Sweet Briar College

Sweet Briar College is a women's liberal arts college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, United States, about 12 miles (19 km) north of Lynchburg. The college is on 3,250 acres (13,152,283 m2) in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, on the former estate of the college's founder, Indiana Fletcher Williams. Sweet Briar was established in 1901 as the Sweet Briar Institute and opened its doors in 1906. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges[ to award the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts in Teaching, and Master of Education; as of June 2018 it is on "warning" status due to its fiscal-year 2017 finances.

On March 3, 2015, Sweet Briar's board of directors announced that the college would be closing at the end of the summer session, citing "insurmountable financial challenges". In response, a group of concerned alumnae and friends of the college formed a nonprofit organization, Saving Sweet Briar, to reverse the board's decision. Saving Sweet Briar, students, parents and alumnae, faculty and staff, and the local Commonwealth Attorney all filed lawsuits to enjoin the closing, one of which reached the Virginia Supreme Court.On June 20, 2015, the Virginia Attorney General announced a mediation agreement to keep Sweet Briar College open. After replacing the board and president, the college rescinded the closing announcement.