Randolph-Macon College

Randolph-Macon College (R-MC) in Ashland, Virginia was founded in 1830 by a group of Virginia Methodists and named after two statesmen. The college was originally built in the town of Bodyton but was moved to Ashland in 1868 to escape the Civil War. Students raised much of the money required for the construction of the first college building on the new site, called Washington and Franklin Hall. The college continued to grow, in 1971 becoming fully coeducational. R-MC remains the oldest continually-running Methodist-affiliated college in the US, and today welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds.

Today the college is a private, coeducational liberal arts university offering four-year degrees. R-MC is home to roughly 1300 students and the original curriculum has expanded to include around 40 majors and 30 minors as well as several pre-professional programs. The college also provides undergraduate research programs, internship and study abroad schemes to students.

The campus covers 116 acres and has 12 residence halls which provide rooms for a large percentage of the student body who live on campus. Tree-lined paths link the campus’ historic buildings and grassy lawns provide students a place to relax and study. The campus has over 60 buildings in total including the college’s academic, administrative and athletic centres. The campus also features the Keeble Observatory, the Flippo Art Gallery and the McGraw Page library.