee for the Council of Independent Colleges.