Ronald Crutcher

Ronald Andrew Crutcher (born February 27, 1947) is an American classical musician and academic administrator who served as president of Wheaton College from 2004 to 2014,^[2] and as professor of music and 10th President of the University of Richmond from 2015 to 2021.^[3] He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.^[4]

Crutcher was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1947. He began learning the cello at the age of fifteen under the tutelage of Professor Elizabeth Potteiger at Miami University.^[5]

Crutcher is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Miami University.^[6][7] Crutcher pursued graduate studies at Yale University, during which he received support as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, a Ford Foundation Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow.^[8] In 1979, he became the first cellist to receive the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale.^[9] After becoming fluent in the German language, he continued his education at the University of Bonn.^[10]

Crutcher was Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro from 1987 to 1990. He then became Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Cleveland Institute of Music from 1990 to 1994. From 1994 to 1999, he served as Director of the School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin.^[11]

Crutcher then worked at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, serving as provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and a music professor. While at Miami University, Crutcher coordinated the "First in 2009" strategic vision process for the University and established the Center for American and World Cultures.^[12]

From 2004 to 2014, Crutcher served as president of Wheaton College. During his presidency, Wheaton College raised $137.6 million through a fundraising campaign, including $37 million for the Mars Center^[13] and $53.3 million for scholarships, including additional funds allocated to athletic facilities, student career support, and research programs. The campaign recorded a 72% rate of alumni participation.^[4]

In 2015, Crutcher was named the 10th president of the University of Richmond, succeeding Edward L. Ayers. In March 2021, the University of Richmond announced that Crutcher would step down as president on August 15. He was succeeded by Kevin Hallock, then dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.^[14]

Crutcher is also the founding co-chair of the Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) initiative,^[15] housed in the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).^[16]