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Museum and Heritage Studies

Our unique interdisciplinary program is based on hands-on experiences and a solid research foundation across the arts, humanities, and social and natural sciences.

Samantha Strickler ’17 and History Professor Gerry Sherayko and look up property records from the early 1900's in the Jones Memorial Library.

Why Museum and Heritage Studies at Randolph?

Students take advantage of Randolph’s unique on-campus collections of art and natural history and archaeology collections, as well as strong ties to local, national, and international resources, archives, museums, and research institutions.

The Center for Career Development connects students to internships and fieldwork with professional organizations in the US and abroad, including the Preservation Institute Nantucket, the Archaeological Conservation Institute (Italy), and exclusive internships at The National Gallery (London).

Graduates emerge with a broad interdisciplinary background of knowledge and experience as well as practical skills and fresh perspectives for presenting and studying visual and material culture.

The program is based on Randolph College’s world-class Maier Museum of Art and the College’s notable natural history and archaeology collections, and has a strong commitment to hands-on, experiential learning in and out of the classroom.

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Museum and Heritage Studies

Minor in Museum Studies

Curriculum and Courses

Related Programs

Art History

History

Classical Studies

Unique Experiences

The Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College

Randolph College’s nationally recognized Maier Museum of Art features works by outstanding American artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The College has been collecting American art since 1920 and now holds a collection of several thousand paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs.  The Maier’s permanent collection tells the story of the development of American Art and the intrinsically connected growth of America’s expansion and history.

An annual exhibition of contemporary art, known as “The Annual,” continues the narrative with a focus on the art and issues of our time. Established in 1911, it the is longest running exhibition of contemporary art presented at an academic institution in the United States.  

The Maier hosts an active schedule of special exhibitionsvisiting artists and scholars, and education programs throughout the year. Through its programsinternshipsmuseum studies practicums, and class visits, the Maier Museum of Art provides valuable learning opportunities for Randolph students and our community at large.

maiermuseum.org

The Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collections

The Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collections, established in 1895, contain hundreds of zoological specimens including birds, mammals, fishes, reptiles, insects, marine invertebrates, and fossils. The collections boast an excellent herbarium containing thousands of specimens of plants indigenous or introduced to the eastern United States, specifically Central Virginia. Also notable is the large geology collection, featuring thousands of rock and mineral samples from around the world. The archaeological collections contain artifacts and remains from local and classical Mediterranean sites.

Through classwork, internship, and volunteer opportunities, the Natural History and Archaeology Collections offer a cross-disciplinary approach to developing crucial skills of observation and methodology in the research of natural sciences.

naturalhistory.go.randolphcollege.edu

The National Gallery, London

A One of a Kind Partnership

Randolph is the only college or university in the United States that offers an internship at the National Gallery of Art, London.

Two students spend eight weeks of the summer learning museum work at one of the world’s greatest painting collections.

The partnership also brings high-level staff members of the National Gallery to campus for lectures and master classes with Randolph students.  

Learn more about the National Gallery, London internship program.

Internships

In addition to experiential learning at the Maier Museum of Art and with the Randolph College Natural History and Archaeology Collections, majors are required to complete at least two internships.

Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, and other local and regional historical and archaeological sites, and a variety of archives, collections, and museums give students access to exceptional resources for research and career exploration.

The program also capitalizes on Randolph College’s impressive range of internships and fieldwork with professional organizations in the US and abroad, including at the Preservation Institute NantucketThe National Gallery (London), and the Archaeological Conservation Institute (Italy), the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Opportunities

Top Ranked Professors

Randolph College’s faculty are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the College in the Top 20 for most accessible professors in the 2021 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 387 Colleges.

Randolph has been ranked in the top 20 for most accessible professors for four consecutive years.

Museum and Heritage Studies Faculty

Gerard Sherayko

Professor of History

Read More... Gerard Sherayko

Andrea Campbell

Professor of Art History

Read More... Andrea Campbell

Laura McManus

Curator of Education, Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College

Read More... Laura McManus

Susan Stevens

Professor of Classics, The Catherine Ehrman Thoresen ’23 and William E. Thoresen Chair of Humanities

Read More... Susan Stevens

Department News

Students contribute to exhibition for Introduction to Museum Studies course

"Our Animal Nature" is currently on display in Lipscomb Library.

Read More

UVa professor to discuss archaeological looting in lecture

Fiona Greenland, who works at the intersection of cultural sociology, comparative and historical sociology, and archaeology, will speak at Randolph College on Wednesday, March 1.

Read More

2021 Thayer Lecture to focus on the value of historic preservation

Thompson M. Mayes, the chief legal officer and general counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will give Randolph College’s 2021 Philip Thayer Memorial Lecture.

Read More

Students contribute to exhibition for Introduction to Museum Studies course

"Our Animal Nature" is currently on display in Lipscomb Library.

Read More

UVa professor to discuss archaeological looting in lecture

Fiona Greenland, who works at the intersection of cultural sociology, comparative and historical sociology, and archaeology, will speak at Randolph College on Wednesday, March 1.

Read More

2021 Thayer Lecture to focus on the value of historic preservation

Thompson M. Mayes, the chief legal officer and general counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will give Randolph College’s 2021 Philip Thayer Memorial Lecture.

Read More

Only at Randolph

Randolph students can take advantage of unique programs which give them a more enriching education than can be found anywhere else.

Money for Your Research

The Randolph Innovative Student Experience (RISE) program provides every student a $2,000 grant to fund research, creative work, experiential learning or other scholarly pursuits.

Learn More
TAKE2

Two courses per half-mester means you get to focus in and dig deep into your coursework while still having time for the rest of the college experience. Two classes. Seven weeks. Repeat.

Learn More
The Liberal Arts Advantage

Randolph graduates learn to think critically, solve problems and work well with others. They are prepared to succeed in all aspects of life.

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The Randolph Plan

Randolph students work with faculty mentors to explore a broad range of disciplines as they chart their academic path.

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Gerard Sherayko

Professor of History

Credentials:B.A, Widener University
M.A., Pennsylvania State University
Ph.D., Indiana University
Associated Departments:History, Museum and Heritage Studies
Office:Smith 304
Phone:434.947.8521
Email:gsherayko@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

When I applied for a teaching position here, I had never heard of the College. I knew I wanted to teach at a small school, but I had no idea how much I would fall in love with this campus, its students, and its emphasis on academics. This place is more than a job for me. There is something special here that makes you feel at home. We’re able to do so much more in class because of the College’s small size.

My classes give me the opportunity to help students understand their world and the importance of history. I teach courses on general 20th century European history, German history and Russian history as well as seminars such as Propaganda, Genocide, The Holocaust, and Women and the Two World Wars. I also teach a course entitled Paris and Berlin in the 1920s: A Cultural History. This class, inspired by my own scholarly research on the evolution of a consumer culture in Germany during the 1920s, explores the unprecedented explosion of artistic creativity that emerged from the cafes, cabarets, and studios of Paris and Berlin.

Like most of the professors here, I try to bring my classroom alive for students. You can’t learn everything from just one textbook. Since I love movies, I integrate films into all of my classes. I also assign novels, memoirs, and biographies and utilize images to provide a visual context for many of the topics discussed in my courses.

But most importantly, we talk. One of my favorite aspects about the College is its diversity. There are so many international students here and in my classes. When I am teaching about various events, it is amazing to have students from places like Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Nepal, Germany, Argentina, Jamaica, Mongolia, and Romania sharing their and their families’ stories. These different perspectives add so much to class discussions.

I, along with faculty colleagues, have also taken students to Prague and Berlin as part of a course entitled Coming to Terms with the Past. While on this trip, we visited many important historical sites and museums that deal with the imperial, Nazi and communist pasts and met many eyewitnesses to history including a Holocaust survivor, a Czech pilot who fought against Nazi Germany in World War II, and a former East German prisoner. Randolph College Associate Professor of French Jamie Rohrer and I have also taken students to Paris and Berlin for a course entitled Capitals of Culture. Since this course concentrated on art, architecture, literature and cinema of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we visited museums such as the Musée d’Orsay, Musée Picasso and the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Film Museum, Jewish Museum, and Bauhaus Museum in Berlin.

I have also participated in Randolph College’s American Culture Program. Dealing with issues such as the impact of Disney on America and the theme of movement in American culture, I, along with colleagues with expertise in fields such as gender studies, geography, American literature, and folklore have taken students to Jamestown, Williamsburg, Savannah, Orlando, Washington, Philadelphia and New York City.

I also frequently lead field trips to Washington, D.C. to visit museums such as the National Gallery and the Holocaust Museum. My goal is to take students on a summer trip to Germany for a course on the impact of World War II in the next few years.

Given my expertise in twentieth century German history, I joined the board of the Holocaust Education Foundation of Central Virginia soon after I arrived in Lynchburg. As a member of the board, I’ve been able to help bring several guest speakers to Lynchburg to discuss issues surrounding the impact of the Holocaust. I’ve brought two Holocaust survivors to speak at the Randolph College campus: Eva Kor, whose life story is featured in the documentary Forgiving Dr. Mengele, and Gerda Weissmann Klein. Klein’s story is presented in the Academy Award winning documentary One Survivor Remembers and I use her memoir All But My Life in my introductory modern European history course.

Besides my interest in history I have a passion for historic preservation. Inspired by an architectural boat tour of Chicago over twenty years ago, I became involved in historic preservation efforts while a graduate student back in Indiana. In 2006 I joined the board of the Friends of Rivermont Historical Foundation (FORHS) and in 2007 I became the board president. Dedicated to preserving and improving the beauty, safety and community spirit of Historic Rivermont, the FORHS board conducts several community outreach programs including an annual ice cream social and a holiday lights tour. In addition, in 2010 and 2011 I participated in the College’s Summer Research Program to conduct research on the individual buildings within the Rivermont Avenue Historic District (including Randolph College). Working with four RC History majors, we gathered information and took photos of the buildings within the Rivermont Avenue Historic District for the FORHS website www.friendsofrivermont.org

When I’m not teaching, you are most likely to find me traveling. My wife, Carolyn, and I love to visit art museums, buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, presidential sites, movie palaces, and classic diners. We also like to check out weird attractions such as the World’s Largest Bull or the World’s Largest Badger or the two competing World’s Largest Balls of Twine. We’ve even seen the World’s Largest Talking Cow, which rests beside the World’s Largest Replica Cheese in Neillsville, Wisconsin. As always, we hope to hit a few more presidential sites and unique roadside attractions this year.

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Andrea Campbell

Professor of Art History

Credentials:B.A., The American University
M.A., PhD., Rutgers State University of New Jersey

Associated Departments:Art History and Studio Art, Museum and Heritage Studies, Renaissance Studies
Office:Leggett 536
Phone:434.947.8483
Email:acampbell@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

As an undergraduate in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to study original works of art at the National Gallery and was enthralled by their collection of Italian Renaissance art. Italian Renaissance art is now my specialty, and I teach a range of courses at Randolph including Ancient, Medieval, and Baroque art, as well as Museum Studies. The interdisciplinary approach that framed my undergraduate education in Renaissance Studies still informs my teaching and research, and some of my favorite classes are those I co-teach with colleagues, such as Masterworks of Greek and Roman Art, a course that combines the perspectives of archaeology and art history.

The study of art and the material of our cultural patrimony has never been more critical to our lives as citizens. My students learn how to reconstruct the original meaning of works of art and architecture while being encouraged to consider their roles as historians and challenged to pose new questions.  The skills gained in critical thinking and writing, in addition to the ability to read and discern meaning in our visual environment, are some of the powerful tools gained in the study of art history that serve our students well in all their future occupations.

I am dedicated to getting students in front of original works of art and take students on field trips to all sorts of museums, both in our area and in nearby cities such as Richmond and Washington. My favorite course culminates in a two-week study tour in Italy; it is a great joy for me to witness students experience the power of Italian art in a way that can never be matched in the classroom.

My research interests include fifteenth-century Sienese art and culture, the subject of a current book project, and issues of patronage and iconography in Venetian painting and sculpture, which will be explored in two future projects.

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Laura McManus

Curator of Education, Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College

Credentials:
Associated Departments:Museum and Heritage Studies
Phone:(434) 947-8136 ext. 5
Email:lmcmanus@randolphcollege.edu
Website:https://maiermuseum.org/education/

News Headlines

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Susan Stevens

Professor of Classics, The Catherine Ehrman Thoresen ’23 and William E. Thoresen Chair of Humanities

Credentials:B.A., University of South Carolina
M.A., University of Wisconsin (Madison)
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin (Madison)
Associated Departments:Classical Studies, Museum and Heritage Studies
Email:sstevens@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

Since joining the faculty at Randolph College, I have combined my training as a Classical philologist specializing in Latin with my research as an archaeologist: I teach all levels of Latin language and literature, and courses in Mediterranean archaeology. I try to convey my enthusiasm for Latin as a window into the literature, culture and history of Rome as well as a foundation for learning other languages and developing better English. My archaeology courses emphasize the material culture and physical environment of the Roman world. I like collaborative work: team-teaching with my colleagues in the Art department and observing my Latin students teaching Latin to gifted third, fourth and fifth graders in Lynchburg has been a treat, and eye-opening too.

A specialist in the archaeology of North Africa, I have directed excavations at Carthage and Lamta (Tunisia) that included archaeological field schools for undergraduate students. The excavations resulted in the publication of numerous articles and three books to which current and former students have contributed. I have become especially concerned of late about archaeological and cultural heritage conservation, and have developed a summer course in Italy with conservator Roberto Nardi to get my students involved.

My fieldwork and other collaborative ventures lead me to encourage students to participate in excavations, conservation programs, interdisciplinary research and experiential learning on our campus and overseas. As a student of modern languages and a passionate advocate of overseas travel and study, I urge Classics majors to study in Rome, Athens, Reading University or elsewhere for a semester.

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