From increased student opportunities to new course offerings, the LeMoyne-Owen College Division of Fine Arts and Humanities is driving great changes for students and the community.
The division, self-described as the “soul of the college,” has recently experienced the revival of the Magical Marching Magicians band, the appointments of new faculty, and the launch of a new major in Religion. This year, they’re launching new initiatives in various programs.
“Every area in fine arts and humanities is really experiencing a renaissance,” said Dr. Peter Gathje, Chair of the Division of Fine Arts and Humanities. “This renewal is under the vision of President Davis, who is bringing this energy to the campus to say, ‘Let’s dream together and move forward.’ The students, faculty, and fine arts and humanities are catching this spirit.”
The division equips students for success in the areas of art, music, communication, literature, and religion. Students, alumni, and the community are also continuously engaged in the college’s celebration of the arts.
This is exemplified in their year-long commemoration to recognize the legacy of Dr. Juanita Williamson, one of the most prominent LOC alumni and a former professor, who is nationally recognized for her impact in linguistics education.
Dr. Juanita Williamson
Dr. Williamson graduated from LeMoyne-Owen with a bachelor’s degree in English and Romance Languages in 1938. She graduated with a master’s degree in English Literature from Atlanta University in 1948. Later, she became one of the first African American women to earn a doctorate in Linguistics from the University of Michigan in 1961, according to Spark: A 4C4 Equality Journal, a peer-reviewed publication.
With her groundbreaking expertise in linguistics, Dr. Williamson poured back into her alma mater and served as a Professor of English at LeMoyne-Owen for roughly four decades and became the chair of the division.
This year, the division is reinstating the Dr. Juanita Williamson Honors Award, renovating the Dr. Juanita Williamson Black Language Lab in Steele Hall, and developing the Dr. Juanita Williamson Black Language Bibliography of her scholarly publications.
The contributions and impact of LOC alumni are a tremendous part of the college’s legacy and its outstanding dedication to cultivating leaders and changemakers.
In addition to recognizing distinguished alumni, the division is working to provide more opportunities for students. New developments include:
- New courses to be offered in creative writing, literature, and technical writing in Spring 2026
- History is now under the Division of Fine Arts and Humanities
- Returning the gospel and contemporary music choirs
- Journalism and Mass Communication is being redeveloped further into digital and broadcast journalism areas
- New partnership between Journalism and the Lowery Communication Center to develop a student-led digital outlet inspired by LOC’s previous newspaper, The Magician
- Refreshing the music major to provide studies in Church Music and Worship, Songwriting and Composing, Performance, Music Technology, and Business and Entrepreneurship
- Continuing student art shows in the LeMoyne-Owen Art Gallery
“These are faculty-led changes in curriculum and teaching, and we’re really excited as a division about what’s going on,” said Dr. Gathje. “There’s a strong sense of collegiality and working together to reinvigorate the fine arts and humanities on our campus.”