Then and Now: Life at the College in 1900 vs 2000
If you looked back in time one hundred years, would you recognize
Randolph-Macon College?
In
1900, the college was one of five members of the Randolph-Macon
System of Colleges and Academies which offered secondary and collegiate
instruction for both men and women but at different locations. Operating
under one board of trustees, chiefly composed of Methodist ministers,
the system included R-MC in Ashland (founded 1830), and the Randolph-Macon
academies in Bedford City (1890) and Front Royal (1892) for men.
Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg (1893) and Randolph-Macon
Institute in Danville (1897) were open to women. William W. Smith,
a former R-MC president, was the system chancellor.
For the Fall 1900 term, Randolph-Macon enrolled 127 undergraduate
students and five postgraduates. (The entire system included around
600 students.) All but a handful of the college's all-male students
hailed from within the state. Many came because of their family
connections with the Methodist Church. Most arrived by train, often
seeing the college for the first time as the train pulled into Ashland.
The 1899-1900 college catalog describes Ashland's location - on
the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, 16 miles north
of Richmond, upon the most elevated plateau between that city and
Fredericksburg, Va. The location was distinguished for healthfulness
and accessibility because severe pneumonia and violent fevers
of the mountains and the malarial diseases of the Tidewater regions
are comparatively unknown.
Today, the college's enrollment is almost 10 times what it was
one hundred years ago. Last fall Randolph-Macon opened its doors
to 1,134 students. The admissions office reported this year's freshman
class to be one of the largest in the history of the college, with
students hailing from 24 states and 6 foreign countries.
In addition to Randolph-Macon College, only Randolph-Macon Woman's
College and Randolph-Macon Academy still exist today, each as separate
institutions with their own boards. Known today as a private, independent,
coeducational institution of the liberal arts and sciences, Randolph-Macon
continues to maintain a relationship with the United Methodist Church,
and, in fact, is the nation's oldest Methodist-related college in
continuous operation.
The college still places much emphasis on the advantages of its
location, but for new reasons. Within a small-town atmosphere, Randolph-Macon
enjoys a connection with metropolitan Richmond and the nation's
capital. Both provide students with internships opportunities and
cultural outlets.
While few things remain the same - you can still catch the train
at the station adjacent to campus - Randolph-Macon is indeed a different
place. Read on to learn more about how a century can change a college.