Lindenwood University-Belleville
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. Located at 2600 West Main St., 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 by the fall of 2011.
Along with the creation of the day program at LU-Belleville, the campus has experienced tremendous growth in its academic and athletic programs. Since 2009, LU-Belleville has added more than 30 sports programs with many of its teams earning honors and championships on the state, regional, and national levels. Lindenwood University-Belleville was awarded membership into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 2012, and in 2014, LU-Belleville joined the American Midwest Conference within the NAIA. When LU-Belleville added a football program in 2012, the renovated field garnered national attention because of its unique gray-and-maroon striped turf.
In terms of facilities, Lindenwood University-Belleville has invested approximately $32 million into its campus, bringing existing buildings up-to-date and purchasing new land for expansion to accommodate its population of almost 2,400 students. One of the first buildings to be refurbished was the campus’ historic auditorium. Thanks to donors Fred and Barbara Kern, the Lindenwood Auditorium, designed by William B. Ittner in 1924, is once again dedicated to hosting not only the performing arts, but also community events, such as congressional and mayoral debates. The building itself now includes faculty offices, new high tech classrooms, and a dance studio. 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.
Due to growing day student population, the U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center, which was opened in 2011, and which houses the Admission Center, dining hall, campus store and other facilities, has been redesigned with increased dining areas and kitchen facilities.
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. As the campus 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.