Lee University

Last updated
Lee University
Lee University Seal.png
Former name
Church of God Bible Training School (1918–1948)
Lee College (1948–1997)
Motto"Where Christ is King" [1]
Type Private university
Established1918 [2]
Religious affiliation
 Church of God
Endowment US$18.6 million (2015) [3]
President Mark L. Walker
Students3,927 (fall 2022) [2]
Location
Cleveland, Tennessee

35°09′57″N84°52′16″W / 35.16583°N 84.87111°W / 35.16583; -84.87111
CampusSuburban, 130 acres (53 ha)[ citation needed ]
NewspaperLee Clarion
Colors     Burgundy and navy blue
Nickname Flames
Sporting affiliations
 NCAA Division II – Gulf South
MascotFlames [4]
Website www.leeuniversity.edu
Lee University logo.png

Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was founded in 1918 as the Church of God Bible Training School with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. [5] The school grew to become Lee College, with a Bible college and junior college on its current site, in 1948. Twenty years later, Lee received accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a four-year liberal arts college. In 1997, Lee became a university; it now offers master's degrees as well as undergraduate degrees. [6]

Contents

History

Bible training school

Lee University’s current campus originally housed a Methodist institution, Centenary College and Music School, as early as 1885. Part of the original Centenary facility remains on campus today as part of Lee’s administrative building. [7]

In 1911, at its sixth annual General Assembly, the Church of God appointed a committee to establish plans for a Bible training school. [8] Six years later, on January 1, 1918, the school’s first term began with a tuition of $1 per week. [9] Classes met in the council chamber of the Church of God Publishing House in Cleveland. Rev. A. J. Tomlinson served as the first superintendent of education. The only teacher, Nora Chambers, had twelve students. [8]

Lee's birthplace was in the Church of God Publishing House. Large-happy-90th-birthday-lee-university.jpeg
Lee's birthplace was in the Church of God Publishing House.

In 1920, the school expanded to the old sanctuary of the North Cleveland Church of God on People street and included a dormitory. In 1925, it moved to a larger facility on Montgomery Avenue: the Church of God Auditorium. In 1930, the institution added a high school, school of business, and school of music. The school constructed its first building, a women's dormitory, in 1937, but the following year the school moved to a 63-acre campus in Sevierville, Tennessee, when it purchased the Murphy Collegiate Institute for $29,990. [9] [10] Intramural athletic teams began in the 1940s. [11] In 1941, the school added a two-year junior-college to focus on teacher training and business education. [9] The Vindagua yearbook began in 1942 and the Clarion student newspaper was first published in 1946. [12] [13]

Becoming Lee College

Centenary is the oldest extant building on Lee's campus Centenary Building is the oldest structure on Lee University's Cleveland TN campus.jpg
Centenary is the oldest extant building on Lee's campus

In 1947, Bob Jones College moved from Cleveland to Greenville, South Carolina. [14] The Bible training school purchased the 20-acre campus for $1.5 million and the institution returned to Cleveland under a new name, Lee College, to honor its second president, Rev. F.J. Lee. [7] [9] After the move, the junior college received accreditation from the University of Tennessee. [9] In 1958, Lee gained its first varsity sports team: men's basketball. [11]

In 1960, the junior-college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. [9] The school adopted the Vikings mascot in 1961. [11] Greek letter clubs began the following year. The first Lee Day was held in 1964. In 1965, Lee’s high school program closed and the school opened a science building. The following year Lee desegregated, reached an enrollment of 1,000, and started the shift to a four-year institution. [9] The 1,800-seat Conn Center auditorium was constructed in 1977. [7] In 1982, the college mascot became the Flames. [11] The sports arena and library were built in 1983 and 1984 respectively.

The Conn administration

Dr. Charles Paul Conn became president in 1986. He became the longest-serving president of any college or university in Tennessee history. During his tenure Lee’s enrollment quadrupled from around 1,000 to more than 5,100. [7] In 1988, Lee closed Church Street on campus to create the Sharp Pedestrian Mall. [15]

In the 1990s, Lee built a theatre, recreation center, music building, and college of education. In November 1993, the Ellis Hall dormitory was destroyed by arson in the middle of the night. All 73 students were evacuated. [16] [17] The Voices of Lee choir debuted in fall 1994. [18] The next year Lee launched its first graduate program, church music. During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Lee housed more than 300 athletes and coaches participating in the games. [19] In fall 1997, Lee became a university. [8] The following year Lee established its Global Perspectives program, requiring all undergraduates to study abroad. [19]

The 2000s brought a new student center, three-story humanities center, and school of religion building. In 2007, Lee launched its Encore program for students over 60 and purchased the former campus of Mayfield Elementary School. [20] [21] In 2010, Lee purchased the downtown campus of Cleveland's First Baptist Church for $5 million to house a performance venue, Pangle Hall, and the School of Business. [22] A chapel and communications building were completed in the early 2010s. In 2013, a Lee University choir sang at the second inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama. [20] Lee began a School of Nursing in 2014 and finished a building for the department two years later. [23] The university filed an amicus brief in favor of employment discrimination against LGBT people in the court case Bostock v. Clayton County in 2019. [24]

Presidents

Academics

Academic rankings
Master's
Washington Monthly [26] 410 of 604
Regional
U.S. News & World Report [27] 31 of 123

The university is divided into six colleges and schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Helen DeVos College of Education, the School of Business, the School of Music, the School of Nursing, and the School of Theology and Ministry. [28]

Academic programs

Many co-curricular activities, such as chapel attendance (offered twice per week; students are required to attend 70% of services a month), service requirements (10 hours per semester; 80 total hours to graduate), and the study abroad program, called Global Perspectives, are required as part of degree programs. Exceptions and special cases are approved by the relevant academic dean or the president of the university. All non-local entering freshmen are also required to live on campus, with exceptions made for those who are married, divorced, widowed, parents, over age 21, part-time, or living locally with immediate relatives. [29]

Athletics

The Lee athletic teams are called the Flames. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) since the 2013–14 academic year.

Lee competes in 18 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis & track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Club sports are offered such as boxing, men's and women's rugby, spikeball and ultimate frisbee.

Campus

Lee University is located on a 120-acre campus in the town of Cleveland, Tennessee, which lies between Chattanooga and Knoxville. [9]

Note: Dates of construction given when known [30]


Student life

Community covenant

All students are asked to sign a "Community Covenant" which lists several restrictions on behaviors and social interaction according to the school's institutional and religious policy. Most notable are a substance policy barring alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs; and its stance on homosexuality, which is banned in all forms. Men's and women's dormitories are kept separate, and premarital sexual intercourse is prohibited. Immodesty and "occult practices" are also forbidden. [31]

Lee University prohibits homosexual relationships for students. [32]

Greek organizations

As of 2008, the university recognized ten Greek-letter organizations. [33]

Publications

Lee University's student newspaper, the Lee Clarion, is published during the academic school year. Lee Clarion Newspaper 2009-02-27.jpg
Lee University's student newspaper, the Lee Clarion, is published during the academic school year.

Student body

Lee's enrollment is 5,370 students, up from 960 in 1986 [35] (as of fall 2013)

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul National University</span> Public university in Seoul, South Korea

Seoul National University is a public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson State University</span> Public historically black university in Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.

Jackson State University is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of student enrollment. The university is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meharry Medical College</span> American medical school

Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first medical school for African Americans in the South. While the majority of African Americans lived in the South, they were excluded from many public and private racially segregated institutions of higher education, particularly after the end of Reconstruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)</span> Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Church of God, with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, United States, is an international Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination. The Church of God's publishing house is Pathway Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toccoa Falls College</span> Christian liberal arts college in Toccoa Falls, Georgia

Toccoa Falls College is a private evangelical Christian college in Toccoa Falls, Georgia, founded in 1907. The campus occupies 1,100 acres (450 ha), bordering the Chattahoochee National Forest and is home to Toccoa Falls, a 186-foot (57 m) high waterfall. It is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The college is also a member of Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi College</span> Private college in Clinton, Mississippi, US

Mississippi College (MC) is a private Baptist university in Clinton, Mississippi. Founded in 1826, MC is the second-oldest Baptist-affiliated college or university in the United States and the oldest college or university in Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Memphis</span> Public university in Memphis, Tennessee, US

The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Tennessee at Martin</span> Public university in Martin, Tennessee, US

The University of Tennessee at Martin is a public university in Martin, Tennessee. It is one of the five campuses of the University of Tennessee system. UTM is the only public university in West Tennessee outside of Memphis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Southern Maine</span> Public university in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston, Maine, U.S.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universities, Gorham Normal School and Portland University. The two universities, later known as Gorham State College and the University of Maine at Portland, were combined in 1970 to help streamline the public university system in Maine and eventually expanded by adding the Lewiston campus in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union University</span> Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, US

Union University is a private Baptist Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. It is a union of several different schools: West Tennessee College, formerly known as Jackson Male Academy; Union University of Murfreesboro; Southwestern Baptist University; and Hall-Moody Junior College of Martin, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Adventist University</span> Private university in Collegedale Tennessee, US

Southern Adventist University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Collegedale, Tennessee. It is owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It was founded in 1892 in Graysville, Tennessee, as Graysville Academy and was the first Adventist school in the southern U.S. Due to the need for additional space for expansion the school relocated in 1916 and was renamed Southern Junior College. In 1944, Southern began awarding baccalaureate degrees and was renamed Southern Missionary College. In 1996 the institution started conferring master's degrees and adopted its current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiwassee College</span> Former Methodist college in Madisonville, Tennessee, United States

Hiwassee College was a private liberal arts college in Madisonville, Tennessee. Founded in 1849, the college offered associate degrees as well as bachelor's degrees. The majority of its associate degree graduates went on to complete bachelor's degrees elsewhere. The college closed on May 10, 2019 due to financial issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland State Community College</span>

Cleveland State Community College is a public community college in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Like most community colleges, emphasis is on associate's degree-level classes, but it also offers some third- and fourth-year college-level courses as well, through arrangements with other institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont University</span> Private college in Demorest, Georgia, U.S.

Piedmont University is a private university in Demorest and Athens, Georgia. Founded in 1897, Piedmont's Demorest campus includes 300 acres in a traditional residential-college setting located in the foothills of the northeast Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains. Total enrollment is approximately 2,500 students and the campus includes ten residence halls housing more than 750 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles W. Conn</span> American college president and writer

Dr. Charles William Conn was an American influential figure in the Church of God (Cleveland) whose responsibilities spanned a wide spectrum of positions throughout his ministerial career. He was a native of Riverside, Georgia, a suburb community of Atlanta, and the son of Albert Cason Conn and Belle Brimer Conn. He was married for 56 years to Edna Minor, who died in 1997, and they had twelve children: Philip, Sara, Stephen, Paul, Sharon, Raymond, Camilla, Mark, Catherine, Bruce, Jeffrey and Melody. His son Paul became the 18th president of Lee University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Paul Conn</span> American university president

Charles Paul Conn is Chancellor and former President of Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Conn became president of Lee University in 1986 and announced retirement in 2019. He retired in 2020 to become chancellor. He was the longest serving CEO of any college or university in Tennessee history.

SAGU American Indian College is a private Christian college in Phoenix, Arizona. It was originally founded in 1957 by missionary Alta Washburn who saw the great need to prepare Native Americans for church ministry. SAGU AIC educates students from about 25 tribes but welcomes students of all ethnicities. It is a regional Assemblies of God college. Until late 2015 the college was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools but is now an approved campus of Southwestern Assemblies of God University and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Central High School</span> American public high school

Bradley Central High School is a public high school located in Cleveland, Tennessee that serves approximately 1,700 students from grades 9-12. It was founded in 1916, and is part of the Bradley County Schools system. The school maintains a crosstown rivalry with Cleveland High School, as well as fellow county rival Walker Valley High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentecostal Theological Seminary</span>

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is a private Christian seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee. While part of the educational ministry of the Church of God, the school accepts students of other denominations, particularly those interested in its emphasis on Wesleyan/Holiness theology and Pentecostal spirituality. It has trained ministers since 1975.

References

  1. ↑ "Lee University". 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  2. 1 2 "Lee University Quick Facts". Lee University. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Lee University". U.S. News & World Report. n.d. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Quick Facts". Lee University. Archived from the original on 2011-08-24. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  5. ↑ Hyatt, Susan Stubbs (2022). In the Spirit We're Equal (2nd ed.). Grapevine, TX, USA: Hyatt Press. p. 328. ISBN   978-1-888435-76-4.
  6. ↑ Lee to Celebrate Centennial, Lee University (January 1, 2018).
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Our History". Lee University. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  8. 1 2 3 Rust, Randal. "Lee University". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "LeeU Centennial – Celebrating A Century" . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  10. ↑ "1930 - 1939". Encyclopedia of Lee University History. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Historical Overview". Encyclopedia of Lee University History. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  12. ↑ Lee University (1973). Vindagua. William G. Squires Library Lee University. Lee University.
  13. ↑ "About". Lee Clarion. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  14. ↑ "History of BJU". Bob Jones University. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  15. ↑ "1980 - 1989". Encyclopedia of Lee University History. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  16. ↑ "College dormitory fire injures 17 students - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  17. ↑ Purvis, Dennis (Fall 2015). "Ellis Hall survivor's journey comes full circle" (PDF). Torch magazine. Cleveland, TN. p. 23. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  18. ↑ "Voices of Lee to Celebrate 25th Anniversary". Lee University. 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  19. 1 2 "1990 - 1999". Encyclopedia of Lee University History. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  20. 1 2 "2010 - 2019". Encyclopedia of Lee University History. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  21. ↑ "Faith News Network » Lee University Acquires Neighboring School". www.faithnews.cc. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  22. ↑ Keely, Harrison (2010-06-14). "Lee University buys downtown Cleveland First Baptist Church site". www.timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga Times Free Press . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  23. ↑ "About the School of Nursing". Lee University. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  24. ↑ Ludlow, Naomi (October 28, 2021). "These are the 'worst, most unsafe' campuses for LGBTQ students to attend". USA Today.
  25. ↑ "President Walker Announces Resignation". Lee University. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  26. ↑ "2023 Master's University Rankings". Washington Monthly . Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Best Colleges 2023: Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report . Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Academics". LeeUniversity.edu. Lee University. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-10-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  30. ↑ "Timeline". Encyclopedia of Lee University History. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  31. ↑ "Community Covenant" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-14. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  32. ↑ Redden, Elizabeth (March 26, 2021). "'Harmful to Queer Students'". Inside Higher Ed.
  33. ↑ "Lee University – Cleveland, TN – Temporary Outage". Students.leeuniversity.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  34. ↑ "Lee Clarion". LeeClarion.com. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  35. ↑ "Lee University- Publications". Leeuniversity.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  36. ↑ "Clark Beckham". Lee University. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  37. ↑ "Tennessee General Assembly Main Page". Legislature.state.tn.us. Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  38. ↑ "Lee Alumnus Nathan Chapman Stands Out In The Country Music Business – 12/09/2009". Chattanoogan.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  39. ↑ http://www.house.ga.gov/Documents/Biographies/coomerChristian.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  40. ↑ Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  41. ↑ "Lee University's Micah Massey wins Grammy in tie for best contemporary Christian music song". 2013-02-11.
  42. ↑ "Brooke Simpson - NBC.com". NBC. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  43. ↑ Hetter, Katia (December 16, 2015). "Fan favorite Jordan Smith wins 'The Voice'". CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  44. ↑ "American Idol Season Six Top 24 Contestant Phil Stacey". Americanidol.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  45. ↑ Charette, Blaine; Waddell, Robby (2020). Spirit and Story: Pentecostal Readings of Scripture. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press. pp. 1–18. ISBN   9781910928691.
  46. ↑ "Zawadzki First Flame to Reach the Majors". 2010-04-30. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
Listen to this article (23 minutes)
Sound-icon.svg
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 12 May 2010 (2010-05-12), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help  · More spoken articles)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.