Dear Members of the RMC Community,

I am pleased to share the good news that Randolph-Macon is planning for a full, in-person semester in Fall 2021! On campus, we are cheering the declining COVID-19 positivity rates nationwide and the increasing availability of vaccinations. We are hopeful that all faculty, staff and current students will have access to a vaccination soon, and we are doing what we can to facilitate that access. We are optimistic that these trends will allow next year on campus to feel much more like our pre-pandemic RMC.

Throughout the last year, our twin guiding principles have been the health and safety of the RMC Community and our commitment to maintaining your academic continuity. To these we now add our fervent desire to restore as much of your beloved campus experience as safely as possible.

We are planning for our classes to meet in-person, understanding that the guidance for physical distancing in educational settings continues to evolve. We plan for the return of most students to on-campus living, an important part of the Randolph-Macon student experience, and without the need for the blanket residential waiver we offered last August. We are excited about the return of in-person dining, student group activities, and social gatherings, and we anticipate a more robust student-athlete experience.

Importantly, we will continue investing in keeping our community healthy and safe, under continued guidance from our excellent RMC Health Team, who, in turn, will maintain their strong partnership with the Virginia Department of Health. And we will also continue to offer accommodation and flexibility for members of our community who require it.  

Of course, the realization of these plans depends on the availability and continued efficacy of vaccines for faculty, staff and students, and the continued evolution of scientific guidance on mitigating COVID. We know we may not be able to return to all aspects of pre-pandemic life, but we are planning for a year that looks and feels much more like the Randolph-Macon we know and love. 

Sincerely,

Bob Lindgren

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