Randolph College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Randolph Macon Woman's College
Motto	Vita Abundantior (Life More Abundant)
Established	1891
Type	Private liberal arts college
Interim President	Virginia Worden
Faculty	72
Undergraduates	760
Location	Lynchburg, VA, USA
Campus	suburban; 100 acres
Endowment	$131 million (2005)
Mascot	Wanda the WildCat
Website	www.rmwc.edu

Randolph Macon Woman's College is a private liberal arts college situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was founded in 1891 as a woman's college and was known as Randolph-Macon Woman's College. It will be re-named July 1, 2007 to Randolph College for fall 2007 when the college becomes coeducational.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Coeducation 2 Alumnae 3 Traditions 4 Special programs 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

The college was founded by William Waugh Smith, then-president of Randolph-Macon College, under Randolph-Macon's charter after failing to convince R-MC to become co-educational. Randolph-Macon Woman's College and R-MC have been governed by a separate board of trustees since 1953. 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 the property for the purpose of establishing a women's college.

The school is well-respected as an academic institution and while a women's college was considered one of the "Seven Sisters of the South." In 1916, it became the first women's college in the South to earn a Phi Beta Kappa charter.

Randolph-Macon Woman's College is in the top 10% of all colleges and universities in America in the percentage of women graduates who eventually earn a Ph.D.

[edit] Coeducation

On 9 September, 2006, the school announced the adoption of a new strategic plan which included a platform for a global honors emphasis and coeducation. Men will be eligible for admission beginning in Fall 2007.

There were numerous protests on campus including rallies, blocking administrative offices, mass requests for transfer transcripts, banners all over campus, striking from classes, participation in quiet protest to highlight lack of student voices in the board of trustee votes. This lead to the formation of a non-profit "Preserve Education Choice" http://www.preserveeducationalchoice.org/, which has ongoing legal efforts to restore RMWC on the basis that the college had a contract with existing students to remain a women's college until current students graduated and that the assets of the college were part of a charitable trust established for the purpose of educating primarily women. in the liberal arts with the name Randolph-Macon Woman's College. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

A letter in the 17 September 2006 issue of the Washington Post claims that the college decided to become coeducational because it felt that the market for women's colleges has decreased.^[4] An 1 October article in The Washington Times stated that the controversial decision drew protests from current students, faculty, and alumnae. [1] According to an October 22, 2006 article in The Washington Post, two lawsuits were filed by Preserve Educational Choice, a group opposed to the decision. [2]. On January 23, 2007, both lawsuits were dismissed in Lynchburg Circuit Court. [3]

[edit] Alumnae

Notable alumnae include Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck (1914), U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston photography curator Anne Tucker (named "America's Best Curator" by Time Magazine, 2001), and US Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Industrial Policy Suzanne Patrick.

[edit] Traditions

Randolph-Macon Woman's College still preserves many traditions, including Ring Week, Pumpkin Parade, and Daisy Chain, all of which revolve around Odd/Even class rivalry. A student's graduation year determines whether she is an even or an odd.

[edit] Special programs

Since 1968, Randolph-Macon Woman's College has provided a junior year of study at the University of Reading, England. Each year approximately 30 to 35 students are selected for the program from R-MWC and a variety of other American colleges and universities.

Additionally, a unique major in American Culture offers 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 and region, including literature, art, history, and travel components.

The administration of Randolph-Macon Woman's College has attempted to sell or terminate this program due to perceived financial problems at the college. See the link below to the announcement by President Kathleen G. Bowman why the Reading Program was "discontinued" in 2006, citing rising costs, increased interest in locations other than England, and preferences for semester-long or shorter study abroad programs. "http://www.rmwc.edu/alumnae/news_detail.asp?nid=47" The college paid for a study and it told them to discontinue the program. It was revived after protests and pledges of donations from alumnae. There is a related yahoo group called RMWC_Reading, which was established by alumnae to help make a case for keeping the program. Yahoo Description: Group dedicated to maintaining R-MWC as a WOMAN'S College and to saving R-MWC's 38-year-old educational program at University of Reading. Without the persistent voices of these women, the program would already be terminated. Without ongoing alumnae support, which has been affected due to unilateral changes to the college name and curriculum, the future of this program is in doubt. "http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RMWC_Reading/" Another recent article from Dec 2006 refers to the possibility of selling off assets such as the Reading Program to stave off financial difficulties, highlighted by a recent Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ^[5] warning to the college. Here is a link to recent statements that the program may be sold for financial reasons with quotes from current president. ^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• http://www.preserveeducationalchoice.org/ Link to non-profit supporting legal fight to preserve Randolph-Macon Woman's College as single-sex institution
• Information about the name change to Randolph College
• Alumnae Association website

Women's colleges that became coeducational

Beaver College • H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College • Washington College of Law • Chowan College • Carlow University • Florida State University • Shorter College • LaGrange College • Andrew College • University of North Carolina at Greensboro • Ohio Dominican University • James Madison University • Georgia College & State University • Bennington College • Connecticut College • Elmira College • Sarah Lawrence College • Silver Lake College • Vassar College • Hunter College • University of Mary Washington • Viterbo University • Drexel University College of Medicine • Radford University • Texas Woman's University • Trocaire College • Longwood University • Cazenovia College • Mississippi University for Women • Albertus Magnus College • Goucher College • Lake Erie College • Tift College • Wheaton College • University of Saint Mary • Emmanuel College • Notre Dame College • Hood College • Seton Hill University • Chestnut Hill College • Hartford College for Women • Immaculata University • Lesley College • Wells College • Randolph College • Regis College

Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Bridgewater • Catholic† • Eastern Mennonite‡ • Emory & Henry • Guilford • Hampden–Sydney • Hollins‡ • Lynchburg‡ • Randolph–Macon • Randolph–Macon Woman's‡ • Roanoke‡ • Sweet Briar‡ • Virginia Wesleyan‡ • Washington & Lee † football-only member  ‡ no-football member