Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

university in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

. VUL offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs primarily focused on religious studies, business, and the liberal arts. Academically, VUL is structured into three main schools: the School of Religion, School of Business Administration, and School of Liberal Arts & Sciences. VUL is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Sta ...

(TRACS). The campus is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

Virginia University of Lynchburg is the oldest school of higher learning in Lynchburg. The school was founded in 1886 and incorporated in 1888 by the Virginia Baptist State Convention as the coeducational "Lynchburg Baptist Seminary". Classes were first held in 1890 under the name Virginia Seminary. With the offering of a collegiate program in 1900, the name was again changed, to "Virginia Theological Seminary and College". In 1962, the institution was renamed to the "Virginia Seminary and College". Finally, in 1996, the school was given its current name. The campus includes three historic academic buildings on : Graham Hall (1917), Humbles Hall (1920–21), and the Mary Jane Cachelin Memorial Science and Library Building (1946). These buildings and the Hayes Monument (c. 1906) comprise a

, an
''Accompanying six photo''
which was listed on the

in 2010. Its first president was Phillip F. Morris, pastor of the city's Court Street Baptist Church. Seeking a financial patron, Morris agreed to step down as president rather than yield to the demand of the

American Baptist Home Mission Society The American Baptist Home Mission Society is a Christian missionary society. Its main predecessor the Home Mission Society was established in New York City in 1832 to operate in the American frontier, with the stated mission "to preach the Gospe ...

that he step down from the pulpit to assume full-time leadership of the school. Morris would later serve as president of the National Baptist Convention. Gregory W. Hayes, a graduate of

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, assumed the full-time position as president in 1891, serving until his death in 1906. His wife, Mary Rice Hayes Allen, biracial daughter of a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

general

John R. Jones John Robert Jones (March 12, 1827–April 1, 1901) was a Virginia educator who became a brigadier general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War, during which he twice received severe wounds. After the war, he became a mercha ...

, and mother of author

Carrie Allen McCray Carrie Allen McCray (October 4, 1913 – July 25, 2008) was an African-American writer. Early and family life Carrie Allen was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, October 4, 1913, and raised in that city, where she came to know poet Anne Spencer, ...

, assumed the presidency until succeeded by JRL Diggs in 1908. During Hayes' administration, controversy arose between black separatists and accommodationists over the future of the school. The chief patron wished it to become a pre-collegiate manual training institution. Hayes, among the separatists, returned the patronage to retain and strengthen black autonomy and academic integrity. This move eventually led to a schism within the National Baptist Convention. left, Humbles Hall in 2016 In July 2010, the school reached an agreement with

Liberty University Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a Private university, private Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservativ ...

to help VUL students looking for degrees not offered at the school to complete their degrees at Liberty. On April 22, 2024, the university's accreditor,

TRACS The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Sta ...

, voted to place the VUL on probation for failing to maintain its accreditation standards. Namely, the TRACS board found issue in the financing of VUL, stating the institution failed to meet

Title IV Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) covers the administration of the United States federal student financial aid programs. American colleges and universities are generally classified with regard to their inclusion under Title IV, ...

regulations, and must provide a full audit of its 2023 financials. VUL had until September 1, 2024, to submit its completed 2023 audit, otherwise the TRACS board would have voted on whether to place the school on a second year of probation, which could have resulted in the school losing its accreditation as a university. However, as of 2025, the institution has demonstrated compliance with all TRACS standards, with no follow-up reporting required.

University presidents

The following have led Virginia University of Lynchburg since its founding: # Philip F. Morris, 1888–1890 # Gregory W. Hayes, 1891–1906 # Mary Rice Hayes Allen, 1906–1908 #

James Robert Lincoln Diggs James Robert Lincoln Diggs (November 7, 1866 – April 14, 1923) was an American civil rights leader, college president, pastor, and college football coach. Early life and studies Diggs earned degrees from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn ...

, 1908–1911 # Robert C. Woods, 1911–1926 # William H.R. Powell, 1926–1929, 1934–1946 #

Vernon Johns Dr. Vernon Johns (April 22, 1892 – June 11, 1965) was an American minister based in the South and a pioneer in the civil rights movement. He is best known as the pastor (1947–52) of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He ...

, 1929–1934 # Madison C. Allen, 1946–1966 # MacCarthy C. Sutherland, 1966–1980 # Benjamin W. Robertson, 1980 # Leroy Fitts, 1980–1981 # Thomas E. Parker, 1982–1987 # Melvin R. Boone, 1988–1990 # Ada M. Palmer, 1990–1992 # Elisha G. Hall, 1992–1999 # Ralph Reavis, 2000–2015 # Kathy C. Franklin, 2016–Present

Athletics

The VUL athletic teams are called the Dragons. The university is a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic c ...

(NCCAA). The Dragons were formerly a member of the

United States Collegiate Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 national ...

(USCAA). VUL previously competed as a member of the

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (originally and through 1950 known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association — CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...

(CIAA), which is currently an

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

athletic conference, from 1921–22 to 1953–54. VUL competes in eight intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, football and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

Notable alumni and faculty

* Lawrence Carter, civil rights historian *

John Chilembwe John Chilembwe (June 1871 – 3 February 1915) was a Baptist pastor, educator and revolutionary who trained as a minister in the United States, returning to Nyasaland in 1901. He was an early figure in the resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland ...

, a Nyasa (Malawian) Baptist preacher and leader of the 1915

Chilembwe uprising The Chilembwe uprising was a rebellion against British colonial rule in Nyasaland (modern-day Malawi) which took place in January 1915. It was led by John Chilembwe, an American-educated Baptist minister. Based around his church in the village ...

. Graduated in 1901. * Georgia Mabel DeBaptiste, academic *

, pastor and civil rights activist * Herman Dreer (1888–1981), academic administrator, educator, educational reformer and activist, author, editor, minister, and civil rights leader *

, pastor and civil rights activist * W. Henry Maxwell, politician and pastor * Stella James Sims, biology professor at

Storer College Storer College was a historically Black college in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, that operated from 1867 to 1955. A national icon for Black Americans, in the town where the 'end of American slavery began', as Frederick Douglass famously put i ...

, Virginia University of Lynchburg, and

Bluefield State College Bluefield State University is a public historically black university (HBCU) in Bluefield, West Virginia. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History The Bluefield Colored Institute was founded in 1895 as ...

Anne Spencer Anne Bethel Spencer (born Bannister; February 6, 1882 – July 27, 1975) was an American poet, teacher, civil rights activist, librarian, and gardener. She was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, also known as New Negro Movement, the N ...

, poet, teacher, civil rights activist, librarian, and gardener

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{authority control Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in Virginia Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia USCAA member institutions Former Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association schools National Register of Historic Places in Lynchburg, Virginia 1886 establishments in Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1886