President Robert R. Lindgren arrived at Randolph-Macon College on February 1, 2006. Since then, freshmen applications have more than doubled, resulting in the College welcoming the largest incoming classes in its history, thereby achieving record numbers in total enrollments. Also, private support of Randolph-Macon has reached an all-time high, with the College receiving to-date during his tenure, over $60 million in gift commitments in support of a number of important initiatives including scholarships, academic programs, capital projects, professorships, the library and athletics. Likewise, alumni participation in the Randolph-Macon Fund has grown to historically high levels.
Since arriving in Ashland, President Lindgren has dedicated himself to making connections with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and the surrounding communities. In fact, his passion for students has earned him the reputation as “the student’s president.” Through dozens of alumni events held throughout the country, he has met thousands of Randolph-Macon graduates and strives to better engage them with the life of their Alma Mater.
Additionally, he is actively engaged in the business and academic communities related to Randolph-Macon and currently serves on the board of directors of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, the World Affairs Council of Richmond, on the advisory board of Virginians for High Speed Rail and as chair of the Council of Independent Colleges of Virginia. He is the past chair of the Virginia United Methodist Conference’s Association of Educational Institutions, representing five United Methodist Colleges and one secondary school in the Commonwealth.
President Lindgren led Randolph-Macon through a successful 10-year reaccreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the development and ongoing implementation of innovative Strategic and Campus Master Plans. In April 2011, he announced Building Extraordinary: The Campaign for Randolph-Macon College, a $100 million initiative designed to take the College to the next level of excellence. Priorities for the campaign include updgrading and building state-of-the-art academic, residential and athletic facilities, increasing the endowment to provide greater opportunities and support for faculty and students in and out of the classroom, and enhancing student outcomes through a more intentional focus on career and graduate school preparation.
President Lindgren has also supported programs that have helped Randolph-Macon gain national recognition for its exceptional faculty and for providing a quality liberal arts education that prepares students for lifelong success in today's changing, global environment.
President Lindgren came to Randolph-Macon from the Johns Hopkins Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, where he served as vice president for Development and Alumni Relations for nearly twelve years and led two of the largest and most successful campaigns in American higher education. Prior to Johns Hopkins, he served as vice president and chief development officer at the University of Florida for ten years, and he has a well-earned reputation as one of higher education’s leaders in the fields of development and alumni relations.
A native of Muskegon, Michigan, President Lindgren earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida and a master of philosophy degree in management studies from Oxford University in England.
President Lindgren and his wife, Cheryl, have three children, are actively engaged with the Ashland community and have enthusiastically embraced "the Center of the Universe" as their home.