Randolph-Macon College has named Scott Messing its new Vice President for Student Affairs, effective November 9, as President Michael E. Hill continues to build the College’s leadership team and institutional capacity for a new chapter at Randolph-Macon. 

The appointment comes as Randolph-Macon builds a leadership structure designed not only to serve the College well today, but also to position it for the opportunities and changing needs of the years ahead. In Student Affairs, that work includes a newly designed leadership model intended to strengthen both the day-to-day student experience and the College’s capacity to think strategically about how student needs and expectations are evolving. 

“As we look toward Randolph-Macon’s future, we are deliberately building a leadership team with the experience, perspective, and capacity to think beyond the immediate demands in front of us,” said President Hill. “Scott is an exceptional strategic thinker and operational leader, and he brings a distinctive set of experiences that will simultaneously preserve and innovate to ensure an outstanding, personal student experience at RMC—not only for the students we serve today, but for those who will arrive here in the years ahead.”

Before joining Randolph-Macon, Messing served for almost a decade as President and CEO of Youth For Understanding (YFU) USA, one of the world’s leading international youth exchange organizations. His work there brought together many of the dimensions that are increasingly important to the college student experience: student development, global engagement, intercultural competence, leadership development, safety and risk management, family engagement, residential placement, mental health and well-being, crisis response, and the creation of environments in which young people could grow through experiences outside their familiar surroundings. 

That experience gives Messing a perspective that extends beyond traditional student affairs administration. 

“Scott has spent much of the last decade thinking about how young people develop, how they encounter people and ideas different from their own, how institutions create environments where they can thrive, and what systems need to be in place to support them when they face challenges,” President Hill said. “That perspective is enormously valuable as Randolph-Macon thinks more deeply about how we prepare students to live, lead, and engage across differences.” 

As Vice President, Messing will have overall leadership responsibility for Student Affairs, with a particular focus on strategy, organizational capacity, systems and resources, and the integration of the student experience with the College’s broader institutional priorities. He will work closely with leaders across Randolph-Macon, particularly Academic Affairs, as well as Enrollment Management, Athletics, Advancement, Finance, Physical Plant, and Marketing and Communications. 

A national search is already underway for an Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, who will partner closely with Messing and provide day-to-day leadership for many of the College’s core student life functions, including student concerns and conduct, case management, residential life, and student organizations. 

Together, the two positions are designed to provide Student Affairs with both strong operational leadership and greater capacity for longer-range thinking about the student experience.  

“Students’ lives and expectations are changing, and the work of supporting them is increasingly complex,” Hill said. “We need to be excellent at the daily work of caring for and engaging our students while also asking bigger questions about belonging, well-being, residential life, community, and how the experiences students have outside the classroom complement the education they receive within it. This structure gives us the capacity to do both.” 

A lawyer by training, Messing came to the field of international exchange following earlier roles that included work with the National Association of Attorneys General and leadership in state government in Pennsylvania. He and President Hill worked alongside one another at YFU, and he subsequently rose through YFU’s leadership to become President and CEO. 

“Randolph-Macon has a remarkable opportunity to think intentionally about what it means to create a student experience that is deeply personal, challenging, supportive, and connected to the College’s mission,” Messing said. “I’m excited to join a community that cares so deeply about its students and to work alongside students, faculty, staff, and colleagues across the College as we build on what is already strong and consider what comes next.” 

Messing visited Randolph-Macon earlier this month and will begin his new role in early November, at which time Interim Vice President David Buckingham will complete his temporary appointment. Messing’s first months will include significant time listening and learning from students and colleagues across the College as he works with the Student Affairs team and helps shape the division’s next chapter.