Summary
Lindenwood University, often referred to as Lindenwood or LU, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Saint Charles, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Linden Wood School for Girls, it is the second oldest higher-education institution west of the Mississippi River and since 1990 the fastest growing university in the Midwest.[4][5][6][7]
Lindenwood offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees through nine colleges and schools and has current enrollment of 17,351 traditional and non-traditional students,[8] including around 10,000 students at the main campus with over 4,500 living on-campus; a sister college in Belleville, Illinois known as LU–Belleville with around 2,600 students; and an additional 5,000 attending various distance learning facilities throughout Greater St. Louis.[9] The 500-acre (202.3 ha) main academic and residential campus is located 24 miles (39 km) northwest of St. Louis, Missouri in St. Charles, the Daniel Boone historic site in Defiance, Missouri 26 miles (42 km) southwest of the St. Charles campus. As of 2012, Lindenwood was not ranked by the U.S. News & World Report as a regional university and ranked 527 out of 553 in the Masters category of The Washington Monthly's University Rankings.[10]
Fielding athletic teams known as Lindenwood Lions, the university is in the process of transitioning athletics from the NAIA and member of the Heart of America Conference to NCAA Division II. The university is currently a provisional member of the NCAA and member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) as its primary conference. In addition, various other sports teams participate in other NCAA Division II sport conferences for sports that the MIAA does not sponsor. Although the university primarily plays in NCAA Division II, three sports play as Division I members at the National Collegiate level in certain sports: the women's ice hockey team plays in Division I and is a member of College Hockey America (CHA); Men's volleyball competes as a Division I team as member of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA); and the women's gymnastics team will be competition in the 2012–13 academic year as Division I program with the Midwest Independent Conference (MIC). Lindenwood also sponsors a wide variety of sports not sponsored by the NCAA that compete in various other sport governing bodies and conferences. The Lindenwood athletic program is known for its success in roller hockey, men's and women's ice hockey, wrestling, and shooting sports. The football and basketball teams have also had recent successes in NAIA postseason play. The LU official school and athletic colors are black and gold.[11]
The majority of Lindenwood's students are from Missouri, with out-of-state and foreign students accounting for 30% of undergraduate enrollment. The university offers a number of extracurricular activities to its students, including athletics, honor societies, clubs and student organizations, as well as fraternities and sororities. Alumni and former students have gone on to prominent careers in government, business, science, medicine, education, sports, and entertainment.
History
Lindenwood University traces its roots back to George Champlin Sibley, an early 19th-century American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and politician, and his wife Mary Easton Sibley, an educator. In 1808, Acting-Governor and friend Frederick Bates promoted Sibley to the position of chief factor at Fort Osage in western Missouri, near present day Kansas City, Missouri.[12] While at Fort Osage, Sibley immediately set to work creating relationships with the neighboring Osage tribes.[13] He also courted Mary Easton, the daughter of Rufus Easton, a prominent St. Louis attorney and Missouri's 2nd Attorney General. The couple were married in 1815.[14][15] During the Sibleys' time at Fort Osage, Mary began teaching the children at the fort.[15][16]
In 1813, Sibley opened a temporary trading post at Fort Sibley, now known as the town of Arrow Rock, Missouri which remained in operation until 1822. After the trading post shut down, George and Mary remained at Fort Osage, with George serving as postmaster until the fort closed in 1825.[14] The couple then settled in St. Charles where Mary began teaching family members and later, in 1827, other young women from the community .[15][17] Lindenwood University is now considered the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Mississippi River, after St. Louis University as well as the first women's college west of the Mississippi.[4] In 1829 The Sibleys purchased 280 acres (113.3 ha) of land, known as the "Linden Wood" because of the numerous linden trees. The Sibley's borrowed money and began clearing the overgrown property to convert the property into a farm with livestock brought from Fort Osage. They completed construction of a cabin and outhouses and moved into Linden wood in December 1929. As the work on Linden wood continued, the idea of opening a boarding school evolved.[15][17]
Mary Sibley took in students within a year of moving into the cabin. Her twelve-year-old sister, Alby became the first student at Linden wood in the fall of 1830. A year later the first two paying students; and in early 1832, the Sibley’s made plans to expand the cabin to create a boarding school for women to over a dozen students[15] During the 1830s the school was known as The Boarding School for Young Ladies at Linden wood, Missouri.[15] Mary took charge of the boarding school and developed a strict curriculum that included literature, grammar, writing, spelling, and diction. French, music and piano, landscape painting, flower painting and needle work were available for an additional fee. The school was one of the first to require physical education, which included walking and dancing.[15][18]
By the 1840s, the boarding school had grown to 30 students. As the enrollment expanded, the Sibley's added new rooms to the cabin. The continued improvements created a financial strain on the school and Mary Sibley traveled to the East Coast to solicit additional funding.[15] In the early 1850s, the school was on the brink of closing when the Sibleys offered the property the Presbyterian Church.[15] In 1853 the school was incorporated by special act of the Missouri Legislature and became known as the Lindenwood College for Women. The newly chartered college was placed under the control of fifteen directors appointed by the Presbytery of St. Louis. On July 4, 1856 the cornerstone was laid for a new permanent brick building to replace the original log cabins. The new building, Sibley Hall, was completed in July 1857, and at the time contained the entire school. This event marked the beginning of a new era of significant growth for Lindenwood.[19]
George Sibley died in 1863. Following his death the college charter was amended in 1870 to provide that the appointment of directors for the management of the college would be under the control of the Synod of Missouri instead of the Presbytery of St. Louis.[17] A south wing was added to Sibley Hall in 1881 and a north wing in 1886.[17] The school began expanding in the early 20th century with four new buildings constructed between 1900 and 1920.[17]
In 1913 the school was accredited as a junior college by the North Central Association. Lindenwood received a $4 million bequest in 1918, the entire estate of the late Margaret Leggat Butler, wife of Colonel James Gay Butler, a civil war veteran and philanthropist.[20] The college used the funds to establish a permanent endowment and moved from a two-year curriculum to a four-year curriculum.[17] A few years later the college became a full member of the North Central Association.[17]
The college became a co-educational institution in 1969 and changed its name from Lindenwood College for Women to Lindenwood Colleges, with a separate college for men and women.[17][21] In 1970 the college started offering evening classes and in 1976 began awarding master's degrees.[17] That same year the St. Louis Football Cardinals of the NFL constructed a football field for practices. In 1980 the college became a member of the NAIA for athletics.[17] Lindenwood Colleges, Lindenwood College for Men and Lindenwood College for Women were merged into Lindenwood College in 1983. It was known as Lindenwood College until 1997, at which time the school changed its name to the current name of Lindenwood University.[17]
By 1989, Lindenwood College was bankrupt with student enrollment below 800. The college was in danger of closing when the administration hired Dennis Spellmann as the new president.[22] Spellmann immediately began to implement changes, eliminating co-ed dorms and placing the emphasis on a "values centered" approach in the classroom. A major change that caused controversy for the school was the "Pork for Tuition" program [22] begun in 2002 and designed to help rural families pay for tuition by the university accepting livestock in return for discounts. The animals were then processed and used in the school cafeteria.[23] At the time, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) staged a small protest in Saint Charles in response to the program.[22][23]
The university began an extensive expansion of academic, residential and athletic facilities starting in the mid-1990s which included construction of eight new residence halls, the Spellmann Campus Center, Lou Brock Sports Complex, and Harlen C. Hunter Stadium as well as extensions to the Ayres Hall and Harmon Hall.[24] In 2006, Dennis Spellmann died[21] by which time the university had seen its endowment grow to more than $50 million. Dr. James Evans became Lindenwood's twenty-first president on February 9, 2007.[25][26]
Expansion continued after Spellmann's death. The J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts, a performance and fine arts center, opened in late 2008 at a cost of $32 million. The university also constructed new dormatories and began building a new home for university presidents.[27] Construction of Evans Commons began in 2009 and was completed during the summer of 2011. With the university's endowment reaching $100 million[17] in 2010, early the following year Lindenwood began construction of a new parking lot to ease congestion on campus. The university announced a new athletic facility would be constructed behind the west end zone stands of Hunter Stadium. The three story, 43,450-square-foot (4,037 m2) building will include new football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, and field hockey locker rooms. It will also house a new academic support center for student-athletes, coaches offices, and meeting rooms overlooking the stadium.[28] Lindenwood plans to construct a new administrative building as well as additional dorms and campus facilities and expand enrollment to over 20,000 students.[29] The university and The DESCO Group announced in February 2011 that the St. Charles City Council had approved a resolution supporting the Lindenwood Town Center, a planned $30 million development that includes a shopping center, retail/business plaza, hotel and apartment-style student housing complexes.[30]
In the Fall of 2012, the university announced it had purchased the 28-acre (11.3 ha) property that was previously home to the Barat Academy.[31] The 69,000-square-foot (6,400 m2) facility opened in 2007 and was used by the private high school until the it was evicted in 2011 and relocated to a smaller property.[32] Lindenwood purchased the facility for $8.1 million and will consider making renovations to the existing building to accommodate larger classrooms and fully equipped chemistry labs.[31] The building will serve as the home of the new Lindenwood Nursing and Allied Health Sciences Program which is scheduled to open in fall 2013. The new program will initially function as BSN completion program for students who have completed associate degrees in nursing.[33] The university hired Dr. Peggy Ellis as the dean of the new program. Ellis previously served as the associate dean of graduate studies at the St. Louis University nursing school since 2005.[34]
Campus
The 500-acre (202.3 ha) main campus is located in historic St. Charles, Missouri on high ground overlooking downtown St. Charles and the Missouri River. Its buildings range from historic 19th century buildings to modern on-going construction projects. The campus stretches roughly one mile long from southwest to northeast and is divided by a meandering stream.[35] To the west the campus is bordered by Duchesne Dr. with Droste Rd. and W. Clay St. forming the southern boundary. First Capitol Drive runs along the eastern edge of the campus and Gamble St. adjoins its north side.[35] The eastern area of campus is the oldest section with the most recents expansion in the central and southern areas. In its northernwestern area, the campus is largely void of structures.[35] The university is a dry campus with alcoholic beverages prohibited on campus and in all university buildings.[36]
The eastern part of the LU campus is the oldest part of LU and contains many historic buildings characterized by their early 20th century architecture and vast numbers of linden trees. This area is located near the site of the original log cabin where Mary Sibley began The Linden Wood School for Girls.[37] The eastern part of campus is the location of many of the academic buildings and contains the Margaret Leggat Butler Library, the university's main academic library.[36] [37] Roemer Hall, constructed in 1921, is the main administration building on the campus and home to the president's office, financial aid office, the registrar, and the business office, as well as the School of Education.[37]
Sibley Hall was built in 1856 and is the oldest building at Lindenwood.[38] It was the original building for the Linden Wood School for Girls founded by the Sibley's.[37] The building is still used as a women's dormitory today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[39] Numerous mysterious incidents have occurred over the years and legends say that Sibley Hall is haunted by the ghost of Mary Sibley[38]
The central portion of the Lindenwood campus includes various residence halls and athletic facilities. At the heart of the campus sits the Spellmann Campus Center. It was built in 2002 and is located in the center of campus on the hillside near the highest part of the campus. Spellmann center overlooks Harlen C. Hunter Stadium and much of the rest of the campus.[40] The modern 112,000-square-foot (10,400 m2) student center houses a cafeteria, a coffee shop,[41] the Student Health Center, Student Activities Office, student media publications and student-run radio station, as well as office, classroom, and meeting spaces.[40]
To the west of the Spellmann Center is the 7,450-seat Harlen C. Hunter Stadium, the main athletic stadium on campus. Built in 1976 by the St. Louis Cardinals NFL Football Team as a training camp location, the stadium opened in 1979 and was renovated in 1988, 2004, and 2009.[42] The Stadium is the home of Lindenwood Lions Football, men's and women's soccer, women's field hockey, and both men's and women's lacrosse programs.
To the Northwest of the stadium is the 3,270-seat Robert F. Hyland Performance Arena. This was built in 1997 and is home to both men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, wrestling, table tennis, dance, and cheerleading teams. The facility also includes the athletic department offices and classroom space. Evans Commons is being constructed adjacent to the Hyland Arena. Construction for the $20 million student center began in May 2009.[27] The 119,000-square-foot (11,100 m2) facility opened in August 2011 and features a second dining hall, three basketball courts and a roller hockey rink, a suspended jogging track, a fitness center, offices for student activities, quiet study areas, and US post office.[27][43]
In late February 2011 the university and The DESCO Group announced plans to develop a 40-acre (16.2 ha) site across First Capitol Drive in the east-central portion of the LU campus. The estimated $30 million development known as the Lindenwood Town Center. The plan includes a shopping center, retail/business plaza anchored by a Schnucks grocery store, hotel and apartment-style student housing complexes, and U.S. Post Office.[30] The school plans to begin construction in Fall 2011 after submitting the final plan to St. Charles' planning and zoning commission with an expected completion date of Fall 2012.[30]
The southern and western areas of campus contain much of the new construction on the LU campus.[37] The J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts opened in 2008 at a cost of $32 million and lies on the southeast edge of campus. The state of the art, 138,000-square-foot (12,800 m2) building includes space for performance and arts education. It houses classrooms and faculty offices, as well as the 1,200-seat Bezemes Family Theatre, the Emerson Black Box Theatre, the 1,200-seat Boyle Family Gallery, the Charter LUTV HD Studio, and studio space for performing arts and communications students.[44][44][45] The Scheidegger Center is also the home of the School of Fine and Performing Arts.[46]
To the northwest of the Scheidegger center is the Lou Brock Sports Complex.[27] The Sports Complex is home to the Lindenwood Lions baseball and softball teams. The new presidents house, known as Lindenwood House, opened in 2010 and is located on a hill overlooking the Sports Complex and much of the campus.[27] The western portions of campus contain many of the new residence halls. Dorm G and Pfremmer Hall were constructed in 2008 and sit between the new president's residence and LU Commons, the new student and recreation center.[35][36]
Over 4,000 students live on campus [47] the university's nineteen residence halls segregated into male and female facilities.[48] Each residence hall has a live-in Resident Director (RD) and a staff of student Resident Advisors (RAs).[48] Male residence halls include Ayres Hall, Cobbs Hall, Flowers Hall, Guffey Hall, Linden Lodge, Mathews Hall, Parker Hall, Pfremmer Hall and Rynolds Hall. Female residence halls include Blanton Hall, Calvert Rogers, Eastlick Hall, Irwin Hall, McCluer Hall, New Ayres Hall, Niccolls Hall, Rauch Memorial Hall, Sibley Hall and Stumberg Hall.[48]
Lindenwood purchased land adjacent to the main campus containing various residential properties to create two large student quarters in adjacent neighborhoods, known as "Lindenwood Neighborhoods".[48] The properties offer on-campus housing for married student couple, single parent students, and are also available to male and female students with more than 34 credit hours. Linden Terrace neighborhood lies just southwest from the main campus and is the neighborhood for women and married couples. First Capitol Houses and the Powell Terrace Residential Area sit east of campus across First Capitol Drive from the main campus.[48]
The period of growth at Lindenwood started by Spellmann included the opening of satellite campuses for adult evening education programs in various locations around Greater St. Louis. In 2009 the university opened an extension site, known as Lindenwood University-St. Louis, at 1409 Washington Avenue in St. Louis, Mo.,[49] a rapidly growing loft district in the city.[50] Lindenwood also operates satellite campuses in Belleville, Illinois at Lindenwood-Belleville, Daniel Boone Campus, Lincoln County, North County, South County, Downtown St. Louis, Westport Weldon Spring, Wentzville, and Wildwood.[51]
In 2008 Lindenwood University announced plans to expand facilities at Lindenwood University-Belleville and increased academic programs from an adult continuing education structure to offer traditional daytime semester-based programs.[52] Starting in the fall of 2009 LU-Belleville began offering courses in business administration, communications, criminal justice and health management. The Lindenwood University at Belleville sports teams are known the "Lynx" and currently compete in the USCAA.[52][53] Previously, programs were only offered for junior and senior-level students during the first semester of traditional daytime classes. These programs have now been extended to underclassman. As many as 2,000 daytime students are expected to enroll at the Belleville campus within the next 5 to 10 years. In November 2011, Lindenwood University-Belleville completed the transition from satellite campus of Lindenwood University to a full-fledged, standalone college. Lindenwood University-Belleville is now considered to be sister school of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, and while the two schools share a name and governing board, the Belleville campus is no longer under control of the St. Charles campus.[54][55]
Academics
Lindenwood University offers 85 majors in 25 areas of study and confers degrees from its nine colleges and schools.[62] The university is classified as a Master’s college and university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[63] In 2007 Lindenwood began offering doctoral programs, starting with a Doctorate of Education program that prepares students for the field of educational administration.[64]
The Lindenwood University Press produces a number of publications in the fields of international and global studies, literary magazines, American studies and American history.[65]
For the 2011–12 academic year, LU was not ranked by U.S. News & World Report and ranked 527th by The Washington Monthly Master’s Universities Rankings[10][60] LU has full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[66] Lindenwood has been fully accredited by the North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission since 1915 and received its ten-year renewal in 2003–2004.[66] In addition, LU has accreditation from the HLC to offer full degree programs online.[66] Since 2010 LU’s School of Business and Entrepreneurship has been fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).[67] The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees through its nine schools:
Lindenwood has a student-faculty ratio of 13:1 and an average class size of 25 students.[68] Unlike many universities, Lindenwood does not utilize graduate students to teach classes.[37] The university currently has 716 faculty, including 233 full-time faculty and 558 adjunct faculty.[2]
Lindenwood is home to the Institute for the Study of Economics and the Environment (ISEE), the institute was founded in 2002 to research economic principle applications to environmental challenges. It has since expanded in 2011 to study and forecast the St. Louis regional economy under the direction of the its new director, Dr. Howard J. Wall, a former economist at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.[69]
The university began the Lindenwood Speaker series in 2008 and conducts an annual speaker series throughout the fall and spring semester in which notable figures in literature, arts, entertainment, science, business, and politics so discuss various issues and topics to students, faculty, and the community.[70][71] Past speakers include: Tamim Ansary author and Islamic expert;[72] Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A restaurants;[73] Arun Gandhi, peace activist and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi;[74] Temple Grandin, doctor of animal science and Autism advocate;[75] Navy SEAL, humanitarian and author, Eric Greitens;[72] Hill Harper, actor;[76] former MLB pitcher Jim Morris;[77] P. J. O'Rourke, political satirist, journalist, and writer;[72] and Reed Timmer, storm chaser and Meteorologist;[78]
Along with the speaker series, Lindenwood has hosted various speakers and political candidates throughout its history.[79] Robert Taft, United States Senator from Ohio and son of President William H. Taft spoke at Lindenwood in 1948 to discuss the Taft–Hartley Act and his candidacy for the 1948 GOP nomination.[79] John Danforth, in 1970 during his campaign for the US Senate seat representing Missouri.[79] Leonor K. Sullivan, visited Lindenwood in 1973 as the first woman in Congress from Missouri.[79] John Ashcroft made a stop at Lindenwood in 1983 as a campaign stop before he became Missouri's Governor in 1984.[79] Richard Gephardt spoke in 1985 as a U.S. Representative of Missouri.[79] Former U.S. Senator from Missouri and Democratic vice presidential nominee, Thomas Eagleton, spoke at Lindenwood after he returned to Missouri from the senate in 1988.[79] Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State spoke on the campus in 1988.[79] Jim Talent visited LU as a U.S. congressman from Missouri in 1995.[79] Dora Boyd de Perez Balladares, First Lady of Panama visited the university in 1997.[79] Matt Blunt came to Lindenwood while serving as the Governor of Missouri.[79] Lindenwood announced in February 2012 that the university would 2012 GOP Presidential candidate, Ron Paul will visit the campus and speak at the Hyland Arena on March 10, 2012.[80]
The Margaret Leggat Butler Library was constructed in 1930 and is located in the historic eastern region of campus. In addition to 150,000 books and periodicals, classroom, research, and quiet study spaces, the library also houses a coffee shop and a writing center. The library is a member of the MOBIUS Consortium, a statewide system that links Lindenwood's library to libraries at other higher learning institutions across Missouri.[81]
The Library is home to the Mary Ambler Archives. The archives were founded in 1993 and are part of the Missouri Digital Heritage Initiative and the State Historical Society of Missouri.[82] They include a collection of historical documents, official records, and special collections from the 185-year history of the university.[82] The archives also include historical documents from Missouri during the early American Frontier and Antebellum periods.[82] Other historical materials include information on women's colleges, the personal papers of George and Mary Sibley, and historical documents from St. Charles County, St. Louis City and St. Louis County together with the surrounding area.[82]
Lindenwood University participates in the following national and international Honor Societies. Alpha Chi is a general scholarship honor society for students who are in the top 10% of their classes. Alpha Lambda Delta is a general scholarship honor society for students who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher and are in the top 20% of their class during their first year or term of higher education. Alpha Sigma Lambda, a general scholarship honor society for non-traditional undergraduate students who achieve and maintain outstanding scholastic standards and leadership characteristics. Lindenwood also has a number of other subject specific honor societies including the honor society for the National Broadcasting Society and electronic media students Alpha Epsilon Rho, the international education honor society Kappa Delta Pi, the national history honor society Phi Alpha Theta, the national French honor society Pi Delta Phi (Zeta Pi), the international honor society for social sciences Pi Gamma Mu, the national mathematics honor society Pi Mu Epsilon, the national political science honor society Pi Sigma Alpha, the international honor society in psychology Psi Chi, and national Spanish language honor society Sigma Delta Pi.[36][83]
The Lindenwood University Honors College offers students an opportunity to be recognized for academic excellence at graduation and on official transcripts and diplomas. Eligible students must have a score of 29 or above on the ACT to apply as an incoming freshman and maintain at least a 3.3 GPA for upperclass and transfer students.[83] Students must complete twenty-four (24) hours of Honors credits in order to graduate with University Honors.[83]
Latin Honors upon graduation are:[83]
Athletics
Lindenwood University is currently in the process of transitioning to the NCAA Division II. The university is a provisional member of the NCAA during the 2012–13 academic year before becoming a full member in the 2013–14 academic year.[84] Lindenwood competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) for its primary conference and competes in the MIAA for all 15 sports sponsored by the conference. In addition to the MIAA, men's lacrosse competes in the ECAC Division II Lacrosse League,[85] women's lacrosse compete in the Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (WILA),[86] swimming competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC),[87] and field hockey competes as an independent Division II program. Lindenwood also sponsors three Division I sports, women's ice hockey competes at the College Hockey America (CHA),[88] gymnastics competes as a member of the Midwest Independent Conference (MIC),[89] and men's volleyball competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).[90] Lindenwood also sponsors over 20 other sports that compete in various other sport organizations for non-NCAA sports.[91]
The university was previously a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competed within the Heart of America Conference (HAAC) as its primary conference in addition to other athletic organizations for sports not sponsored by the HAAC. During the university's time in the NAIA it had a total of 46 varsity sports teams making LU one of the largest athletic departments in the United States. Lindenwood University competed in NAIA athletics for nearly 40 years before beginning the transition process for NCAA II membership.[92][93] On July 12, 2010 Lindenwood was accepted into NCAA Division II and was approved as a member of the MIAA on September 24, 2010 with the affiliation taking place in 2012–2013 academic year.[94][95] LU plans include the 21 sports that currently compete in NAIA to move to NCAA Division II along with non-NAIA sports field hockey, men’s lacrosse, and women’s lacrosse. Women’s ice hockey and men’s volleyball will compete in NCAA Division I, and all other sports will remain in their non-NCAA and non-NAIA sport organizations.[96] Lindenwood officially concluded its NAIA and HAAC membership at the conclusion of the 2010–11 academic year.[97] During the university's 15 seasons as a member of the HAAC the Lions set a conference record, winning 128 HAAC titles. Lindenwood averaged 8.5 conference titles a year and won at least one conference championship in sport sponsored by the conference.[97]
Student life
Lindenwood's student body comes from various locations across the United States, Canada, and other worldwide locations. Approximately 64% of student body is from Missouri with the majority of in-state students from St. Charles and St. Louis counties. Out-of-state students represent 22% of undergraduate enrollment and are made up of students from 45 of the 50 US states. In addition, 13% of students are from 60 foreign countries.[17][98]
The university has over 70 clubs and student organizations under the direction of the Student Activities Organization (SAO). The SAO also hosts lectures, movie nights, dances, performances, and a wide variety of other events. Lindenwood also offers over 20 Intramural sports. The student organizations at Lindenwood include the student government, various academic, service, religious, Greek, and common interest organizations, and service organizations.[36] Lindenwood Student Government Association (LSGA) is the main governing arm of the student body. The student government is the voice for student concerns in cooperation the university. The LSGA, as well as all organizations, sponsor various academic, social, spiritual, and physical events on campus to add to well being of the student body.[36] The Golden Lion Marching Band is the university's marching band. The band plays at every home football and is the only collegiate marching band in the Greater St. Louis. The Golden Lion Marching Band includes brass, woodwind, percussion, and color guard. A subset, the LU Pep Band plays at various special events and athletic events on campus throughout the school year.[99] The Gateway Battalion is the local chapter of the Army ROTC based out Washington University of St. Louis.[100] ROTC provides officer training and education for LU students in conjunction with Washington University and a number of other universities that make up the Battalion.[101] Officially founded in 1919 and with roots tracing to the 1890s, it is one of the oldest such programs in the nation.[101] After completing the Army ROTC program, LU students receive a commission in either the Regular Army, Army Reserve, or National Guard. LU Crew is a group of students that meet to promote school spirit at home athletic events and other special events. LU Crew can be seen at sporting events with signs, starting cheers, and various other activities in the student sections and stands.[102]
Sibley Day has been held since 2009 and is a new tradition at Lindenwood.[103] The event includes special events and activities for students and faculty, guest speakers, presentations,[104] and other social and educational activities.[105] Past guest speakers has included: Arun Gandhi.[106]
Lindenwood is currently home to two chapters of National Panhellenic Conference Sororities. the Omicron Omicron chapter of Delta Zeta (founded 1992) is a chapter of the second largest sorority in the nation. The Theta Delta chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma officially made Lindenwood their home in the Spring of 2012.[107] The campus was also at one time home to the Zeta Xi chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha.
Alpha Sigma Phi is the only North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternity with a chapter at Lindenwood. The Epsilon Beta Chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi was chartered in 1997 after colonizing in 1993. Tau Kappa Epsilon also had an interest group on campus in the 1990s; however, the group never became a chartered chapter.Delta Tau Delta began their colonization process in March 2012.[108]
Phi Lambda Phi has called Lindenwood home since 2002. Phi Lambda Phi fraternity fosters strong brotherhood bonds and is very active in the Greek community and student life as a whole. Phi Lambda Phi and its brothers reside in Flowers Hall on the first floor. They hold multiple annual events on campus such as washers tournaments and Dorm Games in the spring semester.
Lindenwood is also home to chapters of two Greek social music fraternities, Phi Mu Alpha for men and Sigma Alpha Iota for women. The college also has a chapter of Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity.[109]
There is no Greek housing on campus. Each social fraternity/sorority currently has dormitory rooms reserved for brothers or sisters who wish to live together.
Lindenwood University has a number of student media outlets that serve the campus and surrounding communities of St. Charles County. The official student newspaper is The Legacy. The paper is published every other Wednesday. The university hosts a student-operated educational cable station, known as LUTV. It is available on Charter Cable and on AT&T U-Verse throughout Greater St. Louis, as well as streaming live online. LUTV runs educational and cultural, and LU athletic programming and serves as a learning experience for communications students.[110] 89.1 The Wood is an FCC-licensed college radio station broadcasting on KCLC-89.1 in the St. Louis Metro Area. The station is student-operated and offers music, news, sports, and specialty programs. The Wood broadcasts from the KCLC studio in the Spellmann Student Center.
Notable alumni
Alumni of the Lindenwood University have become notable in a variety of different fields including politics and government, business, science, literature, arts and entertainment, and athletics. Alumni in the fields of broadcasting and journalism include: Greg Amsinger, anchor for the MLB Network.[111] Randy Karraker & Bob Ramsey, American sportscasters in St. Louis, Missouri and current hosts of "The Fast Lane", a sports radio show in St. Louis, on 101 ESPN.[112] Jan Rogers Kniffen, businessman, guest business affairs commentator for CNBC.[113] Dan McLaughlin, professional sports broadcaster who currently works on both St. Louis Cardinals and previously with the St. Louis Blues for telecasts on the cable television channel Fox Sports Midwest.[114] Melanie Morgan, American author, columnist, political commentator, and radio personality.[115] And Sally Perdue, radio talk show host and is a former 1958 Miss Arkansas and Miss America Pageant contestant.[116]
Various LU alumni have excelled in art, fashion, movies and music, they include: Alice Baber, American abstract expressionist painter.[117] Tara Bollinger, model and beauty queen from Missouri who has competed in the Miss America Pageant.[118] Ingrid Dahlberg, former theater manager and president of the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre, writer, and politician. Lee Daniels, American actor, film producer and director.[119] Thom Donovan, American musician/songwriter, who has toured world-wide with Robert Plant and the Goo Goo Dolls and appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly on NBC.[120] Shandi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004, Dancing with the Stars.[121] Amber Seyer, Miss Missouri USA 2007 and Miss Missouri Teen USA 2003.[121] Vocal Spectrum, consisting of Tim Waurick, Eric Dalbey, Jonny Moroni, and Chris Hallam. They are the 2004 Barbershop Harmony Society International Collegiate Quartet Champions, the 2006 Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Champions, and 2004, 2009, and 2012 Barbershop Harmony Society International Chorus Champions with the Ambassadors of Harmony.[122], for whom Moroni is co-director.
A number of Lindenwood Lions and lady Lions have gone on to professional sports, they include: Sanel Borić, Bosnian American football (soccer) goalkeeper who currently plays for FK Velež Mostar.[123] DeDe Dorsey, professional American football player with the Detroit Lions of the NFL. As a member of the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League, he was the MVP of the 2009 UFL Championship Game.[124] Chase Gormley, American professional mixed martial arts fighter for the UFC.[125] Randal McLelland, an Olympic athlete in skeet shooting. 2008 Summer Olympics.[126] Brian Schaefering, a professional American football player with the Cleveland Browns of the NFL.[127] Roren Thomas, wide receiver for the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League,[128] Alexander Wright, former American football wide receiver with Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Raiders, St. Louis Rams and current athletic director and head football coach for San Jacinto Christian Academy and founder of Alexander Wright Ministries.[129]
Alumni involved in government and politics include Andrew Koenig Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives representing the 88th district.[130] and Gary W. Schenkel, current director of Office of Federal Protective Service.[131]