A Timeline of
Significant Events in the History of R-MWC
Though this timeline cannot claim to be
complete, virtually no alumna has readily at hand or in her head all the
information about our Alma Mater that is gathered here. Read on, and be
proud as well as informed!
1820
- The General Conference of the Methodist Church urged its individual
Conferences and clergy to establish an institution of higher learning in
each Conference. The Virginia Annual Conference began work toward this end
in 1825 and acquired a site for a college at Boydton in 1829. The committee
in charge then applied to the Virginia General Assembly for a charter.
Feb. 3,
1830 - Original charter was granted by the Virginia Legislature to
found Randolph-Macon College at Boydton, VA, as a school for men. It was
specifically enjoined from becoming a theological seminary. There were 30
original trustees, though the charter allowed a minimum of 24 and a maximum
of 40. Twenty-five of the original 30 trustees were Methodists, but the
charter nowhere mentions the Methodist Church. Ownership of the college was
by "a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees chartered by the State of
Virginia."
1868
- Randolph-Macon College moved from Boydton in
Mecklenberg
County to Ashland, VA, to be closer to a railroad.
1890
- The charter was enlarged and amended to permit the establishment of other
schools, academies, or institutions of learning. At this time Dr. William
Waugh Smith was president of the original men's college at Ashland.
1890s
- Affiliated preparatory schools established under the enlarged charter were
Randolph-Macon Academy in Bedford in 1890, Randolph-Macon Academy in Front
Royal in 1892, and Randolph-Macon Institute (for young girls) in Danville,
1897. The two academies merged in Front Royal in 1933, and the Institute in
Danville in 1930 acquired an independent board of trustees and became
Stratford College.
1891
- An endowment of $100,000 was successfully raised by Dr. William Waugh
Smith for the sole purpose of establishing a woman's college in Virginia
"where our young women may obtain an education equal to that given in our
best colleges for young men." It was to be governed by the existing
Randolph-Macon Board of Trustees "with assets equal to those secured for the
College for young men." The official founding date was March 10, 1891. Land
for the campus was donated by the Rivermont Land Company of Lynchburg.
Sept.
14, 1893 - A faculty of 12 professors having been assembled by Dr.
Smith, an initial group of 36 students enrolled at R-MWC. They occupied the
first portion of Main Hall to be built.
1893-94
- The Report of the U.S. Commissioner of Education for this year listed
R-MWC with 15 other women's colleges given an A rating: Mills, Rockford, the
Woman's College of Baltimore (Goucher), Radcliffe, Smith, Mount Holyoke,
Wellesley, Evelyn College (of Princeton, NJ), Wells, Elmira, Barnard,
Rutgers Female College, Vassar, Cleveland College for Women, and Bryn Mawr.
Thus R-MWC was recognized as one of
the 16 leading colleges for women in the U.S. by the end of its first school
year.
June
1896 - R-MWC produced its first two graduates, who had entered with
advanced standing.
June
1897 - Six students graduated in the Class of 1897. The
Randolph-Macon Alumnae Association was immediately formed by the first eight
graduates of the college.
Feb.
1900 -
Main Hall, now completed according to its original plan, was dedicated.
June
1900 - During its annual meeting at commencement, the Alumnae
Association adopted a constitution for the organization.
June
1904 - R-MWC had a total of 97 graduates.
Sept.
1904 -
East
Hall dormitory was ready for occupancy after being constructed in only
five months.
1904
- By the end of this year, the college had allowed chapters of six
sororities to be established on campus, including Chi Omega,
Delta Delta Delta, Zeta Tau Alpha,
Alpha Omicron Pi, Kappa Delta, and Sigma
Sigma Sigma.
Feb. 14,
1905 - The 900-pound bell known as "Conway" was installed in the
central tower of the Main Building. Made in 1855 for a Lynchburg church, the
bell had tolled for the passage of General Stonewall Jackson's body through
Lynchburg in May of 1863.
1906-07 - By the beginning of the
school year, R-MWC had added a new science building (now the Psychology
Building),
West Hall dormitory, and a library building (now Thoresen Hall), all
connected to the Main Building in a line across the campus.
Jan. 1907 - Dr. William Waugh Smith
spoke at U. VA.'s centennial observation of Robert E. Lee's birth, including
his personal reminiscences of having served in the Confederate Army under
Lee for more than three years.
June 1907 - The Class of 1907 gave
the college its first painting, a
portrait of Dr. Smith by William Merritt
Chase, which the class had commissioned from the artist.
March 1909 - Dr. Mabel K. Whiteside
inaugurated the annual production of a Greek play in Greek with the
Alcestis of Euripides.
1911 - Art professor
Louise Jordan
Smith organized the first Annual Exhibition of paintings on loan from New
York.
Nov.
1912 - By the time of the death of Dr. Smith, East, West, and New
Halls had been built, along with the gymnasium.
1912
- Dean Nathan A. Pattillo was chosen as acting President of the college.
1913
- Dr. William A. Webb became the second President of the college and served
until his death in 1919.
1914
- Founder's Day was set on March 12, the birthday of Dr. Smith.
June
1914 - Pearl Sydenstricker, later to win both a Pulitzer Prize
(1932) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1938) as Pearl S. Buck, graduated
as a member of the Class of 1914.
Feb.
1915 - The weekly student newspaper
The Sun Dial began publication.
June
1915 - The Alumnae Association requested that an Advisory Committee
of three alumnae, to be chosen by the Association, be allowed to meet
regularly with the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee for Randolph-Macon
Woman's College, a subcommittee of the full Board of Trustees.
1916
- R-MWC became the first woman's college south of the Potomac to receive a
charter for a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, known as Delta of Virginia.
1917
- The first Advisory Committee elected by the Alumnae Association to meet
regularly with the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee for Randolph-Macon
Woman's College consisted of Martha Franklin Menefee '97, Clara Cox Bell
'03, and Josephine McLeod '03.
1917
- R-MWC received official recognition from the Association of American
Universities, indicating that the college's degrees conformed to the AAU's
national standards.
1919
- An Alumnae Office with a paid executive secretary, Virginia Howlett '16,
opened on campus.
Nov.
1919- April 1920 - Dean Nathan A. Pattillo again served as acting
President of the college after the
death of President Webb.
1920
- Dr. Dice Robins Anderson became the third President of the college and
served until 1931.
1920 - After the Ninth Annual Art
Exhibition, the Randolph-Macon Art Association of Lynchburg, comprised of
students, faculty, alumnae, and townspeople, was formed to establish a
permanent art collection at the college, with the hope of adding one
painting per year.
1920 - From the Ninth Annual Art
Exhibition, the college acquired its first major work of American art,
George Bellows' "Men of the Docks," painted in 1912. The price of $2500 was
raised by students, faculty, alumnae, and citizens of Lynchburg and paid
directly to the artist.
Oct.
1922 - Clara Cox Bell '03 was the first alumna of R-MWC elected to
the Randolph-Macon Board of Trustees and was immediately appointed to be a
member of the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee for Randolph-Macon
Woman's College. There were no term limits for members of the Board.
1922-23
-
Smith Memorial Building, with a 1200-seat auditorium, banquet room,
formal drawing room, alumnae offices, and offices for student organizations,
was erected on campus. At its formal dedication on Founder's Day, March 12,
1923, U.S. Vice President Calvin Coolidge was the principal speaker.
Sept.
1923 - Newly-completed Webb Hall dormitory was ready for occupancy by
students.
1925
- Dr. Meta Glass '99, who had taught Latin at R-MWC, was chosen to be
President of Sweet Briar College, a position she held until 1946. She also
served as the national president of The American Association of University
Women (AAUW), 1933-37.
May 1926
- The first issue of a campus humor magazine,
The Old Maid, was published with a
print run of 1200 copies.
1926
- The Alumnae Association urged the Randolph-Macon Board of Trustees to
consider the election of more R-MWC alumnae to the Board.
1928
- After a five-year fundraising campaign, R-MWC was free from debt and its
endowment passed the million-dollar mark.
Dec.
1928 - Louise Jordan Smith, the first professor of art and a cousin
of the R-MWC founder, died and in her will set up a
charitable trust for the
purchase of art for a permanent collection at the college. Purchases were
limited to every second year to afford better quality.
1929
- A second alumna, Harriet Fitzgerald '26, was elected to the Board of
Trustees and joined the Trustees' Executive Committee for Randolph-Macon
Woman's College.
1929
- The newly-built [Lipscomb]
Library
building was formally opened in November.
1930
-
Presser Hall, the music building, was dedicated in April. It was named
after Theodore Presser, who began publishing
The Étude music magazine in
Lynchburg in 1883, and it received essential support from the Presser
Foundation.
1930
- The Dance Group, under the direction of Eleanor Struppa '20, gave its
first public performance in April.
1930
- A third alumna, Rebecca Lamar Harmon '16, was elected to the Board of
Trustees and joined the Trustees' Executive Committee for Randolph-Macon
Woman's College.
1930
- The
Red Brick Wall was erected on three sides of the campus by September,
replacing an earlier fence.
1931
- President Dice Anderson resigned his position in order to become president
of Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.
Aug.
1931 - Dean Nathan A. Pattillo for the third time began service as
acting President of the College, continuing through the 1932-33 academic
year.
1931-32
- Dr. Pattillo inaugurated the Dean's List to recognize student scholarship
at the end of each semester.
1931-33 - In two years during the
Great Depression, enrollment dropped from 775 to 645 to 566 students. Three
alumnae were chosen to visit some 200 selected secondary schools to recruit
students, and the use of alumnae to recruit students continued as a
hallmark of the college for many years.
Nov.
1932 - R-MWC students were allowed to attend their first dance, a tea
dance at W & L following a football game.
June
1933 - The alumna speaker at Commencement was Pearl S. Buck '14,
recently returned from China; the principal speaker was Dr. Theodore H.
Jack, the newly-elected President, who came from the Vice Presidency of
Emory University.
1933-1952 -
Dr. Theodore Henley Jack served for 19 years as the
fourth President of R-MWC.
Nov.
1935 - The first dinner dance, which later became the Senior Dinner
Dance, was given in Main Hall dining room and lobby.
1936
- Edward Hopper's 1932 painting, "Mrs. Scott's House," was the first artwork
acquired with funds from the Louise Jordan Smith Trust.
1937
-
Martin Science Building was completed, followed by its formal
dedication in 1938. It was named for Dr. Fernando Wood Martin, the first
professor of science at R-MWC.
1946
- A fourth alumna, Agatha Boyd Adams '15, was elected to the Board of
Trustees and joined the Trustees' Executive Committee for Randolph-Macon
Woman's College, but she served for only four years before her death in
1950.
1948-49
- Terrell Infirmary was built and memorialized Dr. Alexander W. Terrell, the
college's first physician, who served from 1893 until his death in 1942.
1949
- Dr. Gillie A. Larew '03, who had chaired the Department of
Mathematics at R-MWC since the death of Dr. Pattillo in 1936, became the
first woman Dean of the College. She held that position until 1953.
1950 -
Mary's Garden was created in honor of Mary Bolling Stokes '22, executive
secretary-treasurer of the Alumnae Association from 1924 to 1950. She was
succeeded in that position by Anne Jeter Ribble '26.
Sept.
14, 1950 - The Randolph-Macon Board of Trustees authorized the
establishment of separate boards of trustees for the Randolph-Macon
institutions. Implementation, however, was postponed in order to meet and
confer with a committee of the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Church.
1951
- Professor of English Dr. Roberta D. Cornelius '09 published
The History of Randolph-Macon Woman's
College: From the Founding in 1891 Through the Year of 1949-50
(Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press).
Return to top
1952-1978 - Following the retirement of Dr. Jack,
Dr. William
Fletcher Quillian, Jr. served for 26 years as the fifth President of R-MWC,
the longest tenure of a President in the college's history.
1952
- The Federal Government constructed an art storage building at the back of
the campus to house paintings from the National Gallery of Art in Washington
in case of a national emergency. A small gallery space was made available to
the college.
Nov. 24,
1952 - R-MWC's Certificate of Incorporation reaffirmed its primary
purpose "to conduct, maintain and operate a college, or university, or
institution, under the name of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, for the
higher education and culture, primarily of women, and for their instruction
and training in the liberal arts, language, literature, sciences, and other
branches of learning usually taught in institutions of like character . . ."
1952-53
- The R-MWC Alumnae Association was incorporated as a non-profit
organization separate from the college.
April
10, 1953 - A deed from the Trustees of Randolph-Macon College
transferred legal title of the Lynchburg, VA, campus to Randolph-Macon
Woman's College, thus separating the governance of the two institutions and
reiterating R-MWC's status as "a college primarily for the education of
women." From this time forward, R-MWC had its own Board of Trustees, which
elected its own new members as vacancies arose.
1953
- Katherine "Cissy" Graves Davidson '35 was elected to the Board of Trustees
and served for 25 years until 1978.
March 9,
1956 - The world premiere of the film of R-MWC's production of the
Oresteia of
Aeschylus, performed by students in the original Greek, took place in
Lynchburg. The production was the last one directed by Dr. Mabel Kate
Whiteside before her retirement in 1954.
Nov. 29,
1957 - The college gained amendment of the Louise Jordan Smith art
trust fund to allow a more flexible purchase policy. Rather than a painting
every other year, other types of art could now be bought and acquired on a
more flexible schedule.
Oct. 1958 - The R-MWC Alumnae
Association and the R-MWC Board of Trustees reached an agreement that
alumnae donations would go into the Randolph-Macon Fund, which would combine
the Development Fund and the Alumnae Fund. In return, the college would pay
an agreed amount to the Alumnae Association for operating expenses without
restriction as to use.
1959 -
The Library, built in 1929, was named for Professor of Latin
Herbert C.
Lipscomb (1882-1973), who taught at R-MWC from 1909 to 1955 and produced
more than 500 Latin majors.
1959-60
- The Board of Trustees voted that social sororities would no longer be
allowed at R-MWC after the close of the spring 1960 semester.
Dec.
1960 - Two members of the R-MWC senior class, Mary Edith Bentley and
Rebecca Owen, were arrested for taking part in a civil rights sit-in to
integrate the lunch counter at Patterson's Drug Store. In February 1961 of
their final semester, they spent 20 days in the Lynchburg jail.
1961-62
- The new Physical Education and Recreation Building (PER) was completed.
1963
- New Hall was re-named Wright Hall in honor of Professor of English
Elizabeth E. Wright '13, who until her retirement had served for many years
as its faculty resident.
1963
- The trustees of R-MWC voted to accept any qualified applicant for
admission, regardless of race or color.
1964 - Sallie Franklin Cheatham
Dining Hall and Bell Hall, named after Clara Cox Bell '03, the first alumna
trustee, were both completed. Eventually the dining halls in the older dorms
were put to different uses.
1964 - The Prime Time program for
older students to finish their college degrees was formalized.
1964-66 - A two-year 75th-Anniversary
fund-raising campaign took place.
1965 - The President of the R-MWC
Alumnae Association was invited to attend meetings of the Board of Trustees
of the college.
Fall 1965 - The first two
African-American boarding students, Ann Richards and Lois Dooley, enrolled
as members of the Class of 1969 and graduated with their class in May 1969.
1966
- After serving on the Board of Trustees since 1929, Harriet Fitzgerald '26
stepped down. Two years later in 1968, she became the first trustee to be
reelected to the Board. In total, she served a record 45 years as a trustee.
1967
- The Charles A. Dana Wing of the Lipscomb Library was dedicated.
1967-68
- Total enrollment at R-MWC reached a peak of 879 students, and a senior
class of 192 students received their degrees at the June 1968 commencement.
1968
- The Gillie A. Larew Distinguished Teaching Award was established in honor
of Dr. Larew '03, the first woman Dean of the College and a
long-time professor of mathematics.
The award is made annually to a faculty member who has demonstrated sound
scholarship and outstanding effectiveness as a teacher in the classroom.
Fall
1968 - R-MWC's junior year abroad program at Reading University sent
its first group of students to England.
Oct. 19,
1969 - Houston Memorial Chapel, named after Frances Hundley Houston
'17, was dedicated.
Spring 1970 - Ending a tradition that had begun in
1909, the last May Queen and her court were elected.
June 1970 - At the end of the fiscal
year, the college had an operating deficit of $230,193, the first deficit in
Dr. Quillian's 18-year presidency and for many years previous to his term.
An Alumnae Bulletin article by Julie
Ann Huston '71 stated that contributing factors included a decline in
enrollment to 724 students (plus those at Reading), a decline in gift income
after the three-year Ford Challenge Program grant was met in 1969, and
rising costs without a corresponding rise in tuition. The endowment stood at
$4,252,578.
1971
- The Visiting Artists Program in Dance began with Helen McGehee '42,
internationally known as a dancer in the Martha Graham company, who then
joined the faculty and brought other major dance figures to campus.
Fall
1971 - Randolph-Macon College in Ashland began admitting women
students on a regular basis.
1972
- Anne Jeter Ribble '26 retired as Alumnae Director and was succeeded by
Muriel Zimmerman Casey '53.
1975
- The Katherine Graves Davidson Award was inaugurated. It is made annually
to a full-time faculty member who has been outstanding in bringing
distinction to the college.
1975
- The Leggett Building, named for former trustee Harold G. Leggett, was
completed, including the 250-seat Thoresen Theatre, named in memory of the
son of Catherine Ehrman Thoresen '23 and her husband William.
1976
- The new Riding Center was completed.
1977
- Conversion of the art storage building into gallery and storage space for
the growing R-MWC collection of American art began.
Nov.
1977 - In a talk given to parents, Dr. Quillian described R-MWC as
"an independent, church-related college," adding that its Methodist
affiliation is "historic and moral, but not legal."
He stated that it is subject neither to
political nor ecclesiastical control, but it "stands in the liberal
Judeo-Christian tradition" with an ecumenical outlook.
1978 - Sarah Tomerlin Lee '32, a
trustee of R-MWC since 1964, redesigned the interior decoration of Main Hall
Lobby.
1978 - The Carolyn Wilkerson Bell
Visiting Scholar Fund brought Maxine Kumin to campus as the first
artist-in-residence.
1978
- At the retirement of Dr. Quillian, the Board chose
Dr. Robert A. Spivey,
Dean of the College of Arts And Sciences at Florida State University and
husband of Martha Crocker Spivey '54, to serve as the sixth President of
R-MWC. He held office until 1987.
Return to top
Jan.
1980 - The capital campaign "Here Let Wisdom Rise" began with the
goal of raising $15.6 million to increase faculty compensation and student
scholarships, to perform deferred maintenance, and to add $5 million to the
endowment, which stood at $14.25 million.
April
1980 - The R-MWC Board of Trustees
reaffirmed its 1958 agreement with the R-MWC Alumnae Association with
additional conditions by which the Alumnae Association gave its
fund-raising proceeds to the college, while the college in return
provided office space, accounting, and benefits to employees of the Alumnae
Association. In all other respects (including hiring, firing, and
compensation of its employees), control remained with the Executive
Committee of the Board of Directors of the R-MWC Alumnae Association as a
separately incorporated not-for-profit organization.
May 1980
- The largest class in the history of R-MWC graduated: 207 members of the
Class of 1980.
1981
- The first three recipients of
Alumnae Achievement Awards were honored by
the college. The awards were established to recognize alumnae who personify
the value of a liberal arts education and who have brought honor to
themselves and to R-MWC by their outstanding accomplishments.
May 1981
- Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty was awarded an honorary Doctor
of Letters degree by R-MWC, only the sixth honorary degree ever conferred by
the college.
July 1981 - As the new Capital
Campaign went into high gear, a campaign update from the college explained
that the R-MWC Annual Fund, used for current operations, would become part
of the Capital Campaign in order to bring all fund-raising efforts--for
capital improvements, for the endowment, and for current operations--under
the same umbrella.
1982 - The Student Center opened in a
newly-renovated space in Main Hall.
1983 - Trustees approved Articles of
Amendment Restating the Articles of Incorporation of R-MWC.
1983 - The art gallery was dedicated
as the Maier Museum of Art, following an endowment from the Maier Foundation
for the museum and additional renovations to enhance its collection display
and storage space.
1983 - A new President's House was
purchased by the college at 3115 Rivermont Avenue.
June 1984 - The capital campaign
"Here Let Wisdom Rise" concluded successfully with a grand total of $18.2
million in gifts and pledges, exceeding its $15.6 million goal by $2.6
million. The endowment increased to $24 million.
Dec.
1984 - Alumnae participation in giving reached its highest percentage
in the history of the college, an overall rate of 59% and a 69% rate of
alumnae who graduated.
1986
- East Hall was renovated and its name changed to Moore Hall, in
honor of Edith Franklin Moore '18.
1987-1993 -
Linda Koch Lorimer, an alumna of Hollins, was chosen to
serve as the seventh President of R-MWC and the first woman to occupy the
position. For the 1987-88 year, Dr. Spivey held the position of Chancellor.
1987
- Madeline E. Miller '66, a member of the R-MWC Board of Trustees since
1978, was elected the first alumna President of the Board. In this role she
served until 1992.
July
1987 - The capital campaign "Our Second Century" began under the
leadership of Chancellor Spivey and President Lorimer with the goal of
raising $40 million.
Jan.
1990 - The Board of Trustees approved Articles of Amendment Restating
the Articles of Incorporation of R-MWC. This amended the Board's 1980
agreement with the Alumnae Association to state that the Alumnae Director
and all individuals working in the Alumnae Office are employees of the
college and the Alumnae Director shall report directly to the President of
the college.
1991
- R-MWC launched the American Culture Program.
1991
- At the end of its Centennial Year, R-MWC had some 17,000 living alumnae
and a total of more than 22,650.
1992 - The Board of Trustees voted to
limit service on the Board to two consecutive five-year terms. A trustee
could be re-elected after being off the Board for a year.
June 1992 - The capital campaign "Our
Second Century" exceeded its goal, raising a total of $43.4 million. The
endowment stood at $56.9 million.
1993-94
- Former President of Virginia Wesleyan College and R-MWC trustee Lambuth M.
Clark served as Acting President of R-MWC following the resignation of
President Lorimer, who returned to a position at Yale University.
1993
- R-MWC began the practice of tuition discounting after the federal
government changed its definition of "need" in the awarding of financial
aid.
Return to top
1994
- Dr. Kathleen Gill Bowman became the eighth President of R-MWC.
1997
- The first William F. Quillian, Jr. Visiting International Professor
was appointed.
1998
- The first Pearl S. Buck Award, which recognizes women whose lives and
accomplishments reflect Pearl Buck's commitment to human dignity and
understanding, was made to Corazon Aquino. Subsequent winners have been
Sheikh Hasina, Jehan Sadat, Mary Robinson, and Maya Lin.
July
1998 - The Vita Abundantior Capital Campaign officially began with
the goal of raising $75,000,000 by June 30, 2004.
Nov.
1998 - At age 38, Blanche Lambert Lincoln '82 (D-Ark.) became the
youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate; she won re-election in 2004.
Her public career began when she was first elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1992.
2001
- When the bull market of the 1990s suffered
a significant decline, the value of R-MWC's endowment dropped from
$152 million to $100 million.
March
2002 - Dr. Nora Kizer Bell '62 became the tenth president of Hollins
University, moving in July from her position as president of Wesleyan
College in Georgia.
Spring
2003 - Muriel Zimmerman Casey '53 retired after more than 30 years as
Alumnae Director, and at Reunion, the Alumnae Association dedicated the
Casey Alumnae House in her honor. Purchase and restoration of the house were
funded by the Alumnae Association.
Spring
2003 - At the spring meeting of the college Board of Trustees, the
President of the R-MWC Alumnae Association was granted full voting
privileges as a trustee. Diane Matthews Walker '74 held the position at that
time.
June
2003 - Connie Cosby Shannon '75 was appointed to succeed Muriel Casey
as Alumnae Director.
Spring
2004 - The Board of Trustees raised the goal of the Vita Abundantior
Capital Campaign from $75 million to $100 million, and fundraising
continued.
May 7, 2005 - The R-MWC Board of Trustees approved
a revised version of the Bylaws of the Board.
May 9,
2005 - President Kathleen Bowman announced that she would retire at
the end of the 2005-06 academic year in June 2006. Her
letter summarized the
accomplishments of her administration and mentioned that the capital
campaign had passed the $89 million mark.
Summer
2005 - Alumnae Director Connie Cosby Shannon '75 resigned her
position, and Muriel Casey stepped in as Interim Director for several months
until a new director could be appointed.
Summer 2005 - The Board of
Trustees requested the Maier Museum staff to supply them with the insurance
and market values of paintings in the college collection in consideration of
them as financial assets.
Sept.
16, 2005 - R-MWC
announced that the Reading study-abroad program
would close in July 2006, by vote of the Board of Trustees on Sept. 8,
2005.
Sept.
29, 2005 - The Board of Trustees
issued a statement that suspended
their earlier decision to close the Reading program, pending further
discussion, and to keep the program open through the academic year 2006-07.
Oct. 26,
2005 - A
letter from Board President Jolley Bruce Christman '69
addressed the process of strategic planning for the college's secure
financial future and the market research being done by consultants Art and
Science Group.
Oct. 28,
2005 - Professor Laura Katzman, Chair of the Art Department and
Director of the Museum Studies Program,
sent a letter to Jolley Bruce
Christman urging that no paintings be de-accessioned from the college art
collection in the Maier Museum.
Nov. 2,
2005 - Art and Science consulting firm released its institutional
positioning study to the Board of Trustees. It provided four future
scenarios with the risks and benefits of each and concluded that becoming
co-ed "with a distinctive appeal" was best. The firm proposed a further
feasibility study of this option.
Nov. 10,
2005 - A
letter from Jolley Bruce Christman announced the Board's
decision to commission additional market research due in May 2006 from Art
and Science Group about the option of coeducation, postponing the search for
a new president until the future path has been decided.
Nov. 16,
2005 - In response to alumnae questions,
President Kathleen Bowman
issued a statement on strategic planning and market research.
Return to top
Jan. 5, 2006 - Eight members of the Classes of
2007 and 2008
sent an e-mail message to alumnae reporting their concern that
the co-ed option was very real and asking alumnae to help them formulate
what was distinctive about R-MWC as a single-sex institution.
Jan.
2006 - Ten alumnae offered a 12-page "Response to the Art and Science
Institutional Positioning Study of November 2, 2005."
Feb.
2006 - The 2005 President's Report mentioned an endowment of $133
million, a spending rate of 6.5% of the endowment, and a tuition discount
rate of 62%. The college must "increase giving, strengthen endowment, and
improve our position in the marketplace."
Winter
2006 - Heather Ayers Garnett '86 became R-MWC's new Alumnae Director.
Feb.-April 2006 - 'Open Forums' for alumnae on "R-MWC--Planning for
the Future" were held by trustees and administrators of R-MWC in various
cities (including Lynchburg,
Richmond, Norfolk, Houston, and Dallas).
March 25,
2006 - A day of celebration honoring retiring President Kathleen Gill
Bowman and her husband Daniel Bowman took place at the college.
April 5,
2006 - Jolley Bruce Christman
released an announcement that the Board
of Trustees had elected Virginia Hill Worden '69 as Interim President of
R-MWC, with her term to begin July 1, 2006.
April
20, 2006 - The "Summary of Senior Staff and Faculty Discussions and
Analysis of Data of Goucher, Hood, Immaculata, Wells, and Wheaton"--schools
which had converted from women's to co-ed colleges--outlined the results of
telephone interviews with senior staff at the five institutions concerning
problems and effects of going co-ed. Eight areas were considered: planning
and implementation, enrollment, student life, academics/curriculum/faculty,
facilities, communications, development and alumnae relations, and financial
resources.
April
2006 - Similar interviews were conducted with five colleges that had
chosen to remain women's colleges--Agnes Scott, Hollins, Mary Baldwin,
Mills, and Sweet Briar, and a written summary was produced.
June 7,
2006 - Two representatives of the Art and Science Group met with
R-MWC faculty to present the results of their study of the college's
strategic future.
June
2006 - Consultants Art and Science Group gave a presentation of their
conclusions on the college's strategic future at a meeting with trustees in
Washington, D.C.
June
2006 - The college celebrated the successful completion of the $100
million Vita Abundantior Capital Campaign, the largest in its history.
June
2006 - After 12 years as President, Kathleen Bowman retired and moved
to Charlottesville.
June 30,
2006 - On this date the college's independent auditors noted that
R-MWC has a ten-year agreement with an outside company to provide food
service for students, faculty, staff, and guests through June 30, 2016.
Similarly, it has a five-year agreement with an outside company to operate
the college bookstore through July 31, 2011.
Aug. 7,
2006 - Heather Garnett '86
reported by e-mail to alumnae that on Aug.
8, the Strategic Planning website
would be updated to announce that a draft Strategic Plan had been submitted
to the faculty for comment and would be voted on by the Board of Trusteees
on Sept. 9, 2006. The plan recommends a "coeducational environment."
Aug. 14,
2006 - Interim President Ginger Worden '69
sent a letter to alumnae
reporting that the Board of Trustees had submitted a draft Strategic Plan to
the faculty on Aug. 1 and would vote on it Sept. 9. It called for a
curriculum focus on "global honors" and the admission of men beginning in
the fall of 2007.
Aug. 14,
2006 - After reading the draft Strategic Plan, Art Professor Laura
Katzman responded in a
six-page letter to the Board of Trustees with reasons
why the art collection should not be treated as a financial asset.
Aug. 17,
2006 - Trustee Lynn Hume Stuart '60
wrote to alumnae that if the
Strategic Plan is approved by the Board of Trustees, the college will have
to find a new name. As head of the committee to make a recommendation for a
new name to the Board, she asked for suggestions from alumnae.
Aug. 26,
2006 -
Former President Robert Spivey wrote to Interim President
Ginger Worden urging reconsideration of the forthcoming September decision
by the Board to make the college coeducational.
Sept. 1,
2006 -
Preserve Educational Choice (PEC), Inc., was formed as a
not-for-profit corporation "to pursue all reasonable avenues to preserve the
115-year tradition of Randolph-Macon Woman's College (R-MWC) as an
institution for women."
Sept. 1,
2006 - Board of Trustees President
Jolley Bruce Christman '69 sent a
letter to alumnae, students, and friends in response to concerns expressed
to the Board since the mid-August announcement.
Sept. 5,
2006 - Wyatt B. Durrette, Jr. of DurretteBradshaw in Richmond,
attorney for a group of R-MWC alumnae, outlined in a
letter to the Board of
Trustees the legal reasons why the Board should not pass the new Strategic
Plan on Sept. 9.
Sept.
11, 2006 -
Jolley Bruce Christman announced that on Sept. 9, 2006,
the Board of Trustees voted in favor of the new Strategic Plan involving
coeducation and in favor of extending the program at Reading, England
through 2007-08.
Sept.
16, 2006 - The Annual Business Meeting of the R-MWC Alumnae
Association took place in Smith Hall Theater five days after the trustees'
decision.
Sept. 27, 2006 - A
letter to Jolley Bruce Christman from President Emeritus William F.
Quillian, Jr., former President of the Board of Trustees Madeline Miller
'66, and English professor emerita Dr. Carolyn
Wilkerson Bell '65 expressed their
opposition to the trustees' Sept. 9 decision.
Oct. 6,
2006 - Nine R-MWC students filed a joint suit in Lynchburg Circuit
Court against the college, claiming that R-MWC breached its contract with
the students by adopting coeducation and a new curricular focus.
Oct.
2006 - Janis Gustafson Ansell '67, President of the R-MWC Alumnae
Association, resigned her position, saying that as a member of the Board of
Trustees, she could not support trustees' decisions made on Sept. 9.
Oct. 11,
2006 - College officials began a series of "Town Meetings" with
alumnae in various cities across the country that continued into December.
In the words of the Alumnae Office, their
purpose was "to reach out and reconnect."
Oct. 12,
2006 -
Preserve Educational Choice released two documents sent to
Trustees: "What Every Trustee Should Know," and
"20 Reasons Why You Should Change Your Vote: An
Analysis of the Arguments Used for Coeducation."
Oct. 16,
2006 -
Former President Robert Spivey released his Aug. 26 letter to
Ginger Worden to the president of Preserve Educational Choice with an update
reaffirming his opposition to the trustees' decision.
Nov. 2,
2006 - Eight students and the spouse of an alumna filed a second suit
against R-MWC, claiming that the college had violated its charitable trust
by using donors' gifts for purposes different from their original donor
intent, i.e., that donations were not made for the benefit of a
coeducational college.
Nov. 16,
2006 - Interim
President Ginger Worden announced that her response to
the documents submitted to the trustees and administration by
PEC
was posted on the R-MWC website.
Nov. 17,
2006 - Mary Jean Wellford Lindner '48, a former President of the
Alumnae Association and a trustee for 12 years,
wrote to the Board of
Trustees expressing her anger and dismay about the Board's decisions.
Dec. 6,
2006 - The Search Committee for a new President of the college made
public its description of the position and the college.
Dec. 6,
2006 - Following the Raleigh, NC alumnae meeting with Interim
President Ginger Worden,
eleven alumnae wrote to the Board of Trustees
expressing the meeting's near unanimity in opposing the Board's decisions
and asking them to reconsider.
Dec. 8,
2006 - The president and treasurer of the Maier Foundation, Inc. (Ed
H. Maier and Sarah Maier Rowe '67, trustee emerita)
sent a letter to
President Worden, trustees, and members of the Strategic Plan Implementation
Committee requesting that "no major works in the Maier Museum of Art be sold
for any reason."
Dec. 9,
2006 - R-MWC
announced that its new name July 1, 2007 would be
Randolph College.
Dec. 15,
2006 - The
college announced that on Dec. 11 the
Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS) approved R-MWC's two new Master's degree
programs in education but also placed R-MWC on "warning" status for 12
months for its operating deficit, deferred maintenance, and high tuition
discount rate.
Dec. 29,
2006 - Preserve Educational Choice
announced a strategic summit
meeting of former trustees, faculty, parents, and alumnae supporters to be
held on January 5, 2007 in Richmond.
Return to top
Jan. 2, 2007 - SACS issued a
one-page disclosure
on the "warning" status of R-MWC.
Jan. 16,
2007 - In a
mass mailing to alumnae,
PEC sent out a seven-page packet
of information explaining their position.
Jan. 23, 2007 - A hearing on the two
lawsuits filed by plaintiffs and
PEC
against the college took place in
Lynchburg Circuit Court. At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge J. Leyburn
Mosby, Jr. dismissed both suits. Both cases were subsequently appealed.
Feb. 7,
2007 - The Alumnae Office
released its summary of a January survey of
alumnae about the future structure of the Alumnae Association, based on 770
responses received.
Feb. 9,
2007 - A
letter from former Presidents William F. Quillian, Jr.,
Robert A. Spivey, and Linda Koch Lorimer to the R-MWC community stated that
although they did not support the trustees' decision about the college's
future, they now felt that it was time to stop protesting and let the
proposed course of action proceed.
Feb. 16,
2007 - Jolley Bruce Christman '69 and Lucy Williams Hooper '73,
President and President-Elect of the Board of Trustees,
sent a written
update to the R-MWC community discussing communications, strategic planning
teams, the SACS warning, the presidential search, lawsuits, Master's
programs, and the letter from three former presidents of the college.
(Click here for the document.)
April
23, 2007 - The
PEC Board reported on a three-hour meeting held with
Interim President Ginger Worden and members of the college Board of Trustees
in Washington, D.C. on April 22.
April
27, 2007 - In a letter to Dean William Coulter, Dr. Laura Katzman
resigned her position as Associate Professor of Art and Director of the
Museum Studies Program because of what she foresaw as
the imminent sale of artworks from
the college's world-class art collection to boost the general endowment, a
violation of museum ethics.
May 7,
2007 - Consultant Larry Goldstein, President of Campus Strategies,
presented his financial review of R-MWC and his advice on how to deal with
SACS' placing the college on "warning" status. He recommended three actions:
imposition of a freeze on hiring and salary increases plus a concomitant
reduction in staff, a halt in the pursuit of any capital projects such as
the expansion of the PER building, and leveraging a portion of the art
collection to create a substantial financial inflow to the endowment.
May 9,
2007 - An article in the Lynchburg paper
reported that Wal-Mart heiress Alice
Walton had made an unannounced visit to Lynchburg in her private jet to look
at the art collection in the Maier Museum. Crystal Bridges, her museum of
American art in Arkansas, is set to open in 2009.
May 2007
- At R-MWC's final commencement, 146 seniors and eight Master's students
received degrees.
June 13,
2007 - Jolley Bruce Christman and Lucy Williams Hooper
announced that
the Board of Trustees had unanimously elected John E. Klein, Vice Chancellor
for Administration at Washington University in St. Louis, to be the ninth
President of the College, beginning in August.
June 25,
2007 - Interim President Ginger Worden
announced to alumnae that a
campus-wide restructuring and reorganization plan effective July 1 would
eliminate 30 to 35 positions, or about 15% of the college workforce, as a
cost-cutting measure.
June 30,
2007 - Dr. Charlotte Stern, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Romance
Languages at R-MWC from 1968 to 1992, sent a 24-page open letter to the
R-MWC community entitled "How the Trustees Hijacked Randolph-Macon Woman's
College Right Before Our Eyes: The R-MWC Tragedy in a Nutshell."
July 1,
2007 - Randolph-Macon Woman's College ceased to exist and Randolph
College took its place.
Aug. 1,
2007 - Ellen Schall Agnew '80, Associate Director of the Maier Museum
who had worked at the museum for 23 years, resigned her position in
protest of proposed actions by the Trustees regarding the art collection.
Aug. 21,
2007 - Interim President Ginger Worden
sent a farewell message to
faculty, staff, alumnae, and trustees, discussing recent changes
at the college and actions still to come.
Aug. 21,
2007 - Lawyers for Randolph College filed a Complaint to break the
Louise Jordan Smith Trust in Lynchburg Circuit Court so that they would be
free to sell or "partner" art bought with funds from the trust.
Aug. 27,
2007 - Randolph College began the fall semester with a total of 656
students, down from 715 students in 2006-07. First-year students numbered
approximately 185, 61 of them men. There were also several male upperclass
transfer students.
Sept. 3, 2007
- A letter from Lyn McWhirter Fraser '65 to alumnae and friends of R-MWC
summarized her view of the college's financial problems related to adoption
of the strategic plan and coeducation. (Click here for letter.)
Sept.
11, 2007 -
PEC lawyers filed a motion to intervene in the Louise
Jordan Smith Trust case in Lynchburg Circuit Court to argue against breaking
the trust.
Sept 15,
2007 - At the Annual Meeting of the R-MWC Alumnae Association, the
Association voted acknowledgement that according to the Bylaws, any woman
who has completed a single semester at R-MWC is a voting member of the
Association, and that includes current students who are sophomores, juniors
and seniors. The Association failed to remedy the fact that 75% of its Board
of Directors had been appointed rather than elected, as called for in the
Bylaws. There was no vote on changes in the Bylaws.
Sept.
19, 2007
- The Virginia Supreme Court granted a Certificate of Appeal for the
Charitable Trust Suit and the Student Breach of Contract Suit, combining the
two together for hearing purposes.
Sept.
20, 2007 - In view of the Alumnae Association's non-compliance with
the Bylaws that 75% of the Association's Board of Directors should be
elected, board member
Muffie Moroney '65 urged in an open letter to the
Board that an election be conducted by mail ballot as soon as possible.
Sept.
20, 2007 - Randolph College's website listed the college's endowment
on this date as $152,598,000.
Sept.
21, 2007 - President John Klein
sent a letter to the Randolph College
community after his first month in office.
Oct. 1,
2007 - After four paintings were removed by college officials from
the Maier Museum late in the day, Lucy Williams Hooper '73
announced by
e-mail that the Board of Trustees had voted earlier in the day to sell the
four paintings at public auction in November.
Oct. 2,
2007 - Director of the Maier Museum Karol Lawson resigned in protest
of the college's action in removing the four paintings from the Museum and
consigning them for auction at Christie's in New York.
Oct. 3,
2007 - The Association of Art Museum Directors, representing some 180
of the nation's leading museum directors,
issued a statement condemning
Randolph College's planned sale of paintings from the Maier Museum to add
funds to the college's general endowment.
Oct.
2007 - The Association of College and University Museums and
Galleries, representing over 400 institutions, joined the Association of Art
Museum Directors in its statement of condemnation of Randolph College's
proposed sale of art.
Oct. 7,
2007 - Mary B. White '75, a senior attorney in the U.S. Department of
Justice,
wrote Virginia Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, asking him to
file an injunction to stop the sale of the paintings and explaining her
reasons for this stand.
Oct.
2007 - The Association of Art Museum Curators
issued a statement that
Randolph College was violating one of the cardinal rules of museum
management that was "obeyed by all responsible art museums in this
country."
Oct. 10,
2007 - To bring the Alumnae Association Board of Directors in
compliance with the Bylaws, Heather Garnett '86 sent out ballots for
election of the current Alumnae Association Board of Directors in its
entirety. A rival slate soon followed from a group called Concerned Alumnae
of R-MWC. Various points about the ballots and ballot counting were argued
during following days.
Oct. 11,
2007 - The Virginia Association of Museums sent a letter to President
John Klein stressing the association's opposition to the college's plan to
sell art to enrich the Randolph endowment.
Oct.
2007 - The College Art Association, the largest organization in the
U.S. for artists and art historians, stated that Randolph College's proposed
sale contravened the policy "that art collections are held by museums as a
public trust" and artworks should not be sold to provide operating revenue.
Further, CAA expected a transparent decision process involving all
stakeholders.
Oct. 13,
2007 - In a lengthy letter to her classmates, Linda Babcock Sorber
'69, an alumna with years of
higher-education experience as faculty and in administration and whose
husband Charles served as president of two universities, expressed their
dismay at recent events at R-MWC and commented on the issues in the upcoming
Alumnae Association Board election.
Oct. 23,
2007 -
PEC lawyers filed a motion for a temporary injunction and a
complaint for a permanent injunction to halt the sale of four paintings from
the Maier Museum of Art, scheduled to be auctioned at Christie's in New York
on Nov. 19 and 29, until other related suits involving the college had been
settled.
Oct. 25,
2007 - President John Klein
in a letter to the college community
announced that six senior faculty members had accepted voluntary retirement
options offered to them for the end of the 2007-08 academic year. Additional
faculty reductions at the same time will close the departments of German
Studies, American Culture, and Anthropology. At the end of 2008-09, the
departments of of Russian Studies and Japanese will close. Continuation of
the American Culture Program will be re-evaluated at the end of 2008-09.
Oct. 29,
2007 - Lawyers for plaintiffs and
PEC filed with the Virginia Supreme
Court a Brief of Appellants in each of the two suits under appeal.
Nov. 6,
2007 - Alumnae Director
Heather Garnett '86 announced the results of
the election for the Alumnae Association Board of Directors.
Nov. 8,
2007 - After a hearing on the motion for an injunction to stop the
sale of art, Judge Leyburn Mosby, Jr. granted a temporary injunction against
the sale, but requiring the plaintiffs to post a $10 million bond.
Nov. 13,
2007 - Judge Mosby ordered that the $10 million bond in support of
the injunction be posted by Nov. 15, 2007. Both sides appealed to the
Virginia Supreme Court, one to have the injunction dismissed and the other
to have the bond reduced and the deadline extended.
Nov. 15,
2007 - The $10 million bond was not posted by 4:30 p.m. in Lynchburg
Circuit Court, leaving unfinalized the injunction against selling art from
the college collection.
Nov. 16,
2007 - The Virginia Supreme Court issued an order continuing the
injunction and reducing the amount of the injunction bond to $1 million. The
court also required that the cash bond be posted by Dec. 3, 2007, to prevent
the injunction from dissolving. Christie's in New York announced that the
four paintings covered by the injunction were removed from this month's
auctions.
Nov. 27,
2007 - President John Klein sent an e-mail to faculty and staff
announcing that Admissions Director Pat LeDonne, who had held that position
since 1998, was resigning as of early January to become Director of
Admissions and Development at Holy Cross Regional School in Lynchburg.
Nov. 29,
2007 - In Lynchburg Circuit Court, Randolph College withdrew its
Complaint filed Aug. 21 to break the Louise Jordan Smith Trust to permit the
possible sale of artworks bought with funds from that trust. (The four
paintings sent to Christie's for auction were not acquired with money from
the Smith Trust; their case continues.)
Nov. 30,
2007 - Plaintiffs and
PEC raised $500,000 in six working days and
filed a motion with the Virginia Supreme Court to modify the bond
requirements, either by reducing the bond to $500,000 or by extending the
deadline to obtain the full bond.
Dec. 3,
2007 - The Virginia Supreme Court extended the deadline for the
plaintiffs in the injunction suit until February 15, 2008 to present the
other $500,000 cash to sustain the injunction until May. Christie's
announced that when art was removed from auction prior to sale, the house
policy was not to put it up for auction again for 18 to 24 months. The four
paintings, however, remained in New York at Christie's, and the college
reaffirmed its intent to sell the paintings when litigation was concluded.
Dec. 11,
2007 -
President Klein announced that SACS had reached a decision to
remove Randolph College from warning status but would expect another
financial update in the fall of 2008. Klein stated that "The College's plan
for financial stability includes the measures taken in the past year and
those measures we plan to take in the future, including a substantial
infusion into the endowment."
Jan. 6,
2008 - The Lynchburg News & Advance
reported that the four paintings taken from the Maier Museum for auction
would remain stored in a secure warehouse owned by Christie's in New York
until pending litigation is resolved.
Jan. 29,
2008 -
PEC issued an update on the status of litigation, explaining
the motions that had been filed by both sides in the art injunction suit,
that "discovery" had begun, that a preliminary hearing would take place on
Feb. 5th, and that trial has been set for April 29-30 in Lynchburg Circuit
Court.
Jan. 29,
2008 - On the Randolph College website, President John Klein posted a
'white paper' entitled "The Endowment and Our Art," addressing the college's
financial situation and the continued need and intention of the college to
sell artworks to boost the endowment by some $50 million.
Feb. 5,
2008
– The
Lynchburg News and Daily Advance reported on the hearing held in
Lynchburg Circuit Court on Tuesday, February 5, 2008 regarding the removal
and impending sale of four paintings from the Maier Museum taken to
Christie's
in NYC on October 1, 2007. Judge Leyburn Mosby may delay the
trial
for this
sale of the art case, scheduled for April 29, 2008, for up to six weeks
pending the outcome of two other cases before the Virginia Supreme Court.
These other cases, which involve the co-ed decision, will be heard on Feb.
25, 2008; the ruling on these two cases from the Virginia Supreme Court is
scheduled for April 20, 2008.
Feb.
15, 2008 - The
injunction against the sale of four paintings from the Maier Museum was
lifted today when plaintiffs were unable to post the remaining $500,000 bond
required to sustain it. The case must still go to trial in May, after the
two other cases on appeal are heard. For a fuller account of today's court
action, see the story in the
Lynchburg News and Advance.
Feb. 18, 2008 - PEC
issued an update on the court hearings on the art injunction and the
status of the art litigation.
Feb. 18, 2008 - A professional
mediator's
executive summary of the Feb. 9-10 meeting of the Alumnae Association
Board in Lynchburg was released by Elizabeth Latta-Brother '91, AA Board
member-at-large for communications.
March 7, 2008
- PEC announced that they and the art plaintiffs are voluntarily suspending
the active status of the art litigation case (in legal language, "nonsuit
without prejudice") in order to concentrate on the appeal of the charitable
trust case and the student contract case. Those will be argued before the
Virginia Supreme Court during the week of April 14, 2008, with a decision
expected in late May or early June. For the art lawsuit, Judge Leyburn Mosby
allowed a maximum of six months in which it may remain dormant or return to
active status. Read the
PEC notice, the
Randolph College message, and the
Lynchburg News & Advance account. Last fall Randolph College made a
similar move in withdrawing the Louise Jordan Smith Trust case (see Nov.
29, 2007, above) that it had filed in August 2007.
March 18, 2008 - R-MWC
Professor Emerita Charlotte Stern sent a letter by postal mail to
some 440 alumnae living in the Lynchburg area about the importance of the
Maier Museum collection to the community at large. She urged alumnae to
support the art defense fund and to contact President Klein and Lynchburg
members of the Board of Trustees to maintain the collection intact.
March 21, 2008 - In a story by
Carrie J. Sidener, the Lynchburg News & Advance (in its print version only)
reported that a male first-year student at Randolph College was arrested on
14 counts of drug, theft, and fire-related charges on March 18, following a
complaint of arson from the college to police. Among the charges made, the
student was accused of the manufacture, possession, and sale of drugs, plus
stealing a laptop computer and cash from other students.
March 31, 2008 -
PEC
reported that the Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the
appeal of the charitable trust and breach of contract cases against Randolph
College on April 14 at 9 a.m. Arguments for the two cases will be heard
consecutively but separately. A court decision on the appeals is expected in
late May or early June. (For further details about location of the hearing,
check the
PEC
website.)
April 11, 2008 -
Sensationalized coverage in
nationwide news media (including Fox News and CNN) reported on the visit of
Randolph College students in the American Culture Program to a legal brothel
near Las Vegas, Nevada. Click here for
the Associated Press story and for
the college's interpretation of this event.
April 14, 2008
- The Virginia Supreme Court heard 30 minutes of oral arguments in each of
the two suits against Randolph College on appeal, the so-called student
contract case and the charitable trust case. For coverage of the arguments,
see the stories from the
Lynchburg News & Advance, the
Richmond Times-Dispatch, and the
Associated Press. Anne Yastremski '05 published an
op-ed piece in the Richmond Times Dispatch on April 14 and the
Washington Times published an editorial on the subject on April 15.
A decision by the Supreme Court is expected by June 6.
April 14, 2008
- On the same day as the hearings in Richmond, Randolph College filed a
lawsuit in Lynchburg Circuit Court seeking to be awarded the $500,000 bond
raised and posted by plaintiffs in December to prevent the sale of four
paintings removed from the Maier Museum of Art. The suit claims that damages
incurred from not selling the paintings in November entitle the college to
the bond money. When the injunction was lifted on Feb. 15, Judge Leyburn Mosby postponed a decision on the fate of the bond money. In late March,
lawyers for the plaintiffs filed a motion stating in part that only the
Commonwealth of Virginia has the right to sue to recover the bond, which
otherwise belongs to the plaintiffs. A hearing on the bond question had
already been scheduled in Judge Mosby's court for Tuesday, April 22, and
arguments will take place on that date. See
the report in the Lynchburg News & Advance.
April 22, 2008
- After a hearing in Lynchburg
Circuit Court, Judge Leyburn Mosby, Jr. again postponed a decision on
whether the $500,000 bond still held by the court should be returned to the
plaintiffs, who posted it to prevent the auction of four paintings from the
Maier Museum. Since Randolph College on April 14 filed a lawsuit seeking
award of the bond as compensation for damages possibly incurred by the delay
in selling the paintings, Judge Mosby said he would not decide until that
case was resolved. See
the story in the Lynchburg News & Advance.
April 23, 2008
- Only this month did a report made in July 2007 to RC Dean William Coulter
emerge to public view. Dean of the College Hank Dobin of Washington & Lee
University and Provost Robert Holyer of Presbyterian College in Laurens, SC
were asked by Dean Coulter for their advice about the RC curriculum,
academic cuts, and the "Global Honors" plan.
The Dobin-Holyer Report differs considerably from the
recommendations made by consultant Larry Goldstein (see May 7, 2007,
above) that have been subsequently followed by the college. The Faculty
Representative Committee (FRC) of Randolph College
sent a formal response to Dean Coulter on Aug. 24, 2007 about
faculty cuts. The FRC sent
a letter to the entire faculty on Oct. 29, 2007 giving their
reaction to President Klein's announced decisions about downsizing (see
Oct. 25, 2007).
April 25, 2008
- President John Klein
sent an e-mail message to the Randolph College community announcing
that Rufino Tamayo's painting "Trovador" (Troubadour) has been placed for
auction in Christie's sale of Latin American art in May.
Christie's press release has the painting as the featured item in
the auction on May 28-29. See the updated
story in the Lynchburg News & Advance.
May 28, 2008
- Christie's auctioned Rufino Tamayo's 1945 painting "Trovador" for $7.2
million, more than double the pre-sale estimate of $2-3 millon. The price
set a world record for a work of Latin American art. Christie's declined to
reveal the buyer, who bid by telephone. Randolph College will realize $6.4
million from the sale after the buyer's premium of $800,000 is deducted. See
the story in the Lynchburg News & Advance and
Christie's details of the sale. The painting, a gift to R-MWC in
1949, was exhibited in the 1950 Venice Biennale and subsequently in shows in
Paris, Stockholm, London, Richmond, and Roanoke.
June 4, 2008
- Alumnae Director Heather Garnett
announced the results of the election to fill six vacancies on the
Board of Directors of the R-MWC Alumnae Association. All six candidates on
the so-called alternative slate were elected and will assume office July 1.
(See also the "GO" button box Current Alumnae Matters.)
June 6, 2008
- The Virginia Supreme Court upheld the Lynchburg District Court's decision
to dismiss two lawsuits filed against Randolph College by plaintiffs and PEC.
The vote was 5-2 in the
student contract suit and unanimous in the
charitable trust suit.
Read the
message from John Klein, the
press release by PEC and the
Lynchburg News & Advance story.
July 1,
2008 – Two new
members of the Randolph College Board of Trustees took office, replacing
Janie Lee Ligon ’70 and Jewelle Wooten Bickford ’63, who had each served the
maximum ten years on the Board. The new members are attorney Julie Huston
Ellis ’71 of Memphis and Anne Wilkes Tucker ’67, curator of photography at
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
July 16,
2008 – Less than 24
hours before a scheduled conference-call meeting of the Alumnae Association
Board of Directors, Association President Emily Gill Mills ’79 e-mailed to
Board members a resolution submitted by the Bylaws Committee to amend the
Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of the Alumnae
Association of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. The resolution would change
the name of the Association so that it would remain connected to Randolph
College, include alumni of Randolph College as members, and have as its
primary purpose the support of Randolph College.
July 17,
2008 – In a telephone
conference-call meeting, the resolution brought from the Bylaws Committee
concerning the name and function of the Alumnae Association was reported
favorably by the Executive Committee to the full Board of Directors of the
Alumnae Association. When the Board voted on whether to recommend the
resolution to the membership of the Alumnae Association, it failed by one
vote to be approved.
July 24,
2008 - Houston alumna
Muffie Moroney ’65 sent
an open letter to new trustee Anne Tucker ’67 questioning the
ethics of her participation, as a museum professional, in the sale of
artworks from the Maier Museum to boost the Randolph College endowment,
thereby reversing the position Tucker had stated in a letter to Interim
President Ginger Worden ’69 in September 2006.
July 28,
2008 – Emily Mills
sent an e-mail message to members of the Alumnae Association Board of
Directors announcing a special called meeting of the Board on Aug. 1 to vote
again on the resolution from the Bylaws Committee that failed on July 17.
August
1, 2008 – The Alumnae
Association Board of Directors in a late-afternoon conference call voted in
favor of sending the resolution changing the Articles of Incorporation and
the Bylaws for a vote by members of the Alumnae Association at the Annual
Meeting on Sept. 20. In the early evening
an
official message from Emily Mills announcing the result and attaching a copy
of the resolution was sent to alumnae, serving as the
official 30-day notice required before a vote at the Annual Meeting.
August
2, 2008 – Alumnae
Association Board member Betsy Gordon McCrodden ’66, who voted against the
resolution at the Aug. 1 Board meeting, sent out a widely-distributed
message called “The
Rest of the Story”. It reported significant questions that
supporters of the resolution had refused to answer and stated that they had
not exercised their fiduciary duty to alumnae. Four additional members of
the Board concurred with McCrodden’s report.
Another
response called
“The Battle Ahead” by Emmy Grayson
was posted on the Reading listserve.
August
15, 2008 - A packet
was mailed to R-MWC alumnae from the Alumnae Office containing, first, a
notice of the Annual Meeting of the R-MWC Alumnae Association on Sept. 20,
which was attached as a header to a
letter
from Heather Ayres Garnett '86, Alumnae Director. The letter
offered some background to the proposed Resolution to change the Alumnae
Association's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. She announced that
voting could be either in person at the Annual Meeting or by the enclosed
proxy (a first for the Association). The packet also contained a
letter
from eight former presidents of the Alumnae Association
endorsing the Resolution. Third was a series of "Questions
and Answers about the Annual Meeting and Voting," and last
was
the
Proxy with the Resolution on the back. (Please note: To be
counted, the Proxy must contain a barcode with the individual voter's name,
class, and address pre-printed below it.)
August
23, 2008 -
Eleven members of the Alumnae Association Board of Directors, in a letter
prepared for mailing to all alumnae, explained why they voted against the
Resolution and urged other alumnae to oppose it also, by signing
a
different Proxy vetted by their Virginia lawyers. Their
packet also included a page with a
statement of support endorsed by 19 alumnae and former
faculty members, including three former presidents of the Alumnae
Association and four former trustees of R-MWC; another page entitled
Six Things You Can Do, and a final page with a
Vision
statement for an independent Alumnae Association.
This
historical timeline is based on information drawn from Miss Cornelius's
history of the college (see above, 1951), issues of
The Alumnae Bulletin, the Maier
Museum website and Annual Report for 2005-06, catalogs of Randolph-Macon
Woman's College, issues of the President's Annual Report, the college
website, letters, fliers, and announcements sent out by the college,
articles in the news media, the website of Preserve Educational Choice,
Inc., and legal documents filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court and the Supreme
Court of Virginia. The timeline will be updated as significant events occur.
Return to top
This page has been accessed 3596 times since Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 23:00:43
