4/18/12
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Rendering of the new student campus center |
Randolph-Macon College President Robert R. Lindgren has announced that a new and modern student campus center will be constructed on campus. The current center has been razed to make room for a new student center, a facility made possible through a generous $5 million gift from Joan and Macon F. Brock Jr. ’64.
"This extraordinary new center will greatly enhance the quality of life on campus for our students, providing them with an attractive, open and engaging space that will encourage even more social interaction and camaraderie," said Lindgren. He added, "Macon and Joan Brock’s unwavering support for this project will have a significant impact on generations of students."
The old student center was demolished in February 2012 with the new center’s completion scheduled the Spring of 2013. The campus bookstore, Macon Coffee, Southside Express, student mailroom, offices, and other services located in the current campus center will temporarily move to other locations during construction.
The new student center will include, among other amenities, an expanded campus bookstore, dining services with an open café, a balcony, a portico with tables, a student mailroom, movie theater, patio with a fire pit and multi-purpose rooms and spaces providing our students with additional informal social space. The College is currently fundraising to complete the funding needed for the $7 million project.
Macon and Joan Brock are long-standing leaders in philanthropy at Randolph-Macon College. They have generously given their time, support and leadership to a number of major projects including the Brock Sports and Recreation Center and renovations to Fox Hall, Haley Hall, and the Thomas Branch building to include the Brock Residence Hall. In 2008, the Brocks endowed the Macon and Joan Brock Professorship in Psychology, which is currently held by Professor Kelly Lambert.
Macon Brock served as a member of the R-MC Board of Trustees for 18 years and as chair from 1999–2009. He is also a former member of the college’s Board of Associates and has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of the Alumni. Brock graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1964 with a B.A. in Latin. He went on to Quantico, Virginia for Marine Corps Officer training, served in Vietnam and was a special agent with the United States Naval Intelligence at the Norfolk Naval Station before becoming a successful entrepreneur, co-founding K and K Toys and Dollar Tree, Inc.
Joan P. Brock is a major shareholder of Dollar Tree, Inc. She earned a B.A. in secondary education with a minor in mathematics from Longwood College (now Longwood University), and a master’s degree in humanities from Old Dominion University. Brock dedicates her knowledge and skills to organizations and programs that benefit culture, education and community. She is a former trustee of the Chrysler Museum and Virginia Wesleyan College, where she also served as chair of the VWC Board of Trustees. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Access College Foundation.
The Brocks’ gift was made as part of the college’s $100 million capital campaign, for which Macon Brock serves as chair. The Brocks’ total gift to the Building Extraordinary campaign now exceeds $19 million -- $5 million is designated for the construction of the new student center and another $5 million is designated as a lead gift for a planned state-of-the-art addition to the Copley Science Center.
Building Extraordinary: The Campaign for Randolph-Macon College is a $100 million initiative designed to position the college for the next level of excellence. Priorities for the Campaign include upgrading and building state-of-the-art facilities, increasing the endowment to provide greater opportunities in and out of the classroom, and enhancing student outcomes through career and graduate school preparation.
For more information, contact Myra Legg at (804) 752-8502 or
myralegg@rmc.edu.