Lee University
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| Lee University | |
|---|---|
| Image:Lee University Seal.png | |
| Established | 1918 |
| Type: | Private |
| Endowment: | US $7.8 million |
| President: | Dr. Charles Paul Conn |
| Faculty: | 236 |
| Students: | 4,012 (Fall 2006) |
| Location | Image:Flag of Tennessee.svg Cleveland, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Campus: | Suburban, 115 acres (0.465 km²) |
| Mascot: | Flames |
| Athletics: | NAIA Division I-AA |
| Affiliations: | Church of God |
| Website: | www.leeuniversity.edu |
| Image:Lee University logo.png | |
Lee University is a private, coeducational university located in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Church of God, which has its headquarters in the same town. The university has its roots in a Bible training academy founded by that denomination in 1918 and still maintains a strong Christian identity. It is located slightly to the northeast of Chattanooga, in the southeastern part of the state.
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[edit] History
The Lee University campus was the home of Bob Jones University (1933-1947) before it moved to its present campus in Greenville, South Carolina. The Rev. Billy Graham attended one year of college (in 1936) at the Cleveland, Tennessee campus location of Bob Jones University before he transferred to Trinity College of Florida.
The institution has seen its strongest growth since the 1980s, during which time enrollment has tripled and full university status attained. The student body has just passed 4,000. Besides religious education, pre-medicine, elementary education, and music are considered among its strongest specialties, and it is consistently ranked by US News and World Report among the top Southern liberal arts colleges.
On December 13th 2007, Dr. Conn announced that Lee University has entered the field of academic publishing with the creation of the Lee University Press. The small operation will mainly serve students, alumni and others affiliated with Lee University. [1]
[edit] Community covenant
Lee University, like many faith-based colleges and universities, encourages a Judeo-Christian philosophy of student behavior. 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 a prohibition of premarital sexual intercourse regardless of sexual preference.
[edit] Greek organizations
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." [2] 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. [3]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Don Bowdle - distinguished professor of theology, has published over two hundred articles and essays on religious subjects, a previous fellow at Yale University and University of Edinburgh
- Charles W. Conn - former Lee president and current president emeritus as well as the author of Like a Mighty Army, the official history of the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) denomination.
- Charles Paul Conn - current president of Lee University credited with being the driving force behind the institutions continuing success over the last two decades as well as a free lance non-fiction writer with four of his works previously on the New York Times bestseller list including the #7 best seller in non-fiction in 1977 with his book The Possible Dream. Dr. Conn is now serving his twentieth year of Lee presidency.
- Jay DeMarcus - a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist in the contemporary country band Rascal Flatts.
- Tony Deaton - accomplished opera singer, performances include Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, International Festival of the Arts in New York, and Knoxville Opera Company in Knoxville, Tennessee
- Scott Stapp - Former lead vocalist for the American post-grunge band Creed.
- Four Voices - 2002 world champion Barbershop Quartet.
- Stephanie Culberson - Miss Tennessee 2001, Miss Tennessee USA 2004. [4]
- Phil Stacey - Top 12 finalist during the sixth season of American Idol, the karyaoke style talent show produced by Fox Television that aired in the Spring of 2007. On May 2, 2007, Phil Stacey tied for fifth place when he was voted off of the show along with another contestant in a double elimination.[5]
- Melissa Greene - a vocalist in the contemporary christian music group Avalon (group).
- Jason Warner - a vocalist with the contemporary Christian and Gay music duo Jason and deMarco.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Creed-Behind the Music. Passion Breeds Followers - The Scott Stapp Fan Site. Retrieved on March 5, 2005.
