Lindenwood University – Belleville

This article is about the university in Belleville, Illinois. For the university in St. Charles, Missouri, see Lindenwood University.
Lindenwood University-Belleville
Type Private
Established 2003
Parent institution
 Lindenwood University
Religious affiliation
 Presbyterian Church (USA)
President Brett Barger
Academic staff
 63[1]
Students 1,900 total (fall 2014)[2]
1,320 full-time (fall 2014)[3]
Location Belleville, Illinois, U.S.
38°31′17″N 90°00′32″W / 38.521465°N 90.008994°W / 38.521465; -90.008994Coordinates: 38°31′17″N 90°00′32″W / 38.521465°N 90.008994°W / 38.521465; -90.008994
Campus Suburban
35 acres (14.16 ha)
Colors Maroon and White          
Athletics Lynx (NAIA)
Website belleville.lindenwood.edu

Lindenwood University–Belleville, also known as LU-Belleville, is a private, four-year liberal arts university. It is a full-fledged, standalone sister college of Lindenwood University with an enrollment around 2,300 students.[2] LU-Belleville is located in Belleville, Illinois and occupies the campus that was formerly Belleville West High School. LU-Belleville offers a day program, as well as evening programs for working adults. LU-Belleville offers both bachelor's and master's degree programs in business administration, human resource management, corporate communication, criminal justice, and professional counseling.[4]

History

Lindenwood University purchased the campus of the former Belleville West High School in 2003 following key partnership agreements and state approval.[4] Lindenwood also launched master of arts programs in education and educational administration. Other programs were launched through the school’s College for Individual Education (LCIE) program, an evening-based accelerated format designed for working adults, which is now known as the School of Advanced Degree Programs.[5]

Lindenwood also invested over $23 million[6] as part of a campus restoration campaign. The plan included the restoration of LU’s auditorium and the updating of several buildings.[4] When it opened in the fall of 2009, the Belleville campus was the only one of Lindenwood’s extension locations to offer daytime classes.[7] For the 2009-2010 academic year, the semester-based programs were only offered to junior- and senior-level students, but in the fall of 2010, the University expanded semester-based programs to all underclassman.[6] In 2011, Lindenwood University-Belleville transitioned from a satellite campus to a separately accredited college. The University was notified of the accrediting decision in November by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[8] Under the new accreditation, Lindenwood University-Belleville will keep the same name and the same governing board as the St. Charles campus, and is now considered a sister school as part of the Lindenwood University System.[8]

Campus

Dixon Student Center
The Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center

The 35-acre (14.16 ha) campus is located on West Main Street in Belleville, Illinois, about 16 miles (26 km) east of St. Louis, Missouri. Lindenwood University acquired the campus that was previously home to Belleville West High School. The Administration Building is located at the center of the LU-Belleville campus. The building also houses many of the academic space and facilities and The Woods Cafe.[9] The Advanced Degrees Program classroom building is used for evening undergraduate- and graduate-level classes.

LU-Belleville also includes a 900-seat auditorium for performance art and guest speaking engagements.[5] In 2009, the University began construction on the Welcome Center, which added 3,000 square feet (280 m2) onto the current auditorium.[10] Other additions to the campus include a Future Student Center and Business Center.[11]

The campus also includes a number of recreational and intercollegiate athletic facilities. The Lynx Arena is the home to the basketball and volleyball programs. The arena also houses a recreational gym and fitness center on the lower level. Other current sport facilities include tennis courts, a soccer field, and a football stadium.[11][12]

In 2014, LU-Belleville opened an extension site in nearby Collinsville, Ill.[13] The site is a 15,000-square-foot space located at 1101 Eastport Plaza Drive in Collinsville. The space will be used for undergraduate and graduate classes in the accelerated evening program, as well as graduate classes in education and counseling.

Housing

Since the LU-Belleville was formerly a satellite campus, it is still predominately a commuter school. In February 2012, LU-Belleville announced that it purchased the EconoLodge motel, formerly known as the Hyatt Lodge motel, at 2120 W. Main Street for use as student dormitories.[14] The addition of the former EconoLodge property increased the residential student capacity to about 500 for the 2012-13 academic year.[14]

LU-Belleville opened its first of two new traditional residence halls in early 2014. The first of the new residence halls is a 25,000-square-foot building that houses 180 female students. It was built at a cost of $4 million. A second residence hall, completed in 2014, is a three-story building that will house 200 male students. With completion of the second residence hall, LU-Belleville will have capacity to house approximately 1,000 students on campus.[2][15]

LU-Belleville offers many different types of housing options, from traditional residence halls to apartments and residential houses. The Fred J. Kern Men’s Residence Hall opened in 2014, and the Lady Lynx Lodge opened in 2013. Apartments and residential houses are available to upper classmen. The rooms are furnished and have Internet access.

The campus offers three dining options: Matt’s Café, located in Old Main Hall; the dining hall; and Grab-and-Go, located in the U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center. All of them offer a variety of options with flexible hours.

Academics

Admin Building
Administration Building

Undergraduate degrees are offered at LU-Belleville through traditional, daytime, semester-based structure in business administration (BBA), corporate communications (BA), criminal justice (BA), elementary education (BA), human resource management (BA), biology (BA), and psychology (BA).[16]

Evening undergraduate degree programs are offered.[17]

LU has full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[18] LU-Belleville is also fully accredited by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and LU’s School of Business and Entrepreneurship is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).[19]

Athletics

LU-Belleville Lynx logo

LU–Belleville teams are known as the Lynx and fans often chant "put your paws up" at ice hockey games. The University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competes as a member of the American Midwest Conference (AMC).[20]

For the 2014-15 season, LU-Belleville joined the American Midwest Conference (AMC). During that season, LU-Belleville added men's and women's ice hockey as well as men's and women's swimming and diving. The AMC is a non-football conference, so the LU-Belleville football program plays in the Mid-States Football Association beginning in 2015.[2][21][22]

Athletics history

LU–Belleville athletics are undergoing a rapid expansion from only a few sports during the initial 2009-10 season. Since beginning the LU–Belleville athletic program, the University has steadily increased the number of sports offered, with more to be added in the future.[23] The University began competition as a member of United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).[7] LU–Belleville was accepted into the NAIA as a full member effective August 1, 2012 and competed as an independent member of the NAIA in the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) as well as the USCAA.[24]

The university announced the additions of nine new sports for the 2011-12 academic year, including baseball, softball, table tennis, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s bowling, wrestling, and women’s field hockey.[25][26]

LU-Belleville joined the American Midwest Conference (AMC) starting in the 2014-15 academic year and the Mid-States Football Association for the 2015 season. LU-Belleville also added men's and women's ice hockey as well as men's and women's swimming and diving.[27][28]

The University continued to expand athletics, with the announcement of men's and women's rugby and women's field hockey.[29][30]

Teams

The university currently fields 34 teams:

Football

Stadium
Lindenwood University-Belleville Stadium

In December 2011, Jeff Fisher was announced as the first head football coach of the LU–Belleville football team, which began play in fall 2012.[31] Fisher came to LU–Belleville after serving as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator for McKendree University for 15 years.[31]

In March 2012, LU–Belleville broke ground on a $2.3 million renovation to the former Township Stadium. The upgraded stadium, named Lindenwood Stadium, has a seating capacity of 4,129. The renovated stadium's turf design, alternating maroon and gray stripes, garnered national criticism after photos of the new turf spread online. Critics claimed that the field "is an abomination to the game" and that "It looks like a flattened out barbershop pole."[32] Athletic Director Scott Spinner was inspired to add the striped design to the new field after seeing the alternating purple and gray turf at Estes Stadium at the University of Central Arkansas.[33] LU–Belleville defended the installation, indicating that it supports the branding mission of LU–Belleville athletics.[34] Spinner explained the installation by saying, "We did it because it was unique. And we did it for the student-athlete experience.”[33] Spinner went on to say that the players were excited about the field and believe it’s going to set their program apart from others.[35] The LU–Belleville football program opened its first NAIA season on September 1, 2012 against Avila University.[35]

The first college football game played at the stadium was a 43–37 victory over the Avila Eagles on September 1, 2012.[36]

Dale Carlson was hired as head football coach for the 2015 season.[37]

References

  1. ↑ "Here We Grow Again; LU-Belleville Expands Degrees and Facilities". Lindenwood University-Belleville. February 21, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Metro-east news from Belleville, IL - Belleville News-Democrat". bnd.com.
  3. ↑ "Metro-east news from Belleville, IL - Belleville News-Democrat". bnd.com.
  4. 1 2 3 O'Gray, Sophia (2005-03-20). "Lindenwood University adds to lesson plan in Belleville". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Kerry L. (September 15, 2003). "Lindenwood University opens first Illinois campus". Illinois Business Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Staff (Aug 15, 2010). "Lindenwood Passes Its First Tests". Belleville News-Democrat.
  7. 1 2 "The USCAA Welcomes New Member, Lindenwood-University-Belleville". USCAA. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  8. 1 2 Wuerz, Scott (2011-11-05). "Lindenwood gets a dual identity, Belleville and St. Charles sites are separate campuses says accrediting group". Belleville News Democrat. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  9. ↑ Moll, Brian (November 2009). "The Woods Cafe" (PDF). The Lynx Tale. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  10. ↑ "In brief - News". The Legacy. November 4, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Lindenwood University - Belleville Campus". Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  12. ↑ Wuerz, Scott (May 16, 2011). "Lindenwood plans major upgrade to football stadium, more classrooms". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Lindenwood University - Collinsville Center Officially Open for Business". belleville.lindenwood.edu. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  14. 1 2 "Lindenwood buys motel on West Main; will turn it into student dorms". Belleville News-Democrat. February 25, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  15. ↑ Lee Enterprises. "Belleville council OKs plan for new dorm on Lindenwood campus". stltoday.com.
  16. ↑ "B.A. in Psychology to be offered in Fall". Lindenwood University-Belleville. April 15, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  17. ↑ "LU-Belleville Academics". Lindenwood University-Belleville. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  18. ↑ "Directory of HLC Institutions". Higher Learning Commission. 2010-06-20. Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  19. ↑ "LU's School of Business and Entrepreneurship gains ACBSP accreditation". Lindenwood University. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  20. ↑ "Lindenwood University–Belleville to join American Midwest Conference". NAIA. May 23, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Lindenwood University朆elleville to join American Midwest Conference". NAIA.org.
  22. ↑ "Mid-State Football Association Welcomes New Members". NAIA.org.
  23. ↑ Wuerz, Scott (May 8, 2011). "Lindenwood campus grows by leaps and bounds". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  24. ↑ "NAIA Approves LU-Belleville". Lindenwood University - Belleville. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
  25. ↑ Staff (November 8, 2010). "Lindenwood University expanding". KMOX. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  26. ↑ "Lindenwood – Belleville to Add Nine New Sports for 2011-2012". Lindenwood University-Belleville. January 6, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  27. ↑ Staff (2014). "Lindenwood adding dorm, new sports". Illinois Business Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  28. ↑ Wuerz, Scott (August 6, 2014). "Lindenwood Belleville touts new cafe, new degrees, more sports". Belleville News Democrat. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  29. ↑ Goff, Alex (January 6, 2015). "LIndenwood-Belleville Embraces Rugby, Hires Coach". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  30. ↑ Press Release (February 9, 2015). "WIIL Adds Strength to South Division". Rugby Today. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  31. 1 2 Korte, Steve (December 8, 2011). "Fisher eager to build program at Lindenwood-Belleville". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  32. ↑ Suhr, Jim (July 13, 2012). Associated Press http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Lindenwood-U-No-apologies-for-unusual-turf-3704822.php. Retrieved August 2, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. 1 2 Daniel, Carol (July 13, 2012). "Lindenwood-Belleville's New Football Field Draws National Criticism". KMOV. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  34. ↑ "LU – Belleville to Begin Football Stadium Renovations Next Week". Lindenwood University - Belleville. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  35. 1 2 Astleford, Andrew (July 16, 2012). "Lindenwood-Belleville's turf causing a stir". Fox Sports Midwest. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  36. ↑ Korte, Steve (August 30, 2012). "Hungry Lynx await debut of their football program". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Dale Carlson Named Head Football Coach". Lindenwood University-Belleville. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
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