President Robert R. Lindgren's Speech - Day Field Dedication

Re-Dedication of Day Field
Randolph-Macon College
Remarks by President Robert R. Lindgren
September 8, 2012


Good morning. I add my welcome to the new Day Field on this grand occasion. It is indeed a New Day at Randolph-Macon.

And, boy, have we been waiting for this day when we can finally dedicate a state-of-the art facility that runs north and south, just as God intended. The boys from Hampden-Sydney won’t be confused any longer!

This new day is a wonderful day in the life of Randolph-Macon College, and another tangible sign that we are a College on the move.

I am so impressed and inspired by the extraordinary generosity of so many of you alumni, parents and friends – Yellow Jackets all – who are with us today and who have made this day a reality.

By the visionary leadership of our Board of Trustees, led, as you have seen today, by our outstanding chairman, Alan Rashkind, and by our Board of Trustees Athletics Committee, chaired so ably by Jack Luck and before that by Parker Dillard and Doug White, and, of course, our generous Yellow Jacket Club supporters.

You have made possible that our Jackets will now play in a true, state-of-the art facility – one that will be the envy of many other college programs. And while we have talked a lot about athletics here today, we should also remember that this field will be used by large numbers of students for intramurals and free time activities, that the walking track around the field is open to the entire college and Ashland community, and that we intend to use this facility to host other competitions, such as high school play-off games, so that we can show off our beautiful campus and continue to attract the best and brightest to Randolph-Macon College.

Of course, a successful project like this one is the product of the hard work of many talented individuals. Let me thank those most responsible for designing and constructing this final product which is before you this morning.

In particular, I would like to recognize:

• Curtis Leake, Rick Berrey and Ryan Byrd with Kjellstrom & Lee
• David Barlow with Clough Harbour and Associates
• And from our Randolph-Macon staff: Mark Brabham, Tom Dwyer, Jim Earles, and the entire physical plant staff for their wonderful work in managing this ambitious project.
• Jeff Burns, our talented athletic director, and Vice President Diane Lowder, Laura Doherty, Megan Senske and our entire, highly effective development team.
• And special thanks to John Ahladas and Paul Davies for their great oversight and management of the Day Field Project.

And think about it: compared to our facilities of just a year or two ago, our historic campus now proudly boasts:

-a wonderful new freshman residence hall, Andrews Hall, which is proving already to be a favorite target for our talented place kickers;
-a spectacular new tennis facility;
-our beautiful new Hugh Stephens Field at Estes Park;
-two completely renovated academic buildings, Fox and Haley Halls;
- still another renovated residence hall, Conrad Hall;
-the acquisition of the home next to the President’s House, which will become a fabulous alumni center;
-and an important new facility we just dedicated a few minutes ago, the John B. Werner Pavilion at our McGraw-Page Library, which includes the George Brown Oliver state-of-the-art classroom.

We are also moving apace on the Brock Commons, our new student center, which we expect to open next spring.

We have hired the architect to design a magnificent new residence hall for our seniors, to be called Birdsong Hall, which will open in August 2014, in the space in which you are now seated.

And, finally, the most critical piece in Phase One of our Master Plan, we are raising money for a new science building to be built just adjacent to our current Copley Science Center. It is my hope and expectation that our alumni, parents and friends will embrace that project in the enthusiastic manner they have all of the others.

I mention all of these projects because this new Day Field sits proudly among our campus structures. It is an important symbol of how much we value our athletic program because of how much athletics add to the education of the whole student. We are blessed with an amazing group of coaches who live to build the character of their players.

As with all we do, we have always strived to do athletics well, and now, in so many ways, including what you see before you today, we are truly Building Extraordinary – that is, taking what we do best to a whole new level.

This Day Field project sends a powerful message that providing a high quality, enriching and engaging experience for our students is our very highest priority.

And new facilities like Day Field, plus new academic majors, new sports and new co-curricular programs; added to record enrollments, higher sustained retention, and unprecedented fund-raising -- all these markers, all this progress, signal a clear renaissance for our proud and historic College.

You all are a significant part of that renaissance. And by so being, you are making a major contribution not just to Randolph-Macon, but to our society at large. And in that regard, your involvement is more important than ever. I thank you for leading the way.

Go Yellow Jackets!