Lee University

The information on this page was last updated 11/25/2024. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

Lee University is a private, comprehensive university located in Cleveland, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The university's growing reputation as a quality institution can be seen in the high caliber of faculty, students, and friends who are drawn to the campus. This marks the 30th straight year of increased enrollment under the leadership of president, Dr. Paul Conn (no longer President). Over the past two decades, Lee has become one of the largest Christ-centered private institutions in Tennessee and the largest in the Appalachian College Association.


Contact information

Mailing address:
Lee University
PO Box 3450
Cleveland, TN 37320

Website: leeuniversity.edu

Phone: 800-533-9930

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 620502739

CEO/President: Dr. Paul Conn

Chairman: Wade Lombard

Board size: 24

Founder: Nora Chambers

Ruling year: 1951

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 06/30

Member of ECFA: No

Member of ECFA since:


Purpose

The learning experience at Lee University includes the development of critical thinking skills and the challenge of creative thought issuing from and empowered by a Christ-centered approach to education. Working in partnership with faculty who are grounded in the integration of faith and learning, students are empowered and encouraged to discover and investigate the facets of their disciplines as they learn to adapt to a constantly changing landscape. Each student is regarded as a product of God's design, distinctively gifted to learn and to grow. The faculty's role is to help students, God's workmanship, to understand the call that God has placed on them and to challenge them to examine and to use their gifts in discharging those callings.


Mission statement

Lee is a Christian institution which offers liberal arts and professional education on both the baccalaureate and graduate levels through residential and distance programs. We seek to provide education that integrates biblical truth as revealed in the Holy Scriptures with truth discovered through the study of arts and sciences and in the practice of various professions.


Statement of faith

For your reference, following is the Declaration of Faith as provided by the Church of God, Lee University's sponsoring denomination. Faculty members at Lee University agree in their contracts not to propagate any religious doctrines, teach or publish anything contrary to the Declaration of Faith. We believe:

In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.

In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary.

That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.

That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.

That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ, through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.

Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people.

In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.

In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

That divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.

In the Lord's Supper and washing of the saints' feet.

In the pre-millennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.

In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.

Donor confidence score

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Transparency grade

D

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Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Colleges/Universities

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating696 of 113894 of 129
Fund acquisition rating269 of 113830 of 129
Resource allocation rating752 of 113881 of 129
Asset utilization rating898 of 1138117 of 129

According to the organization's Form 990, it received $1,123,420 in government grants in 2024.


Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
15%0%0%0%0%0%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
2%0%0%0%0%0%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
16%7%12%15%12%11%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
2%0%0%0%0%0%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
84%93%88%85%88%89%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
84%82%82%81%82%82%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
99%100%96%97%94%97%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
84%82%79%79%77%80%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
1%0%4%3%6%3%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
1%0%2%2%4%2%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
14%18%18%19%18%18%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
0.530.460.470.530.470.51
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
2.7112.2512.1511.806.268.01
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
1.435.635.776.232.924.09
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
8.411.711.631.522.332.47
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.120.590.610.660.430.40
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
6.970.880.800.662.351.75
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20242023202220212020
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
23%15%16%20%25%24%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
10%4%6%8%9%12%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
150%185%178%152%161%148%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20242023202220212020
Cash$9,122,664$10,985,421$6,600,350$15,394,029$19,785,542
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$7,107,180$5,219,353$10,387,669$19,347,777$5,344,074
Short-term investments$0$0$0$0$0
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$16,229,844$16,204,774$16,988,019$34,741,806$25,129,616
Long-term investments$34,268,209$30,946,403$32,018,540$29,813,115$28,582,875
Fixed assets$147,622,329$148,399,998$150,660,689$152,149,691$146,482,976
Other long-term assets$709,125$1,408,526$738,741$942,172$1,208,545
Total long-term assets$182,599,663$180,754,927$183,417,970$182,904,978$176,274,396
Total assets$198,829,507$196,959,701$200,405,989$217,646,784$201,404,012
 
Liabilities20242023202220212020
Payables and accrued expenses$7,917,317$8,262,144$8,966,095$12,168,295$7,288,057
Other current liabilities$1,588,262$1,703,189$2,184,337$2,737,444$2,876,668
Total current liabilities$9,505,579$9,965,333$11,150,432$14,905,739$10,164,725
Debt$8,625,405$12,411,741$16,394,147$20,430,423$23,692,534
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$11,267,317$8,414,709$12,069,951$18,793,282$15,287,533
Total long-term liabilities$19,892,722$20,826,450$28,464,098$39,223,705$38,980,067
Total liabilities$29,398,301$30,791,783$39,614,530$54,129,444$49,144,792
 
Net assets20242023202220212020
Without donor restrictions$140,680,737$139,243,724$136,394,166$136,142,218$131,490,979
With donor restrictions$28,750,469$26,924,194$24,397,293$27,375,122$20,768,241
Net assets$169,431,206$166,167,918$160,791,459$163,517,340$152,259,220
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20242023202220212020
Total contributions$6,252,245$11,424,448$16,312,235$12,923,425$11,468,687
Program service revenue$85,249,950$84,314,088$91,186,449$93,570,165$94,206,766
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$283,019$1,401,405$1,591,566$1,369,331$691,561
Other revenue($224,574)$114,890($336,819)$98,786($263,005)
Total other revenue$85,308,395$85,830,383$92,441,196$95,038,282$94,635,322
Total revenue$91,560,640$97,254,831$108,753,431$107,961,707$106,104,009
 
Expenses20242023202220212020
Program services$75,177,979$76,576,834$85,828,194$82,945,646$84,697,483
Management and general$16,174,007$16,885,772$20,086,593$18,360,725$18,178,260
Fundraising$0$0$0$0$0
Total expenses$91,351,986$93,462,606$105,914,787$101,306,371$102,875,743
 
Change in net assets20242023202220212020
Surplus (deficit)$208,654$3,792,225$2,838,644$6,655,336$3,228,266
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$208,654$3,792,225$2,838,644$6,655,336$3,228,266

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
Mark WalkerPresident$266,951
Charles Paul ConnChancellor$223,485
Chris ConineVice President For Business & Finance$171,392
Deborah MurrayProvost$144,569
Sara CampbellDean, School of Nursing$135,626
William EstesDean, College of Education$131,996
Jayson VanhookVice President For Enrollment and Marketing$130,995
Paul DelaluzChair, Department of Natural Sciences$128,731
Bradley MoffettVice President For University Relations$124,547

Compensation data as of: 6/30/2024


Response from ministry

No response has been provided by this ministry.


The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 11/25/2024. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History

Founded as the Bible Training School in 1918 by the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, the institution was renamed in 1947 to honor its second president, the Reverend F. J. Lee, and attained university status in 1997. The original purpose was to provide both general and biblical training for those persons entering the Christian ministry, and through the years Lee University has continued this purpose of "ministry," ever more broadly defined to include both church and non-church vocations. Many of the students are affiliated with the Church of God; however, numerous students come from other denominations.


Program accomplishments

Enrollment: 3,500+
Majors Offered: 50+


Needs