Virginia University of Lynchburg is a private

Private university

Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...

, historically black university

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....

 located in Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...

. The university currently offers instruction and degrees, primarily in religious studies, including a Doctorate of Ministry program.

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 Viginia 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 re-named to the Virginia Seminary and College. Finally, in 1996, the school was given its current name.

Its first President was the Rev. Phillip F. Morris, an activist for celibacy, pastor of Court Street Baptist Church in Lynchburg. 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. Rev. Morris would later serve as President of the National Baptist Convention

National Baptist Convention

National Baptist Convention may refer to:One of several historically African-American Christian denominations:*National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., the oldest and largest denomination using this name, formed in the late 19th century...

. Rev. Gregory W. Hayes, a graduate of Oberlin College

Oberlin College

Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...

, assumed the full-time position as President in 1891, serving until his death in 1906. His wife, Mary Rice Hayes Allen, mulatto daughter of a Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 general and mother of author Carrie Allen McCray

Carrie Allen McCray

Carrie Allen McCray was an African-American writer born in Lynchburg, Virginia, whose published works include Ajös Means Goodbye , The Black Woman and Family Roles , and her first-person memoir, Freedom’s Child: The Life of a Confederate General’s Black Daughter...

, assumed the presidency until replaced by Dr. 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.

Agreement with Liberty University

In July 2010, it was announced the school had reached an agreement with Liberty University

Liberty University

Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...

 to help VUL students looking for degrees not being offered at the school to complete their degrees at Liberty.

External links

• vul.edu Official web site
• http://www.vernonjohns.org/tcal001/vjvasem.htmlFrom biography of Vernon Johns
  Vernon Johns
  Vernon Johns was an American minister and civil rights leader who was active in the struggle for civil rights for African Americans from the 1920s....
  
  ]
• From Legacy Museum online exhibit