Lindenwood University System
The St. Charles, Missouri campus, located at 209 South Kingshighway in the heart of St. Charles is a 500-acre site and is the original campus founded by George and Mary Sibley in 1827. Historic buildings grace the tree-lined walks and house classrooms, administrative offices, and student residences.
The Belleville, Illinois campus of the Lindenwood University System is a full-service campus offering a wide range of traditional undergraduate degrees, as well as evening undergraduate and graduate programs. Within 15 miles of downtown St. Louis, LU-Belleville offers on-campus housing, intercollegiate athletics, campus dining, student activities, as well as modern educational facilities. Complete information on all academic programs at LU-Belleville may be found at www.belleville.lindenwood.edu/.
Founded in 2003 on the historic site of the former Belleville Township High School, Lindenwood University-Belleville is a blend of tradition and innovation, echoing the educational values of its founders and adapting to meet the needs of its growing student body. Upon approval of the Higher Learning Commission and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Lindenwood University acquired ownership of the Belleville campus through key partnership agreements with the City of Belleville and St. Clair County.
Initially an extension site of the University, LU-Belleville first began offering Master of Arts (MA) programs in education and educational administration in an accelerated evening program designed for working adults. In 2004, the campus’ number of degree options more than tripled when it received approval to offer additional master’s programs and new bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, human resource management, corporate communications, criminal justice, health management, and professional counseling. By the end of 2004, nearly 340 students were enrolled in classes at the Belleville campus, and in recognition of the growing impact the University was having on the city and the surrounding area, the City of Belleville named the region between 6th and 28th Streets “Belleville College District.”
By 2008, enrollment at Lindenwood University-Belleville had increased to more than 1,200 students, making it the largest extension site in the Lindenwood network. In the fall of 2009, a traditional daytime semester program was started, with enrollment exceeding 500 day students in the fall of 2011.
Along with the creation of the day program at LU-Belleville, the university has experienced tremendous growth in its programs and in athletics. Since 2009, LU-Belleville has added more than 20 athletic programs to campus with many of its talented teams earning honors and winning tournaments at the state, regional, and national levels. Lindenwood University-Belleville was awarded membership into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 2012. That same year, the campus garnered national attention when Yahoo.com and ESPN reported on the unique maroon and gray striped turf that was installed on LU-Belleville’s $2.3 million renovated football stadium. The stripes have become a signature of LU-Belleville athletics.
Today, the campus provides its 1,750 students with more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree options in day and evening formats. Day student population now totals approximately 800 and is expected to increase to more than 2,000 within a decade. To accommodate such a thriving student body, the campus offers a variety of on-site student housing options, including dormitory-style living in the Lynx Lodge, Lynx apartment complex, and a host of houses near campus. A new $4 million dormitory capable of housing 180 students is scheduled to be opened in the fall of 2013.
In terms of facilities, Lindenwood University-Belleville has invested approximately $20 million into its campus, bringing existing buildings up to date and purchasing new land for expansion. Among the first to be renovated was the campus’ historic auditorium, dubbed Lindenwood Auditorium by donors Fred and Barbara Kern. Designed by William B. Ittner in 1924, the auditorium has hosted several world-renowned performers, such as Belleville native Buddy Ebsen. More recently, this building has hosted performances by the Scott Air Force Base Band, the Brass Rail Players, Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble, and the annual Belleville Festival of Stories, as well as Lindenwood productions of A Christmas Carol and Little Shop of Horrors. In 2008, the Lindenwood Auditorium received the Landmark Award from the St. Clair County Historical Society.
In addition to the arts, LU-Belleville has renovated its academic facilities by refurbishing classrooms and updating them with the latest smart room technology. Completed in 2012, the campus’ $2.2 million Communication Center provides students with access to state-of-the-art radio and television studio equipment, as well as two high-tech classrooms. New laboratory space for biology and chemistry classes accommodates our growing undergraduate biology program and provides the necessary facilities to grow the sciences at LU-Belleville.
In 2010, the campus Welcome Center was constructed as an addition to Lindenwood Auditorium and has served as both a reception area and art gallery, hosting works from the John and Susan Horseman Collection, Brother Mel Meyer, An Olympic Retrospective, and Falun Gong Art.
In 2011, the Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center was opened, housing the campus dining hall, student lounges, library, computer lab, and spirit shop. In 2012, the Admissions Center was completed on the lower level of the Dixon Center, offering a one-stop shop for all prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in attending day or evening classes.
Lindenwood University-Belleville has created a name for itself in both the community and region as a thriving academic and cultural center dedicated to liberal arts education in the highest sense of the term. Its campus is proudly steeped in local history. Its faculty members are experienced in a host of academic fields. Its facilities reflect a contemporary flair with respect for historic architecture. As Lindenwood University-Belleville continues to expand, the school will focus on balanced growth that emphasizes academics, athletics, and the arts, thereby nurturing the minds, bodies, and souls of the students and serving the needs of students in Southwestern Illinois and beyond.
Note: Full-time day students who are admitted at either LU-St. Charles or LU-Belleville may enroll in classes at the other campus. However, they must also be concurrently enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours at their home campus.
- The Daniel Boone Campus and Boonesfield Village are located on Highway F near Defiance, Mo., approximately 40 minutes from Lindenwood’s main campus. This historic landmark merged with Lindenwood University in 1998. The 1,000-acre Boone property, with its rich heritage and historic buildings and features, remains a popular St. Charles County tourist attraction. The historic site also serves as a “laboratory” where students can study a variety of hands-on programs, learning the values, culture, and history of the American frontier. Classes held at the site involve historic preservation, frontier crafts, interpretation, museology, archaeological digs, and recreation skills. The Boone Home also provides opportunities for students to conduct internships or practica at the Boone location and earn credit toward nearly any major, from accounting and marketing to theatre and education. Contact (636) 798-2005 for more information.
- The Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences is the home of the School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. This facility consists of a 70,000 square foot classroom and laboratory building on approximately 28 acres. It is located at #1 Academy Place, Dardenne Prairie MO 63368. For more information please call 636-627-2932.
- Located at the intersection of Elm Street and Kingshighway, the Elm Street location features three classrooms.
- Lindenwood University Cultural Center (LUCC): Located at 400 N. Kingshighway, a few blocks from the main campus, the LUCC is the center for the Lindenwood College for Individualized Education. Classrooms, faculty offices, and a 600-seat auditorium, and the Student Counseling and Resource Center are among the building’s amenities. Contact (636) 949-4500 for more information.