Virginia University of Lynchburg (VUL) is a private historically black Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia. 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 by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). The campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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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 6.82 acres (2.76 ha): 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 historic district, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 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 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, 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 general John R. Jones, and mother of author Carrie Allen McCray, 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.
In July 2010, the school reached an agreement with Liberty University 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, 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 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, 1908–1911
Robert C. Woods, 1911–1926
William H.R. Powell, 1926–1929, 1934–1946
Vernon Johns, 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 (NCCAA) Division I. The Dragons were formerly a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). VUL previously competed, from 1921–22 to 1953–54, as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), which is currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
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, a Nyasa (Malawian) Baptist preacher and leader of the 1915 Chilembwe uprising. Graduated in 1901.
Georgia Mabel DeBaptiste, academic
James Robert Lincoln Diggs, pastor and civil rights activist
Herman Dreer (1888–1981), academic administrator, educator, educational reformer and activist, author, editor, minister, and civil rights leader
Vernon Johns, pastor and civil rights activist
W. Henry Maxwell, politician and pastor
Stella James Sims, biology professor at Storer College, Virginia University of Lynchburg, and Bluefield State College
Anne Spencer, poet, teacher, civil rights activist, librarian, and gardener
Fleming Emory Alexander, minister and businessman who founded the Roanoke Tribune in Roanoke, Virginia