Randolph-Macon President Michael E. Hill and Provost Alisa J. Rosenthal are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. James T. McLeskey, Professor of Engineering and Head of Engineering Programs, as the inaugural Maria Wornom Rippe Professor in Engineering.

Named professorships are among the most significant forms of recognition that a Randolph-Macon faculty member can receive. The installation ceremony for the Maria Wornom Rippe Professorship in Engineering will take place on Friday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. in the Werner Pavilion of the McGraw-Page Library.

About Dr. James T. McLeskey

McLeskey earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a B.S. in Physics from the College of William & Mary. He joined the Randolph-Macon faculty in the fall of 2015 as a Professor of Engineering and was awarded tenure in 2018.

McLeskey’s prolific scholarship extends to a broad range of mechanical, industrial, and environmental engineering projects. His recent work has focused on solar, wind, and geothermal energy, desalinization, and power generation. Over the course of McLeskey’s career, he has received more than $1.5 million in grants and contracts from agencies such as the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S.-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Board, the Corporation for National Community Service, and the Qatar National Research Fund. He has published 42 journal articles in addition to multiple book chapters and popular press contributions. He often includes students in his research, and several of his publications and presentations at professional meetings feature undergraduate co-authors. In the last ten years, he has mentored more than 25 Randolph-Macon SURF students and Engineering capstone students to produce their own original scholarship.

Since arriving at Randolph-Macon College a decade ago, McLeskey has taught 18 different courses in Physics, Engineering Physics, Engineering, and the College’s Honors Program. Students regularly praise the way in which he integrates academic concepts with real-world examples and experience, and his ability to help them understand complicated ideas. In 2022, McLeskey was awarded the United Methodist Church Exemplary Teaching Award for his consistent student-centered approach to his classroom teaching. 

McLeskey is also a dedicated College servant. He is the director of the College’s Engineering program, which he successfully shepherded to ABET accreditation in 2024. He currently serves on the Committee on the Faculty, the faculty’s reappointment, tenure, and promotion committee. He also regularly serves on faculty search committees and previously served on the academic program’s Study-Travel Course Committee.

Maria Wornom Rippe Professorship in Engineering

The Maria Wornom Rippe Professorship in Engineering was established in 2025. Maria Wornom Rippe shares a deep and enduring bond with Randolph-Macon College, rooted in a family legacy that spans generations. Her father, Marchant Wornom, graduated as part of RMC’s Class of 1933, and she is the niece of distinguished alumni Herman E. Wornom (Class of 1923), John P. Wornom (Class of 1927), and Paul H. Wornom (Class of 1937).

A steadfast advocate for the liberal arts, Wornom Rippe created the professorship to support the teaching of the exceptional faculty in the engineering program and preserve Randolph-Macon’s core identity while ensuring its continued relevance in the evolving landscape of higher education.