Lawrence University is aprivateliberal arts college andconservatory of music inAppleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as acoeducational institution.

Lawrence University

Former names	Lawrence College (1913–1964) Lawrence Institute (1847–1849)
Motto	Light! More Light! Veritas est lux.
Motto in English	"Truth is Light"
Type	Privateliberal arts college
Established	1847; 178 years ago (1847)
Academic affiliations	Oberlin Group CLAC Annapolis Group Associated Colleges of the Midwest Space-grant
Endowment	$440 million (2022)[1]
President	Laurie Carter
Students	1,465 (fall 2023)[2]
Location	Appleton , Wisconsin , United States 44°15′40″N88°24′00″W / 44.261°N 88.400°W /44.261; -88.400
Campus	Urban: 84 acres (34 ha) Björklunden: 425 acres (172 ha)
Nickname	Vikings
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III –Midwest Conference
Website	lawrence.edu

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.

First-year Studies (formerly named Freshman Studies) at Lawrence is a mandatory two-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.^[7]

• 1849–1853William Harkness Sampson, principal
• 1853–1859 Edward Cooke, president
• 1859–1865Russell Zelotes Mason, president
• 1865–1879George McKendree Steele, president
• 1879–1889Elias DeWitt Huntley, president
• 1883–1889Bradford Paul Raymond, president
• 1889–1893Charles Wesley Gallagher, president
• 1893–1894 L. Wesley Underwood, acting president
• 1894–1924Samuel G. Plantz, president
• 1925–1937Henry Merritt Wriston, president
• 1937–1943Thomas Nichols Barrows, president
• 1944–1953Nathan Marsh Pusey, president
• 1954–1963Douglas Maitland Knight, president
• 1963–1969Curtis William Tarr, president
• 1969–1979Thomas S. Smith, president
• 1979–2004Richard Warch, president
• 2004–2013Jill Beck, president
• 2013–2021Mark Burstein, president
• 2021–present (as of 2025^[update])Laurie Carter, president^[8]

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. It contains a chapel for weddings. Donald and Winifred Boynton ofHighland Park, Illinois, donated the property inDoor County, Wisconsin to Lawrence in 1963.

In the mid-1980s, the Physics Department built a $330,000 small laser laboratory which includes 800 5 mW small lasers and more than 500 mirrors.

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.^[9] The 107,000-square-foot (9,900 m²) building is situated on the Fox River on the site of the former Hulburt House. The Warch Campus Center includes a cinema, campus dining services, campus mailboxes, and various meeting and event spaces. The building has earned aLEED certification.

The student/faculty ratio at Lawrence is 9:1.^[10]

The college offers majors in most of theliberal arts. The school also offers the option ofinterdisciplinary areas of study and allows students to design their own majors. Lawrence grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees, with adouble degree possible. Lawrence offers a number of cooperative degree programs in areas such asengineering,health sciences andenvironmental studies.^{[clarification needed]}

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.^[11] 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.^[12]

TheLawrence University Conservatory of Music was founded in 1874 and has been a part of Lawrence University ever since. The Conservatory offers Bachelor of Music degrees in Performance, Theory/Composition, Music Education, and a five-year double degree option that grants both a BM degree from the Conservatory and a BA degree from the College. Approximately 25% of the Lawrence student body, or 350 students, is in the Conservatory. The Conservatory has three choirs, two bands, two jazz ensembles, a symphony orchestra, an improvisation collective, five world music ensembles, and numerous chamber music groups. The Conservatory offers also a Bachelor of Musical Arts, primarily—but not exclusively—for students whose interest is in other than Western Classical Music. Students complete coursework in both the College and the Conservatory, and choose a "cognate"--a secondary field of study in the college to accompany their music studies.

Lawrence is a member of theAssociated Colleges of the Midwest, an academicconsortium of 14 liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and Colorado that coordinates several off-campus study programs in a large number of countries as its primary activity. Lawrence University is also part of theOberlin Group, a consortium of liberal arts college libraries.

In the 2025U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Lawrence University was ranked 69th (tied) of 211 liberal arts colleges nationwide.^[13] Lawrence was ranked 85th in the national liberal arts colleges and 12th in Pell Grant performance inWashington Monthly's rankings in 2024.^[14]

Lawrence enrolls about 1,500 students. The total enrollment in academic year 2010–11 was 1,566 students,^[15] the largest student body in Lawrence University's history. Over 75% of the students identify as white,^[15] about 12% areinternational students,^[10] 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.^[16]

Lawrence students have been namedRhodes Scholars seven times. Since 1976, 57 students and nine faculty have receivedFulbright Scholarships. Since 1969, 73 students have been namedWatson Fellows.^[17]

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.^[18] 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.^[18]

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,^[19] and install aboardwalk and alifeguard station that doubles as aDJ booth.This tradition was skipped in 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[20]

TheGreat Midwest Trivia Contest, claimed to be the longest-running college bowl trivia competition,^[21] is hosted by a group of Trivia Masters composed of current Lawrence students every January. Alumni and independent teams from around the world are also able to compete, with the contest broadcast previously overradio and currently onTwitch.

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.^[22] In 2016, the musicianThe Tallest Man on Earth played at the festival.^[23]

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, students take their mug with them as a reminder of the many great times spent in the VR.^[24]

The student newspaper,The Lawrentian, has been published for over a century. Lawrence had a radio station, WLFM, from 1955 (broadcasting beginning in 1956) through 2005.

Since 2012, Lawrence has hosted the peer-reviewed academic journalFilm & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal, one of the oldest film journals in the world.

Lawrence University'sintercollegiate athletic teams, known as theVikings since 1926,^[26] 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.^[27] 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.^[28] Coach John Tharp was named Division III Midwest Coach of the Year.^[29] Beginning in2004, Lawrence qualified for theDivision III national tournament in five of the next six years (2004,2005,2006,2008,2009).^[27] 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.^[30]

In 2011, Lawrence's men's cross country team won the Midwest Conference championships for the first time since 1985, beatingGrinnell College and ending its 14-year winning streak.

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.^[31] In 2022, the Vikings debuted a new mascot, an antelope named Blu.^[32]

•  
  David C. Mulford
  (B.A. '59)
  U.S. ambassador to India
  
•  
  Thomas A. Steitz
  (B.A. '62)
  Nobel Prize-winningbiochemist
  
•  
  Terry Moran
  (B.A. '82)
  Journalist
  
•  
  Pawo Choyning Dorji
  (B.A. '06)
  Bhutanese filmmaker
  

• List of NCAA fencing schools

• Official website 
• Athletics website