The University of Lynchburg was founded in 1903 by Josephus Hopwood as Virginia Christian College. Hopwood was president of Milligan College in Tennessee when a group of ministers and businessmen approached him about establishing a college in Lynchburg. He agreed to serve as president, after which the group purchased the failed Westover Hotel resort for $13,500, securing Lynchburg's current campus. Hopwood worked with his wife Sarah Eleanor LaRue Hopwood to establish the college based on their shared vision.
The University of Lynchburg was the first institution in the United States to train nuclear physicists and engineers for the NS Savannah project under the order of President Eisenhower, to aid in the development and operation of the world's first nuclear-powered ship.[3]
The institution officially changed its name to Lynchburg College in 1919, citing a constituency that had expanded beyond Virginia.
Beginning with 11 faculty and 55 students, the institution has grown to 159 full-time faculty and 2,800 undergraduate and graduate students. For undergraduate students, the university offers 39 majors, 49 minors, two dual-degree programs, and the Westover Honors Program. It also confers the Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, and Master of Science in Nursing as well as doctoral degrees in physical therapy, physician assistants, and educational leadership.
The University of Lynchburg hymn was written by alumnus Paul E. Waters. Its melody is derived from J. S. Bach's "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden".
In fall 1994, a few months after Intel introduced its Pentium microprocessor, Thomas R. Nicely, from the University of Lynchburg, was performing computations related to the distribution of prime numbers and discovered the Pentium FDIV bug. Nicely left Lynchburg College in 2000.
In July 2018, the university changed its name from Lynchburg College to the University of Lynchburg.[4]
Snidow Chapel is a focal point on campusHopwood Hall, a Virginia Historic landmark
In May 2024, university administrators announced significant cuts to the university's academic programs, staff, and faculty. They planned to close 12 undergraduate majors, 25 undergraduate minors, and five graduate programs. They also planned to eliminate 40 staff and 40 faculty positions. University leaders described this as a "strategic transformation" that was necessary in light of declining enrollments and growing debt. From 2017 to 2022, enrollment decreased by nearly 15% to about 2,400 students. In 2023, the university experienced a deficit of $8.6 million.[5]
Presidents
President
Term
Josephus Hopwood
1903–1911
S.T. Willis
1911–1912
G.O. Davis
1912–1914
Matthew Clark (acting)
1914–1915
John T. Hundley
1915–1936
Riley B. Montgomery
1936–1949
Orville W. Wake '32
1949–1964
M. Carey Brewer '49
1964–1983
George N. Rainsford
1983–1993
Charles O. Warren
1993–2001
Kenneth R. Garren
2001–2020
Alison Morrison-Shetlar
2020-present
Campus
The University of Lynchburg is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, about 180 miles southwest of Washington D.C., in the Central Virginia foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It occupies 250 acres (1.0 km2) in Lynchburg and has a separate environmental research center on 470 acres (1.9 km2), the Claytor Nature Study Center, located about 40 minutes from campus. Most students live on campus and in nearby university-owned houses.
Student life
Carnegie Hall
The University of Lynchburg has over 40 clubs and organizations for students to participate in. Examples of organization types are Greek life, student government, spiritual life, volunteer organizations, leadership programs, and publications.[6]
Greek life
Fraternity life began on the University of Lynchburg campus in 1962, but disbanded in the mid-1980s. Fraternities and sororities appeared on campus again in 1992. All official Greek houses are located on Vernon Street and are currently owned by the university.[citation needed]
In recent years, Lynchburg athletics has competed for four team national championships. The women's soccer program won Lynchburg's first-ever team national championship in 2014, defeating Williams College in penalty kicks to take the crown.[7] In 2010, the Hornets men's soccer program reached the Division III national championship match, where they fell in overtime to Messiah College.[8] In 2015, the men's lacrosse team made its own run to the national title game, losing to Tufts University in the championship game, 19–11.[9] In the 2023 NCAA DIII baseball tournament final, Lynchburg defeated Johns Hopkins in 3 games to capture its first national championship.[10]
Multiple men's cross country, indoor, and outdoor track & field athletes have captured NCAA Division III titles over the years as well. In 2009, Ricky Flynn won the Division III men's cross country championship.
