VFIC Member College Highlights

Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges

"Securing Brighter Futures"
Since 1952

Highlights

VFIC Member Colleges

The VFIC is a consortium of 15 traditional independent liberal arts colleges in Virginia. These remarkable institutions, educating over 22,000 under-graduates each year, provide small classes, low student-faculty ratios, personal attention to students, and a time-tested liberal arts experience -- important and distinctive options compared to large public universities.

Bridgewater College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Bridgewater, Virginia 1880 George E. Cornelius 1,643 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.bridgewater.edu
Bridgewater College incorporates an educational philosophy that unites academic studies, co-curricular activities and service, allowing students to gain the skills and maturity necessary for a lifetime of learning. Through the Personal Portfolio Program students explore their full potential through scholarly activities and co-curricular pursuits that foster intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual growth.
Emory & Henry College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Emory, Virginia 1836 Rosalind Reichard 899 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.ehc.edu
Emory & Henry College is a coeducational liberal arts college in the Appalachian highlands of southwest Virginia. The academic program includes more than 50 majors in approximately 25 fields of study. In addition, E&H students are exposed to a wide range of lectures and cultural events provided by respected experts, political figures and artists.
Hampden-Sydney College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: : College web site:	Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 1775 Christopher B. Howard 1,056 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.hsc.edu
As a college for men, Hampden-Sydney students pursue a traditional liberal arts curriculum and participate in a nationally recognized Rhetoric Program, which stresses writing across the curriculum. The College is committed to the belief that a liberal arts education provides the best foundation, not only for a career, but also for the great moral and intellectual challenges of life.
Hollins University
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: : College web site:	Roanoke, Virginia 1836 Nancy O. Gray 695 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.hollins.edu
Hollins University, located in Roanoke, has been a leader in liberal arts education for women. Students enjoy Hollins' challenging and supportive academic environment and focus on individualized learning. Hollins offers academic programs in 27 majors, superior teaching, and extensive study abroad, leadership, internship, and service opportunities.
Lynchburg College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: : College web site:	Lynchburg, Virginia 1903 Kenneth R. Garren 2,138 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.lynchburg.edu
The mission of Lynchburg College is to develop students with strong character and balanced perspectives for intelligent and wholehearted participation and effective leadership in a global society. This is accomplished through a core liberal arts curriculum, an array of majors and minors, professional and pre-professional programs. Experiential learning opportunities include service learning, study abroad, internships, collaborative student/faculty research, and student teaching.
Mary Baldwin College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: : College web site:	Staunton, Virginia 1842 Pamela Fox 1,036 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.mbc.edu
Civic engagement, academic excellence, and global context lead to positive, personal transformation at Mary Baldwin College. The College offers multiple avenues to achievement through its signature programs and focus on wellness (emotional and spiritual as well as physical). The Residential College for Women has a student to faculty ratio of 10:1 and serves about 800 young women who reside on campus.
Marymount University
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Arlington, Virginia 1950 Matthew D. Shank 2,084 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.marymount.edu
Marymount is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic university. MU offers a student-centered learning community that values diversity and focuses on the education of the whole person. Marymount combines a liberal arts foundation with career preparation and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.
Randolph College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Lynchburg, Virginia 1891 John E. Klein 545 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.randolphcollege.edu
Randolph College, offers students a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences with a focus on a global honors curriculum. Students are encouraged to work at the honors level and design individualized and coherent programs of study that combine academic and co-curricular components.
Randolph-Macon College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: : College web site:	Ashland, Virginia 1830 Robert R. Lindgren 1,230 (4-yr FT undergradst - Fall 2011) www.rmc.edu
Randolph-Macon College is a selective liberal arts college which offers students a broad academic foundation and provides them numerous opportunities for individualizing their education. Students can participate in programs such as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program; regional, national and international internship opportunities; a wide breadth of study abroad opportunities; and the innovative First Year Experience (FYE) program.
Roanoke College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Salem, Virginia 1842 Michael C. Maxey 1,970 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.roanoke.edu
Roanoke College provides students valuable depth and breadth in their education. The depth comes from intensive learning through strong majors and independent studies, special research opportunities, internships and other forms of experiential learning. The breadth comes from a series of unique core courses that span the four years of the undergraduate experience.
Shenandoah University
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Winchester, Virginia 1875 Tracy Fitzsimmons 1,784 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.su.edu
Shenandoah University attracts students with forward-thinking faculty, cutting-edge technology and more than 80 programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate, doctorate and professional levels. Shenandoah is a place where leaders are cultivated and where the spirit of academics, citizenship, and service provide the framework for students to maximize potential and achieve their dreams.
Sweet Briar College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Sweet Briar, Virginia 1901 Jo Ellen J. Parker 620 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.sbc.edu
Sweet Briar remains committed to the education of women. The College offers a full range of liberal arts majors and is one of only two womens colleges in the country to offer degrees in engineering. Its offerings also include study abroad programs in France and Spain and through the Sweet Briar Promise every qualified student is guaranteed an internship, study abroad experience, and leadership and research opportunities.
University of Richmond
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Richmond, Virginia 1830 Edward L. Ayers 3,382 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.richmond.edu
The University of Richmond is a nationally ranked liberal arts university offering a unique combination of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business, leadership studies, law and continuing studies. The first school of leadership studies in the nation and a top-25 business school enhance a strong liberal arts curriculum.
Virginia Wesleyan College
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served: College web site:	Norfolk, Virginia 1961 William T. Greer, Jr. 1,248 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.vwc.edu
Virginia Wesleyan College is a small, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Virginia Wesleyan provides a prime opportunity for students to learn both in and out of the classroom, offering a bachelor of arts degree in 39 academic majors, and a bachelor of science degree in two academic majors, nearly half of which have formal internship opportunities.
Washington and Lee University
	Location: Founded: President: Students Served:: College web site:	Lexington, Virginia 1749 Kenneth P. Ruscio 1,787 (4-yr FT undergrads - Fall 2011) www.wlu.edu
Washington and Lee University offers a unique convergence of arts & sciences, law, commerce, and journalism. The University promotes research, scholarship and the creative arts and provides programs such as the Shepherd Poverty Studies Program, Campus Kitchens, the Nabors Service League, and Habitat for Humanity.