Welcome to Day One of Lindsey Wilson University

After serving Kentucky as Lindsey Wilson Training School, Lindsey Wilson Junior College and Lindsey Wilson College, Lindsey Wilson University reflects the school's distinguished work in undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education.

signs change COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Today is the first day of Lindsey Wilson University.

After more than 120 years of service as a training school, junior college and liberal arts college, Lindsey Wilson University begins its first fiscal year today.

The decision to rename the 122-year-old school was made unanimously in April by the Lindsey Wilson Board of Trustees -- and supported overwhelmingly by the faculty assembly, alumni association and student government -- to more accurately reflect the school’s status.

“This is a culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work by Lindsey Wilson faculty and staff over the years, and I want to thank you for joining me on this exciting adventure,” Lindsey Wilson President William T. Luckey Jr. wrote in an announcement Tuesday morning to the campus community.

Lindsey Wilson’s 2024 fall enrollment was a record 4,147 students, which included students from 49 countries and six continents. Lindsey Wilson operates campuses in six states, and about 60% of its students are enrolled in graduate or doctoral programs. In 2024-25, it awarded a record 1,780 undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Founded in 1903 as a training school for Vanderbilt University, Lindsey Wilson became a junior college in 1923. The school was transformed into a baccalaureate degree-granting college in 1985, it offered its first graduate program in 1993 and a doctoral program was added in 2015. Lindsey Wilson now offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. Lindsey Wilson has more than 22,000 alumni.

“Even though July 1, 2025 marks a day that will go down in history in our journey of more than 120 years, one thing remains the same -- the Lindsey Wilson mission of serving our precious students,” wrote Luckey, who has been Lindsey Wilson’s eighth president since 1998 and is the longest-serving college or university president in Kentucky. “When students return to campus next month, we will continue to celebrate this momentous occasion. So, hang tight and let’s enjoy this ride!”

A new look

Along with university status comes a new logo and seal.

The most recent Lindsey Wilson logo was designed in 1996 and adopted in 1998; the most recent Lindsey Wilson seal has been in use since the beginning of the post-World War II era.

To present a logo and seal that reflect Lindsey Wilson University and the Lindsey Wilson mission, Lindsey Wilson engaged the services of Bowstring, a Philadelphia-based global creative content studio with an impressive track record of working with higher education institutions. lwu logos

“Undertaking a rebranding for an institution like Lindsey Wilson, with over 100 years of history, is a weighty responsibility, and something we approached with humility and a desire to honor that legacy,” said Sean Quinn, Bowstring principal. “It was incredibly important to us to engage in extensive listening and feedback sessions with people from across the institution, alumni, and current students.”

The new Lindsey Wilson seal and logo are both heavily influenced by the John B. Begley Chapel, Lindsey Wilson’s historic chapel that was designed by the world-renowned architect E. Fay Jones, who was an apprentice of legendary Frank Lloyd Wright.

“We started with a powerful symbol already on campus, the John B. Begley Chapel,” said Jeff Gould, Bowstring creative director. “Its mid-century, prairie-style design gave us a sense of structural grace to build from. It’s rooted, it’s intentional, and we wanted the brand to feel the same -- anchored in legacy but unmistakably made for what’s next.”