Emory & Henry College announced Wednesday that Rosalind Reichard would become the college's first female president in its 170-year history.

Reichard, the senior vice president and vice president for academic affairs at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., will be the college's 20th president.

"The college is pleased to welcome Dr. Reichard as our new president," Thomas McGlothlin, chairman of the college's Board of Trustees, told a crowd of about 100 people who cheered for Reichard.

"She will bring strong leadership and a fresh perspective from her extensive and highly successful experience in higher education."

Emory & Henry's board chose Reichard from a short list of two finalists.

The other candidate, David Wood, is the senior vice president/operations and planning at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.

About 100 people applied for the top job, said Dirk Moore, director of public relations.

Reichard has a master's degree and Ph.D. in mathematics from Michigan State University.

She will replace Douglas Covington, the college's interim president, in July.

Covington, who retired as president emeritus of Radford University in 2005, took the interim post in January.

At that time, the college's 19th president, Thomas Morris, was appointed to serve as the state's secretary of education by Gov. Tim Kaine, after 14 years at the helm of the Methodist-affiliated college.