Dear Randolph-Macon College Community:

Randolph-Macon College, the oldest Methodist-related college in the United States, is unequivocally committed to the full inclusion of all members of our community: faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni. Now in our 189th year as an institution, we are larger and more diverse than at any time in our history – a fact we celebrate joyfully.

We are also proud of our historic relationship to the Methodist church. As such, we are profoundly troubled by the action of this week’s General Conference of the United Methodist Church, consisting of delegates from around the world, in narrowly rejecting the recommendations of the UMC Council of Bishops and the Commission on the Way Forward which would have reversed the Church’s discriminatory positions regarding the ordination and marriage of members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The full implications of this action will be understood more fully in the days and weeks ahead. However, Randolph-Macon will continue to embrace our institution’s full inclusivity of all people, without qualification, and we reaffirm our support and care for each and every member of our community.

All are welcome at Randolph-Macon College.

Sincerely,
Robert R. Lindgren
President
Randolph-Macon College
Ashland, Virginia