HISTORY and OVERVIEW

Longwood University, a pioneer first in private and later in public education, is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States. Longwood was founded on March 5, 1839, this being rhe dare that the Farmville Female Seminary Association was incorporated by the General Assembly of Virginia.

In the succeeding years the increasing prosperity of the Farmville Female Seminary led the stockholders to expand the seminary into a college, and the Farmville Female College was incorporated in 1860. On April 7, 1884, the Seate of Virginia acquired the property of the Farmville Female College, and in October of the same year the Normal School opened with 110 students enrolled. This was the first state institution of higher learning for women in Virginia.

With the passage of the years, the Normal School expanded its curriculum and progressed through a succession of names. It became the State Normal School for Women in 1914, the State Teachers College at Farmville in 1924, Longwood College in 1949, and Longwood University 2002.

Longwood was first authorized to offer a four-year curriculum leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Education in 19 I 6. Ir was authorized to offer Bachelor of Arts in 1935, the Bachelor of Science in 1938, a curriculum in business education the same year, courses leading to a degree in music education in 1949, and the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1976. In 1978, Longwood was authorized to offer the Bachelor of Fine Arts, and in 1981, the Bachelor of Music. In 1954, graduate programs were authorized. Longwood became fully coeducational in June 1976.

Campus

Longwood University is rapidly recovering from the devastating fire of April 24, 2001 that destroyed several historic buildings on campus including the Ruffners, Grainger Hall, and the signature Rotunda building.

A completely rebuilt Grainger Hall is scheduled to open by Fall 2003 and construction is underway on rebuilding the Ruffners and Brock Commons, a beautiful pedestrian promenade char will provide a central focal point for the campus while eliminating traffic congestion and safety hazards. Plans are also underway for a new science building.

The newly remodeled Lancaster Hall houses the President's Office and the administrative offices of Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Student Affairs, and University Advancement.

The newest building on campus is the two-story, 60,000 square foot dining hall, located across from the Lankford Student Union, which opened for the spring semester 2000. This multi-purpose facility, with its curved, colonnaded portico overlooking Iler Field, is the first on campus to utilize geothermal hearing and cooling. The flexible interior design provides space for banquets, meetings, and special events along with a Grand Dining Room seating 500 and an arcade seating an additional 700.

Behind and alongside chis area are broad malls, lawns, 11 tennis courts, four athletic fields, an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, and numerous lace-20th century buildings, including the library, residence halls, the Lankford Student Union, and various academic facilities.

The cam pus has six auditoriums ranging in size from 150 seats to 1,227.

Lancer Hall is a $4.5 million health, physical education, and recreation complex. Ir has a gymnasium with 3,000 seats; a complete weight-training laboratory; an olympic-size pool with a three-meter board and underwater sound, lighting, and observation window; a 500-seac nacacorium; a modern dance studio with a floating floor and staging capacity; and one of the state's best-equipped laboratories for the study of human performance as it relates to exercise, sports, health, and the arts.

Students also can enjoy the facilities at Longwood Estate, about a mile from the campus. These include 'The Cabin," the Dell, and a nine-hole golf course. The President's home is on the Estate.

University Library and Resources

The Library, occupied in 1991 and conveniently located near the center of the campus, is open for use 84 hours each week during regular sessions. Entry is through a two-story atrium, which facilitates visual orientation to each of the major service points for the Library. The Library collections offer 240,000 cataloged cities. The Library currently subscribes to 2,505 print and 11,000 electronic journals. Some 700,000 microform units, sound and video recordings, and CD RO Ms supplement the book and journal collections. The Library also pro-

vides access to the holdings of other libraries through its interlibrary loan service. Access to and control of its collections are through the Library's online catalog and circulation system, which can be consulted from any point on the campus network or the Internet. The Library complements its collections by providing users access to electronic information found throughout the Internet and by making selected information more accessible through the Library's World Wide Web offerings. To aid users in finding information expeditiously and in gaining expertise for information literacy, the Library provides a variety of reference s~rvices, including individual reference assistance, group bibliographic instruction, and online searching assistance co commercial and noncommercial information providers.

The College Year

The college year consists of a regular session, including two semesters of 15 weeks each, and a summer session. The summer session for undergraduate students consists of three four-week terms. The graduate summer session consists of two four-week terms. The summer session makes it possible for an undergraduate student to complete a degree program in three calendar years as compared to the traditional four academic years generally required to complete such a program. Both undergraduate and graduate classes during the summer are scheduled for five days a week. ·

Summer Session

Longwood welcomes a variery of students to its summer sessions by offering basic courses and advanced courses in the majors in a wide variety of academic disciplines. Specialized instruction is also available through a broad range of intensive course offerings.

Registration procedures for summer sessions are published on the college website which is usually available in early February.

Commencement

Commencement is held once a year, in May. Students completing a degree program in August or December may participate in che following May commencement.

Graduating seniors must buy from the college bookstore the caps, gowns, and hoods required for commencement exercises.

Longwood's Honor System

A strong cradition of honor is fundamental to the quality of living and learning in the Longwood community. The Honor System was founded in 1910, and ics purpose is to create and sustain a communiry in which all person~ are treated with crust, respect, and dignity. Longwood affirms the value and necessity of integrity in all intellectual and community endeavors. Students are expected to assume full responsibility for their actions and co refrain from lying, cheating, stealing, and plagiarism.

Upon entering Longwood, students sign the Honor Pledge:

I, ......................................... having a clear undemanding of the basis and spirit of the Honor Code created and accepted by the student body of Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia, pledge myself co govern my life at Longwood according to its standards and to accept my responsibility for helping others co do so, and with sensici~e regard for my institution, to live by the Honor Code at all cimes and co see that others do likewise.