The Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences is at the heart of the liberal arts mission at the University of Lynchburg, as well as the foundation of undergraduate study. It inspires creativity, curiosity, and innovation in our students, while providing a broad understanding of cultures, context, and the social construction of knowledge. Our students are enriched by a curriculum that is grounded in critical thinking, scientific inquiry, data analysis, and aesthetic enlightenment.
The College of Arts and Sciences prepares students for their professional lives while also providing them with a conceptual framework for a life well lived, one that allows for self-realization and a commitment to social responsibility.
As the bedrock of the General Education Program, the College of Arts and Sciences offers a curriculum that is aimed at developing the students’ knowledge of the socio-historical and linguistic bases of culture, as well as offering an invitation to cultivate the aesthetic and ethical values that contribute to the richness of one’s life.
Moreover, the curriculum offers specialized knowledge and training in the upper divisions that prepare students for graduate work and or professional life.
The Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences is comprised of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, the School of Humanities, the School of Sciences, and the School of Social Sciences.
Dean’s Message
At the University of Lynchburg, the Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences embodies the University’s foundation as a liberal arts institution that develops students with strong character, balanced perspectives, and prepares them for engagement and leadership in a global society. As society advances through the 21st century, global citizens must be able to process the vast amount of information that exists on a wide array of media in order to make decisions that advance our world.
Through our Schools of Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts, the Lynchburg College of Arts and Science provides students with excellent mentorship from faculty that are among the best in their respective fields, while providing them with high-impact educational practices that promote engaged learning.
In our School of Humanities, students can engage in cutting edge experiences through our Digital Humanities program that connects students to 21st-century applications of the traditional liberal arts. In addition, students have curated exhibits through our Museum Studies minor, engaged in archaeological and historical studies at our Historic Sandusky House Museum, and have helped digitally preserve the legacy of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer through a University partnership with the Anne Spencer House.
Our School of Visual and Performing Arts provides an inclusive opportunity to engage in the arts, as many programs are open to all University students, including our Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship. Furthermore, students work alongside faculty and guest artists to produce and perform numerous concerts and theatrical performances every year. These experiences have yielded opportunities for our students to perform with local and professional artists at Opera on the James as well as Wolfbane Productions.
Our Social Sciences faculty have published numerous professional works and boast several high-impact educational opportunities for students, including our Model UN that has received national awards and presented to the UN General Assembly. Furthermore, our Center for Community Development and Social Justice and Donovan Media Center give students channels to connect their academic studies to professional opportunities in our local community.
Our School of Sciences faculty engage heavily in research with students that has culminated in many student presentations at professional conferences. Furthermore, our new Active Learning Anatomy and Physiology Lab with virtual dissection will complement our Human Cadaver Lab to continue to provide students with cutting edge experiences that have lead to an outstanding track record of graduate and professional school placements.
In addition, our Claytor Nature Center provides a nearly 500-acre nature preserve dedicated to environmental conservation and education that can serve as a perfect setting for studies in any of our four schools.
Thank you for your interest in the Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences. We hope you will have an opportunity to experience why it is always a great day to be a Hornet!
William J. Lokar, PhD, Dean
lokar@lynchburg.edu
434.544.8631
Shelbie Filson
Senior Administrative Assistant
filson_sb@lynchburg.edu
434.544.8690
School of Visual & Performing Arts
Act on stage, sing your song, create a work of art, play an instrument in one of our ensembles.
School of Humanities
Study the world’s great thinkers, religions, cultures, and languages; explore what it means to be human.
School of Sciences
Love data, performing experiments, or writing code? You’ll get a great foundation for graduate study or entry into the workforce.
School of Social Sciences
Gain a better understanding of yourself and society, and get equipped to solve complex programs in the workplace and world.
Message from the Dean
Charles Walton, PhD
Dean, Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences
Welcome to the Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Lynchburg. We embody liberal arts education, which is the foundation for lifelong learning and offer solid preparation for the ever-changing world of the digital-age workplace.
Our students emerge as critical thinkers with a keen appreciation and knowledge of the arts, cultures, context, language, and scientific inquiry. Our robust curriculum affords students a diversity of perspectives through which to see the world, supported by abundant experiential learning opportunities. We emphasize effective communication, problem solving, and ethical leadership. We aim to leverage scientific inquiry and intellectual discourse in order to improve our society and the planet that supports it.
The Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences, the largest of the University’s colleges, houses four schools: Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. We offer 36 majors, 45 minors, two graduate degrees, and one graduate certificate. Our award-winning faculty are student-centered and active scholars and artists in their respective disciplines.
We are employing the latest technology and innovative pedagogies to offer our students a lived experience of education that will prepare them for the complex world that awaits them. In the age of disruption and exponential change, the skills we impart to students become even more valuable. Individuals who are versatile, well-rounded, culturally literate, analytical, and strong communicators will always be in demand and desired. I invite you to explore our offerings and let us help you prepare for your future.
Coming in 2019: the DELL Curriculum
Over the 2017-18 academic year, the faculty approved a new general education program that will simplify students’ academic requirements while preparing them for lives and careers in a rapidly changing world. The new program was dubbed “the DELL Curriculum,” referring to the Dell at the center of campus as well as to the acronym Diverse, Engaged, Lifelong Learners.
It will require 42 credit hours of coursework, compared to the current requirement of 51 to 57 credit hours. This change will provide more flexibility to students who want to pursue a wide variety of electives or whose majors require a large number of credit hours due to professional accreditation requirements.
The Dell plan also will include first-year and senior seminar courses that cover broad themes and allow students to integrate knowledge while addressing themes, such as local and global diversity or technology and society.