Lebanon Valley College history

By 1878, the college catalog began announcing that experience showed that there was no difference between men and women in their ability to master college courses, an unpopular idea at its time.

The college steadily grew during its first 35 years, and by 1904, the campus had expanded to include Engle Hall, home of the music department, and a partially completed library funded by Andrew Carnegie.

The college steadily grew during its first 35 years, and by 1904, the campus had expanded to include Engle Hall, home of the music department, and a partially completed library funded by Andrew Carnegie. It was not until President Lawrence W. Keister took office on June 12, 1907, that the debt situation was solved.

Thanks to his fundraising efforts, the debt was eliminated by 1911.

A festive tradition, this pageant was begun in 1912.

Until October 1931, dancing on the LVC campus was forbidden.

As a 1939 graduate, Strickler lived through the Great Depression and WWII, events that shook and shaped the College profoundly.

In the Fall of 1942, LVC's first wartime registration showed only 357 students enrolled.

As the second semester began in 1943, there were only 282 students: 145 women and 137 men, the first time that women outnumbered men.

Enrollment steadily grew and by 1948, thanks to the G.I. Bill, it had reached 817 full-time students, far beyond the college's capacity.

Clyde A. Lynch Memorial Hall—which included the school's first proper gymnasium—was opened in 1953.

In 1957, Science Hall (now the Derickson A apartments) was created out of the old Kreider Factory building on White Oak St, and Gossard Library also opened that year.

Doctor Wolf, a a long-time chair of the Biology Department, joined the faculty in 1966.

In February 1985 the college opened a nighttime dance club called the Underground (or "UG" as it is referred to by most students). The UG is a place where students can go to have fun with their classmates and friends on most Saturday nights.

A new technologically advanced library, the Vernon and Doris Bishop Library, opened in January 1996.

With a distinguished physical therapy teaching career, Doctor Nelson joined the LVC staff in 2002 as chair of the recently formed Department of Physical Therapy.

He retired in 2003 from Johns Hopkins University as director of health services.READ NOW

King served on the College’s Board of Trustees for a decade, beginning in 2005.READ NOW

One student interned with the fall 2006 Democratic Coordinated Election Campaign

2010 | "Hazleton: A History of Demographic, Economic, and Cultural Change"

In March 2015, McElwee was honored in a ceremony held by the City of Hazleton for his community involvement.

May 2016 | "Mobile Money and Mobile Finance as a Tool for Financial Inclusion and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa"

LVC defeated Albright in double overtime in 2018 and President Thayne granted the students' wish.