The first day of autumn is not until September 22, but before the calendar had turned to August, several dozen members of the Lindsey Wilson University community were already busy preparing for the start of the 2025 fall semester. It will be the first fall semester of Lindsey Wilson University.
Students will begin to return in groups on August 4, 2025, to the A.P. White Campus -- athletic teams first, then members of several cocurricular organizations, until the final group of new students and freshmen move into residence halls on August 23.
Cosmetic changes and a mural
When students arrive on campus, they will notice a few additions and changes, most visibly banners and signs reminding visitors that Lindsey Wilson is now a university, an event that transpired on July 1, when most students were away from Columbia.
Several dozen "Lindsey Wilson University: Every Student, Every Day" banners have been attached to campus lightpoles, a "Lindsey Wilson University" sign now greets visitors on the east (William and Young streets) and west (Fairgrounds and Lindsey Wilson streets) entrances to campus. The interior walls of the Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center and Cralle Student Union Building are being painted with the colors Lindsey Blue and Lindsey Navy, and several wall treatments have been installed in the Cranmer Dining & Conference Center.
By the time fall classes get underway on Aug. 25, more than 925 students will have moved into Lindsey Wilson residence halls. Students' direct spending during the school year will be about $40 million, according to a recent independent study of Lindsey WIlson's economic impact on Columbia-Adair County. The university's total annual economic impact on the local economy is $91 million, according to the study.
One of the more noticeable additions to campus will be a mural on the west side of Phillips Hall, a female residence hall and one of the two remaining original buildings. Conceived and painted by artist Dani Ford of Jamestown, Kentucky, when the mural is finished by mid-August, it will capture the spirit and style of Lindsey Wilson.
Katie Murrell Library's new look
The Blue Raider Marching Band Building is also receiving a makeover from first-year Director of Bands Robert Palmer. His modifications to the building include adding a recording studio, with plans to add more features during the 2025-26 school year.
The other more noticeable change to campus will be in the Holloway Building, which houses the Katie Murrell Library, Thomas D. Clark Reading Room and the Lindsey Wilson archives.
The general circulation desk has been moved to the center of the Murrell Library, welcoming patrons when they enter through the main entrance from the Campus Quadrangle. Additions to the Murrell Library include a reading lounge featuring graphic and manga novels, the beginnings of a maker's space, and a study area with a photo wall featuring Lindsey Wilson history and heritage in the area that housed government documents.
Government documents have been relocated to a more accessible place in the Holloway Building; the curriculum room, which is heavily used by education majors, has received a new layout; study rooms and the computer area have been refreshed; and the Clark Reading Room will become a quiet research space where the Lindsey Wilson archives can be better utilized.
"With the transition from Lindsey Wilson College to Lindsey Wilson University taking place over the summer, we wanted the Katie Murrell Library to reflect what we have become," said Director of Library Services Jason Keinsley. "Of course, our focus remains on serving and supporting students on their educational journeys."
