Randolph College

History

The college was founded by William Waugh Smith, then-president of Randolph-Macon College, under Randolph-Macon's charter after he failed to convince R-MC to become co-educational. Randolph-Macon Woman's College has historic ties to the United Methodist Church. After many attempts to find a location for Randolph-Macon Woman's College, the city of Lynchburg donated 50 acres for the purpose of establishing a women's college. In 1916, it became the first women's college in the South to earn a Phi Beta Kappa charter. Beginning in 1953, the two colleges were governed by separate boards of trustees.

Main Hall, built in 1891, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

In August 2006, only a few weeks into the academic year, Randolph-Macon Woman's College announced that it would adopt coeducation and change its name. Former Interim president Ginger H. Worden argued (in a September 17, 2006 editorial for The Washington Post) that,

"today, the college is embarking on a new future, one that will include men. Yet that original mission, that dedication to women's values and education, remains. The fact of the marketplace is that only 3 percent of college-age women say they will consider a women's college. The majority of our own students say they weren't looking for a single-sex college specifically. Most come despite the fact that we are a single-sex college. Our enrollment problems are not going away, and we compete with both coed and single-sex schools. Of the top 10 colleges to which our applicants also apply, seven are coed. Virtually all who transfer from R-MWC do so to a coed school. These market factors affect our financial realities."

The decision to go co-ed was not welcomed by everyone. Alumnae and students organized protests which were covered by local and national media. Many students accused the school of having recruited them under false pretenses, as the administration did not warn new or current students that they were considering admitting men. Lawsuits were filed against the school by both students and alumnae.

It was renamed Randolph College on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational. The last class to have the option to receive diplomas from Randolph Macon Woman's College graduated on May 16, 2010. Randolph College is named after John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia. Randolph (1773-1833) was an eccentric planter and politician who, in his will, released hundreds of slaves after his death and once fought a duel with Henry Clay.

Presidents

Notable faculty

Traditions

One of the college's oldest traditions is the Even/Odd rivalry. The year the student graduates denotes whether they are an Even or an Odd. The two staircases in Main Hall lobby are known as the "Even Stairs" on the left and "Odd Stairs" on the right. According to superstition, a student who uses the wrong set of stairs will not graduate. The class of 1903 unofficially established the Odd/Even tradition by adopting the class of 1905 as "little sisters."

The campus symbol of the Odd classes is the "Odd Tree", located on the college's front lawn. Legend has it that the original Odd Tree was burned down by Evens. A large cement replica of the trunk now stands on the site of the original tree. The Odd symbols are the witch and the devil. Their colors are red, grey and blue. Their spirit organization is the Gamma 13 founded by the class of 1913.

The "Even Post" in front of Main Hall serves as a symbol of the Even classes. William Waugh Smith tied his horse, Mr. Buttons, to this hitching post every day. The Evens also adopted Smith's dog, Mr. Bones, as a mascot. Symbols of the Even classes are buttons (after the horse) and bones (after the dog). Their colors are green, white and tan. Their spirit organization is called the Etas.

Members of the Odd and Even classes attempt to keep their respective tree and post clean and white, while striving to spraypaint or otherwise deface the symbol of their rival class.

Throughout the semester Skeller Sings are held between the Odd and Even classes. The senior spirit group stands on the stage in the Student Center to lead their sister class with class songs. The junior spirit group is sent to the stairs to lead their class respectively. At the end of the Skeller Sing, both the Etas and the Gammas come together to sing the Song of Syncopation and the school song.

Even or Odd Day is celebrated during the spring term. Members of First Year Board secretly decorate the campus the night of Even/Odd Day to surprise their sister class. The Evens and the Odds then face off at dinner time with a water balloon fight.

"Bury the Hatchet" is celebrated at the end of the spring semester before graduation. A senior presents a hatchet to the most spirited junior to symbolize the Odds and Evens coming together in friendship at the end of the academic year.

Ring Week

Ring Week, held in November, is celebrated by juniors and their sister class, the first-years. The week begins with junior draw, when the juniors are picked by members of the first-year class. Throughout the week, the first-year will leave the junior gifts anonymously, and decorate their door. At the end of the week the juniors have a class dinner before taking part in a campus-wide scavenger hunt created by their first-years. The juniors are then presented with their class ring. Sometimes the first-year will have the junior complete a final task before receiving her ring such as breaking open a piñata, digging through Jell-O, or dancing outrageously.

Pumpkin Parade

Pumpkin Parade is celebrated by seniors and sophomores in October. Sophomores select a senior to secretly leave presents for during the week leading up to Pumpkin Parade. At the end of the week, the sophomore presents a carved pumpkin to their senior. The seniors, dressed in their graduation robes, carry their lighted pumpkins on a parade along the Crush Path across front campus. The parade ends on the steps of Moore Hall. There the senior and sophomore classes serenade one another with class and school songs.

Other traditions

Never Ending Weekend is celebrated during the fall semester. The weekend begins on Friday with Tacky Party, a dance party where the attendants aspire to dress in the tackiest outfits possible. The Fall Formal dance follows on Saturday night. Holiday dinner is celebrated during the last week of the fall semester. Sister classes dine together in dining hall, which is decorated for the occasion. At the end of the meal, students stand on their chairs and sing holiday songs. The evening is closed with the singing of the school song.

The Greek Play has been a college tradition since 1909. Every other year a traditional Greek play is performed in the outdoor Mabel K. Whiteside Greek Theatre, called The Dell. The Greek play is unique to Randolph College and is run by Amy R. Cohen of the Classics department.

In addition to the traditions described above the college is host to many others including: Senior Dinner Dance, Founder’s Day, and Christmas Vespers.

Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College

Randolph College’s Maier Museum of Art features works by outstanding American artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. The College has been collecting American art since 1920 and the Maier now houses a collection of several thousand paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs in the College's permanent collection.

The Maier hosts an active schedule of special exhibitions and education programs throughout the year. Through its programs, internships, museum studies practicums, and class visits, the Maier Museum of Art provides valuable learning opportunities for Randolph students and the community at large.

Art controversies

In 2007, Randolph College announced that it would sell four paintings from its collection. The announcement resulted in an injunction filed to stop the sales as well as protests from art associations, including the Virginia Association of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors and the College Art Association. The lawsuit was dropped.

In 2008, the college sold Rufino Tamayo's Trovador for a record-breaking $7.2 million. In 2013, Randolph College entered into an agreement with the National Gallery, London for the purchase of George Wesley Bellows' Men of the Docks, for $25.5 million and established an academic partnership between the two institutions. The other paintings slated for sale at a later date are Edward Hicks' Peaceable Kingdom, and Ernest Hennings' Through the Arroyo.

In the spring of 2011, Randolph College was censured by the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), of which Randolph College is not nor has ever been a member, for its proposed deaccessioning of four centerpieces within its collection. The college responded by asserting that its art collection is a college asset held for the purpose of enhancing student learning. In 2014, the AAMD issued sanctions forbidding its member institutions from loaning artwork to or otherwise collaborating with the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College. The censure has sparked discussion over the differences between standalone museums and collections held by private non-profit entities like colleges and universities.

Randolph College Abroad: The World in Britain

Since 1968, the college has hosted a study abroad program at the University of Reading, England. Each year as many as 35 students are selected for the program. Commonly taken during the junior year, students may choose to enroll for the full academic year or for the fall or spring semester only. Students live in one of three Randolph-owned houses across the street from the University of Reading campus.

The American Culture program

A minor in American Culture offers Randolph College students the opportunity to study American society and culture by drawing upon resources, techniques, and approaches from a variety of disciplines. The American Culture program also accepts visiting students from other American colleges and universities for a one-semester intensive study of a particular theme or region, including literature, art, history, and travel components.

3/2 nursing program

Randolph College has an agreement with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Students stay at Randolph for their first three years, then transfer to Vanderbilt for another two years. Students receive a B.A. in Health Services from Randolph College and an M.S.N. from Vanderbilt.