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School Mission

The LeMoyne-Owen College leadership and Board of Trustees have embraced both a mission and vision statement that details our campus philosophy: LeMoyne-Owen College provides a transformative experience educating students for urban-focused leadership, scholarship, service and professional careers.  Our vision is to be an exemplary historically black college providing an excellent liberal arts education that transforms urban students, institutions and communities.

Division of Natural & Mathematical Sciences

The Division of Natural and Mathematical Sciences is committed to produce graduates capable of excelling in professional and graduate schools, as well as in a wide range of available occupations including research and teaching, practicing in the health science fields, as well as computer and mathematical sciences.

The Division’s primary goal is to prepare students for professional work and research in scientific fields and to provide experiences that will enable them to develop qualifications for entrance to professional and graduate schools. To accomplish this goal, the Division strives to produce students with competencies in their major fields including quantitative, analytical, and computer skills.

The Division offers majors leading to the B.S. degree in biology, chemistry, computer science, and mathematics. In collaboration with the Division of Education, this Division also provides opportunities for certification to teach biology, chemistry, and mathematics to students at secondary (7-12 grades) school levels. The Division also offers two special majors, General Science and General Mathematics, specifically designed for students who plan to teach at the middle school (5-8 grades) level. These two majors also lead to a degree of Bachelor of Science with certification in their respective fields.

The Division also offers pre-requisite classes needed for those planning to apply to professional school (i.e. Nursing, Medical, Dentistry, Pharmacy, etc.).

The Division is home to several programs and partnerships.

Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TLSAMP)

The goal of this program is to increase the enrollment and graduation rate of underrepresented ethnic minority students (Hispanic, African-American, American-Indian, Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islander) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by at least 100 percent at the end of a five-year period.  We participate jointly with the following institutions across the state of Tennessee: Tennessee State University (lead institution), University of Memphis, Vanderbilt University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Fisk University, Tennessee Tech University, Southwest Tennessee Community College, and Nashville State Community College.

Moving Forward: Steps to Graduate School

This HBCU-UP grant National Science Foundation funded program has supported over 50 STEM students during their matriculation at LOC.  Students have participated in research, attended and presented at undergraduate conferences and workshops, and taken classes pertaining to graduate school selection, application, and preparation.

Center for Cyber Defense

The LeMoyne-Owen College Center for Cyber Defense provides a program of study in computer science with a concentration in cyber defense and program of study in criminal justice with a concentration in cyber defense, along with opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate and perform outreach with other institutions.  The Center has a 30-person lab where students study using industry available digital forensics tools.

LeMoyne-Owen College – UTHSC College of Nursing Partnership Enrollment Program (PEP)

This PEP guarantees full admission to the accelerated BSN nursing program at UTHSC to any LOC student who completes a baccalaureate degree and fulfills the required prerequisite courses.  In addition, the LOC student may elect to participate in a bridge DNP or bridge PHD program if all requirements are met.

Science on Wheels Outreach

SCIENCE ON WHEELS is a community outreach project whereby LeMoyne-Owen College seeks to incorporate interactive technology with fun-filled hands-on science experiments in an actual laboratory setting on site.  SCIENCE ON WHEELS is a mobile science laboratory that travels to underserved schools and other community outlets in the urban Memphis region.  In particular, 4th and 5th grade students are targeted because research has shown that this is the timeframe where children are either turned “on” to science or turned “off”.  This unit has been outfitted with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and computer technology.  Students who would not ordinarily be exposed to these types of experiences are able to actively participate in real life applications of science.

Painter, Sherry - Photo

Sherry Painter, PhD

Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator
Division Chair, Division of Natural & Mathematical Sciences
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Read more about Dr. Painter »

Learn More

Contact us if you want to learn more about our program and the progress we are making to support the goals of the Science Consortium of Minority Schools.

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