Listening and Learning Tour
One University. Many voices. Our next chapter starts by listening.
President Sally Selden is beginning her tenure the way she intends to lead: in conversation with the people who know, shape, and care about the University of Lynchburg.
Conversations in the Hive is President Selden’s listening and learning tour — a series of conversations with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, friends, and community partners about what makes Lynchburg special, where we can be stronger, and what we want this University to become.
A homecoming — and a new beginning.
On July 1, 2026, Sally Coleman Selden became the 12th president of the University of Lynchburg — returning to a community she previously served for 18 years.
But returning to Lynchburg doesn’t mean assuming she already knows the answers.
It means knowing where to begin:
With you.
Before setting priorities for the years ahead, President Selden wants to hear what members of the Lynchburg community see from where they stand — what is working, what needs attention, what opportunities we should pursue, and what must never be lost as the University evolves.
Those conversations will inform the choices, priorities, and shared direction that shape Lynchburg’s next chapter.
President Selden previously served Lynchburg for 18 years in several leadership roles, including provost and vice president for academic affairs, associate provost, director of graduate programs, and department chair. Before returning as president, she served as provost and dean at The Citadel.
“I believe deeply in the power of this community — its people, its values, and its mission.”
What should Lynchburg’s next chapter look like?
This tour isn’t about asking everyone to agree.
It’s about listening carefully enough to understand where we do.
Across the Hive, President Selden will ask what students need to thrive, what faculty and staff need to do their best work, how Lynchburg can strengthen its place in the world, and where new opportunities may lead.
The student experience
What makes a Lynchburg education undeniably life-changing? Where can we do more to help students belong, succeed, discover their strengths, and prepare for lives of purpose?
Academic excellence
How do we invest in exceptional teaching, scholarship, innovation, and programs that respond to a changing world while preserving the personal education that defines Lynchburg?
Our people
What do faculty and staff need to do their best work? How can we strengthen a culture where talented people are supported, connected, recognized, and empowered?
Belonging and community
What makes this place feel like Lynchburg? How do we create an even stronger community where people know one another, care for one another, and feel that they matter?
Lynchburg’s future
Where should we be bold? What opportunities are emerging? What should we protect, change, build, or imagine differently?
Our place beyond campus
How can Lynchburg deepen its relationships with alumni, families, employers, partners, the city, the region, and communities around the world?
The Hive works because every voice matters.
There is no single Lynchburg experience.
A first-year student sees the University differently from a graduating senior. A professor sees Lynchburg differently from an alumnus who graduated 30 years ago. Staff members, parents, trustees, coaches, community partners, and neighbors all experience the University from different vantage points.
President Selden wants to hear from all of them.
Some conversations will happen around tables. Others will happen in classrooms, residence halls, offices, athletic spaces, alumni gatherings, and communities beyond campus.
Some will be large.
Some will be small.
The goal is the same:
Listen. Learn. Find the patterns. Then act with purpose.
The conversation begins here.
Listen
President Selden meets with members of the Lynchburg community and asks questions before offering answers.
Learn
Ideas, experiences, challenges, and opportunities from across the University reveal common themes.
Connect
Perspectives from students, employees, alumni, families, trustees, friends, and partners are considered together — not in isolation.
Shape
What we learn helps inform institutional priorities and the decisions that will guide Lynchburg forward.
Share
As the tour progresses, this site will reflect what President Selden is hearing and the themes emerging across the Hive.
Where the conversations are happening
On campus. Across Lynchburg. Beyond the Dell.
Conversations in the Hive will bring President Selden together with communities throughout the University.
Students
Undergraduate and graduate students, student organizations, athletes, resident and commuter students, and student leaders.
Faculty
Faculty from across disciplines, schools, programs, and stages of their careers.
Staff
The people whose work supports students and keeps the University moving every day.
Alumni and friends
Hornets across generations whose experiences and relationships extend the Lynchburg community far beyond campus.
Parents and families
Partners in the student experience who offer a perspective all their own.
Community partners
Employers, educational partners, nonprofit leaders, civic organizations, neighbors, and others connected to Lynchburg’s mission.
