Randolph-Macon Woman's College - now Randolph College

   The finale of a seven-month celebration is today!

 
   Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, was founded 125 years ago. Until 2002, when it became co-educational and changed its name, it was Randolph-Macon Woman's College. It's motto - Vita Abundantior.

Main Hall

   The celebration began on March 10, 2016, with the ringing of Conway, the bell in Main Hall tower. A Founder's Day observation, a special exhibit of the "top 125" works in the Maier Museum of Art's permanent collection, various awards ceremonies, and several presentations on the college's history are just some of the celebratory events throughout the intervening months.
   The festivities end today (October 8, 2016) with a formal convocation featuring an academic procession recognizing graduation classes through the years and a keynote address on "The Liberal Arts." Also on the agenda is a production in the Dell of Aristophanes' The Frogs, a homecoming tailgate party, men's and women's soccer games, and an evening birthday bash with desserts and dancing. The Greek play in the outdoor amphitheater is a 107-year tradition.
   R-MWC was founded in 1891 by William Waugh Smith as "a college where our young women may obtain an education equal to that given in our best colleges for young men and under environments in harmony with the highest ideals of womanhood." Smith, president of Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, was distressed that women were not admitted to his all-male institution.
   The 125-year-old college still provides women—and now men—with a liberal arts education that prepares them to live the “life more abundant.”