Dear Parents & Families: A letter from the desk of President Lindgren
April 2018
Dear Parents and Families,

It is hard to believe that the end of the semester is close at hand.

April and May are among the busiest months on our campus. Coursework, research projects, a flurry of speakers, campus activities and athletic events, all leading up to Commencement on Saturday, June 2.

As we approach Commencement, I especially want to thank the parents of the Randolph-Macon Class of 2018, who have been such wonderful, supportive partners for our graduating students. Our seniors have been a terrific class, and while we will miss them, we look forward to following their success in the years ahead.

You can learn more about Commencement in this newsletter, including the announcement of our distinguished Commencement speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Kiss , President of Agnes Scott College and incoming Warden of the Rhodes Trust, who began her career at Randolph-Macon as a Visiting Professor in 1987. I know that the message she shares will inspire all of us, and especially our graduates.

Randolph-Macon recently announced a number of new and exciting programs and initiatives. Last month, our faculty unanimously approved a new major in Nursing, leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Two weeks ago, we submitted our application to the Virginia Board of Nursing for program approval. We hope to have our first Freshman cohort to join us in the Fall of 2019, and we are working with architects to design a first-class facility on campus to house this program.

You can read more about our proposed nursing major and all of our current academic offerings in a message from our Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Susan Parker, in this newsletter.  

We have also recently announced other new programs and renovations. Men’s Volleyball will begin this fall – our 18 th collegiate sport. Significant renovations are being made to Alumni Gym to accommodate our two volleyball teams.

In March, with the fabulous assistance of alumni, parents and friends, the College acquired Coventry Farm, a beautiful Equestrian facility fewer than 7 minutes from campus, where our 39 team members from across the country have practiced for the past few years. We are delighted to make this facility part of R-MC.

The College is also developing plans to renovate Blackwell Auditorium and to build a new black box theatre and rehearsal/recital space just north of it, in order to accommodate a new Orchestra program in our Music Department along with a Show Choir club activity. These programs should also be available beginning in Fall 2019. We look forward to seeing how all of these new opportunities will enhance the Randolph-Macon community.

In the meantime we thank you again for entrusting your students to us and supporting them so meaningfully. We hope we are surpassing their – and your – expectations.

Best regards,

Robert R. Lindgren
President
Dr. Susan Parker: Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Dear Parents and Families,

It has been a wonderful spring semester at Randolph-Macon!

Some particularly exciting news is that in March, our faculty unanimously approved a new Nursing major.  The College has now formally submitted our application to establish a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to the Virginia Board of Nursing.  This application is now pending Board of Nursing approval. In the coming months, the College will break ground on a state-of-the-art nursing building, paid for entirely by private donations. We anticipate enrolling a cohort of approximately 30 students annually to this program, beginning in Fall 2019. 

The establishment of our nursing program continues the expansion of important curricular offerings at the College. In the past five years, the College has introduced 6 new majors: Archaeology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Business, Communications Studies, Criminology, and Engineering Physics. As of this spring, over 275 of our students have declared majors in one of these programs.
Each of these academic programs – along with the 46 others offered at the College – embody the excellent, liberal arts education that is a trademark of R-MC. 

190 students have studied abroad in the past year.  One particularly unique study abroad experience we offered this past January included an Engineering Physics service learning trip to Guatemala, where students had the opportunity to make engineering plans for a drainage channel and retaining wall in a Guatemalan village.

And, in the past year, 175 of our students have performed internships around the country and the world.

Our students have served our local community with events like the Brain Expo, a fun, interactive exploration of the brain for area children to learn about the science of our minds, organized and executed by students and faculty in our Behavioral Neuroscience major.

The academic and learning opportunities are virtually limitless at Randolph-Macon. Here, students will learn how to think critically, solve problems, and communicate professionally. These are skills that all our students are encouraged to develop both in and out of the classroom and are vital components of any successful career.

I hope you will speak with your student and encourage them to explore all that interests them! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Susan Parker
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
In Case You Missed It
Looking Ahead
  • Last Day of Classes - May 17
  • Research Day & Honors Convocation - May 18
  • Exam Week - May 21 - 25
  • Baccalaureate - June 1
  • Commencement - June 2
  • Fall Semester Begins - September 3
Resources
R-MC Office are open Monday - Friday; 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Campus Safety - 804-752-4710
24 hours

Athletics - 804-752-7223
Sport events, tickets

Business Office - 804-752-3136
Billing, accounts

Counseling Services - 804-752-7270
Personal, group, and emergency counseling

Campus Engagement Center - 804-752-3205
Diversity & Multicultural Affairs, Director of Jewish Life, Office of the Chaplain, Office of Residence Life, and Student Life

Financial Aid - 804-752-7259
Aid, campus employment

Higgins Academic Center - 804-752-3152
Communication center, disability services, tutoring, first-year transitions

Provost's Office - 804-752-7268
Reporting extended absence, academic grievance

Student Health - 804-752-3041
Scheduled and walk-9n clinical services

The Edge Career Center - 804-752-3103
Career services, interest and skill assessment, personal development