I knew several TBMs in washington state who were sending their kids to SVU, rather than BYU. Dont know if it had to do with curriculum or was just the preference with the kids but had the sense it is quite heavilly populated with TBM offspring.
You mean Southern Virginia University? Until 1996, it was Southern Seminary, which was a two year junior college for women with the odd three year program. My mom is a graduate. I actually gave some thought to attending Sem myself because they had a really good horse program and I used to be really into horses. Sadly, the barn is now a basketball court. Both of my parents grew up in the area and I still have many relatives there.
Sem tried letting men attend in a futile attempt to avoid selling the school. I actually sang in a choir with the wife of SVU's CFO. They had moved from Utah to Farmville, VA so her husband could be CFO at the local hospital. Guess when Mormons bought SVU, he got in on the ground floor.
The area around Buena Vista is slowly becoming Mormonized, much to my chagrin. Buena Vista has a huge stake center. The ABC store in Buena Vista closed. Some people seem to like having the Mormons around because they helped improve the economy. Others don't like them because they proselytize and try to change the local laws and culture.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2013 05:53PM by knotheadusc.
All of my sisters went to SVU until they found out that their curriculum is so lacking that they had to repeat basic courses at other universities. Imagine how my poverty stricken mother felt, having four girls in a private college she had to pay out the nose for, only to find out that their 'degrees' were totally worthless!
Yes, a lot of Mormons are moving to the area. A lot of my old friends report that it is basically reviled by the surrounding community because they're making it too mormony and it's interfering in their lives and businesses. Like an electrician friend who had to jump through a thousand hoops to get paid for a $300 job six years ago, and still hasn't gotten a check.
I've never heard of the school and I've lived in northern Virginia for the past three years. There are phenomenal schools in this area with great reputations. None of the kids in my neighborhood have attended the school.