Virginia University of Lynchburg

In 1886 the Virginia Baptist State Convention founded the Lynchburg Baptist Seminary as an institution of "self-reliance," "racial pride," and "faith". It first offered classes in 1890 as the renamed Virginia Seminary. Under the direction of Gregory Willis Hayes, the second president of the college who served from 1891 to 1906, the school became a pioneer in the field of African American education. In 1900 the school was reincorporated as the Virginia Theological Seminary and College and in 1962 became the Virginia Seminary and College. The college was renamed and incorporated as Virginia University of Lynchburg in 1996. Among its graduates was the poet Anne Spencer.