Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, and Friends,

I’m thrilled to share the exciting news that the Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Dr. Michael E. Hill as the 16th President of Randolph-Macon College.

Michael’s extraordinary track record of leading and transforming educational nonprofits makes him uniquely qualified to serve as the College’s next president. In his previous leadership roles, he delivered bold strategic plans that enhanced the mission of these institutions while also improving their financial stability. Therefore, both the Board and Presidential Search Committee, which was comprised of trustees, alumni, faculty, staff, and students, believed that Michael distinguished himself among a pool of highly qualified candidates.

Michael will join the RMC community on August 1 after completing an eight-year, highly successful tenure as President of Chautauqua Institution, a 150-year-old educational community in western New York dedicated to engaged dialogue and cultural enrichment. He has led a transformation at Chautauqua through new partnerships, new funding sources, and a bold vision that extends its mission nationwide. Previously, he led the nonprofit Youth for Understanding, one of the oldest international student exchange programs in the country, which allowed him to work with thousands of young people around the globe. His life’s work has centered on convening meaningful dialogue and inquiry about major issues in a global context—a passion that strongly aligns with our liberal arts tradition.

Dr. Hill’s record of serving students is both long and diverse. He worked for his alma mater St. Bonaventure University in his early career, and served as both an award-winning adjunct faculty member at George Mason University for more than a decade and an international educator and administrator in his leadership roles. He has served on boards for numerous nonprofit organizations, and as a trustee at St. Bonaventure for nine years. His personal story as a first-generation graduate of a liberal arts institution much like ours further enhances his ability to communicate authentically what makes RMC special. 

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the Presidential Search Committee, who selected Michael from among more than 100 candidates. The committee dedicated countless hours to the search process.

I also commend again the tremendous leadership of President Lindgren in this final year as our 15th president. It is surely the foundation he built that helped assure a robust and qualified pool of applicants.

I encourage you to watch the video below and read the formal announcement for more on Dr. Hill’s impressive biography. Please join me in welcoming him to our Yellow Jacket community—I know you’ll enjoy getting to know him, as I have, over the weeks and years to come!

Sincerely,

Sue Schick
Chair, Randolph-Macon Board of Trustees