Alumni Association History

The University of Richmond Alumni Association (URAA) was founded in July 2003. This new association resulted from a merger of the Westhampton College Alumnae Association, Richmond College Alumni Association, and the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business Alumni Association, which was approved by all three association boards in May 2002.

The three alumni associations were formed when the University had three undergraduate academic units. By the early 1990s, the University’s structure had changed, and the alumni associations no longer paralleled the two student life colleges — Westhampton College for women and Richmond College for men — and the three undergraduate academic units — School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Also, approximately 50 percent of Richmond alumni had graduated since the early 1980s, and many of these younger alumni did not feel a particular identification with any of the three associations and often were not continuing a relationship with the University. The merging of the alumni associations was the culmination of a year of transition and input, and represented the current needs of alumni and other University constituencies.

Today, the URAA has become a visible and strong presence in University life.