RICHMOND — The Virginia
Supreme Court will hear the
appeals of students and alumni
challenging the end of 115 years
of single-sex education at the former
Randolph-Macon Woman’s
College.
The court, which is likely to
hear the cases in 2008, agreed on
Wednesday to hear two appeals
of Circuit Court dismissals: One
that claimed breach of contract
for adopting coeducation, the
other for using college assets to
benefit men.
Randolph Macon-Woman’s
College was established 116 years
ago and accepted its first class
of men this fall under a new
name: Randolph College. More
than 70 men are among the 660
students on Randolph’s Lynchburg
campus.
Amid protests, Randolph-Macon
Woman’s College board voted
one year ago to make the school
coeducational to reverse declining
enrollment and improve its
financial standing.
“We continue to feel very
confident in our position,” said
Brenda Edson, a spokeswoman for
Randolph College. “Our position
has always been extensive litigation
is not in the best interests of
anybody.”