Lynchburg College was founded as Virginia Christian College in 1903 by Dr. Josephus Hopwood, a pioneer in Christian co-education. His wife Sarah shared his vision and was his partner in all his endeavors. Dr. Hopwood was president of Milligan College in Tennessee when a group of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) ministers and businessmen approached him about establishing a college in Lynchburg. They informed Dr. Hopwood that Westover Hotel, a failed resort, was available for sale and could serve as the center of operations for the new college. Dr. Hopwood agreed, and the property was purchased for $13,500. Renamed Westover Hall, the resort hotel housed the new college?s entire physical plant until 1909 when a new central heating plant was completed along with the construction of Main Hall (later known as Hopwood Hall), and Carnegie Hall, a men?s residence. The second oldest college in Virginia to be founded as coeducational, VCC changed its name to Lynchburg College in 1919, reflecting its broadening constituency.
Since 1903 Lynchburg College has grown from the original eleven faculty members and fifty-five students to one hundred fifty full-time faculty and more than 2,400 students from across the nation and around the world. Faithful to its commitment to the liberal arts and high academic standards, Lynchburg College has a national reputation as an institution that offers quality educational opportunities while building the character and the leadership ability of its students. The College is one of only fifty institutions nationwide participating in the Bonner Leaders program, which focuses on student leadership development through service.
Lynchburg College is a private college in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA, related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. The Princeton Review lists it as one of the 368 best colleges in the nation. LC is cited in Colleges That Change Lives and is also profiled in The Templeton Guide: Colleges That Encourage Character Development. Lynchburg College was the first institution in the United States to train nuclear physicists and engineers for the NS Savannah project under order of President Eisenhower, to aid in the development and operation of the world's first nuclear-powered ship.
In February 2017, the university announced that it will be changing its name to the University of Lynchburg starting with the 2018-2019 academic year.
