Dear RMC Community,

It was a year ago this week that I received a comprehensive set of recommendations from the Racial Equity and Opportunity Commission (REOC). That important commission was charged with identifying ways Randolph-Macon could be an even more welcoming and equitable place for historically underrepresented students, and I remain deeply appreciative of their extremely consequential work.

I want to update you on some of our efforts, which have included recruitment through community-based organizations, enhancements to the RMC website, and intentional outreach to students and alumni. As you may remember, the REOC’s report touched on multiple aspects of college life and offered recommendations to help us strengthen our culture of inclusion and support. The report placed a special emphasis on our recruiting a more diverse student body supported by more diverse faculty and staff.   

Last spring, we welcomed Carter Walton back in a new role of Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Opportunity. He had served as the REOC’s staff liaison during his earlier tenure at the College in the Advancement Office. Thus, he has a deep understanding of the commission’s work. Carter is on point in helping to implement key recommendations and continues to champion this important work while intensifying our outreach to both students and alumni.

Today, I want to celebrate successes in three specific areas.

• We had a successful enrollment year this fall, and I am pleased to share our efforts to recruit a more diverse student body yielded extremely positive results. Of our 462 new students, 27 percent are from historically underrepresented groups – the largest percentage of underrepresented students in an entering class in our history and a 5 percent increase over our Fall 2021 numbers.
• Thoughtful changes to the faculty search process helped the College recruit a diverse class of tenure-track faculty in 2022, with four people of color (out of eight total). These faculty join a community that has demonstrated its commitment to inclusion through training and workshops designed to help us create a strong culture of belonging that better supports students, as well as faculty and staff.
• And mentoring programs are underway or being developed, answering the REOC’s call for more support for historically underrepresented students. A peer-to-peer mentoring program has been revitalized and reimagined. And we plan to launch an additional pilot program this summer that will connect Black students to Black alumni with a goal of creating meaningful support systems now, to carry on through our students’ transition to the workforce. If you are interested in being part of our founding cohort, please contact Carter Walton at carterwalton@rmc.edu!

Our plans moving forward include a search for a Chief Diversity Officer-type position. And we will be announcing plans soon regarding Martin Luther King Jr. Day remembrances and Black History Month programming.

Indeed, these are consequential times at RMC. And we remain committed to providing all of our students, faculty, and staff with the resources necessary to take advantage of the opportunities to be found at RMC and ultimately experience success in a rapidly changing world. I thank all those supporting RMC for helping us to champion this essential work.

Sincerely,

Bob Lindgren

Robert R. Lindgren
President