Lawrence's first president, William Harkness Sampson, founded the school withHenry R. Colman, using $10,000 provided byphilanthropistAmos Adams Lawrence, and matched by theMethodist church. Both founders were ordained Methodistministers, but Lawrence wasEpiscopalian. The school was originally namedLawrence Institute of Wisconsin in its 1847 charter from the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, but the name was changed to Lawrence University before classes began in November 1849.[3][4] Its oldest extant building,Main Hall, was built in 1853.[5] Lawrence University was the second coeducational institution in the country.[6]
Lawrence's first period of major growth came during the thirty-year tenure (1894―1924) ofalumnusSamuel G. Plantz as president, when the student body quadrupled, from 200 to 800.
From 1913 until 1964, it was namedLawrence College, to emphasize its small size andliberal arts education focus. The name returned to Lawrence University when it merged withMilwaukee-Downer College. The state of Wisconsin then purchased the Milwaukee-Downer property and buildings to expand the campus of theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Initially, the university designated two entities: Lawrence College for Men and Downer College for Women. This separation has not lasted in any material form, though degrees are still conferred "on the recommendation of the Faculty of Lawrence and Downer Colleges" and the university by-laws still make the distinction. The traditions and heritage of Milwaukee-Downer are woven into the Appleton campus, from the grove ofhawthorn trees (called Hawthornden) between Brokaw and Colman halls, to thesundial on the back ofMain Hall, to the bestowing upon each class a class color and banner.
The Lawrence Conservatory of Music, usually referred to as "the Con", was founded in 1874. Lawrence offers three degrees: aBachelor of Arts, aBachelor of Music and aBachelor of Musical Arts. It also offers a five-year dual degree program, where students can receive both B.A. and B.Mus. degrees.
TheInstitute of Paper Chemistry (later renamed the Institute of Paper Science and Technology) was founded in 1929 as a collaboration between the University and local paper manufacturers. The Institute, whose campus was built across from Lawrence's Alexander Gymnasium, offered master's and doctoral degrees.[7] In 1989, the Institute moved to theAtlanta, Georgia campus of theGeorgia Institute of Technology.[8]
First-year Studies (formerly named Freshman Studies) at Lawrence is a mandatory one-term class, in which all students study the same selected 11 classic works of literature, art, and music, the list varying from year to year. PresidentNathan M. Pusey is credited with initiating the program in 1945, although Professor Waples chaired the Freshman Studies Committee and was responsible for implementing the program. The program continues to this day, despite being temporarily suspended in 1975 and shorted from two terms to one in 2024.[9][10]
The 84-acre (34 ha) campus is located in downtown Appleton, divided into two parts by theFox River. The academic campus is on the north shore of the river, and the major athletic facilities (including the 5,000-seat Banta Bowl) are on the southeast shore. Lawrence also has a 425-acre (1.7 km2) northern estate calledBjörklunden (full name: Björklunden vid sjön), which serves as a site for retreats, seminars, concerts, and theatrical performances. Donald and Winifred Boynton ofHighland Park, Illinois, donated the property inDoor County, Wisconsin to Lawrence in 1963.
In 2009, Lawrence opened the Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center, a gathering place for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests from the Fox Cities community.[12] The 107,000-square-foot (9,900 m2) building is situated on the Fox River on the site of the former Hulburt House.
Seeley G. Mudd Library contains over 420,000 volumes
All students are required to take First-Year Studies during their first trimester, which introduces students to broad areas of study and provides a common academic experience for the college. Known as Freshman Studies until 2021, the program was established in 1945, and aside from a brief interruption in the mid-1970s it has remained a consistent fixture of the school's liberal arts curriculum.[14] Lawrence's First-Year Studies program focuses on a mixture ofGreat Books and more contemporary, influential works, which include non-fiction books, fiction books, and various other types of works, such as paintings, photographs, musical recordings, and theperiodic table of the elements. Readings are replaced every few years, with the exception ofPlato'sRepublic, which was included in the list from 1945 until the program was revised in 2024.[15]
In the 2025U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Lawrence University was ranked 69th (tied) of 211 liberal arts colleges nationwide.[16] Lawrence was ranked 85th in the national liberal arts colleges and 12th in Pell Grant performance inWashington Monthly's rankings in 2024.[17]
Lawrence enrolls about 1,500 students. The total enrollment in academic year 2010–11 was 1,566 students,[18] the largest student body in Lawrence University's history. Over 75% of the students identify as white,[18] about 12% areinternational students,[13] and about 25% of students study in the conservatory of music. In the fall of 2014, a quarter of the incoming class were domestic students of color.[19]
At the beginning of every academic year in September, incoming freshmen arrive a week before returning students to partake in Welcome Week. During Welcome Week, various activities are planned in order to help the incoming class get to know one another and to help them acclimate to college life.[21] During the first night of Welcome Week, students and their parents attend the President's Welcome, which concludes with the traditional matriculation handshake, where every member of the incoming class shakes hands and exchanges words with the university's president.[21]
During the fall term, the on-campusfraternityBeta Theta Pi hosts the annual Beach Bash. For this event, the brothers of ΒθΠ shovel approximately 14 tons of sand into the fraternity house basement,[22] and install aboardwalk and alifeguard station that doubles as aDJ booth.This tradition was skipped in 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[23]
During spring term, Lawrence hosts a music festival, LU-aroo (a play on words on the popular music festivalBonnaroo). Held on the quad, the festival features many talented student bands, both from the college and the conservatory.[24] In 2016, the musicianThe Tallest Man on Earth played at the festival.[25]
An on-campusbar, the Viking Room (VR), serves as a beloved campus lounge within the basement of the Memorial Hall classroom building. Professors and other senior university personnel frequently serve as guestbartenders, and "VR tokens" are commonly distributed during campus events or whenbartering to exchange for drinks at the bar. Students ofdrinking age customize a numberedtankard that is stored in the VR and is reused by the individual each time they order a drink. Upon graduation, some students take their mugs home with them.[26]
The campus newspaper,The Lawrentian, comes out once per week while school is in session. Although it is student operated, it receives university funding. It was first published in May 1884 by a committee representing four literary societies at Lawrence University: the Philalathean, and Phoenix ("gentlemen's societies"); and the Athena and Lawrean ("ladies' societies"). Prior toThe Lawrentian, the Phoenix Society had published a newspaper calledThe Collegian from 1867 to 1878, while the Philalathean and Athena societies publishedThe Neoterian from 1876 to 1878. The two newspapers were merged asThe Collegian and Neoterian in 1878, and was reorganized asThe Lawrentian in 1884.[27][28]
Lawrence had a radio station, WLFM, from 1955 (broadcasting beginning in 1956) through 2005.[citation needed]
Lawrence University'sintercollegiate athletic teams, known as theVikings since 1926,[30] compete in theMidwest Conference inNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division III. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, fencing, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
In 2005–06, the men's basketball team was ranked first in Division III for much of the season, after starting the season unranked.[31] The Vikings were the only undefeated team in all divisions of college basketball for the last six weeks of the season, ending with a record of 25–1. Star forward Chris Braier won the Josten's Award as the top player in the country for both playing ability and community service.[32] Coach John Tharp was named Division III Midwest Coach of the Year.[33] Beginning in2004, Lawrence qualified for theDivision III national tournament in five of the next six years (2004,2005,2006,2008,2009).[31] Their best result was in 2004, advancing to the quarterfinals (Elite 8), but fell to eventual national championWisconsin–Stevens Point by a point in overtime atTacoma, Washington.[34]
In 2021, Lawrence unveiled a new athletics logo, featuring a Viking ship incorporating theantelope from the crest on the Lawrencecoat of arms. This replaced the longstanding previous Viking logo with variations utilized by many other organizations, notably including theMinnesota Vikings.[35] In 2022, the Vikings debuted a new mascot, an antelope named Blu.[36]
