Lee University (LU)

Lee University, “a campus where Christ is king,” is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and affiliated with the Church of God. This “private Christian, liberal arts institution dedicated to integrating students into the world with strong morals and knowledge” is “a university devoted to seeing and appreciating the world through a Christian lens,” according to one history major. Religion is key here, and “Lee aims to incorporate faith and education in order to prepare students to serve God in their future career.” When it comes to the professors, students say “professors at Lee are so knowledgeable, passionate about their subjects, and approachable. They genuinely care about their students, and are like spiritual fathers on the campus to us.” “Academically I have been challenged to think outside of the box,” says one anthropology major, but one student laments that “most [professors] are completely dependent on book material and never stray from it. Please give me an education worth more than a $1.25 late fee from the library.” While professors earn praise on the whole, some students would like to see “more action on part of the administration.” With a strong community component, both on campus and in the surrounding area, “Lee also encourages active engaging with the world, through requiring eighty service hours and at least two weeks in a foreign country.” One accounting major sums up the school this way: “Lee is about Jesus and [the] liberal arts.”

The typical Lee student is “religious” and “very friendly in the Southern tradition,” and the “small class sizes and various clubs facilitate making friends easily.” Most Lee students describe their peers as those who were “raised in a Christian home [and] who came to Lee for a Christian education.” While some see the atmosphere on campus as all-inclusive, with students who fall outside of the “White, Southern, Church of God” norm welcomed into the fold, others say that this majority is “not very welcoming to people who think differently than them, which is unfortunate.” Lee University has a “conservative reputation,” but one English major notes, “The school has become more liberal.” There are “students from several countries and continents” and “many groups where students can find a niche” such as “social clubs, music groups, and academic clubs.”

Life on campus often revolves around the “multitude of social events sponsored by the Greek clubs on campus as well as several events throughout the year organized by the Student Life Counsel,” and “theological debates are common among some crowds.” When Lee students want to explore off campus, “hanging out in Chattanooga (thirty minutes south of campus) is also popular because there are lots of shopping and dining options as well as other fun things to do around downtown.” Outdoor activities are popular. There is “lots of hiking,” and “a lot of people will go hiking or swimming because there is a lot of natural beauty around and the mountains and the Ocoee river are right in our backyard.” Most students don’t seem to mind the school’s firm policies but note that some “people think that they can be too strict with certain things that should not be mandatory like chapel.” One student studying discipleship points out, “Even though it’s a “Christian” school, there is obviously still partying and whatnot, but none of it seems to be dangerous. If partying is your thing (although its not encouraged by the school) you can still pretty freely do so.”