| Lee University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | "A Christ-Centered Liberal Arts Campus" |
| Established | 1918[1] |
| Type | Private, Liberal Arts |
| Religious affiliation | Church of God, but admits students of all religious preferences |
| Endowment | US $9 million |
| President | Dr. Charles Paul Conn[2] |
| Academic staff | 236 |
| Students | 4,377 (Fall 2010) |
| Location | Cleveland, Tennessee, U.S.[3] |
| Campus | Suburban, 120 acres |
| Colors | Burgundy and navy |
| Athletics | NAIA Division I-AA |
| Mascot | Flames[4] |
| Website | leeuniversity.edu |
Lee University is an American accredited, private, four-year liberal arts college located in Cleveland, Tennessee, United States. It is historically affiliated with the Church of God, a Pentecostal denomination, and was the denomination's Bible Training School from 1918 until 1947, when the name was changed to Lee College. Lee became a university in 1997. The university comprises five colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Helen DeVos College of Education, the School of Music, the School of Religion, and the Center for Adult & Professional Studies. Lee University is named for F.J. Lee, the institution's second president.
Lee was ranked by US News and World Report as 54th among Southern regional universities in 2011. The university's enrollment has more than quadrupled since 1986, marking the 25th straight year of increased enrollment under president Dr. Paul Conn. Lee University now maintains the fifth largest undergraduate enrollment among the 103 Christian colleges who are member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
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Lee University has seen its strongest growth since the 1980s, during which time enrollment has quadrupled and full university status attained. Lee's student body consists of 4,377 (grown from 960 in 1986)[5] students (as of Fall 2010). This makes Lee the 5th largest undergraduate enrollment among the 103 Christian colleges who are member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Students currently represent all 50 states and more than 49 countries. On average, Lee also accepts more than 200 transfer students each fall. Since 1986, Lee has also added twenty-two major buildings necessary to serve the students.
Lee University has a wide range of academic disciplines and extracurricular activities. Many activities such as chapel attendance (offered 2 times 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 (Typically taken during a summer break), are required of all graduates before they can receive their respective degree. Exceptions to these are made only under rare circumstances and only under the approval of an academic dean or the school president. All non-local entering freshmen are also required to live on-campus with exceptions made to married/divorced/widowed students, students with children, students 21 years and older, part-time students, and students living locally with immediate relatives.[6]
Entering freshmen of Lee University choose their courses of study, developed under the guidance of a faculty adviser. New freshmen and transfer students with under 16 credit hours are required to take a Gateway-Seminar course (a one-semester special topics seminar that stresses methods of inquiry, critical analysis, writing skills) and helps to transition the student to college life. The Gateway course is taught by a professor who is paired with an upper class student. To graduate, all students are generally expected to complete at least 42 credit hours in a major field and a total of 130 credit hours of academic work. Included in the total is a minor in Theology that consists of 18 credit hours and is required of all students, regardless of their program of study.
Lee has forty-nine different majors offered for study. Although Lee is notable for its religious education; pre-medicine, business, elementary education, and music are also considered among its strongest specialties. Lee's intensive teaching, active learning, residence in a community of cultural and global diversity, and the institution's commitment to Christian philosophy in both social and academic life come together to form a distinctive experience of liberal education.[5]
Lee is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and masters degrees. Lee has been selected for many years as a “Top Tier” institution in the US News and World Report college rankings. “America’s 100 Best College Buys” chose Lee as one of their top choices every year since 2006. Since the year 2000, Lee University has been listed as one of 141 of the Princeton Review ranking of “best colleges” in the Southeast.[7] The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has recommended Lee University as one of 50 "All-American Colleges". Lee University ranks second in the country among the top master's institutions in the percentage of undergraduates receiving credit for studying abroad, according to Open Doors 2010, an annual report published by the New York-based Institute of International Education (IIE), Lee has also been among the top 20 baccalaureate institutions nationally for the number of international students (248 in fall 2006). The music program achieved national recognition by becoming a full member of the National Association of Schools of Music in 1998.
Lee University is considered a selective liberal arts university. Historically, it has offered admission to 64% of its applicants, and approximately 80% of accepted students typically enroll in the fall. The average ACT scores achieved by its students is 23 and the average high school GPA is 3.41.
Lee's admissions selectivity rank according to The Princeton Review is 82 out of 99. This ranking is determined by several institutionally-reported factors, including: the class rank, average standardized test scores, and average high school GPA of entering freshmen; the percentage of students who hail from out-of-state; and the percentage of applicants accepted. The primary factor in evaluating applicants is the quality of the education they have received, as shown by their transcript. Early decision opportunities are offered to students in the fall; most students apply in January of their final year in high school. Admissions letters are usually received by April 1 of each year. All students begin classes in August. In some cases students are admitted before they graduate from high school; these students have typically taken all of the academic classes offered at their school.
Lee's combined tuition, room, board, and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year is $8,680 per semester. Tuition and fees are $5,805 per semester, and room and board (plus other assorted fees) are $3,475 per semester.[8]
The school's sports teams are named the Flames. With membership in the NAIA Division I-AA (NAIA), the Flames offer 15 team sports for their men and women student athletes. The available men's sports are: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, JV Basketball, Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, and Track. Athletic programs offered for women are: Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Fastpitch softball, Golf, Soccer, Tennis, Track, and Volleyball. Lee's Lady Flames soccer team won the NAIA National Championship in 2008[9] 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Lee features more than 60 student organizations in which to participate, which include:
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Greek lifeSocial Organizations
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Lee University is located in the town of Cleveland, Tennessee, which lies between Chattanooga, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee. Cleveland is located near the Ocoee River, the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics whitewater events, the Smoky Mountains, and the popular Gatlinburg area.
The 120-acre (0.49 km2) campus consists of various old and newly constructed academic buildings. The residential part is also spread throughout the campus with multiple dormitories and housing. Many building projects have been undertaken in recent years on the campus including; a new Humanities center, a new Religion building (2008), and a new state of the art Science building (2009). The campus also features several small park areas and articulate landscaping. The sidewalks went through a minor renovation several years ago to make them more handicap accessible as well.
Note: Dates of construction given when known
Lee University, like many faith-based colleges and universities, encourages a Christian philosophy of student behavior based on Biblical teachings. 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. Men and Women's dormitories are kept separate and premarital sexual intercourse is prohibited regardless of sexual preference, as is homosexual behavior in general. Immodesty and "occult practices" are also forbidden.[10]
Like many colleges and universities in the United States, Lee University students have the opportunity to participate in Greek organizations for the purpose of building social and professional relationships. Unlike chapters of most "Greek" fraternities and sororities, the primary Greek organizations on Lee University's campus are neither national nor recognized as fraternities or sororities and are instead colloquially referred to as "Greek clubs." [11] The only national Greek fraternities at Lee University are Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota, but they are officially regarded as academic organizations because of the administration's current policy against admitting national Greek fraternities and sororities onto its campus.
Attended Bob Jones College on what is now the Lee University campus:
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