Jump to Header Jump to Main Content Jump to Footer COVID-19 Updates Return to home Open Menu Open Search OUR STORY History & Traditions The university opened the doors to its one-room school, known then as Highland Academy, in 1891 with 12 students. Go to the previous slide Go to the next slide Always Expanding The university continues to innovate and grow in order to provide students with a cutting-edge education and fulfilling opportunities. The original property, a 56-acre tract one mile north of the Hickory business district, was part of the estate of a Watauga County lawyer Walter W. Lenoir. Before he died in 1890, Lenoir donated the land as a campus for a church-sponsored college. The school officially opened on September 1, 1891. In 1895, the college assumed its first official synodical sponsorship which continues today with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Name Origins Four months into being known as Highland College, the school was chartered under the name of Lenoir College in memory of Walter W. Lenoir and his donation of the land. In 1923, the college became Lenoir-Rhyne, in honor of Daniel E. Rhyne, a Lincoln County industrialist who boosted the endowment and other assets of the institution. The college was admitted into the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1928. Founded by Four Pastors They wanted to create a school for young people to receive an education based on religious principles and Christian values. School Growth With the end of World War II came an influx of students, boosting enrollment from 407 in 1945 to 843 in 1947. In the late 1960s, the college initiated long-range plans to enrich the quality of its curricula and has never looked back. Some of major improvements included changes to the academic calendar, new courses were offered and joint degree programs with other institutions were added, student personnel services were expanded, new buildings were constructed and others were renovated. The campus almost doubled in size and the endowment hit new highs. In March 2008, the board of trustees for the college approved the plan to transform Lenoir-Rhyne College into a Lenoir-Rhyne University. This name change came to help better reflect the growth being made in enrollment, faculty and staff. Lenoir-Rhyne University Today Lenoir-Rhyne University has developed into a nationally recognized liberal arts university of choice – with nearly 2,700 students and 140 full-time faculty. The university has reached new heights in education and continues to provide an intimate class atmosphere for our students to become passionate leaders of tomorrow. Today, more than 130 years after its founding, Lenoir-Rhyne continues to follow the heart of its mission – as a community, helping students in the pursuit of becoming a whole person who promote responsible leadership and are clarified in personal faith. Lenoir-Rhyne Through the Years Explore Lenoir-Rhyne's past, traditions and highlights as shaped by students, faculty, staff and alumni. 2010-Present 2000-2010 1980-1999 1960-1979 1940-1959 1920-1939 1900-1919 1891-1900 About Fast Facts History & Traditions University Leadership Strategic Plan Accreditation Offices & Services Community Partners Related Links University Archives University Publications and Resources History of Institutional Name Lenoir-Rhyne University 2008-present Lenoir-Rhyne College 1976-2008 Lenoir Rhyne College 1924-1976 Lenoir-Rhyne College 1923-1924 Lenoir College 1891-1923 Highland Academy 1891 Leadership History Fredrick K. Whitt 2017-present Wayne B. Powell 2002-2016 Ryan A. LaHurd 1994-2002 John E. Trainer, Jr. 1984-1994 Albert B. Anderson 1976-1983 Raymond Morris Bost 1968-1976 Voigt Rhodes Cromer 1949-1967 Pleasant Edgar Monroe 1934-1949 H. Brent Schaeffer 1926-1934 John Carnahan Perry 1920-1925 Robert Lindsay Fritz 1901-1920 Robert Anderson Yoder 1891-1901 News & Events LR campus community mourns unexpected death of Omari Alexander Lenoir-Rhyne University is grieving the loss of one of our student-athletes. Omari Alexander, a 19-year-old sophomore from Concord, North Carolina and member of the LR football team, was killed overnight on November 20 in an off-campus incident in Hickory. View More View All News NOVEMBER 29 6:00 PM-7:00 PM / GRACE CHAPEL Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony DECEMBER 02 7:30 PM-7:00 PM / GRACE CHAPEL A Lenoir-Rhyne Christmas - December 2-4, 2021 View All Events GET INFO VISIT APPLY DEPOSIT Return to home Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Instagram 625 7th Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601 828.328.1741 Directory Tours, Maps & Directions Events Calendar University News Profile Magazine Work at LR Library Bookstore Copyright Accessibility Title IX Safety & Emergency Preparedness Consumer Information Coronavirus © 2021 Lenoir-Rhyne University