Liberty Journal Summer 2018

LIBERTY JOURNAL SUMMER 2018

CONGRATUL ATIONS CL ASS of 2018 JIMMY CARTER FORMER PRESIDENT FINDS COMMON GROUND, FRIENDSHIP AT LU

FIRST DOCTORS LIBERTY CELEBRATES INAUGURAL CLASS OF OSTEOPATHIC PHYSICIANS

SECURING A NATION

TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION TO DEFEND THE HOMELAND

LABOR OF LOVE

STUDENTS IMPACT LIVES ON SERVICE TRIP TO RWANDA

CHARTING THE COURSE

MATCHING DEGREE PROGRAMS WITH THE JOB MARKET LEADS TO SUCCESS

SUMMER 2018

INSIDE this ISSUE

PUBLISHER Jerry Falwell S E N I O R M A N AG I N G E D I TO R Mitzi Bible

4 | COMMENCEMENT 2018

Former President Jimmy Carter is now the third president to have spoken to a graduating class at Liberty. His visit was both historic and meaningful for the Class of 2018.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Carrie Mitchell CO N T R I B U T I N G E D I TO R S Kristin Conrad Becki Falwell Wendy Kennedy Amanda Stanley

12 | SENDING FORTH DOCTORS

Six years ago, building a medical school on Liberty’s campus was only a dream. Now, the first class of students can write the initials DO behind their names.

20 | SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

STA F F Ted Allen Rebecca Beem Ron Brown Paige Counts Rachel Dugan Kerry Hogan Cheryl Job Leslie Keeney Tobi Walsh Laukaitis Drew Menard Dawn Neal Amy Price Josh Rice Colin Schwager Kim Smith Len Stevens

A Spring Break trip to Rwanda was one of the largest trips Liberty has ever offered. While students assisted villages affected by the genocide, more of their peers were raising walls on a new Habitat for Humanity home back in Lynchburg. View pictures and hear from students who stepped out of their comfort zones to show Christ’s love.

26 | CHARTING THE COURSE

Examining the job market helps the university’s academic leaders develop relevant degree programs that steer students toward rewarding careers.

#LAWNVO:

P H OTO G R A P H E R S Isaac Apon Joel Coleman Joel Isimeme Kevin Manguiob Leah Seavers Andrew Snyder Nathan Spencer Jessie Rogers

Students gathered on the campus lawn in front of Montview Student Union on May 4 for the final Convocation of the school year, featuring special guest Rashad Jennings — a 2009 alumnus, former NFL running back, author, and “Dancing with the Stars” celebrity. Watch the Convocation at Liberty.edu/Streaming.

ON THE COVER Former President Jimmy Carter shared about his life as a public servant during Liberty’s 45th Commencement on May 19. Read about his special words to the graduates and view pictures from this memorable day, Page 4.

Photo by Joel Coleman.

For more information about the Liberty Journal, email news@liberty.edu, call (434) 592-4955, or write to: Liberty University External Communications Office, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg Va. 24515

For information on Liberty’s academic programs, the admissions process, alumni, or athletics, call (434) 582-2000.

Liberty University is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any military service.

Liberty University does not engage in unlawful discrimination or harassment because of race, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability, or military veteran status in its educational programs and activities. Liberty University maintains its Christian character and reserves its right to discriminate on the basis of religion to the extent that applicable law respects its right to act in furtherance of its religious objectives.

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View a digital version and past issues at Liberty.edu/LibertyJournal.

30 | IMAGINE THIS

More films like “I Can Only Imagine,” built around a Christian message, are becoming hits at the box office. The director of Liberty’s cinematic arts program shares his insight on today’s movie trends.

32 | SECURING A NATION

Dr. Stephen Parke dedicated much of his military career to national security. Now, he is doing his part to train students to defend our country against terrorism.

34 | KAREN KINGSBURY: ON FORGIVENESS & REDEMPTION

Some unexpected guests addressed students from Liberty’s Convocation stage this year, including Ray Rice, Hugh Freeze, and Michael Vick. Read this best-selling author’s views as she brings the topic of forgiveness into focus for Christians.

46 | RISE WITH US

Flames Football prepares for its first season in the FBS this fall. Learn how the team is shaping up, view schedules, and see updates on the major additions and upgrades planned for the operations center.

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Let us know what kind of stories around Liberty interest you. Have a story idea of your own? Share it with us. Send your feedback to the Liberty Journal staff at News@liberty.edu.

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PRESIDENT CARTER

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Jimmy Ca r t e r f i n d s c o mm o n g ro u n d , f r ie n d s h ip at Lib e r t y Univ e r sit y Unexpected. Unlikely. Surprising.

In the days leading up to Liberty University’s Commencement on May 19, those were just a few of the words that journalists used to describe the choice of the keynote speaker.

But inviting Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, made perfect sense to Liberty President Jerry Falwell.

Politics aside, Carter holds the beliefs and values that should matter most to Christians, Falwell said, and has exhibited those throughout his lifetime of humanitarian work and peacemaking across the globe. Falwell saw an opportunity to not only welcome Carter as the third U.S. president to speak at a Liberty Commencement (George H.W. Bush spoke in 1990, and Donald J. Trump spoke last year) but also to show how Christians can come together at the core — their faith.

When Christianity Today said Carter would be “2018’s most surprising yet hopeful Commencement speaker,” it was right. Some people found it equally as difficult to believe that

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Carter, a Democrat, would agree to stand on the same stage where so many Republican politicians have stood.

Falwell even admitted he wasn’t sure the invitation would be accepted and was joyful when it was. More surprises came when Carter expressed interest in arriving a day early. “During my tenure as president,” Falwell said, “no Commencement speaker has ever done that. Carter made a special investment of his time so he could get to know Liberty. We’re grateful.”

Falwell and his family guided Carter on a tour of campus. He said the 93-year-old appeared in great health and greeted students and their families at every turn. “He hiked all around the campus with us. He even went to Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre (the school’s year-round ski slope) and walked out on the slope in the rain and high-fived the students that were doing flips for him. We’ve never had a friendlier guest,” Falwell said.

Carter also rode to the top of Liberty’s newest and tallest landmark, Freedom Tower, and visited the recently opened

Rawlings Scriptorium, where he viewed a collection of Bibles and other texts, including a Bible that Yasser Arafat had given him in the 1970s.

Carter then attended the annual Baccalaureate Service, much to the delight of the audience when his face appeared on the screen as Falwell introduced him. Afterward, they shared a meal and meaningful conversation. Carter gave a personally inscribed copy of his latest book to each person around the table.

By the end of his visit, the Falwells said that Carter felt like family. Becki Falwell even said she would adopt him as her grandfather.

“He was smiling and very engaged the whole time,” Becki Falwell said. “Anyone he walked past, he would stop and talk with them. You could just see his love for people,” something the Falwells both said isn’t the nature for many politicians.

“With a lot of them, it is more about power than it is with people,” President Falwell said. “With Carter and Trump, it’s more about people. The longer I live, the more I want to know about a

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Former President Jimmy Carter arrived a day before Commencement and toured campus. At left, Carter meets with President Jerry Falwell at the historic Montview, former home of U.S. Senator Carter Glass, which is now used to house special guests to the university. Carter also toured Jerry Falwell Library (above), Freedom Tower (below, left), and Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre (below, right), the university’s yearround ski and snowboarding slope.

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person and give my political support to a person. Policies are important, but candidates lie about their policies all the time in order to get elected. The same elite establishment that Jesus condemned remains the real enemy today. Both of these men entered the White House as outsiders to the Washington Establishment, and I hope that many more outsiders will follow.”

Carter and his wife of 72 years, Rosalynn, have for decades now taken up a hammer to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. And through the Carter Center, they have been focused on resolving conflict, advancing democracy and human rights, preventing diseases, and improving mental health care. President Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Carter still teaches Bible classes every Sunday in his hometown of Plains, Ga. Falwell said Carter told him that he took special care in preparing his words for the Class of 2018, working on his message late into the night before.

His speech did not disappoint.

Carter spoke about the real challenges

facing humanity today: division, rising prison populations, wealth disparity, discrimination, human trafficking, and the threat of nuclear war.

But one theme prevailed.

“One of the things we have to learn is how to get along, to do good for one another … in other words, just following the mandates of the Prince of Peace. … We don’t need enemies to fight, nor do we need ‘inferior’ people whom we can dominate,” Carter said, quoting Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male nor female, there is neither slave nor master, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Carter said he strives to emulate the leader of a Southern Baptist missionary program he once served with, who shared how to win souls to Christ.

“He said, ‘I try to have two loves in my heart: one love is for God and the other love is for the person who happens to be in front of me at any particular time,’” Carter recalled. “We Christians are to promote the use of agape love, selfsacrificial love among people. All people are equal in the eyes of God. We are all one in Jesus Christ.”

He challenged the graduates to use their platform from a land of freedom and opportunity in an ever-connected world to make a difference.

“Right now, you have the maximum opportunity to use the three gifts that God gives every one of us — life, freedom, and an opportunity to live a completely successful life, as judged by God,” Carter said. “We have a perfect example to follow if we are in doubt; we just have to remember the perfect life of Jesus Christ.”

In President Falwell’s introduction, he acknowledged Carter’s work as president, including signing the Hyde Amendment (three years after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion), which barred federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. Hyde was considered the first legislative pushback against the Court’s decision, Falwell said, and Carter’s support cost him politically among his own party. “President Carter’s life can be described as having the courage of conviction,” he said. “I pray that more men and women aspire to serve in public office with such courage.” >>

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>> To President Falwell, Carter’s visit was a chance to show that even though Christians may not agree on the role of government and many other issues, they can join together in service to others.

“I am proud that Christians are uniting here today on issues where they agree rather than fighting over issues where they disagree,” Falwell told the crowd. “Christians all acknowledge that Jesus taught we should feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the poor, widows, orphans, and the least of these. At the same time, many good Christians disagree about what the role of government should be in helping the poor. Jesus never said whether it was Caesar’s job to help those in need or not — but He made clear that it was our job.

And that truth is something which can unite us as Christians.”

Sitting on the same stage with Carter was another invited guest, Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a worldrenowned brain surgeon. He addressed the crowd briefly and served as the keynote speaker at the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s first hooding ceremony later that afternoon (see story on Page 12).

Carson rose out of poverty in Detroit to become the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the country at age 33 at Johns Hopkins University. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2013. In 2008, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He made a bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2016, during which time he also visited Liberty.

Carson challenged students with

wisdom from Proverbs, to trust in the Lord with all of their hearts and lean not on their own understanding.

“We’ve got plenty of people who are smart but not a whole lot of people who care about everybody else,” Carson said. “That is what we are hoping for you graduates today.”

It was appropriate that Liberty welcomed both Carter and Carson to its 45th Commencement. Both are humble servants who have changed the world by relying on God as their guide and by devoting their lives to caring for others — a perfect fit with Liberty’s mission of Training Champions for Christ.

Their words were well received at Liberty, where service is a longstanding tradition. Liberty students devoted about a half-million hours to community service this year.

Inviting political figures to campus is nothing new to the university. In addition to the three presidents who have now spoken here, many, like Carson, who have considered a run for president, have also headed to the campus for Commencement, including Bobby Jindal in 2014 and Jeb Bush in 2015. Sen. Ted Cruz spoke at Liberty’s Convocation just hours after he threw his hat in the ring for the 2016 presidential election.

And this year wasn’t the first time that Liberty has welcomed someone who didn’t align themselves with conservative Republican ideals.

Sen. Bernie Sanders visited as a presidential candidate in 2016. Even back in 1983, Sen. Ted Kennedy spoke at Liberty’s Convocation. Though

it may have seemed strange to the outside world that the “liberal lion” was invited to a conservative Christian institution, just as it may have seemed odd that Carter would accept this year’s invitation, Kennedy’s visit was in line with the vision of Liberty’s founder, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, to see Liberty as a prominent place for the exchange of ideas and for challenging society to become civically engaged so that freedom would thrive.

And it is that freedom that breeds opportunities for Christian groups to join on many different fronts.

The Falwells said that many of the institutions that are celebrated for their tolerance have seen protests and disruptions when conservative speakers come to campus. Not at Liberty.

Carter’s visit was in contrast to how Vice President Mike Pence was treated at Notre Dame last year, “where the people who speak and teach tolerance walked out,” Becki Falwell said.

“Liberty University had President Carter come and speak and treated him very warmly; we had no protests. That is true tolerance,” she said. “And that’s true Christianity, treating others like Jesus taught.”

“President Carter said that he had never been treated with more hospitality at any place that he had ever visited, publicly,” President Falwell added. “It was my distinct honor to introduce him as our keynote speaker and to introduce him to Liberty because of his extended stay. We are proud of our team for doing such a great job hosting him. He’s become a friend of Liberty’s, forever.”

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President Jimmy Carter kisses the newest member of Liberty President Jerry Falwell’s family, Virginia Rose Falwell, and spends time with the Falwell family as well as special guests Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, before the Commencement Ceremony.

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Former President Jimmy Carter receives an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Liberty, presented by Provost Dr. Ronald Hawkins (left) and President Jerry Falwell. At right, President Falwell and his wife, Becki, introduce their first grandchild, Virginia Rose Falwell, at the Commencement Ceremony.

STADIUM RENOVATION

Guests to Liberty’s 45th Commencement were among the first to experience an event inside the newly expanded Williams Stadium.

According to Dan Deter, vice president of major construction, the university bumped up its construction timeline so that the new eastside upper deck could accommodate the Commencement crowd. The deck added an extra 4,500 seats (6,000 seats when fully complete).

The expansion was planned in preparation of Flames Football’s move to the FBS level this fall (see story on Page 46) and will bring seating capacity to 25,000. Crews have also filled in the south end zone area and lined it with turf, displaying a large LU logo, and have begun work on new stadium entrances.

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Watch the Commencement Ceremony at Liberty.edu/News.

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COMMENCEMENT

INSPIRING SUCCESS

HONORING GOD AND COUNTRY

Two special services were held for graduates and their families the night before Commencement. Graduates gathered in the Vines Center for the annual Baccalaureate Service, where they joined in worship, thanking God for guiding them on their paths toward earning their degrees. They heard a message of encouragement from pastor and alumnus David Rhodenhizer (’74), a member of the executive committee of Liberty’s Board of Trustees. Following Baccalaureate, Liberty’s military graduates attended the annual Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony, also held in the Vines Center. Chaplain Col. Dr. Steven Keith, USAF Ret., challenged the graduates to take their degrees and answer God’s calling to be His ambassadors and worldchangers. Keith is director of Liberty ’s Center for Chaplaincy. The Class of 2018 includes 6,219 service members, veterans, military spouses, and others with military ties — more than 30 percent of the graduates.

COMMENCEMENT 2018 QUOTES TO LIVE BY: “There are no limits to our ambition as a human being. We have available to us — every one of us — constant contact with God in Heaven, the Creator of a universe and Creator of each one of us. Through prayer, we can have constant contact, day or night, with our Creator, who knows everything and can do anything. We have a perfect example to follow if we are in doubt; we just have to remember the perfect life of Jesus Christ.”

FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

“We believe that you are ready to become the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Perhaps more than ever, our world needs to be impacted by people like you — people who lead by example by living their lives according to the commandments of Jesus to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.”

LIBERT Y UNIVERSIT Y PRESIDENT JERRY FALWELL

“It is our prayer that you will have a full life, a journey grounded in faith and dependence upon the one true and living God. We pray you are known for your personal integrity and respect for your fellow man. And we hope that however far your travels may take you, they will bring you back to this campus to which you will always belong.”

Watch the Baccalaureate Service at Liberty.edu/News.

DR . RONALD HAWKINS Provost & Chief Academic Officer JESSIE ROGE RS

“A lot of what you do and the way you act will have a profound impact on everybody around you. You all have tremendous spheres of influence that God has provided for you, and if you use them the right way and allow God to work through you, it will be amazing.”

DR . BEN CARSON Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

KEVIN MA NGUIOB

“Culture may change, but truth never changes. As you proceed from this place surrounded by godly people, you’re entering a mission field. It’s a mission field and culture that need your witness and strong testimony more than ever. …

Never forget that you are champions of Liberty University.”

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PASTOR DAVID RHODENHIZER Baccalaureate speaker

JI LL NANCE

Liberty University honored a record 20,212 graduates in the Class of 2018, including 16,716 from its online program.

Ponchos may have become an unofficial part of the graduation regalia at the Commencement Ceremony inside Williams Stadium, but the rain wasn’t enough to dampen the graduates’ spirits.

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HONORARY DOCTORATES MARK HICKS ’09, ’12

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, Danville DOCTOR OF LAWS

DANNY MOON

President of C.S.E., which has worked on building projects for both LU and Thomas Road Baptist Church

HORANCE H. FLOYD

C.P.A. and financial advisor to the university DOCTOR OF BUSINESS

DR. BENJAMIN S. CARSON, SR.

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development DOCTOR OF SCIENCE

DONALD C. HERSHEY

Farmer, owner and president of Hershey Equipment; Liberty ’s first million-dollar donor

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER DOCTOR OF HUMANITIES

DOCTOR OF BUSINESS

DOCTOR OF BUSINESS

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MAKING HISTORY Medical school sends forth Liberty’s first doctors

On May 19, 126 student-doctors made history as they became Liberty University’s first class of osteopathic physicians.

For the graduates of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM), it was a day four years in the making. For Liberty, it was a longtime vision that became reality.

In 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony marked the first steps in building the Center for Medical and Health Sciences. Thanks to a $20.5 million

grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, the 144,000-square-foot, four-story facility was completed in 2014 to train medical professionals who would go on to serve underprivileged areas in southside Virginia.

“Class of 2018, you were chosen to attend LUCOM based on your character, capacity, and motivation, and it was truly a divine appointment that guided you to attend this medical

school,” said Dr. Peter Bell, LUCOM dean, in his opening remarks at the college’s hooding ceremony. “I have seen you demonstrate your passion for medicine with a servant’s heart. ... I marvel at your accomplishments as student-doctors and soon-to-be colleagues in the high calling of osteopathic medicine.”

According to Bell, two-thirds of the class will begin primary care residencies. The rest will enter several different specialties, including internal

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medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, neurology, and obstetrics and gynecology. Many will work in hospitals in underserved areas and communities across the country, and some will enter the medical mission field.

Bell also celebrated the recent news that LUCOM was granted accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson gave the keynote address, sharing personal stories of how God has guided him in his dynamic career.

Hearing from Carson was an honor, said LUCOM graduate Craig Mitcham.

“It speaks volumes for the influence Liberty has,” he said. “He’s a person of

great character. He has accomplished so much in his personal life, whether it’s his medical accomplishments or how he was able to overcome adversity.”

During the ceremony, Liberty President Jerry Falwell congratulated the inaugural class on the way they have already shown God’s love to others.

“Part of LUCOM’s mission is preparing students to have a servant’s heart and to be competent and passionate in the workforce,” he said.

“We have accomplished that. I hear reports from physicians all over the community on how delighted they were to have worked with you, how your compassion for others is evident in what you do.”

He told them that their extra efforts beyond their classes were obvious.

“Whether it was conducting a community clinic just down the road in Danville, or tending to medical needs in Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, or the Dominican Republic, you stayed on mission as true public servants.”

LUCOM’s founding dean, Dr. Ronnie Martin, thanked the students for “establishing a legacy” for those students and classes that will follow, “creating a culture for the college that will light the pathway for others.”

“You are all pioneers, explorers, and leaders for many reasons, not merely because you are the first class,” he said.

Martin encouraged them as physicians to always follow the ultimate role model ­­— Jesus Christ.

CHRIS BRE EDLOVE

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RESIDENCY PL ACEMENTS LEAH S EAVER S

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Match Day celebration on March 16.

THE NEXT STEP: RESIDENCY TRAINING The members of the first graduating class from Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine are heading to postgraduation residency training at teaching hospitals all across the country. To receive their placements, students participated in medical school match programs through the National Resident Matching Program, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Urological Association, the San Francisco Match, or the Military Match (Navy, Air Force, Army). Graduates will be entering all fields of medicine, with a majority going into primary care specialties.

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Internal Medicine: Family Medicine: Emergency Medicine: Obstetrics - Gynecology: 8 Traditional Rotating Internship: 8 General Surgery: 7 Pediatrics: 7 Psychiatry: 4 Medicine - Pediatrics: 3 Physical Medicine & Rehab: 3 Surgery - Preliminary: 1 Neurology: 1 Neurological Surgery: 1 Anesthesiology: 1

Dr. Ben Carson speaks with Dr. Peter Bell, dean of Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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SIDE by SIDE

Couple works marriage into medical school and missions When Alex and Shannon Hamilton started courses as members of the first class at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) in Fall 2014, neither of them had intentions of finding “the one.” They were focused on obtaining their medical degrees.

But at a game night to help the students become acquainted, things changed. After they all took turns sharing their dreams for the future, the two realized they had similar professional goals.

“I remember Shannon sharing her heart about wanting to do medical missions,” Alex said. “I thought, ‘Wow, not only is she pretty, but I love who she is and what she wants to accomplish.’ I wanted to do very similar things.”

The two began dating shortly after that and were married in July 2015.

For both graduates, deciding on attending LUCOM for their DO degree was an easy choice. Alex was already familiar with Liberty as a 2013 graduate of the pre-med program. Originally from Roanoke, Va., he wanted to continue his education in Central Virginia. Shannon, who came from Pennsylvania, heard about Liberty and LUCOM through fellow counselors at a Young Life camp.

She said she quickly fell in love with the school after her admissions interview.

“My friends who had gone through medical school talked about what a strenuous four years it is,” Shannon said.

“After meeting the Christian faculty at LUCOM, it was very apparent that this was the type of environment where I

wanted to complete these very difficult four years.”

While Alex and Shannon’s own relationship grew at LUCOM, they said they gained a family there as well.

“The family at LUCOM is very special,” Shannon said. “I felt like the faculty and staff knew who we were as people. They would know details like our classmates’ kids’ names, what schools they went to, or where they lived or went to church.”

“Family isn’t a liability to your medical training here,” she added. “It’s rich and rewarding.”

While they weren’t sure at first how marriage would fit into their rigorous schedules as student-doctors, the Hamiltons learned to use it to their advantage in supporting one another.

In the early days of their marriage, the couple spent many hours going over lecture notes and studying for exams together.

“We speak the same language,” Shannon said. “If one of us came home and had a really bad day, like something happened in the operating room, it wasn’t completely foreign to us. I could imagine everything that could have happened when we talked about something.”

Alex added: “I didn’t have to explain to Shannon why I’m so tired or why I was late. That’s never a tension we had to face. We both understood the time it takes. That’s been a huge blessing.”

The Hamiltons were also able to live out their dream of working in medical missions.

They went on LUCOM’s annual Spring Break trip to Guatemala in 2016, where they partnered with Hope of Life International in operating community clinics. And last summer, the couple became the first student-doctors to complete an international rotation with Samaritan’s Purse. They worked alongside staff at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya.

“We were excited to be used by the Lord to make a path for other students called to medical missions to follow in,” Shannon said. “LUCOM’s commitment to medical outreach, both locally and internationally, is incredible, and we’re blessed to be a small part of it.”

Now the couple will begin a new chapter in Indianapolis, Ind., as they complete their residencies — the final piece of their training. Both will be working at St. Vincent Medical Center, where Alex will be in general surgery and Shannon will work in the pediatrics unit.

As they look back at their time in Lynchburg, the couple feels more than prepared for the medical profession.

Alex recalled a time during his rotations when he witnessed an OB-GYN doctor who took an extra 30 minutes with a patient to understand her struggles and counsel her. He said he learned from that experience how medicine can also be a mission field anywhere.

“This career is a unique opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ,” he said.

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TURNING THE TASSELS

For many graduates who earned their degrees through the university’s online program, Commencement is a doubly meaningful time. The pride of celebrating a milestone achievement is coupled with the magic of setting foot on campus — some for the very first time. These graduates have enjoyed the convenience of studying across the country or overseas without having to uproot their families or careers, and their stories are all woven into the fabric of Liberty’s history. Here are some inspiring stories from the Class of 2018.

HERO, SURVIVOR, GRADUATE physical therapists working with me for six months to get me ready enough to return to work,” Wright said.

Wright showed the same determination in continuing his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice – homeland security (read more about this program on Page 33).

One of his instructors, Thomas “Coach Tod” Brown, recalls an email he received from Wright shortly after the accident.

“I said, ‘Wow, I can’t believe he is alive,’ and here he is telling me, ‘I’m going to try and catch up on my assignments.’

I was sort of in shock,” Brown said.

“He inspires me. His story reflects the tremendous core values that are the best about our country and people of faith.”

Brown said he is thankful to teach at a university that will work with students through difficult circumstances. “There’s a Christian ethos here that gives the student comfort knowing we are there to offer prayer and support.”

Despite suffering from short-term memory loss and headaches, Wright persevered through his classwork, earned his degree, and participated in Liberty’s Commencement. As a U.S. Army veteran receiving military benefits through Liberty’s online program, he also took part in the university’s Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony the night before. It was his first time to visit campus.

“I am the only one in my family to ever even attend college, much less graduate,” Wright said. “Graduating was about showing that I can do anything I set out to do. Rewards never come to anyone who is not willing to work for it, and anything worth truly having is worth the effort.”

LE AH SE AVE R S

Last summer, South Carolina State Trooper Daniel Wright was responding to a vehicle accident when another car, traveling about 100 mph, collided with a fire engine on the scene. Wright was walking toward the fire engine when it was hit, and the impact threw him 30 feet. The driver of the car was killed instantly, and two firefighters were injured. Wright’s head absorbed the brunt of the blow. His skull was cracked, his nose was crushed, his orbital sockets were shattered, his jaw was broken, and he lost six teeth. Wright also had multiple injuries to his foot and elbow.

Though Wright does not remember anything between the collision and the hospital, he somehow managed to call his wife from the scene, to tell her not to worry.

Had Wright been standing 4 inches to the left, he would have been crushed by 300-pound battery boxes under the driver’s side of the fire engine, at best losing his legs.

The miracle is not lost on him.

“I took a 100-mph impact to the face in a fatal collision and survived,” Wright said. “That is my testament that God is not done with me yet.”

Remarkably, Wright was released just eight hours after being admitted to the hospital. However, his road to recovery involved a series of reconstructive surgeries.

“I had several doctors, dentists, and

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DECORATED MILITARY MEMBER ADVANCES CAREER WHILE STUDYING ONLINE When high-speed Internet opened the doors for working professionals around the country and around the world to earn their degrees, Liberty University led the way in providing online education to thousands, including many of our nation’s service members. Nearly onethird of the Class of 2018 are military members, veterans, or military spouses.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Rebecca Stillin was one of them. As she traveled the globe on many different assignments, she took her studies with her. In May, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on health sciences and psychology.

Stillin, originally from Michigan, enlisted as a medic in the Air Force in 2013. She served in labor and delivery at Langley Air Force Base (AFB) in Hampton, Va., for about two and a half years. In the fall of 2015, she visited

Liberty and decided to enroll.

“I was sold by the beauty of the campus,” Stillin recalled, noting that she liked having the option to attend on campus if she ever decided to leave the military. “The staff were so willing and eager to work with my military commitment, training, and past course work. They even helped me secure some financial support. I literally had no reason to not choose Liberty.”

Stillin was reassigned to Scott AFB in Illinois, where she trained as an Aeromedical Evacuation Technician (AET). She was deployed to Germany, where she helped transport and care for wounded service members, preparing them for the next level of care.

From Germany, Stillin entered Airman Leadership School, a six-week Air Force program that prepares senior airmen LE AH SE AVE R S

for frontline supervisor positions. At the end of the program, Stillin was presented the John L. Levitow Award, the school’s highest honor, given to the graduate with the most outstanding performance evaluations, leadership qualities, and teamwork.

Stillin was promoted to staff sergeant, and when she returned to her AE post, she was named 2017 Airman of the Year for her squadron and the Operations Group.

Currently, Stillin is serving in a one-year position as the administrative assistant to the command senior enlisted leader of U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), which leads all logistics and mobility for the Department of Defense.

“Since I started at Liberty, I have worked a year of 12-hour night shifts, attended three separate Air Force schools, moved to a different state, changed jobs three times, deployed once, and traveled to 11 different countries,” Stillin said. “With this lifestyle, it would be difficult to work in college without the understanding of solid faculty and staff.

Liberty University has made it possible for me to serve without putting my personal education goals on hold.”

Just one day after graduation, she embarked on yet another adventure — her marriage to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Mark Underhill.

When her year is up, she plans to return to her AE squad and pursue a master’s degree in education or school counseling through Liberty.

Liberty University congratulates all of its military members in the Class of 2018. Thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedoms.

Visit Liberty.edu/Military to learn about the many benefits and resources provided through the Office of Military Affairs.

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LE AH SE AVE R S

MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO CELEBRATES GRADUATION AFTER BOUT WITH CANCER What was supposed to be a relaxing Thanksgiving Break quickly turned into a student’s worst nightmare.

It was 2015. Crystal Childress was finishing her senior year at Liberty University, where she was studying digital media and working as a resident assistant in campus housing. Her mother, Betty Cooke, said she wasn’t feeling well after dinner, so she decided to get checked out at the hospital. That visit led to more tests and appointments, and eventually to a cancer diagnosis.

“It was really hard,” Childress said.

“My mom lost her mom at 19, and I thought that there was a chance I could come out of this without my mom, too.”

Fast forward three-and-a-half years.

On May 19, the mother and daughter celebrated huge accomplishments at Commencement. Childress completed her M.A. in Strategic Communication, and Cooke completed her bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from her home in Richmond, Va., through Liberty’s online program. It was something the two were not sure would happen when

Cooke began chemotherapy.

“There was just a lot of uncertainty,” Childress said. “We didn’t really know what was going to happen. She went through treatments, and then the cancer came back. It was just a process of trying not to lose faith.”

Cooke, however, pushed through the discouragement and worry. Already well into her degree, she had no desire to quit.

“When I got that diagnosis, I was like, ‘No, God’s got this. He has it covered,’” Cooke said. “I just turned it over to God. My mind didn’t even think about cancer or death or dying.”

Childress stepped in to help. After the surgeries to remove the cancer did not go as planned and Cooke was required to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time, Childress drove to Richmond each weekend.

“My mom didn’t want to lose that semester of work,” she said. “During the hospital visits, I would bring along my computer to do my work, and she would ask me to email her professors to tell

them what was going on.”

Cooke credits the guidance of the Holy Spirit in helping her through the rough days.

“Every time I did my assignments or wrote a paper, I would say, ‘Help me, Holy Spirit,’” Cooke said. “I passed everything — not by my strength, but

by God’s.”

Despite the uncertainty, Childress didn’t lose faith either.

“As much as my mom is mine, she’s the Lord’s first,” she said. “This season of faith just reminded me of who I am and who my mom is. Knowing that the Lord had put us there for a reason, I couldn’t be upset if the Lord wanted her back.”

After all that, sharing Commencement together was a huge blessing.

“I’m so proud of her for getting her degree despite all the hard things,” she said. “Now with her working on getting her master’s degree, she’s showing women that despite their age or circumstances going on in their lives, they can follow their calling.”

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LIBERTY TO RWANDA

What started as simple acts of generosity last fall became mountains of opportunity during Spring Break.

More than 90 students, faculty, and staff traveled to Rwanda with LU Send as part of the university’s new “G5” initiative.

G5 kicked off in October with the purpose of uniting the student body to impact a nation each year by living out the “fruit of the Spirit” described in Galatians 5. Early on, the efforts led to a partnership with Compassion International in Rwanda. Students, faculty, and staff signed up to sponsor close to 1,000 children. During the 10-day trip in March, students from different academic disciplines were immersed in the Rwandan culture that they had been hearing so much about all year, and they had the chance to meet some of those precious children face to face.

But it was also a time to meet the needs of the Rwandan people, for students to touch the lives of families who had suffered one of the worst genocides in history.

Teams were scattered throughout several villages. Some spent time in schools, and some visited families’ homes. Several students joined members of Liberty’s Planning and Construction team and Lynchburg area contractors to build two homes for families enrolled in the Compassion International family program. School of Nursing students met a critical need at Mont Cyangugu Health Center by delivering a new ultrasound machine donated by the university. They also conducted community clinics.

During the first year of G5, friendships were forged and lives were changed through God’s blessings on this special nation.

Learn more about the ongoing efforts at Liberty.edu/G5.

Liberty students meet with the new owners of a home they helped to build in Rwanda during Spring Break.

MIKE MARROTT E

Read more about the We The Champions project on Page 36.

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FEATURES

M I K E M AR R OTTE

The Reconciliation Village was one of the most incredible places I have ever been to. You have perpetrators and families of genocide victims living hand in hand, their children becoming friends and growing up together.

Witnessing the two groups living in the same community was one of the toughest — yet one of the most beautiful — things I have ever seen. You can see the grief in some of the victims’ faces, but with God at the center of their lives, they know it is only right to forgive those who have hurt them and their families.

A LE XA N D R I A PATTON Freshman, Criminal Psychology

M ATT C RU I C KS H A N K Sophomore, Psychology

M I K E M AR R OT TE

I met a woman who had 47 members of her family killed, including some of her kids and her husband, and now she and one of the two men who killed them live in the same home. She’s forgiven him, and some of her kids and his kids are engaged. Revival’s there. It is a Christian country. It’s amazing that someone who appears to have so little actually has so much. There’s joy in the littlest things, and everywhere you go, they’re serving us, they’re cheering for us — and we’d done nothing to deserve it. At the same time, you see their poverty and feel their hurt. I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as I did that week in my entire life.

We built two homes with mud bricks and straw. One was for a husband and wife with three kids and the other for an elderly lady with three daughters and her grandchildren. One of the ladies thanked us because she said she never believed she would be ‘living in a mansion.’ I was so impressed with the commitment the students made to the physical labor and also in ministering to the villagers by singing songs and playing games. Clearly, we left a positive impression for the cause of Christ because of the students’ interaction with villagers.

B R A D B UT LE R

Planning Coordinator, LU Planning & Construction

Office of Spiritual Development staff member Brandon Milks meets his sponsor child.

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Mothers would erupt in applause when we said that we sponsored kids. It’s not a huge sacrifice for me, but these people are so, so thankful for me, and I really wanted to tell them, ‘You don’t need to be thankful for me; I’m not worthy of it because every good thing comes from God.’

Junior Rebecca Olson (far right) carries bricks for one of the two homes built for families enrolled in the Compassion International family program.

R E B ECC A O LSON Junior, English

M I K E M AR R OTTE

Meeting my sponsor child, Roger, and spending the day with him and his dad was a dream come true. I am so blessed to have been able to see the work of Compassion International in the lives of the Rwandan people. However, there are so many children who still need sponsors, and it’s so important to help if you can. The sponsored children are so much healthier and are constantly hearing about and personally witnessing the love of Christ. The hope of Rwanda changed my life, and I cannot wait to go back.

SY MP HON Y HI N E S

Freshman, Electrical Engineering

MIKE MA RROTTE

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Sophomore Claire Blanchard (center) joins other Liberty students at the Compassion Child Development Center near Kigali.

I saw God like I had never seen Him before in Rwanda. Going into the trip, I didn’t know anyone else, but I came back with lots of friends and memories. I would highly recommend other students go on an LU Send trip.

C LA I R E BLA N CHA R D Sophomore, Theatre Arts

M I K E M AR R OTTE

More than 850 Liberty students, faculty, and staff members have traveled on over 40 LU Send trips this year to serve others around the country and the world. LU Send Now, the disaster relief initiative, dispatched eight teams to places such as Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Puerto Rico, Texas, and Mexico.

Going to Rwanda as part of the G5 initiative was one of the best experiences in my life. I was able to bring back the lesson of unity, which they live out every day as a Rwandan community, even through all the suffering and pain from their past. I am now striving to be more unified in my home and community here in Lynchburg. LU Send provided me with this opportunity to learn a life lesson, and I will never forget it.

MATT N OVACK

Media Systems Manager

Senior Paige Seeber was one of several nursing students who hosted community clinics in villages around Rwanda.

Students who have gained book knowledge related to community health were able to apply their knowledge.

They sat under the tree with village women and communicated for the first time through translators. They became change agents as they supported the people of Gihiya. To see students interact with the women, exchange stories, and then decide to do what is necessary to meet those needs was powerful.

KATHRYN MI LLE R

Associate Professor, School of Nursing

To support student travel at Liberty, text “LUSendGive” to “24502.”

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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY CLUB BUILDS NEW HOUSE FOR LOCAL FAMILY

TOBI WAL SH LAU KAI TI S

Just one week before the semester ended, some Liberty University students celebrated one of the most significant accomplishments of their college careers. It didn’t occur in a classroom but on a construction site, where a local mother and her two children prepared to move into their new home.

Over the last year, students from Liberty’s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter raised the $60,000 required to fund a home for Nakesha Moore and her children. Construction began in March, with several students giving up a part of their Spring Break to help raise the walls.

Students continued to volunteer at the site for the next six weeks.

On May 12, the club celebrated with the Moore family, Greater Lynchburg Habitat for Humanity staff, and community volunteers at a dedication ceremony. The family was also recognized at a Liberty Convocation in April, where they were presented with a family Bible and the keys to their new home.

As the main sponsor, the club raised the majority of the money through fundraising events, including bake sales and an annual end-of-the-year

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gala. Sodexo, Liberty’s dining services provider, also participated by allowing club members to work concessions during football season and giving a portion of the proceeds to the project.

Sodexo also made a $5,000 donation from money raised at its weekly Food Truck Round-up and the annual craft fair.

This is the second home that Liberty’s club has sponsored and helped build in the Lynchburg area.

Senior Joshua Turbyfill said the experience showed him how rewarding service can be, especially when you see the direct impact of the work.

“What makes Habitat so unique is that you get to work alongside the family you’re helping,” he said. “It was great seeing the Moore family out there on the build days and how excited they were about their home.”

The club presented the family with their own set of gardening tools.

Students from Liberty’s Interior Design Association made pillows and blankets for the Moores.

Moore said she is thankful for the students who made her dream come true.

JO EL CO LEM AN

WELCOME HOME:

“When we were touring the property, someone asked my daughter if she was excited to have a big yard to play in,” Moore said. “My daughter said, ‘Well, I’ve never had a yard.’ I just broke down and cried. She didn’t understand how heavy that was. We’ve always lived in an apartment. It’s life-changing. This is like winning the lottery for me.”

Freshman Alex Lunt returned early from Spring Break to participate in the build. He said being part of the club has helped him step out of his comfort zone.

“When you actually get to meet the family you’re building the house for, it puts everything in perspective; it motivates you to want to get this project done,” he said. “This is a great way to show that Liberty students want to be part of the Lynchburg community. We don’t want to stay secluded on campus; we want to get to know the community and culture of the city that we’re going to school in. As Christians, we’re called to serve and treat others with love.

How can we do that if we don’t get to know the people we’re serving? That’s why I loved working on the house.

It makes me want to love and know people better.”

For many of the club’s seniors, seeing the house completed just a week before Commencement was special.

“I fell in love with the club,” said recent graduate Clayton Ford. “We’re constantly encouraged to live out being Champions for Christ. This was a way to personally champion that cause to directly help those in need and leave a lasting impression.”

TIME WELL SPENT

In April, Liberty University continued its commitment to impacting the community as Champions for Christ when it sponsored the second annual Serve Lynchburg. Over a Friday and Saturday, approximately 2,000 students, faculty, and staff worked at more than 90 sites. From painting, landscaping, and picking up litter to playing games with neighborhood children and serving food to the homeless, participants met the needs of thousands throughout the City of Lynchburg.

Some Liberty teams also responded to a more immediate need from residents whose homes were damaged when a tornado swept through the region the previous weekend.

“I think it’s amazing that we’re able to respond to something like the tornado that has affected the community and the residents here,” said sophomore Stephen Lightner, who helped a homeowner move large trees and limbs that fell into her yard. “The

cleanup is a massive burden for a lot of people, so it’s great that we’re able to take a bit of that burden off of them.”

In Downtown Lynchburg, a team at the Lynchburg Daily Bread soup kitchen prepared and served a hot lunch, an act that freshman volunteer Bailey Duran said she hoped would build relationships with residents who are in need.

“What we want to do is show Liberty’s presence in the community,” Duran said. “Just to do what the Lord said — to go out into the world and interact with people and help them in Christ’s name.”

This year, in conjunction with Serve Lynchburg, Liberty also offered a special service opportunity for its alumni and online students in the Washington, D.C., area. During Serve DC, students volunteered at Bread for the City, the Salvation Army, Pillar Church of Woodlawn, Veritas City Church, and So Others Might Eat. While Liberty requires all students to complete community service

L EAH SEAVERS

Liberty students serve more than 1,500 organizations each year, completing more than 500,000 hours of community service.

Lynchburg Grows

hours before they graduate, Serve Lynchburg and many other volunteer opportunities throughout the year don’t count toward those hours. From participating in numerous food drives on campus to ringing bells for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, students regularly go above and beyond to serve their community. Professors often encourage service projects in their classes, too. Last semester, students in an event management course in the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences raised money by hosting creative fundraisers they planned for several local organizations, including the Jubilee Center (which helps at-risk youth), the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity, and the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center. A class of School of Divinity students raised $3,000 and donated their time to pack meals for children in Nicaragua through Rise Against Hunger.

LEAH S EAVERS

Tornado relief in Lynchburg

LEAH S EAVER S

NATH AN S P ENCER

Linkhorne Elementary School

STUDENTS BUILD COMMUNITY BY SERVING OTHERS

Bread for the City in Washington, D.C.

Providence Farm JOEL CO LEMAN

KE VIN MANGU IO B

Lynchburg Humane Society

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CHARTING THE COURSE UNIVER SIT Y LEADER S STEER AC ADEMIC PROGR A MS TO MEET FUT URE WORKFORCE DEMANDS B Y

This year, Liberty University celebrated its 47th year of Training Champions for Christ. Few institutions of Liberty’s size have reached this mark with such a large and diverse set of academic programs to their names.

The increase in degrees and specializations since Liberty’s early years as a Bible college is staggering.

In the last 10 years alone, the number of residential programs of study

M I T Z I

B I B L E

has increased by more than 115 percent. Online programs have risen more than threefold, with over 280 currently available to students all over the world.

Liberty certainly stands out as one of the fastest-growing universities to ever settle in the land of higher education, and its reputation for academic excellence continues to raise its national profile. But this

hasn’t occurred without a carefully orchestrated plan and dedicated navigators who constantly study the sea of opportunities for students.

As the tide of debate rolls in on whether a college degree today is applicable to the workplace, Liberty is the proven model in developing relevant academic programs that match market demand and lead to student success after graduation.

NATH AN SPE NCE R

Degree programs under the new Center for Cyber Excellence were created to help graduates meet an expected 300,000 job openings in the growing field.

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AND R EW S NYD ER

Nursing students demonstrate procedures for labor and delivery in the School of Nursing’s Simulation Center.

SETTING SAIL

A common question posed by prospective students and their parents is how their chosen major could translate into a job. That’s where the focus should be — from day one, says Dr. Ben Gutierrez, Liberty’s co-provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“Academic programs at Liberty University are developed in a very strategic manner,” he said. “It goes back to stewardship. We have a level of responsibility to the students to offer them a quality education with the best possible opportunities to be successful in their chosen vocation. As a result, the student and the employer are at the center of our thinking in the planning process.”

Some colleges launch programs without any gauge of outcome after graduation, adding them simply because a professor has a particular area of interest they’d like to devote their time to, or even because the college feels a need to keep up with other institutions offering similar degrees. At Liberty, the administration has been intentional in designing new programs and improving

existing ones that prepare students for jobs that meet a real need in society.

“To best serve the student in an everchanging marketplace, academic leaders must be flexible and agile,” Gutierrez said.

“We quickly recognize the need, secure the resources necessary to deliver the high-demand education with excellence, then bring a program to market.”

At Liberty, the path that an academic program must take from the proposal stage to a degree is stringent. The process is methodical. Ideas for new programs are generated by multiple sources within the university — from academic departments to the provost’s office, enrollment, the registrar’s office, and administration. Then a team from the University Research and Analysis Office starts exploring the higher education marketplace and student demand for the program, as well as labor data, and develops a competitive profile for the proposed program.

According to Brian Soistmann, vice president of University Research and Analysis, the process includes a deep dive into current job postings from across the country to identify the most sought-after

With more than 550 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level, including over 280 offered online, Liberty is Training Champions for Christ to impact every corner of society. In addition to the university’s regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, many programs are accredited or otherwise recognized by specialized professional and accrediting agencies.

“We have a level of responsibility to the students to offer them a quality education with the best possible opportunities to be successful in their chosen vocation.”

DR. BEN GUTIERREZ

Co-Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

knowledge, skills, technological competencies, and credentials that employers are looking for in an applicant.

“It’s a collective process. Our team does a lot of the initial research, then we engage other university offices, such as the Career Center and Enrollment Management, to ensure that the research is consistent with their experience with employers and students,” he said. “We want to build a product in the way that our students’ future employers want it delivered. The goal is to align the program’s curriculum and outcomes with employers’ needs to meet the demands of the market.”

One recent example is the university’s cyber security programs in the new Center for Cyber Excellence. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that employment trends are rising steeply in the field; about 300,000 cyber security-related jobs were posted last year nationwide. Soistmann’s team looked at the cyber security degrees being conferred by all colleges in 2016 — about >>

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LEAH SEAVER S

LIBERTY’S STATEMENT OF MISSION AND PURPOSE IS VALIDATED IN ALL OF ITS ACADEMIC PROGRAMS: “Maintaining the vision of the founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Liberty University develops Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world.

Through its residential and online programs, services, facilities, and collaborations, the university educates men and women who will make important contributions to their workplaces and communities, follow their chosen vocations as callings to glorify God, and fulfill the Great Commission.”

>> 66,000 (a 44 percent increase from 2012) — then helped the School of Business to strengthen its six cyber security programs. Liberty offers three undergraduate cyber programs both residentially and online, as well as three master’s-level online programs. (Learn more at Liberty.edu/Cyber).

The team broke down the premium skills and certifications listed in job postings in the last 12 months (ranging from specific software skills to security clearance) and set to work building curriculum that would round out the résumés of future graduates.

Liberty has developed or improved several programs where scores of alumni are already making an impact in highdemand fields, including nursing, health care, digital media, and aeronautics (where the industry is expecting a pilot shortage over the next 20 years).

A concentrated effort has been made to add several online master’s and doctoral programs to help professionals advance their careers. Two new Ph.D. programs in public policy and criminal justice are coming this fall. Since last fall, nearly 50 new online degrees, certifications, and specializations launched across a number of disciplines.

COMING ON BOARD

The attention to workforce development is part of what Liberty

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The School of Aeronautics offers a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Maintenance, where students can meet a growing need in the field by specializing in management or unmanned aerial systems maintenance.

leaders are calling a “culture shift” in higher education.

“When it’s done well, it’s not just about adding more programs in record time; it’s about choosing the right people to teach the material,” said Dr. Gabe Etzel, vice provost for undergraduate education.

“It’s about seeing the value of a professor who also remains active in their field or bringing in guest speakers who are leading experts, or building partnerships with like-minded organizations. It’s a change of culture in academics, and Liberty has established this successfully.”

Involving employers in the process well before the graduate even knocks on their door gives them a chance to not only share their real-world experience with students but also take an active part in building the skill sets of their future employees.

The Center for Cyber Excellence, for example, operates with a board of advisors that includes representatives from local and national companies that employ cyber security professionals.

The School of Aeronautics has developed a unique partnership with a leading unmanned aircraft (drone) company, Textron Systems, which has worked on several government projects.

Students can earn the same operator certification that the company requires of its employees and can apply for a job before they graduate.

In the School of Business, students

are benefiting from a partnership with Hendrick Automotive Group, the nation’s largest privately held automotive retail organization, with more than 100 car dealerships. With the company’s help, Liberty began offering the Automotive Dealership Management program last spring. Liberty worked directly with Hendrick to develop curriculum, which includes practicums at dealerships.

There are many more examples. In the Helms School of Government, law enforcement personnel have helped criminal justice students with exercises held on campus. Partnerships with information technology giants such as Adobe, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon are bringing students from many different disciplines in direct contact with industry professionals.

Most universities view students as their consumers. But Liberty goes beyond that and defines the consumer as any business or organization where a Liberty graduate will land for a career.

“We look at how we can meet the company’s needs, wants, and desires, not only where they are today but also where they will be five or 10 years from now,” said Dr. Scott Hicks, vice provost for graduate education. “We need students to enter the marketplace at a fast walk instead of a slow crawl, and then the company will take them to a fast jog. When the employers help us define the skills they need, then

we align them with the curriculum and have a more accomplished student that goes to market.”

ADVENTURE AWAITS

In the Department of Digital Media and Journalism, students are being trained with industry-standard equipment and facilities. This video production course is taught inside a television studio.

“The Career Center aims to provide students with the skill sets to succeed in their jobs by offering a wide spectrum of career preparation and guidance, as well as job and internship offerings,” said Sarah Falwell, executive director of Career Partnerships & Career Services.

“These skill sets are handcrafted by our staff members who are dedicated to student success.”

The process includes one-on-one résumé and cover letter critiquing, mock interviews, and professional development meetings.

This summer, the Career Center is launching its first New York City Fellowship, where students will gain professional and personal development through internship opportunities with some of the largest companies in the world. The center has already had success with its Washington Fellowship, a semester-long program that places students from different disciplines into

internships in the nation’s capital. (Learn more at Liberty.edu/Career).

Students are grateful for these opportunities.

Recent biomedical sciences graduate Rachael Glavin interned at the National Institutes of Health last fall, where she contributed to research in skin cancer treatment.

“It was so amazing and such fulfilling work,” Glavin said. “Now, I can look back and say, ‘These are all the things that I have done — I did this.

I accomplished this.’ And it’s so cool knowing that what I did could really help someone.”

Amazing. Fulfilling. Accomplished.

Those are words that show Liberty’s mission is central to the academic experience. With every new program, Liberty remains committed to training tomorrow’s leaders, whose impact will extend beyond their professions to change the world around them.

LE AH SEAVE RS

Seeing the smiles under those graduation caps is rewarding. But it doesn’t stop there. Graduation is just one part of the cycle.

“We aim to deliver the most value we can for each student where they are, anywhere in the world, and it’s a lifetime commitment we have with them — a legacy experience,” Hicks said.

The cycle starts when academic programs are developed. Students gain proper training and experience, which leads to career readiness upon graduation.

Then, as alumni, they succeed on the job, and employers benefit, contributing to the university’s high rankings and reputation. That influences prospective students, who meet with Liberty’s recruitment and enrollment team and are guided to the academic programs.

Liberty’s Career Center plays an important role in the cycle. With the relevant data in hand, staff can tailor career fairs, resources, internships, and other practical career exploration opportunities to students in particular degree programs. They can also help the university strengthen partnerships with employers who are already engaged in the process.

LEAH S EAVER S

In 2016, Liberty was reclassified as a Doctoral University by the Carnegie Foundation, recognizing the size and span of its doctoral programs and the strength of its emerging research culture. Only 7 percent of colleges and universities in the nation have this designation.

The Career Center hosts large career fairs throughout the year for various degree programs. In March, over 50 employers greeted students pursuing careers in the business, communication, and public service fields.

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JE SSI E R OGE R S

IMAGINE THIS

S T U D I O S G I V E B I G N O D S TO FA I T H - M E S S AG E D F I L M S F O R T H E B I G S C R E E N

BY STEPHAN SCHULTZE In 2014, the film “Heaven is for Real” hit the $100 million mark at the box office, and this year’s release of “I Can Only Imagine” has grossed over $75 million, well on its way to the same success. How did today’s film industry arrive at a place that supported Christian worldview movies like these?

The industry has seen many changes over the past 100 years. Not since the transition from the silent era to talking pictures has a change been as abrupt as the one from film to digital media.

The advent of digital content delivery platforms has granted access to the end user through one simple click. Also, for the first time, the costs associated with filmmaking became accessible for modestly budgeted movies.

Armies of production technicians, expensive film development costs, and the requirement of distribution studios to release a movie were no longer required.

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Those changes helped segment the market and encouraged directors to make movies designed specifically for smaller, targeted audiences. Movie genres could be more narrowly defined (in the same way cable television channels had in the ’80s), leading to the modern-day faithbased genre. At first, it was a rumble of grassroots marketing efforts through churches, but within a decade, faithbased films were able to impact the box office nationally, including the Kendrick brothers’ 2015 film, “War Room,” which has grossed over $67 million.

Directors Alex and Stephen Kendrick designed movies to lift up the Christian Church with themes like marriage, fatherhood, and prayer. Early on, these faith-based films were promoted by pastors, who directly encouraged parishioners to attend and support these films, so the movies themselves had to be deemed “safe” for a pastor to back.

However, relying on pastors to drive

the box office quickly became limited as these ministers moved on from the excitement of this tool.

The narrowly defined genre also limited filmmakers in their storytelling.

Movies that didn’t speak bluntly to faith messaging fell into the dreaded “middle.” If a movie in the “middle” was even fortunate enough to get released, it would often open on DVD and be found among piles of old warehoused movie titles in a large bin at your local discount store. Even online direct sales failed if the filmmaker crossed the line and risked making the faith theme more subtle. Most of the titles that attempted to widen how faith-based films could be perceived failed to return investors their money.

But in walked the major studios.

Sony was among the first to grab hold of this genre with their Affirm Films division. As the major studios awakened to the box-office viability of this new

SCHOLAR’S VIEWPOINT

ON SCREEN AND ON LIBERTY’S STAGE Stars and filmmakers from two of the year’s most successful faith-based films inspired students at Liberty University Convocation last semester.

MercyMe frontman Bart Millard, whose life’s story led to the hit song “I Can Only Imagine” and the film of the same name, joined Jon Erwin, the film’s co-director, and actress Madeline Carroll (who plays Millard’s wife) at Convocation on March 5 — just 11 days before the film’s release.

They spoke about making films with a Christian message in the midst of a Hollywood culture.

“We’re storytellers, serving the greatest storyteller of all time,” Erwin said.

Actor Jim Caviezel, most known for playing Jesus Christ in the highestgrossing faith-based film of all time, “The Passion of the Christ,” visited Liberty in February, a month ahead of

the premiere of his latest film, “Paul, Apostle of Christ.” He told students that they have just as important a part to play in advancing God’s kingdom as the men and women in biblical times had.

“God is going to put you in different places in your life,” Caviezel said. “The world is going to look to you for hope, and you’re going to suffer for it.”

revenue stream, they scrambled to create divisions that could create and/ or distribute faith-based content. Once the majors were in, the definition of faith-based content could be defined more broadly because they were able to release to a global market and recoup ventured capital.

With “I Can Only Imagine,” we are starting to see faith-based cinema defined by a worldview rather than being used exclusively as an evangelism tool or to lift up believers. Although those are important roots to embody in the works of a movie, filmmakers are expressing

them in a way that more accurately reflects our everyday experience.

The faith genre has reached new heights, but it still remains in its infancy.

True change will come soon, when the quality of the cinematic experience for audiences between a Christian worldview film and a mainstream movie match seamlessly. That commitment to excellence is what the cinematic arts program at Liberty is all about. We are Training Champions for Christ to become the industry’s next generation of filmmakers who will share life-changing messages with the world.

WATCH THESE PAST CONVOCATIONS ON LIBERTY’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

NATH AN SP E NC E R

Stephan Schultze is the executive director of Liberty’s Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center. As an active industry professional, he mentors students, drawing from his skills as a cinematographer, writer/director, and producer.

Liberty’s cinematic arts program has produced five feature-length films. “Extraordinary,” released last fall, was the country’s first student-driven project to have a national theatrical release. “Commander” is set to release in about 1,200 theaters in October.

The 2016 film “God’s Compass” premiered on cable television and won Best Screenplay at the International Christian Film Festival. Learn more at Liberty.edu/CinematicArts.

STARS FROM THESE FILMS HAVE VISITED LIBERTY IN RECENT YEARS: “15:17 to Paris” “I’m Not Ashamed” “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone” “Priceless” “Hacksaw Ridge” “Heaven is for Real” “Son of God” “Woodlawn” “Is Genesis History?”

“Vanished” “The Young Messiah” OTHER HOLLYWOOD GUESTS TO VISIT LU: Mel Gibson, director/actor Vince Vaughn, actor Randall Wallace, writer/director Dan Gordon, writer/director Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, producer and actress/producer Sean Astin, actor Kirk Cameron, actor/producer Phil Cooke, producer Sterling Anderson, writer Ben Stein, actor

Graduates earn credits on set of “Avengers: Infinity War” Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” set numerous box office records this spring, and two Liberty University graduates had the chance to be a part of this lucrative blockbuster.

Jonathan Wymer, a member of the Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center’s first graduating class in 2014, was a location assistant. Tess Marshall, a 2010 School of Communication & Digital Content alumna, was on the visual effects team. She also served as a production assistant and was the database manager for one of the visual effects companies that worked on the film.

In postproduction, Marshall was asked to run daily meetings where she showed content for final approval from top executives.

“It was an absolute wild ride and one I am so thankful to God for,” Marshall said.

Wymer’s credits include “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Black Panther,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “The Fate of the Furious,” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (which hits theaters in July).

Marshall has also worked on “The Walking Dead” and “Boss Level” and is signed on for a Walt Disney Pictures film.

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SECURING A NATION COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT SAYS HOMELAND SECURITY TRAINING IS MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER BEFORE

BY DREW MENARD

JOEL COL EMAN

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On Sept. 12, 2001, with all commercial air traffic grounded the day after the worst terrorist attack against the United States, Dr. Stephen Parke was in the air.

A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, Parke was a member of a joint task force prepared to respond to incidents of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) anywhere in the world. He flew in a Lockheed C-130 military transport to upstate New York before receiving a police escort into New York City.

“The paradigm shifts were huge,” Parke said. “We had an enemy who came inside the United States and trained, learned how to fly aircraft — at schools inside the United States — and then commandeered aircraft inside the United States in order to attack the United States.”

Parke is a modern-day watchman.

Before the literal and figurative earthshaking event in 2001, he had dedicated much of his military career to national security. Now retired from the U.S. Army, Parke is an associate dean of the Liberty University Helms School of Government.

His office is filled with hardware acknowledging his accomplishments: challenge coins from the CIA, the FBI, and a four-star general, as well as the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, a 15-pound bronze bust that he received from the iconic WWII hero’s wife in the 1980s.

Parke said that for one year after 9/11, he served as sort of a “plank-holder,” helping to create the new organization NORTHCOM (U.S. Northern Command), a Department of Defense agency charged

with the military side of securing the homeland. Following that post, he was the Joint Task Force Staff Judge Advocate at Guantanamo Bay, where he supervised Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps attorneys, served as the principal legal advisor to the commander on detention and intelligence gathering operations, and arranged meetings between detainees and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He was also a contributing author for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s “Domestic WMD Incident Management: Legal Deskbook,” the first research tool specifically for lawyers responding to WMD accidents or incidents of terrorism.

Upon his retirement in 2006, Parke came to Liberty to help develop undergraduate homeland security and intelligence courses under the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. He also teaches a course in the new Master of Science in Criminal Justice — Homeland Security specialization, an online degree program launched last fall.

As a specialist in counterterrorism, Parke helps to ensure that Liberty’s programs stay current and relevant in a post-9/11 America that is focused on securing the homeland from not only external threats but also new threats arising from within its own borders.

“We have seen the first few examples of cyber warfare with kinetic actions,” Parke said, noting a 2015 incident that knocked out power grids in Ukraine.

“The Department of Homeland Security has some huge missions currently, and

WORLD-CLASS TRAINING The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice: Homeland Security prepares students for the front lines of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Career options include: emergency management specialist, homeland security analyst, industrial security specialist, security specialist, and transportation security officer.

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice: Homeland Security trains criminal justice professionals for leadership roles in the administration and management of homeland security organizations and the execution of homeland security responsibilities at all levels of government.

L E A RN M O RE AT

LIBERTY.EDU/GOVERNMENT

in the future, to ensure our domestic tranquility and our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”

Parke said it has been fulfilling to share his expertise in counterterrorism, law, and the judicial process with his students, from undergraduates to midlevel agency workers looking to rise in the ranks with a master’s degree.

Under his watch, Parke has trained students who have gone on to work “at the tip of the spear” with several threeletter agencies.

He thanks God for “the privilege” of his “new mission” to fortify the next generation of watchmen.

“To have an impact on students at the foundation of a profession, or at the midlevel of a profession, pays dividends for literally the next 20 or 30 years,” Parke said. “In this arena of homeland security, there is such a need for future leaders to have a biblical foundation as they guide people in whatever agency they are in. I will give an accounting to my Maker for how I prepare them to go out into the world, to be salt and light and to make a difference in a world that is crying out for them.”

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When Convocation Gets Real AND R EW S NYD ER

Hugh Freeze

JOE L I SI M E M E

Ray Rice Michael Vick

UNLIKELY GUESTS SHOW THE POWER OF REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS THROUGH CHRIST

BY KAREN KINGSBURY

L EA H SE AVERS

The names of upcoming Liberty University Convocation guests are released, and you can’t believe it. Your blood boils. “This is crazy!” You scowl.

“Why him? How could they bring that guy to Liberty?” You shake your head. “I thought this was a Christian university.”

Some of the featured guests this past school year included people whose past sin put them in the national headlines.

A well-recognized athlete who punched his girlfriend in an elevator. A college coach forced to resign for violating a morality clause. A football player who ran an illegal dogfighting ring.

Not the sort of men suitable to take the stage at Liberty University, you say.

But what about a religious leader named Paul who ordered the death of countless Christians, or a king who had an affair and killed the woman’s husband?

Or what about an adulteress caught in the act and dragged to the center of Main Street? Jesus saw the men about to stone the woman, and he made a statement that resonates through time to this day: “You who are without sin, throw the first stone.”

If there is one thing that unites us, it’s sin. We mess up. We fail. Promises are broken. Time and time and time again. And we all need the message of

forgiveness in Jesus Christ. The very reason Jesus went to the cross and died for us.

David Nasser, senior vice president for spiritual development at Liberty, invited former NFL players Michael Vick and Ray Rice along with former Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze to share their stories. He said it’s important to learn about the consequences of sin, the importance of repentance, and the reality of Christ’s forgiveness.

“People need to hear that they are bigger than one mistake,” Nasser said.

“They might disqualify themselves from a job or certain things because of a mistake, but they never disqualify themselves from the love of Christ. They never disqualify themselves from the redemption in the Gospel.”

Rice was caught on camera in 2014 beating his then fiancee in an elevator.

The video released by TMZ began a national conversation on domestic violence.

But his story did not end there.

“Here is a young man who has made a horrific mistake,” Nasser told the Convocation crowd on Dec. 6. He said that the former football player has received counseling, quit drinking alcohol, and has married the woman

Convocation is held at 10:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each semester in the Vines Center. More than 80 nationally prominent guests visit each year. The lineup is chosen based on whether the guest’s message will contribute to pivotal cultural conversations that stretch both the hearts and minds of students, faculty, and staff. Watch past Convocations on Liberty’s YouTube channel or at Liberty.edu/Streaming.

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he abused. “Together they have two children. Their walk with God has been the foundation by which they have built a redemption story.”

Rice said that his upbringing led to wrong thinking that gave him sickening permission to abuse others — including those he loved.

“I did too much trying to be the man, instead of being a man,” Rice said.

“I failed miserably beyond domestic violence. My life was out of order. God wasn’t first, and I had to change that.”

Today, he speaks out against domestic violence and shares the message of God’s grace and forgiveness with whoever will listen.

Yes, many LU Convocation speakers show students the hope of perseverance and living for Christ. “But,” Nasser said, “some guests will teach our Liberty

“People need to hear that they are bigger than one mistake. They might disqualify themselves from a job or certain things because of a mistake, but they never disqualify themselves from the love of Christ. They never disqualify themselves from the redemption in the Gospel.”

D AV I D N A S S E R Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development

community about redemption.”

Redemption. The story of the apostle Paul, who went from overseeing the murder of Christians to giving his life for the ministry. It is the story of the woman caught in adultery, and it is the story of Ray Rice. It is your story, and it is mine.

Nasser chose to also highlight the anonymous stories of numerous Liberty students who have suffered from domestic violence. The intent was to validate and help victims, who were given information to connect

with Liberty’s Student Counseling Services and encouraged to speak to their personal LU Shepherd if they were facing violence of any kind.

“This was an important discussion for us all,” Nasser said. “Everyone deserves to live in safety. And no one is beyond forgiveness and redemption.”

On Jan. 24, former Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze spoke for the first time since being forced to resign for immoral behavior. He appeared on Liberty’s stage with his wife, Jill, and his pastor, Chip Henderson. The three spoke about how surviving moral failure happens only by the power of God’s Spirit and the grace of His never-ending love.

“It is important to show people they are loved, even in the valley of brokenness,” Henderson said.

Which was why five days later Nasser welcomed Vick to the stage. More than his $130 million football contract, Vick is most known for serving two years at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary for his part in an organized dogfighting ring.

Vick’s story surprised students. He held up a Bible while he spoke. “I slept with this under my pillow from the time I was 12 years old,” he said. “I relied on God right up until I signed my NFL contract. Then I left God behind. This, the Bible, it didn’t come with me.”

One Liberty parent said, “I’m grateful this university is letting students hear from people like Michael Vick. There are real consequences for jumping into life without God and His Word. And with true repentance, there is always hope with Jesus that you can come back home.”

Nasser said he was aware that his choice of recent speakers would be controversial. Some students expressed concerns on social media about even attending the sessions with Rice, Freeze, and Vick.

But the vast majority of students who showed up were treated to something critical for the development of the mature Christian: acknowledging how sin can destroy a person but there is power over the sin through a second chance in Jesus.

Vick got through his years at Leavenworth by reading the Bible again, the way he had as a child. Specifically, he read Psalm 23, the psalm his mother

never stopped praying over him.

Remember the words? Written by a man after God’s heart? The one who once upon a rooftop made the worst mistake of his life? An affair and a brutal murder later, and King David’s redemption brings deep meaning to the words.

“Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Repentance. Redemption. Goodness.

Love.

For Ray Rice and Michael Vick and Hugh Freeze. For Paul and the adulterous woman and David. For me. For you.

Suddenly you hear something and you look to the left and right.

All around you, stones are falling to the ground. One after another, as those who had gathered to judge and convict realize that the controversial speakers at the center of this story are not unique.

They are sinners. Like you. Like me.

The realization comes over you as your critical heart begins to melt. And then the most beautiful thing happens.

You drop your stone, too.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. The Karen Kingsbury Center for Creative Writing opened at Liberty in 2017. With more than 25 million copies of her books in print, Karen’s last dozen titles have hit the top of bestsellers’ lists, including her newest novel, “To the Moon and Back.” Later this year, her Baxter family books will be the subject of a TV series, “The Baxters.” Several of her books have been made into TV and theatrical movies. She and her husband, Don, live in Nashville and have five adult children, including three sons who are currently students at Liberty.

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Since the We The Champions project launched last fall, students, faculty, staff, and friends of Liberty have united around the university’s foundational calling to use education to serve God and others. They have shared in this single vision, to reclaim the word “champion” and show the world what

it means to be a defender, a risk-taker, and an advocate who stands up for the voiceless, the hurting, and the oppressed. Every day, the Liberty community is championing the needs of others through prayer, service, and the gifts God has given us.

As part of the project, Liberty has presented

one Champion Award each month to a student or a faculty or staff member who embodies the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — characteristics that are at the heart of both Liberty’s mission and the We The Champions project.

Below are the spring semester winners. Watch videos and read more about previous Champion Award winners at Liberty.edu/Champions.

AARON BERLIN (January) Aaron Berlin’s love for God and for people extends far beyond words in his job as a second shift supervisor in Custodial Facilities. Though he admits his work is sometimes mundane and repetitive, he views it as an opportunity to share the love of God with everyone he encounters. His coworkers say that Berlin’s positive mindset is contagious.

Servant leaders can be found in every corner of campus, and Berlin is a great example of the positive differences you can make in those around you by doing your work for the Lord and not for man.

ALI CURTIS (February) When her family needed her, she was there.

Recent graduate Ali Curtis, a native of Austin, Texas, left campus to return home and care for her baby brother while her mother worked.

She continued her courses in Liberty’s online program. When Curtis eventually returned to Lynchburg, she was a part-time caregiver for two autistic children. She traveled with LU Send to Rwanda over Spring Break.

At each twist and turn, Curtis has been obedient to God’s calling — even when His plan contradicted her own. In August, she will embark on a mission trip to 11 countries in 11 months with the World Race organization.

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CINDY DROHN (March) Cindy Drohn’s students know her office door is always open — nights and weekends included. It’s a safe place where they can talk about wins and failures. Drohn, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, always reminds her students that the Lord will carry them through.

In the classroom, Drohn is more than a professor; she is a mentor and friend whom students can depend on for guidance throughout their careers. A Liberty nursing alumna herself, she is now giving back by teaching students how to be the hands and feet of Christ as they care for their patients.

She models those lessons in her own life.

KRISTIE BEITZ (April) As the senior associate athletics director – academic affairs, Kristie Beitz helps make Liberty University a home away from home for its NCAA student-athletes. She encourages them to pursue excellence academically, athletically, socially, and spiritually. Her servant’s heart is displayed as she assists them on a daily basis — and when she bakes her famous treats for the whole Athletics Department.

Beitz demonstrates determination, selflessness, and integrity in her job. The compassion she shows each individual inspires others to do the same.

TAYLOR DEWOLF (May) Junior Taylor DeWolf has always had a heart for helping the elderly, even at a young age. The social work student has spent every Saturday volunteering with Liberty’s Campus Serve program at Heritage Green Assisted Living/ Day Break. Within the elderly community, DeWolf is especially passionate about assisting those who struggle with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. She also volunteers at Centra Hospice, where she spends time with patients who sometimes don’t have loved ones nearby. She shares the Gospel, and she shares her heart.

DeWolf has been a servant on campus, too, leading others in their walks with God as a prayer leader.

Has someone at Liberty inspired you to live like a Champion for Christ?

Visit Liberty.edu/Champions and tell us how they are using their talents to make the world a better place.

This year, students showed their enthusiasm for the We The Champions project on campus, across the country, and around the globe.

Blue Ridge Mountains Greece

Puerto Rico

Israel

Washington, D.C.-Washington Fellowship

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NEWS & EVENTS Restoration continues on historic 18th century property

NATH AN S P ENCER

This year, students have been hard at work helping to restore a local colonialera landmark, Mead’s Tavern.

Liberty University purchased the structure in 2015. Built in 1763, it is believed to be the oldest structure in the Lynchburg region. It has undergone many changes over the years and was most recently used as a private residence. The building was originally an ordinary — or tavern — that provided meals and a night’s stay to travelers in the once-bustling town of New London, which predates the American Revolution. Some wellknown historical figures have passed by there, including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry.

Liberty partnered with the nonprofit Friends of New London, Virginia Inc. to continue restoring the site to its original state and use it as a hands-on learning experience for history students.

Students assisted historical archaeologists from Hurt & Proffitt Inc.,

a Lynchburg-based civil engineering and surveying firm, as they started work in the structure’s cellar, where they unearthed a hearth and several artifacts to help them in the dating process. Items discovered included a large key and brass button (pictured above), a dress, cutlery handles, a thimble, straight pins, a lock strike plate, and a variety of ceramics and glass.

Liberty is also working with architectural historians on a Historic

Structures Report, an essential step in the process toward applying for the National Register.

“This has been a valuable opportunity for our students,” said Donna Donald, assistant professor of history. “They have been working alongside professionals and gaining knowledge outside of the classroom, which will only boost their advantage in landing a job in the public history field.”

New energy research facility receives $300,000 Virginia grant In April, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a $300,000 grant to create new labs at Liberty University’s Center for Energy Research & Education (CERE) in Bedford County. The grant was one of five regional projects funded through GO Virginia (Growth and Opportunity for Virginia) to diversify regional economies, strengthen their workforce, and support collaborative programs between localities, public entities, and private businesses.

The grant will help with the construction of four labs — a chemical/ material lab, an EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) lab, a calibration lab, and a nondestructive testing lab — that will offer regional companies and higher

education institutions, including Liberty’s School of Engineering, the facilities necessary to promote research and development. The labs will be used by advanced manufacturing companies in the energy and technology sectors for testing, research, and workforce

development.

Liberty will provide oversight and administration, working with industry professionals to acquire and configure new equipment and ensure that the work is responsive to current and future needs.

AROUND LU

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DOUBLE WINS: Liberty’s Debate Team won the national sweepstakes championships in both the Cross Examination Debate Association and the National Debate Tournament.

POLITICAL ARENA: The Republican candidates vying for a U.S. Senate seat for Virginia — Corey Stewart, Nick Freitas, and E.W. Jackson — faced off in a debate at Liberty University hosted by the Center for Law & Government on April 19.

SCHOLAR’S NEWS VIEWPOINT & EVENTS

Provost Ronald Hawkins transitions into new role at Liberty JOEL COLEM AN

In his nearly 40 years at Liberty University, Dr. Ronald E. Hawkins, who will be transitioning from his position as provost and chief academic officer this summer, has seen Liberty grow from humble roots into a world-class evangelical university.

Hawkins first joined Liberty in 1977, teaching Bible classes and homiletics,

and he assumed a variety of leadership roles before becoming provost. After June 30, he’ll have mixed responsibilities, still playing a role in the Provost’s Office while also teaching a limited number of graduate courses in the School of Behavioral Sciences and the Rawlings School of Divinity.

“I often tell people that the greatest privilege of my life has been being a part of the amazing story that is Liberty,” Hawkins said. “Liberty is a phenomenon, something that occurs once in a generation or once in a century. This is the first time the world has ever seen an evangelical Christian university grow to this size and make the impact that Liberty has.”

“I always had the sense that God called me here,” he added, noting that he will value the opportunity to continue serving on a provost’s leadership team and interacting with students in the classroom.

“The people I get to interact with on a daily basis keep me young and in good health,” he said. “At its very best, life is circular. You put something into the heart of a person and you go downstream, and

it comes flowing back to you. If you are a giver, and you love serving, leading, and teaching people, then they feed you back.

That’s exciting.”

Hawkins led Liberty through its institutional accreditation process with SACS and led many of its programs through additional accreditation with other organizations. He was dean of the College of Arts & Sciences from 2000-06 and is the founding dean of Liberty’s School of Behavioral Sciences. Hawkins has worked in the university’s counseling program and has over 20 years of experience in mental health counseling, counselor training, and consulting.

As provost, Hawkins also helped institute the Provost’s Award for Research Excellence (P.A.R.E.), which funds domestic and international research programs for students.

At Commencement, tears were in Hawkins’ eyes as he conferred the degrees. “But they were not tears of sadness,” he said. “They symbolized an overwhelming gratitude for what God has done at this place and for the reality that I’ve been privileged to be a part of this.”

Alumna awarded Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain

Liberty University graduate Katarina Bouton (’17) received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to teach English in Asturias, Spain. She leaves in September for a nine-month teaching stint.

“The prospect of uniting my desired profession with my fascination with the Spanish culture through a Fulbright

English Teaching Assistantship excites me profoundly,” she said. “I plan to help equip students to become globally competitive citizens and increase their employment opportunities. This experience will also expand my repertoire of teaching methods, shaping me into a highly effective cross-cultural educator.”

Bouton graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) with Teacher Licensure. She was a member of the Lady Flames Track & Field and Cross Country teams.

In Spain, Bouton also plans to share her passion for running by establishing an after-school distance running club for middle or high school students.

L“A”W: Liberty Law received an “A” ranking on “The Best Schools for Practical Training” list from preLaw, a National Jurist publication, ahead of Campbell University and Regent University.

Since graduation, Bouton has been serving at the Elementary English Immersion Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., a rapidly growing refugee resettlement site. She has a desire to help non-native English speakers and plans to continue teaching at the center upon returning from Spain.

Liberty has had Fulbright recipients in the past, but Bouton is the first to have an application accepted through the newly established Liberty University Fulbright Committee.

Liberty had five Fulbright semifinalist candidates this year.

For information on Fulbright scholarships, visit Liberty.edu/Law/Fulbright-Scholarships.

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR: The Helms School of Government presented former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese II the inaugural Ronald Reagan Award for Excellence in Statesmanship. The award was established to recognize virtuous and distinguished public servants who can act as role models for Liberty students wishing to enter the political arena.

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A CLOSER LOOK

DNA expert opens doors for students to participate in groundbreaking projects Throughout his time at Liberty University, renowned DNA expert J. Thomas McClintock, Ph.D., has sought to establish Liberty’s reputation as a school dedicated to the study of forensic science.

The professor of biology and director of the forensic science program has been recognized for both his professional work and for his role in the classroom.

In February, McClintock was featured on ABC’s “20/20” for his part in an investigation of the 1985 murders of Nancy and Derek Haysom, who were brutally killed in their Bedford County home, just a few miles from Liberty’s campus. Their daughter, Elizabeth, and her former boyfriend, Jens Soering, are serving time for the double murder.

DNA evidence — never presented in the case — could shed new light on Soering’s longstanding claim of innocence.

(Soering initially confessed but later recanted, saying he only confessed to cover for his girlfriend.) McClintock was called up last summer to analyze DNA results of blood found at the scene. On “20/20,” he explained that he found at least one unidentified sample.

As one of the nation’s foremost DNA experts, McClintock has provided his expertise in other high-profile investigations, including the 2008 case of missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony.

McClintock describes his work as “justice through science,” and he is passionate about helping the innocent

become exonerated. That passion has led him to spearhead efforts to bring a Center for Justice (similar to the Innocence Project) to campus. The nationwide project enlists the help of organizations to examine DNA evidence in both cold and active cases where the accused claims to have been wrongly

“My goal as an educator is to encourage my students to think clearly and logically and to challenge them according to their individual strengths and needs.”

J. THOMAS MCCLINTOCK, PH.D.

convicted. In collaboration with the Liberty University School of Law and the Helms School of Government’s criminal justice program, students would have a chance to make a difference in people’s lives while also gaining relevant experience in their fields. He hopes to begin the program in Fall 2019.

McClintock has also helped students gain hands-on experience through simulation exercises. Last October, students uncovered bones, collected insects, and searched for other

The Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science is offered under the Department of Biology & Chemistry in the School of Health Sciences. In the spring, the department launched a doctoral degree program, the Ph.D. in Anatomy & Cell Biology.

evidence as part of a simulated crime scene that involved an animal carcass that had been placed in the forest days before. McClintock also organized a simulated bioterrorism attack, where students engaged with local emergency responders and used their skills to decipher a biological agent.

In and out of the classroom, students say that McClintock is not only a dedicated teacher but also a compassionate mentor who takes time to invest in the lives of each of his students.

He has involved his students in many significant research projects. Recently, students analyzed blood samples taken from the Hillsman House in Rice, Va., corroborating that the building served as a Union field hospital during the last major Civil War battle fought in Virginia. They have been able to generate male DNA profiles from samples more than 151 years old.

In another project, recent graduate Kristin Jones worked with McClintock in the Center for Natural Sciences’ state-of-the-art labs to examine tissue and hair samples from the deformed skulls of mummies unearthed from an ancient burial site in Peru. The two worked to solve the mystery of this “cone head” population’s genetic origins and dispute the claim of other scientists that the cranial deformation points to another human species, an unknown hominid species, or an alien.

“It was such an honor to work with Dr. McClintock because I came into the program thinking I was going to just take the classes and graduate and go on and do whatever,” Jones said.

“But when he asked me to come on as a researcher, I was like, ‘Me? Why?’ But it’s been amazing ever since and,

AROUND LU

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BIBLICAL SCRIBES: Three Rawlings School of Divinity students and a professor collaborated with the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and the Institute for New Testament Textual Research at the University of Münster in Germany to transcribe ancient Greek manuscripts as part of the Greek Paul Project.

TOP RESEARCHERS: Liberty took home more awards than any other school represented at the annual Big South Undergraduate Research Symposium held on campus in April. Liberty earned 14 awards, including five first-place winners.

SCHOLAR’S NEWS VIEWPOINT & EVENTS

KAI TLYN JOH NSON

2018 PRESIDENT’S AWARDS for EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING These awards recognize faculty who are committed to exceptional teaching in both the residential and online classrooms. Several areas are considered, including the integration of faith into learning, use of instructional technology, innovation, scholarship, and a commitment to the personal growth of each student. Winners are selected based on peer nominations, deans’ endorsements, and student testimonials. Recipients received monetary gifts and were formally recognized during the end-of-the-year Provost’s Convocation.

UNDERGRADUATE RESIDENTIAL: Hector Medina, Ph.D., M.S. Assistant Professor, School of Engineering

J. Thomas McClintock, director of the forensic science program, works with May graduate Kristin Jones to analyze DNA evidence in the Center for Natural Sciences’ forensics lab.

honestly, I wouldn’t be going where I am if it weren’t for him and the research opportunity.”

Jones recently completed an internship at the office of the chief medical examiner in Washington, D.C., and has been accepted into a master’s program in forensic science at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Students have also been working with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science in Roanoke, Va., to test certain chemical compounds detected in sexual assault casework.

Their research could assist law enforcement officers in determining if a particular over-the-counter product may have been involved in a drug-facilitated sexual assault.

McClintock said he believes in building mentor relationships to empower students to succeed in college and in their careers.

“My goal as an educator is to encourage my students to think clearly and logically and to challenge them according to their individual strengths and needs,” he said. “Each student has been blessed with talents and abilities that are often untapped. God has given these students spiritual gifts for the express purpose of building His kingdom. As a teacher, I try to recognize and identify these abilities and build on these strengths by providing opportunities for students to communicate and use their knowledge and gifts.”

BUILDING CAPITAL: University leaders met with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and several legislators in April as part of a larger commitment by LU to make an impact on public policy and higher education issues affecting our nation. Students in the Washington Fellowship program also heard from lawmakers and alumni working in D.C. The events were organized by the Center for Law & Government.

UNDERGRADUATE RESIDENTIAL: Robert “Tony” Robertson, J.D. Chair, Pre-Law Center and Assistant Professor, Helms School of Government

UNDERGRADUATE ONLINE: Jennifer Holmquist, M.P.A. Instructor, Helms School of Government

GRADUATE RESIDENTIAL: Lisa Sosin, Ph.D., M.A. Program Director and Associate Professor, School of Behavioral Sciences/Counselor Education

GRADUATE ONLINE: James Swezey, Ed.D., M.Ed. Professor, School of Education

DESIGNED FOR EXCELLENCE: Liberty University’s Montview Student Union, which opened before the start of the Fall 2016 semester, was the recipient of the 14th annual Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Facility Design Award of Excellence.

TOBYMAC

MEREDITH ANDREWS

KEITH SMITH

ROBBIE HINER

KYLE KUPECKY

GUY PENROD

SETTING THE TONE L I B E R T Y A LU M N I I M PAC T T H E M U S I C I N D U ST RY

Hip-hop megastar Toby McKeehan (’88), better known as TobyMac, was at the center of the action during College For A Weekend in April. The Grammy Award winner is easily one of the most prolific Christian recording artists.

And it all started at Liberty.

Together with classmates Michael Tait and Kevin Max, McKeehan formed the groundbreaking group dc Talk,

which transformed contemporary Christian music in the 1990s. Tait is currently frontman for the Newsboys, and Max recently led a reincarnation of Audio Adrenaline.

Two more alumni who have achieved success as musicians returned to their alma mater for Convocations last semester: gospel singer and former Gaither Vocal Band member Guy

Penrod and gospel artist Robbie Hiner, who helped found the Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet and eventually moved into producing.

Another Gaither Band and Liberty alumnus, Mark Lowry, penned one of the most popular modern Christmas songs, “Mary, Did You Know?”

But these successful alumni are far from the only ones who are making a

The School of Music is the nation’s seventh largest and houses some of the most popular and fastestgrowing degree programs on campus, with over 1,450 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled.

Residentially, Liberty offers 12 unique Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degrees, including a B.M. in Music in World Cultures and a B.M. in Commercial Music, with a number of specializations. The school also offers multiple Bachelor of Science programs. Graduate degree programs include an online Doctor of Worship Studies, as well as four residential and five online Master of Arts programs, such as ethnomusicology, music and worship, and music education.

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SCHOLAR’S NEWS VIEWPOINT & EVENTS JESSI E R OGER S

ELIZABETH CHAN

JESSE PHILLIPS

N E W R E CO R D I N G S T U D I O I N O P E R AT I O N The state-of-the-art, 1,600-square-foot Mathena Recording Studio is now open in the Center for Music and the Worship Arts. It features technology that allows sessions to be recorded remotely from off-campus locations, in real time. Music can also be recorded from throughout the center’s multiple recital halls and its world-class Concert Hall. The studio supports professional recording projects, including projects by Liberty Music Group, the university’s professional Christian music publishing and recording label.

Under the direction of Grammy Award nominee Nathan Zwald, the studio serves the School of Music’s songwriting, artist development, recording, engineering and producing, film scoring, and jazz studies programs.

mark in the music industry today.

Liberty’s footprints are everywhere in Music City and beyond. Alumni work as managers, songwriters, studio instrumentalists, and touring band members.

Keith Everette Smith, a producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, has won a number of Dove and Grammy Awards and is also a member of TobyMac’s Diverse City Band. He’s worked with other artists, too, including Jack White, the Jonas Brothers, Plumb, Dave Barnes, MercyMe, Marc Broussard, and Amy Grant.

Recording artist Kyle Kupecky has performed across the U.S., opening for acts like MercyMe and Steven Curtis Chapman.

Alex McVey is a drummer for the Irish worship band We Are Messengers;

musician Caleb Blair tours with Sidewalk Prophets; Nashville-based drummer Elizabeth Chan has worked with Carrie Underwood, Lauren Daigle, Keith Urban, and Lady Antebellum, and she has performed live with Amy Grant for a CMA Country Christmas Special.

Some have made a career out of life on the road, like 2011 LU graduates Whitney Walker, Mary Pat Smissen, and Nick Williamson, who travel full time as the worship group Water Within.

But just as importantly, graduates are serving as music leaders or instrumentalists at churches across the country, such as recording artist Meredith Andrews of the Chicagobased Vertical Worship. (Several members of Vertical Worship are LU graduates.)

Whether working behind the scenes or poised to break out as artists, Liberty Flames are burning bright.

“Pretty much anyone I have played with has had some Liberty connection,” said Jesse Phillips, who studied worship and music at Liberty before earning a master’s in leadership and management.

Phillips works as a guitarist and bassist, laying down tracks in studios and touring. He has performed with Chris McClarney of Jesus Culture and Passion’s Christy Nockels, among other independent artists.

“I played with a pop artist recently, and his guitarist was asking the drummer and me about where we went to school. Both of us said, ‘Liberty,’ and he said, ‘I just got off a gig with another Liberty person. … You guys are taking over Nashville.’”

AROUND LU LIVE FROM CARNEGIE HALL: Dr. Woori Kim Smith, assistant professor of piano, performed the works of renowned French composer Claude Debussy at Carnegie Hall in New York City in March.

TV STAR: Cade Foehner, who is enrolled in Liberty’s biblical studies online program, made it to the Top 5 on “American Idol” last season.

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© 201 8 HE NDR I C K M OTOR S PORTS, LLC

RACE OF REMEMBRANCE

NASCAR driver and Liberty student pays tribute to two LU military veterans

© 2018 HE N D RI C K M OTO RS P O RTS , L LC

© 201 8 HE NDR I C K M OTOR SP ORTS, LLC

NASCAR Cup Series rookie William Byron competed in his first “600 Miles of Remembrance” race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27, driving the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro. The car sported a patriotic paint scheme and carried the names of two men who served our nation and had close connections to the university, where Byron is a sophomore pursuing a business communication degree.

Liberty was the primary sponsor for the No. 24 in the Memorial Day Weekend race, which was part of the NASCAR Salutes program.

The name of U.S. Army Maj. Mike Donahue was blazed across the top of the windshield. Donahue was an Army Airborne Corps paratrooper.

He was killed at age 41 in a September

Lt. Col. Charlie Davidson

2014 Taliban suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, while on his third combat tour. Donahue served as an assistant professor of military science for Liberty’s Army ROTC program from August 2008 to July 2010 and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in education during that time. Donahue was a recipient of the Purple Heart as well as the Bronze Star and Defense Meritorious Service medals.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charlie Davidson, whose name was displayed above the driver’s side door, had a decorated 20-year career as a military chaplain before becoming director of Liberty’s Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program. He was the first Air Force chaplain to serve in Baghdad and was

Maj. Mike Donahue

awarded the Bronze Star for bravery and valor under hostile fire and combat conditions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in November 2003. Davidson died at the age of 59 in April 2017 following a battle with cancer. He had ties to NASCAR as a member of Bristol Raceway Ministries’ Board of Directors.

Members of both families attended the race.

Byron was running in the top 15 before contact with the outside wall affected his night at his hometown track and led to an early exit.

Donahue and Davidson have both been honored with the university’s George Rogers Champion of Freedom Award.

Liberty has been designated Virginia’s first Purple Heart University.

Visit Liberty.edu/24 to read more about Byron and follow his progress at WilliamByron.com.

AROUND LU

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TAKING OFF: The School of Aeronautics’ NIFA Team defended its title as the Outstanding All-Around Collegiate Aviation Program in the United States, bringing the prestigious Loening Trophy, the oldest award in college aviation, back to Lynchburg.

BUILDING UP: Construction will continue this summer on the new 78,000-square-foot, 3-story building for the School of Business. It is scheduled to open in Spring 2019.

NEWS & EVENTS

IN MEMORIAM

Paying tribute to the passing of American legend Billy Graham

BY JERRY FALWELL

The Rev. Billy Graham, the world’s most prominent evangelist, died Feb. 21 at the age of 99. He will always be remembered as much more than a friend to Liberty University and the Falwell family. He was spiritual kin.

The kinship was built on a shared passion with my father, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, to bring the salvation message about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the world.

Each man had his own unique style in delivering the Gospel message. Graham traveled the world conducting crusades that introduced millions to the truth that Jesus Christ died for their sins and offered salvation through belief in Him. He had a gift that no other evangelist had, and he used it. It was a simple Gospel, but nobody could communicate it like he did. He inspired so many people and gave them a reason to live.

My father was a relentless cultural warrior and often debated societal figures who were intent on lessening the impact of Christ’s teachings on modern society.

It was at Liberty where our families met with a common purpose. The

President Jerry Falwell, his wife, Becki, and their sons, Trey and Wesley, with the Rev. Billy Graham at Commencement 1997.

Graham family embraced the idea of Training Champions for Christ.

The Rev. Graham gave Liberty’s Commencement address in 1997, the day his grandson, Will, graduated from Liberty. The Rev. Will Graham currently serves on the Liberty University Board of Trustees. His father, the Rev. Franklin Graham, has been a frequent speaker at Liberty and helped preside over my father’s funeral in May 2007. More of the Graham

Commencement 1997

MOOT COURT: Tom Morris (right) and Alex Stauch (left) of Liberty Law’s Moot Court team won the 33rd Annual Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition at Brooklyn Law School.

grandchildren and great-grandchildren have attended Liberty over the years.

I made a special trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., while I was in college in the early ’80s to attend a Billy Graham crusade.

My wife, Becki, and I also attended his 90th and 95th birthday parties, as well as the opening of his library in Charlotte, N.C., about a month after my father died in 2007. The fact that four U.S. presidents spoke at that event was proof of how highly respected Billy Graham was.

I always appreciated Billy Graham’s firm focus on his ministry. He wasn’t divisive; he didn’t take sides. His gift was to preach the Gospel, and he knew that anything else he did would take away from that.

The Christian faith has lost the greatest communicator it has had over the last century. So many Christian leaders today were converted through his ministry or through someone who was influenced by someone else who was converted through Billy Graham’s ministry, including my father.

When it comes to the Rev. Billy Graham, the words of the parable come to mind: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

The Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., with the Rev. Billy Graham in 2005.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY: The Office of Spiritual Development held “The Well,” a women-only ministry event, on four separate nights last semester. Speakers delivered relevant messages to help female students deal with common struggles.

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RISE WITH US

46

ATHLETICS

FLAMES FOOTBALL PREPARES FOR ITS BIG MOVE “Either you rise with us or you can watch us rise.”

That’s the mindset of junior running back Frankie Hickson as he and his teammates prepare to head into uncharted waters this fall.

What started as a dream by visionary Liberty University founder Dr. Jerry Falwell in 1971 will soon become a reality when Liberty’s football program rises to the top level of collegiate football in its first season in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Falwell often spoke of having a football program “comparable to USC or Alabama.” On Feb. 17, 2017, a waiver granted by the NCAA allowed Liberty’s 45-year-old football program to take the final step toward reaching that goal.

This coming season, Liberty enters the second year of its two-year FBS transition process, competing as an FBS independent program for the first time. The team will not be eligible for postseason competition, but in 2019, Liberty will become a full-fledged FBS program and have the opportunity to compete for bowl game appearances.

The Flames will host their first FBS home game against in-state foe Old Dominion University on Sept. 1 — the first of four FBS teams to visit Williams Stadium in the 2018 season to meet the FBS reclassification criteria. The

2018 home schedule also features FBS matchups against North Texas (Sept.

22), Troy (Oct. 13), and New Mexico State (Nov. 24).

Leading the Flames into this new era will be seventh-year Head Coach Turner Gill. During his time on Liberty Mountain, Gill has guided the Flames to four FCS conference titles while tallying three of the program’s five wins over FBS teams.

Gill helped Liberty kick off its twoyear FBS transition process in grand style with a 48-45 win over Baylor University on Sept. 2, 2017. The stunning victory was ranked as the seventh biggest upset in college football over the last 25 years (ESPN.com, Sept. 6, 2017).

Gill’s offensive arsenal will be ready for the challenge of its first-ever FBS schedule with the high-powered tandem of quarterback Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert and wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden.

Calvert is on pace to erase all of Liberty’s quarterback records. He finished 2017 with a school-record 3,363 passing yards and 29 touchdowns.

Gandy-Golden was his top target. He became the seventh player in program history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season (1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns).

Calvert, Gandy-Golden, Hickson, and a host of upperclassmen will be

joined by the highest-rated football recruiting class in program history. The news of Liberty’s move to the FBS level allowed Gill to land 15 players in LU’s first-ever FBS recruiting class who are two- or three-star recruits, as ranked

by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.

A stout combination of veteran players along with numerous gamechanging recruits are asking Flames Nation to come “Rise With Us” as the program presses toward the goal set nearly a half-century ago.

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ARE WE READY? YES, WE ARE.

Flames Football coaches sat down for a series of “Rise With Us” video interviews about Liberty’s transition to the FBS. Read excerpts below and view the full interviews at LibertyFlames.com.

What are some of the differences you’ve seen from before Liberty announced it was headed to the FBS to now, as the Flames embark on the first season with FBS status?

What are your thoughts on how the stadium renovations will change the game-day atmosphere, and how exciting is this for the program?

HEAD COACH TURNER GILL:

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND QUARTERBACKS COACH JOE DAILEY:

“Now that Liberty is playing at the highest level, there is excitement from fans all across the country.

High school coaches, principals, and athletic directors want to listen to us a little bit more, and (prospective recruits) say, ‘I’ve been waiting for a school that is truly an evangelical, Christian university that I want to go to and play at the highest level in football.’ They want to come visit us and see our university, so that’s exciting, not just from the athletic side of it, but from the student side.”

Talking to these prospects who may not know much about Liberty, how often does it happen that once they get here, they say, “Coach, you weren’t kidding. This place is phenomenal.”

ASSISTANT COACH MARSHALL ROBERTS (DEFENSIVE BACKS): “There are so many people around this country that have no clue about this hidden gem. What you really push for is ‘Just come.’

What I tell them is, ‘Get to know the people who are going to invest in your life, get to know the atmosphere that is going to transition you from a boy to a man.’ But for the most part you’ve just got to get them here and walk around this campus.

This is a special place.”

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“We’ve always had a phenomenal game-day atmosphere here, so once this tower gets built and the other side is filled with students and fans on game day, I can’t even really imagine what it’s going to be like. It was awesome with just that lower tier, but now that we’ve got this whole thing closed in, it’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait for that first kickoff to see what it looks like from the (coaches’) box.”

ASSISTANT COACH KYLE DEARMON (WIDE RECEIVERS): “I’ve been to a lot of places as a player and now as a coach, and I really feel like we have one of the best home environments and home atmospheres.

Now with the stadium expansion, we just know that the student section is going to be taken up a notch, and the home crowd and the Lynchburg locals and the alumni base

— everyone’s really, really excited.

It’s just an electric atmosphere. It’s loud. You’ve got fireworks, you’ve got everything going on. It’s a great place to play. I loved playing here as a student-athlete. And now to coach and to stand on the sidelines and take a second to look around and see what has been built even since I’ve been here, is pretty special.”

How does it feel to be an FBS quarterback? Do you feel the fanbase “rising” with you?

STEPHEN “BUCKSHOT” CALVERT: “It’s a dream come true; it’s what I’ve been striving for my whole life. Just being a part of this program and being the first actual team to be a part of the FBS transition here, it’s a wonderful feeling right now for the coaches and the team itself and for everyone around us. We have a lot of support, and as you see, it started with just the indoor practice facility, and now we’re moving on to the stadium being expanded. It’s just a great time to be a Flame. We’ve got great days coming; it’s going to be an exciting year, and everybody is looking forward to it. We just have to look at it as we’re all together — God has us on this team for a reason, and that’s to glorify Him and be successful on the field.”

FLAMES CLUB Fans can support Liberty Football and enjoy special game-day privileges by joining the Flames Club, which underwrites Liberty Athletics’ threefold mission to Train Champions for Christ, provide a world-class student-athlete experience, and achieve victory with integrity. Membership starts at just $60. Preferred parking and seating and hospitality benefits are based upon membership level. Call 434-582-CLUB (2582), email FlamesClub@liberty.edu, or visit LibertyFlames.com/FlamesClub.

ATHLETICS

2018 SEASON

FUTURE SEASONS 2019

Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse Sept. 7 at Louisiana Sept. 14 vs. Buffalo Sept. 21 vs. Hampton Sept. 28 vs. New Mexico Oct. 5 at New Mexico State Oct. 19 vs. Maine Oct. 26 at Rutgers Nov. 2 at UMass Nov. 9 at BYU Nov. 23 at Virginia Nov. 30 vs. New Mexico State

2020

Sept. 5 at Virginia Tech Sept. 12 vs. North Carolina A&T Sept. 19 at Middle Tennessee Sept. 26 vs. FIU Oct. 3 at Bowling Green Oct. 10 vs. Louisiana - Monroe Oct. 17 at Syracuse Oct. 24 vs. Southern Miss Nov. 7 at Virginia Nov. 14 vs. Western Carolina Nov. 21 at NC State Nov. 28 vs. UMass

2021

Sept. 4 vs. Campbell Sept. 11 at Troy Sept. 18 vs. Old Dominion Sept. 25 at Syracuse Oct. 2 at UAB Oct. 9 vs. Middle Tennessee Oct. 16 at Louisiana - Monroe Oct. 23 at North Texas Nov. 6 vs. UMass Nov. 13 at Ole Miss Nov. 20 vs. Louisiana Nov. 27 vs. Army

2022

Sept. 3 at Southern Miss Sept. 10 vs. UAB Sept. 17 at Wake Forest Sept. 24 at Old Dominion Oct. 22 vs. BYU

Oct. 29 at UMass Nov. 19 vs. Virginia Tech

2023

Sept. 2 vs. Bowling Green Sept. 9 at Coastal Carolina Sept. 16 at Buffalo Oct. 14 at Marshall Nov. 11 vs. UMass

2024

Aug. 31 vs. Coastal Carolina Oct. 5 vs. Marshall Oct. 19 at North Carolina Nov. 16 at UMass

2025

Aug. 30 vs. Wake Forest Sept. 20 at Army Oct. 4 at Georgia Southern Nov. 1 vs. UMass Nov. 22 at Duke

2026

Sept. 3, 4, or 5 at Wake Forest Sept. 26 vs. Duke Oct. 10 vs. Georgia Southern Nov. 28 vs. Army

2027

Sept. 4 at Duke Sept. 11 vs. Virginia Nov. 20 at Virginia Tech

2028

Sept. 2 at Virginia Tech Sept. 16 vs. North Carolina

2029

Sept. 1 at Virginia Tech Sept. 15 vs. Virginia

2030

Sept. 7 vs. Virginia Tech Sept. 14 at Virginia

2031

Sept. 6 at North Carolina

SEASON TICKETS 434-582-SEAT (7328)

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ATHLETICS NEWS ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE RISING WITH LIBERTY AS NEW MEMBER

Director of Athletics Ian McCaw, ASUN Conference Commissioner Ted Gumbart, and Liberty University President Jerry Falwell

Starting July 1, Liberty University Athletics enters a new era with the move of the majority of its NCAA Division I teams to the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).

It’s a move that Liberty President Jerry Falwell called “the next big step” for Liberty Athletics.

“The ASUN is a progressive conference made up of high-quality academic institutions and highly competitive athletics programs that will elevate Liberty’s national profile,” he said. “It is a great fit … with some of the fastest-growing and most innovative universities in the South.”

The ASUN includes a blend of private and public institutions: Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville University

(Jacksonville, Fla.), Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, Ga.), Lipscomb University (Nashville, Tenn.), New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, N.J.), University of North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), and Stetson University (DeLand, Fla.).

The University of North Alabama (Florence, Ala.) will also join the league for the 2018-19 season.

“The ASUN footprint allows Liberty to further extend our brand into New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida,” said Liberty Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. “Those are states where we will be very successful in recruiting students and student-athletes alike that will fit Liberty’s mission.”

All Liberty NCAA Division I sports will make the move, except for football

(playing its first season as an FBS independent this fall), field hockey (BIG EAST Conference), and women’s swimming and diving (Coastal Collegiate Sports Association).

ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart said Liberty’s new membership will bring “outstanding academics and athletics that will raise the ASUN in those areas.”

“It’s also a place that is growing, and we like to consider the ASUN growing,” he said.

“If you haven’t been to Liberty in the past few years, you’ll really enjoy visiting their campus. It’s just a wonderful campus, from the hospitality to the atmosphere. Their facilities are second to none, and they have a good following.”

Coaches and players have shown excitement about the move, which was announced during a press conference at Liberty’s Williams Stadium on May 17.

“I can already detect the energy level of our players,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Carey Green. “We have some challenges in front of us, but it will be great for us.”

Tatyana Crowder, a rising senior guard for the Lady Flames, said, “We’re excited to compete at a higher level and go against greater competition. We’ve had success in the Big South Conference, and we’re looking to just transfer that over to the ASUN.” The shift to the ASUN ends 27 years with the Big South, during which Liberty has captured 146 championships.

HIGHLIGHTS

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BULL’S-EYE: Junior Louis Boyd won the Flames’ second national archery title this year at the USCA Indoor National Championship. The men’s bowhunting team won the USCA 3D outdoor title in the fall.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Freshman Tori Perkins was the first rock climbing team member to compete in the USA Climbing Collegiate National Championships, held near Houston. She ascended to second place out of 106 climbers in the women’s sport division, just inches behind Stanford University’s top climber.

ATHLETICS

FOOTBALL OPERATIONS CENTER TO SEE UPGRADE AFTER 2018 SEASON As Flames Football prepares for its first season of play as an FBS independent program, more good news is coming its way.

The university has announced a major upgrade and expansion to the Arthur L. Williams Football Operations Center (FOC), to complement the ongoing expansion at Williams Stadium. Twostory additions to both the east and west sides of the building will bring the center from 48,000 to about 75,000 square feet and help round out the stadium’s bowl shape. The renovated facility will be adjacent to Liberty’s spectacular new

Indoor Practice Facility that opened last summer.

Construction is expected to begin after the last home football game this year.

The entire building will receive exterior and interior renovations. A player lounge on the ground level will double as a recruiting area for football as well as other NCAA Division I sports.

The second story will feature patios that look out onto the field.

The team locker room and lounge will be renovated and enlarged, with room for over 100 lockers that will

MEDAL WINNER: Junior Julie Bouton finished with a program-best second place in the women’s All Around competition at the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs Championships, which drew more than 1,300 gymnasts to Fort Worth, Texas.

be arranged in a spoke layout, so that coaches can better address all the players.

The training room will receive many enhancements, including oversized plunge pools. A state-of-the art weight room and nutrition center, currently in the lower level, will also be expanded as offices housed there will be relocated to the additions. The new building space has been designed to allow for natural skylighting, with sunlight shining through from the top floor into the weight room. Studies conclude that training with sunlight has many benefits for student-athletes.

Plans also call for the soccer locker room, currently located next to the soccer stadium behind Williams Stadium, to be incorporated into the west-side addition of the FOC. That will leave more space to expand the north stadium entrance and add more security checkpoints so fans can enter faster.

The FOC opened prior to the 2006 season and was made possible because of a generous $4.5 million donation from the Art Williams Foundation.

DIVING IN: In its first year, the men’s swimming & diving program finished 13th out of 120 schools at the Collegiate Club Swimming & Diving National Championships.

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NFL CHAPLAINS CONVENE ON CAMPUS, LEND ADVICE TO STUDENTS In April, Liberty University hosted a group of chaplains from the National Football League and other professional organizations for their annual training session. They not only gathered for a time of personal encouragement and spiritual renewal, led by Athletes in Action (AIA), but also took the time to inspire Liberty students and student-athletes.

The group included 17 chaplains representing the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Liberty alumnus Phillip Kelley (’04, ’06), pro operations manager for AIA, facilitated the session. Kelley served as the Kansas City Chiefs chaplain for five years.

During their visit, the chaplains held a prayer session with Rawlings School of Divinity students, ministered to Flames

Football players, coaches, and staff, and served on a panel for Convocation, where they discussed the importance and challenges of their ministry. The panel included Kelley, AIA Executive Director of Pro Ministries Corwin Anthony, current New York Yankees chaplain George McGovern, and NFL chaplains LaMorris Crawford (Cincinnati Bengals), Johnny Shelton (Baltimore Ravens), and Doug Gilcrease (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), whose daughter graduated from Liberty’s School of Nursing in 2014.

“As chaplains, we say, ‘We’re going to be the one person in your life to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear,” Kelley said. “We’re not going to ask anything from you (tickets, money, autographs). The only thing we ask you to do is to leverage your platform to share Jesus with the world. That’s it, because they can reach millions upon millions of people. We disciple them, push them out

of the nest, and when they’re ready, they can have a massive influence.”

McGovern said that while people may put pro athletes on a pedestal, they need Jesus as much as anyone.

“No matter how much money (a player) is guaranteed, no matter how successful (he is) and how well his name becomes recognized, if he doesn’t have that foundation of a relationship with Jesus Christ, then when those winds and storms of adversity come, he will not be able to withstand them,” McGovern said.

Liberty has partnered with AIA to offer scholarships to NFL chaplains and players, as well as players’ spouses and children. Liberty’s online education program offers flexibility so that professionals — including 2018 Super Bowl MVP and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, a School of Divinity online graduate student — can juggle their demanding schedules while pursuing a quality education.

L E AH SE AVE R S

Alumnus Phillip Kelley (center) addresses students at Convocation. Kelley is a former chaplain for the Kansas City Chiefs and heads up a chaplain program through Athletes in Action.

LEAH S EAVERS

L EAH SEAVERS

Several chaplains from NFL teams pray with Flames Football players.

HIGHLIGHTS

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NET SUCCESS: Captain Evangeline Crist set program records for singles and doubles victories this year. She also received LU’s Rock Royer/Mac Rivera Award, given to the top graduating senior student-athlete who maintains an exemplary testimony on the playing field, in the classroom, and among the student body.

BASKETBALL CHAMPS: In front of a home crowd in the Vines Center, the top-seeded Lady Flames upended No. 3 UNC Asheville to clinch its 17th Big South Championship title in 22 years and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championships.

ATHLETICS

LIBERTY ARENA COMING IN FALL 2020 In two years, Liberty’s basketball and volleyball players will have a new stage to perform on. The 125,000-square-foot Liberty Arena is one of the latest additions to the university’s master plan, which already includes several new and renovated athletics facilities.

Located next door to the 10,000-seat Vines Center, the smaller, 4,000-seat arena will host men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as women’s volleyball games. It will become the permanent operations center for the volleyball program, with expanded locker rooms and office space.

“Our teams will have a more intimate environment and a tremendous home court advantage,” said Ian McCaw,

Liberty’s director of athletics. “And Flames fans will enjoy the arena’s modern amenities, including premium seating and hospitality areas.”

Construction is expected to start this fall and is scheduled to be completed in time for the first basketball game in Fall 2020.

A grand entrance to the arena will greet guests along University Boulevard. Fans can also enter the building on the west side, from the campus lawn.

The location at the center of campus is ideal because of its proximity to residence halls and existing basketball offices, practice courts, and locker rooms in the Vines Center. The two facilities will be connected inside at

the Vines Center’s concourse level, making it an even more versatile facility for larger university events.

The Vines Center will also receive an exterior facelift as part of the project. Updates will be made to the dome roof, and overhangs will be added at the entrances.

The Vines Center will continue to be used for any games in which attendance is expected to exceed 4,000.

Liberty students pack out the Vines Center for Convocation three times a week. When the new Liberty Arena opens, it will eliminate the countless man-hours and resources used to repeatedly set up and tear down the stage and floor seating.

SOFTBALL WINS FIRST NCAA REGIONAL GAMES IN PROGRAM HISTORY

The Lady Flames’ record-breaking season included a third Big South Conference championship and third NCAA postseason appearance, where the team recorded wins for the first time in regional play and extended their program-record winning streak to 19.

The Lady Flames won their first two

NCAA Regional games May 18-19 in Columbia, S.C., over No. 24 Hofstra and No. 11 South Carolina. The wins were Liberty’s seventh and eighth in team history over Top 25 programs.

Junior pitcher Julia DiMartino peaked in the postseason, improving to 29-7 on the year with the two regional wins.

AT THE FINISH: The men’s and women’s squads swept team titles at the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships, hosted for the first time at the Liberty Indoor Track & Field Complex, and the BSC Outdoor Championships at High Point (N.C.). In 25 years, Liberty has won 44 men’s and 30 women’s indoor and outdoor titles.

Head Coach Dot Richardson, a twotime Olympic gold medalist, guided the Lady Flames to a program-record 49 wins on the season.

Richardson, a starting shortstop for Team USA for the Summer Olympic Games in 1996 and Australia in 2000, showcased her recruiting clout in California (where she enjoyed a Hall of Fame collegiate career at UCLA) and her home state of Florida. Eleven of the 24 players on the roster hail from those two softball hotbeds, including sophomore infielder Amber Bishop and her twin sister, catcher Autumn Bishop, of Murrieta, Calif. They ignited Liberty’s attack with identical .365 batting averages.

TOP HONORS: Junior Alicia Finnigan received the NCAA’s most prestigious academic award, the ELITE 90, given to the one student-athlete at the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships with the highest GPA. Finnigan was also voted the CCSA Women’s Swimmer of the Year.

LADY FLAMES HOCKEY TEAM CLAIMS SECOND NATIONAL TITLE JOEL COLEM AN

The top-ranked Lady Flames (29-3) fended off a late comeback by secondranked Adrian College to win the ACHA Division I women’s hockey National Championship trophy for the second time in program history, March 18, in the Ice Haus in Columbus, Ohio.

Freshman forward Shelby Bradford was named tournament MVP. She scored the game’s first goal in the opening five minutes of the second period before sophomore forward Alex Smibert provided the eventual gamewinner with less than five minutes remaining in the third.

Graduate goalie Chantal Kerr, who started in net when Liberty captured its first national title in 2015 against Miami (Ohio) University, made several clutch saves to preserve the 2-1

triumph.

The Lady Flames won the championship in memory of former forward Sarah Stevenson (’15), who became the first alumna of the women’s hockey program to play professionally in 2015-16 with the CWHL’s Toronto Furies. Stevenson died at age 24 from a severe bacterial disease on Oct. 31, 2017.

Liberty’s Division I men’s team swept the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League regular-season and tournament titles before being eliminated at the ACHA national championships by defending champion Central Oklahoma, 2-1, in overtime.

Both Division I teams (men’s and women’s) set program records this year with 19-game winning streaks.

CAMPUS GEARS UP FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES IN JULY, STATE GAMES NEXT SUMMER

Now in its third year with Liberty University as its title sponsor, the 2018 Commonwealth Games is expected to set a participation record after eclipsing 11,000 participants in 2017.

The games are operated by Virginia Amateur Sports (VAS) and offer Olympic-styled sporting events, with most held on Liberty’s campus. The Commonwealth Games is the largest, annual multisports festival in Virginia.

Dan Foutz, president of VAS, said 41 sporting events (13 more than last year) will be held over Main Games Weekend, set for July 27-29. Events range from the traditional team sports of basketball, baseball, and lacrosse to archery, bowling, billiards, wrestling, tennis, and

many more. New this year will be three additional shooting sports, taekwondo, and wing racing (drones).

Many of the thousands of athletes and their families will take advantage of the Olympic Village-type environment on campus by staying in residence halls and eating at the Food Court at ReberThomas. Participants are invited to a tailgate party in the Indoor Practice Facility prior to opening ceremonies at nearby Williams Stadium.

Online registration for the 2018 Games is available at CommonwealthGames.org.

The stadium will also be the site of opening ceremonies for next summer’s State Games of America, which is set for July 29-Aug. 4, 2019. The event is held

every two years in different locations throughout the country. Medal winners from the 2017 and 2018 games held in 34 states will also be eligible to compete.

While basketball has been the most popular sport in the Commonwealth Games — more than 150 teams are expected to register this summer — pickleball is rising in popularity and could emerge as the highest participation sport. Figure skating is projected to have the largest turnout for the 2019 State Games of America.

The 2017 Commonwealth Games generated more than $2.6 million in economic impact for the Lynchburg area. The 2019 State Games of America are projected to bring in $5 million.

HIGHLIGHTS

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BREAK-OUT WIN: The Class A paintball team dethroned the University of Central Florida to win the National Collegiate Paintball Association championship in Kissimmee, Fla.

TOP FLIGHT: The women’s disc golf team won its first National Collegiate Disc Golf Championship in April, dominating the field with a fiveround total of 372, ahead of runnerup Southern Arkansas (412).

ATHLETICS

EQUESTRIAN RIDER OVERCOMES A CHILDHOOD FALL TO REACH IHSA NATIONALS

L E AH SE AVE R S

Junior Erin Mays became the equestrian program’s first Western rider in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships this year. It is an accomplishment all the more remarkable considering what she has overcome.

When she was 11, while riding with a friend on the Vero Beach, Fla., farm where she had trained since she was 8, her horse bucked her off and kicked her in the head, knocking her unconscious.

The fall broke her collarbone and caused a brain hemorrhage. Mays was airlifted to the hospital, where she spent three days in intensive care.

“Blood was putting pressure on my brain, and my body was pretty much shutting down,” Mays said. “It was really a miracle because I was six hours from dying without the surgery that stopped the bleeding.”

Mays was sent home for three weeks of bed rest and couldn’t practice for three months. But she amazed doctors by making a full recovery.

Mays was the 2012 Regional Novice Youth All-Around champion for the American Quarter Horse Association

The 380-acre Liberty Equestrian Center is home to the men’s and women’s Hunt Seat and Western riding programs. It is one of the largest facilities of its kind in Virginia, featuring indoor and outdoor riding arenas as well as three barns with 78 horse stalls. The center is open to students for trail rides and kinesiology horsemanship courses.

and the 2013 Regional Novice Youth Trail champion, earning her enough points to start her IHSA career at Liberty in the Novice Division.

“She fully recovered her memory and is very good at remembering patterns very quickly, which, for someone who has had a massive head injury, you wouldn’t expect,” Western Coach Lauren Eagles said. “She’s an inspiration to her teammates and to other athletes who have overcome head injuries, showing that even though something like that happened, you can still ride again and have a successful career.”

Eagles said Mays is an encouraging team member.

“Erin has a big, huge, bubbly personality and always knows how to make people smile or laugh,” Eagles said. “It has been nice to see her bloom

GOING PRO: Division I men’s hockey player Zane Schartz signed an amateur tryout agreement with the East Coast Hockey League’s Norfolk (Va.) Admirals. Alumnus Cam Bakker (’15) and senior Grant Garvin joined the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.

into much more of a leadership role.”

As a survivor of a potentially fatal fall, Mays wants to make the most of the opportunities God provides, in her sport and in life. She is studying business administration, with a specialization in project management.

After graduation next spring, she hopes to become involved with a ministry in developing countries “to help children in impoverished areas and boost their living standards,” said Mays, who sponsored a child through World Vision growing up. “That’s something God laid on my heart. I’d like to work with an organization that places children with sponsors or that deals with sex trafficking prevention or disaster relief. Wherever God leads, I’m going to go. My life is not my own.

Whatever God wants to do with it, it’s His.”

WRESTLING CHAMPIONS: The men’s team claimed its third NCWA National Duals championship in January and clinched its second Grand Nationals trophy with senior Austin Amos’ last-second reversal in the 235-pound final in March. Cendall Manley defended her women’s national title.

CLASS NOTES ’89

JEFFREY GROTE, of Mechanicsville, Md., is being considered for the Athletic Hall of Fame at the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, Md., where he played for the school’s baseball and basketball teams.

’89

SHERYL VITTITOE, of Vero Beach, Fla., has been named president of the Indian River Habitat for Humanity. Vittitoe previously served as the vice president of financial services and chief financial officer at Indian River State College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Liberty and is a certified public accountant in the state of Florida.

’90

MISTE DROOG, of Rustburg, Va., is a guidance counselor at Yellow Branch Elementary School.

She started the Comfort Bag Program for children in foster care or for those grieving the loss of a loved one.

She was awarded a $1,500 Walmart Community Grant and a $750 Donors Choose Grant and also received support from local Ruritan clubs.

Bags are filled with stuffed animals, coloring books, stress balls, and other items. Some of the bags have been given to Kids’ Haven — A Center for Grieving Children, which works with children in Lynchburg City Schools.

’91, ’92

DONDI E. COSTIN, of Washington, D.C., retired from a 32-year career in the U.S. Air Force to become the new president of Charleston Southern University in July. He most recently served at the Pentagon as Air Force Chief of Chaplains. A decorated combat veteran, he earned the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.

Costin is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Arts in Religion from Liberty.

’97

CW THOMAS, of Franklin County, Va., retired in January after 43 years of working as

Alumna brightens up young patients’ days with homemade gowns

With almost 5,000 homemade hospital gowns, Jessica Kidd (’17) has helped bring smiles to children all over the U.S. and in Guatemala.

Kidd, the founder of Gracie’s Gowns, designs and sews personalized gowns for children who suffer from chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

While working as a medic in medical transport and pediatric critical care, Kidd noticed that many of the children she served were unhappy about their gowns. Many times, the gown didn’t fit.

And some children had allergic reactions to the chemicals used in the hospital

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laundry room.

When her friend’s daughter, Grace, passed away after battling neuroblastoma, Kidd wanted to honor her memory by making colorful gowns to help children better cope with hospital stays and enjoy more of the things they love.

“It gives them comfort and something to look forward to in a situation they don’t have control in,” said Kidd, who customizes each gown with the patient’s name and any pattern they want, from butterflies to cartoon characters. “Parents say it empowers their kids, to see themselves differently in the world. They don’t see themselves as another kid with cancer anymore; they see themselves as who they are, and it’s giving them a little piece of childhood that’s been stolen from them because they’re in the hospital all the time.”

Kidd’s efforts earned her a nomination for the L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth program, which recognizes philanthropists and entrepreneurs who volunteer their time for charity.

Kidd works out of her living room in Ruther Glen, Va., but hopes to start chapters across the country.

Parents can request a gown on the website, GraciesGowns.org, where people can also send in donations to help cover the costs.

Volunteers make a personal connection with every family, learning their stories and scheduling deliveries to the hospital.

Sometimes the deliveries come with a “surprise box” of other items to help the children feel more comfortable during their stay.

While the website states that they hope children don’t need the gown for long, Kidd acknowledges that there is a tragic reality with this project.

“I get emotionally and mentally involved with these kids that I make gowns for, and when they pass away, it’s a very personal hit.”

She honors them with an annual memorial lantern release event and posts their pictures on a special Angels section of the website.

Kidd graduated from Liberty with a degree in interdisciplinary studies focusing on business and social studies.

She is currently enrolled in Liberty’s online master’s degree in executive leadership program.

ALUMNI an emergency dispatcher. Thomas is an ordained minister and teaches Sunday School.

’98

AMY WATSON, of Castle Rock, Colo., is an attorney and currently serves as the in-house counsel representing Intermountain Rural Electric Association in Colorado.

She recently published her debut novel, “Infants of the Brush: A Chimney Sweep’s Story.”

’00

J. JOSH SMITH, of Watkinsville, Ga., earned a cross-cultural studies degree and began a three-year stay in Slovakia as a full-time missionary after graduation. He was recently hired as the new senior pastor of Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., and will lead six pastors, ministry teams, and support staff. He and his wife, Andrea, have five children.

’00

STEVEN DOWNING, of Holland, Mich., was named president and chief executive officer of Gentex Corporation.

Downing started at Gentex in 2002 as a financial analyst. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance

and management. He and his wife, Melanie, have two children.

’02

JESSICA WILSON PATTERSON, of Midlothian, Va., was recently awarded the Advanced Practice Clinician of the Year Award for the acute care facilities of Bon Secours Health Systems in Virginia. She was nominated by the health systems’ leadership for going above and beyond to provide the highest level of care to the community. She serves as the Lead Nurse Practitioner at St. Francis Medical Center and works directly with orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery patients.

’03

JAVIER RAMIREZ, of Detroit, Mich., was selected as the new chief financial officer for AccessPoint, LLC, a human resources firm.

’06

STEPHANIE BROOKS, of Cary, N.C., was promoted to director of operations at 5Star Awards Inc., a customized corporate and personal awards and gifts company.

Brooks is directly responsible for operational processes and improved efficiencies as the company continues to grow.

CONNECT WITH US Share your accomplishments, career advancements, family news, celebrations, and other life events through Liberty’s Class Notes.

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LIBERTY.EDU/CLASSNOTES Submissions will be published online and may be featured in the Liberty Journal.

Faith challenge leads alumna to start apologetics project

While attending a college in Florida, Lisa Fields (’15) took a religion course.

She said the professor challenged her faith and tried to convince her that he was going to change everything she knew about Jesus.

Fields struggled through that time until her father introduced her to Ravi Zacharias Ministries, where she fell in love with apologetics. After months of prayer and reflection, she began to form the

ideas that would later lead her to start the Jude 3 Project — named for verse 3 in the epistle, where Jude encourages Christians “to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”

“I noticed a lack of African-American clergy doing apologetics, so I wanted to change that,” said Fields. “I wanted to train people in apologetics, and by God’s grace our work started growing.”

Feeling led by God to equip herself for the ministry, Fields quit her job as a banker and moved to Lynchburg to pursue a Master of Divinity at Liberty.

She launched the Jude 3 Project in March 2014. Fields is also the host of the project’s podcast, “Brunch Culture,” where she interviews scholars and prominent preachers. She also attends conferences all over the country speaking on apologetics.

Fields said she hopes to speak at every historical black college in the

country within the next five years. The organization is also in the process of filming a documentary on Africans and African-Americans throughout church history.

“The only word I can use to describe it is grace,” said Fields of the Jude 3 Project. “It feels like a blessing that God would choose me to do something that I feel is above my pay grade.”

Fields said the Master of Divinity program helped her hone her skills in apologetics, which she uses to equip the church and engage the culture. She said the one-on-one talks she had with her professors were some of the most transformational moments of her life.

“My time at Liberty gave me the tools I needed to effectively engage in robust theological conversation,” she said. “Since my organization works in apologetics, theology is something I use every day.”

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’07

SARAH SEITZ, of Washington, D.C., was promoted to legislative director for U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). Seitz joined Lankford’s office as legislative counsel in 2015 when he began his term in the senate. Before that, she worked in the office of U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes for six years. From 2007-09, Seitz worked for a religious liberty law firm. She received a juris doctor from Liberty University School of Law.

’09

SANDRA AND STEVEN HARDEMAN, of Triangle, Va., and their three sons, Steven, Sterling, and Seth, have appeared in reality television shows such as ABC’s “Vacation Creation” and Lifetime’s “This Time Next Year.”

’09

MEGAN (FRAZEE) LEUZINGER, of Springfield, Mo., was named the new head coach of women’s basketball at Evangel University. Leuzinger is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and a three-time Big South Conference First

Team selection. She was named Big South Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009. She still holds the Liberty Flames’ Division I record for career scoring average (18.5 ppg) as well as school records for career free throw percentage (80.5) and single-season free throw percentage (.878). She also ranks in the top five for points scored and rebounds.

’10

CRAIG DEBINSKI, of Lebanon, Pa., has published the second edition of his book, “Excellent Marriage.”

’11

ROBERTO “ROBBIE” REYES, of Mexico City, Mexico, moved back to Mexico with his family in October. He works for Youth Ministry International, training youth pastors from local churches to equip their congregations to reach young people with the Gospel. Reyes said he was blessed to come to the United States where he was able to study at Liberty and where he met his wife.

’12

KANDEE POPHAM, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, is the cofounder and director of Place 4 Grace, a ministry that provides housing for unwed mothers.

’13

KELLY KEESECKER, of Warner Robins, Ga., has been recognized as the 2018 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year for Robins Air Force Base. Keesecker, a volunteer with various military and community organizations, focuses on equipping spouses with resiliencybuilding tools to reduce stressors, especially those associated with military service.

’14

KYLEE BEECHER, of Roanoke, Va., was hired as the head volleyball coach for Cave Spring High School in Roanoke. She played center on the Lady Flames basketball team for three seasons.

’15

CHRIS BELCHER, of Galax, Va., recently obtained his registered play therapist credential from the Association for Play Therapy.

Alumna combines heart for ministry and policy in D.C. career

Patrina Mosley (’12, ’15) had never heard of Liberty University until a former neighbor moved to Lynchburg and invited her to visit. Mosley toured Liberty and quickly fell in love with the campus.

She earned a scholarship through LU Praise and started her Liberty journey soon after.

“I came on total blind faith,” she said.

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“But Liberty became a spiritual incubator for me and led me toward the path God wanted me to be on.”

During her freshman year, a Convocation speaker convicted Mosley about not obeying God’s call to go into ministry. That same day, she switched her major from psychology to biblical studies.

“I hit a sweet spot when studying religion,” she said. “I absolutely loved how we would dive into Scripture in our class and learn doctrine.”

But Mosley also became interested in politics and felt a burden growing to affect change in culture. After graduation, she went on to receive an M.A. in Public Policy from Liberty.

“While I was in grad school, representatives from Concerned Women for America came to campus,” Mosley said.

“I walked up to their booth and explained to them that I had this heart for ministry and politics. What I didn’t know is that I was talking with the executive director.”

She encouraged Mosley to apply for a position.

“It was nothing I did, but what God did,” Mosley said. “Here I was, able to get a job in Washington, D.C., where I could use the Gospel to influence policy.”

It also gave her and her husband, Steven (’08, ’10), a chance to pursue their desire to plant a church in the D.C. area.

“There are so many people who are unchurched here,” she said. “We’ve heard it all, from ‘There is no God’ to ‘We all come back reincarnated when we die.’ All those things you’d think you’d only hear in movies, people actually believe. You have to be a strong Christian and on your spiritual A-game.”

Now, Mosley works for the Family Research Council as director of life, culture, and women’s advocacy.

“I’m honored to have a small part in helping handpick candidates that FRC endorses,” she said. “It was my education and time at Liberty that got me here.”

ALUMNI

’15

DONALD “SCOTT” CHANDLER, of Bluffton, S.C., was appointed the interim police chief of the Bluffton Police Department.

Chandler joined the department in 2006 and has served as a patrol sergeant, traffic unit sergeant, neighborhood services unit sergeant, investigations lieutenant, and patrol lieutenant. He is also a firearms instructor for the department and is commander of the Strategic Response Team.

’15

LAMAR HARDWICK, of Lagrange, Ga., published “I Am Strong,” which blends personal stories and gives practical advice about living on the autism spectrum as a husband, pastor, and community leader.

’15

TORIE PENDLETON, of Fort Dix, N.J., became a certified Alzheimer’s disease and dementia trainer (CADDCT). Pendleton accepted a position through the Global Alzheimer’s Platform (GAP) Foundation as the Acti-v8 Your Brain Program Manager.

’16

DON JOHNSON, of Summerville, S.C., is running for the South Carolina House of Representatives for District 97. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in Religion and a Master of Divinity from Liberty.

’16

RAY RAU, of Lakeview, Ore., has been hired as the new

interim police chief for Lakeview Police Department.

’16

DOREEN VELAZQUEZ, of Gastonia, N.C., graduated from basic training at Joint Base San AntonioLackland, San Antonio, Texas.

’16

HELEN VINES, of Pitt County, N.C., was chosen as WITN’s Teacher of the Week. Vines has taught at Ayden Elementary School in Ayden, N.C., for 10 years.

’17

KAYTE WILES CANTARAL, of North Wilkesboro, N.C., married D. Mathew Cantaral of Lynchburg on March 18 in Clemmons, N.C.

Special agent’s career highlighted by capture of drug lord in Middle East

As a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Phillip Kearney (’91) has stood on the front lines of the war on drugs. One of his most successful missions started in 2005 in Afghanistan, when his unit played a key role in taking down Haji Bagcho, whom the United Nations had deemed the most prolific heroin trafficker in the world. Their heroic efforts were featured on CNN’s “Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies” last fall.

In the mid-2000s, Kearney was assigned to the Bi-Lateral Investigative Unit, a small unit of DEA agents who focused their efforts on apprehending the leaders of drug-trafficking organizations around the world. During the Bagcho investigation, Special Agent Kearney worked in concert with DEA’s special commando-style unit

— the Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Team (FAST) — and U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

For four years, Kearney investigated Bagcho, ultimately discovering that he was paying the Taliban to protect his opium labs and that terrorists were using this money to organize and fund attacks.

The DEA raided Bagcho’s offices and gathered evidence needed to prosecute him in U.S. courts. Bagcho was eventually apprehended in Pakistan and extradited to the U.S., prosecuted, given two life sentences, and placed at a federal “supermax” prison in Colorado.

In the CNN piece, Kearney called Bagcho “the godfather.”

“He was really the man in the shadows that was in charge,” he said.

According to Kearney, seeing the case dramatized on national television was important.

“I was excited that the case and those who contributed would be recognized,” he said. “It was truly a large team of great people who made this investigation successful.”

While law enforcement has become a rewarding career for Kearney, when he first stepped on Liberty’s campus, he wasn’t sure what field he wanted to pursue. But as a member of the Flames Football team, Kearney had the

opportunity to do ministry at local jails, offering spiritual support to inmates.

“Seeing those men (the inmates) and beginning to understand their plight was truly the beginning for me in the criminal justice field, even if I didn’t see it then,” Kearney said.

After graduating with a degree in judicial administration, Kearney immediately began working in law enforcement. He served in local courthouses and jails at first and then at the Florida State Prison. He was also a police officer in Utah and a diplomat in the U.S. Embassy in Canada. Kearney has spent 18 years with the DEA, living all over the U.S. and working in 16 different countries. He currently supervises the DEA Task Force in Portland, Ore. Kearney said he still applies the life lessons he learned at Liberty.

“The real advantage I found at Liberty was the lessons from professors and coaches on keeping my focus in the midst of trying times, handling adversity, and remembering why what I was doing was important.”

One of his favorite memories from Liberty was during the 1988 football game against James Madison University, where he said he shared the Gospel with a JMU running back, who then accepted Christ.

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’17

’17

’17

’17

MICHAEL AND SHARON CUNNINGHAM, of Augusta, Ga., are serving in ministry and in the medical field. Michael is a discipleship pastor at First Baptist Church in North Augusta, S.C., and Sharon is a business analyst at Cigna-HealthSpring.

SARAH DEARMENT, of Schuylkill, Pa., was hired as the new director for Care Net of Schuylkill County/ Real Options Pregnancy Medical Resources Center. DeArment will be responsible for client services and teen outreach programs.

MELVIN GARRISON, of Waynesboro, Va., was hired as the new Waynesboro YMCA sports director. He graduated with a master’s degree in sport administration from Liberty.

ANNA MCCRAY, of Apache Junction, Ariz., was appointed as the assistant to the city manager of Apache Junction. In her new role, McCray will work with the city’s regional partners and represent the city manager’s office on the budget committee.

’17

ANTHONY PAPARO, of Yeadon, Pa., was appointed the new police chief of the Yeadon Police Department. He started his career with the Upper Darby Police Department where he served for more than 30 years. Paparo graduated with a degree in counseling from Liberty.

’17

SHARI STRONG, of Tazewell, Tenn., was named the chief operations officer of Relationship Architects, LLC. She is a founding member of John C. Maxwell’s leadership team, a former director of sales with Cars.com, and has built and sold two other companies.

FACS alumna uses sewing program to empower Tanzanian women

Tenzi Chacha (’15) is using the gifts and abilities she developed in Liberty’s Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS) program to help a rural village in Tanzania where some of her relatives live.

During her first semester at Liberty, Chacha accidentally attended a meeting for students interested in submitting their designs for FACS’ annual fashion show. Prompted by friends, she signed up, designed two dresses for the competition, and won the Best in Show designer award. Her dress that was styled in a punk rock design and incorporated bottle caps was later featured at the

60

November 2014 International Textile & Apparel Association Conference. This unexpected success inspired Chacha, who studied marketing, to add a clothing and textiles minor.

“Before participating in the fashion show, I had never made my designs or anything from scratch,” Chacha said. “I knew I had always wanted to do something with the fashion industry, but I wasn’t confident in my abilities. This stretched me and showed me I could do it.”

Chacha grew up in Martinsville, Va., where her parents started Teamwork Ministries International, which trains, equips, and mobilizes Christian leaders.

But her father, John, felt called to help his home village in Ntagacha, Tanzania.

“My father had been a missionary for a long time, and he wanted to give back to where he came from,” Chacha said.

He founded the nonprofit City of Hope, which established a medical center, a primary school, a secondary school, and a home for 100 orphans.

After her father died in a car accident in 2015, Chacha moved to Tanzania in January 2017 to carry on his work and develop the SEW (Sewing Empowers Women) program through City of Hope.

She teaches textile arts to women there then offers them jobs sewing clothing and

accessories for her fashion brand, TENZI. “All the women I am currently training were unable to finish what would be the equivalent of a high school degree, and that limits their career options,” she said. “Through this program, they are able to learn a trade. It allows them to be independent and to be able to earn a good wage.”

Chacha said she is grateful for her own training.

“At Liberty, I was able to learn professional skills so I could turn around and help teach others here in Tanzania.”

Even a continent away, Chacha said she still feels love and support from her alma mater. Proceeds from this year’s fashion show were given to City of Hope. During the show, Tanzanian students modeled clothing designed by Chacha and her apprentices.

The FACS program has also sewn and donated 600 reusable feminine pads for women served by City of Hope.

“I asked if there was any way Liberty could donate about 60 for us because if girls are unable to get them, they have to miss school,” Chacha said. “Mrs. Howard (associate professor Matalie Howard) said, ‘Yes, we can donate 60, but can you take 600?’ I was just amazed that they were able to do that for us.”

ALUMNI

Anime voice actor and ‘Star Trek’ web series star shines in his career

Victor Mignogna (’86) never expected to be a voice actor when he graduated from Liberty University, but now he is the voice of some of the most popular characters in anime.

From the role of Ed Elric in “Fullmetal Alchemist” to Broly from “Dragon Ball Z,” Mignogna’s voice acting has reached millions of anime fans across the world.

He earned the American Anime Award for Best Actor in 2007 and has been a featured guest at anime and video game conventions, where he takes the opportunity to share his faith. He often holds church services on Sundays during conventions.

“I know there are a lot of people watching me,” said Mignogna, who studied television and film production at Liberty. “There are a lot of kids who are watching what I say and do, and I try to be aware of that and make good decisions based on knowing that I have proclaimed my faith in Christ.”

Mignogna said that in a field where there aren’t many Christians actively professing their faith, he wants to speak honestly about it because it was God who led him to the industry.

Animation isn’t the only area of entertainment he works in. He has taken roles in many video games, movies, and TV productions. He is currently the

executive producer of the award-winning YouTube series “Star Trek: Continues,” where he plays Captain Kirk.

As a Liberty student, Mignogna wrote and produced content and music for the Liberty Broadcast Network and helped run cameras for “The Old-Time Gospel Hour.” He often worked in the studio with Liberty’s founder, the late Jerry Falwell Sr., who called him Snoopy, a nod to Mignogna’s role in a Liberty theatre performance of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

Mignogna also recalls working with fellow students Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith and helped produce their first album as dc Talk.

“At Liberty, I developed and refined a lot of the skills that I went on to use professionally,” Mignogna said. “Whether it’s acting, singing, writing, producing, or filmmaking, all of these things that I do now I developed to a large degree during my time at Liberty.”

Alumnus becomes well-known name in local car business

Tracy Cooper (’86) worked in production for Liberty University founder Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.’s “Old-Time Gospel Hour” television show during his senior year and for six months after graduation.

He earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in radio and television broadcasting and a minor in journalism.

“I found if I really wanted to go into broadcasting, I had to jump around,” said Cooper, who was interested in staying in the Lynchburg area where his future wife, Linda Nell Cooper, now chair of Liberty’s

Department of Theatre Arts, was still pursuing her degree at Liberty. “So I stepped into the automotive business temporarily, and now, nearly 32 years later, I’m still here. It has worked out really well.”

His father was an automobile sales representative for many years when Cooper was growing up in Illinois.

“That’s what motivated me to get into it. I started out on the sales floor with Royal Oldsmobile Nissan in Lynchburg in the late 1980s, which became Buick Chevrolet Cadillac and was purchased

by Pinkerton Chevrolet in 2013,” said Cooper, who is now a used car sales manager at Pinkerton.

The career shift came smoothly for Cooper, who found his degree to have many applications.

“The degree as a whole in communication was very valuable,” said Cooper. “It is a well-rounded degree, and it gives you a big advantage with the wide array of knowledge you attain. You learn to be a good communicator and develop

presentation and interviewing skills.”

Now, Liberty students have the opportunity to specialize in this field through the new automotive dealership management program in the School of Business.

As a sales manager, Cooper oversees the used car department’s $2-3 million monthly inventory, a four- to six-member detail department staff, 12-15 sales representatives, and numerous service technicians.

“People have kind of a preconceived idea of what they’re going to deal with when they come to a car lot,” Cooper said. “This industry needs people who are fair and honest. That’s what I bring with the Christian worldview education I received at Liberty — someone you can trust. That’s why my company keeps me in this position because of the honesty and integrity I bring with me to the job.”

His daughter, Teagan, has followed in her parents’ footsteps and is now a sophomore at Liberty studying theatre arts.

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THE PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE 2018 The President’s Circle recognizes donors whose giving to Liberty University qualifies for one of the following categories.

This list recognizes donors from Jan. 1-April 30, 2018.

$500,000 - $999,999 Individuals Lois Wells Webb*

$100,000 - $499,999 Individuals Helen Hermestroff* David Robinson*

$50,000 - $99,999 Individuals Leslie F. Hildreth* John H. Mulberry

$25,000 - $49,999 Individuals Henry & Doris Bridges Joseph L. Caudell Jim Roller Organizations Samaritan’s Purse

$10,000 - $24,999

Individuals Melvin W. Buster* Ralph & Joan Campbell Warren & Mary Chilcote Beatrice L. Dickinson* Dr. John & Judy George Mark & Michelle Hiepler Jon & Margie Lienemann Rachel Polley Gladys E. Waechter* Organizations Boxley Dolan Group, LLC Johnnie & Andrea Moore Watt Foster Family Foundation

$5,000 - $9,999

Individuals Jason & Tori Benham Dennis & Sonya Fields Laura Elizabeth Higginbotham* Kevin & Mary Jones Dr. John & Mrs. Jennie Kim Ritchie & Julie McKay Arthur Nicholson* Ben & Donna Patterson Faron & Linda Thompson Zach & Lisa Tran Roy Unsin* Shawn & Lori Willis Organizations Gentle Shepherd Hospice, Inc. HSC Wealth Advisors Hurt & Proffitt, Inc. Ignite Men, LLC KMR Aviation Services, Inc. Mabry Automotive Group Peter & John Radio Fellowship, Inc. Prestonwood Baptist Church Robert & Catherine Davenport Trust

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$2,500 - $4,999

Individuals Anonymous, Carter County OK* Jay & Mary Bachar Billy & Jane Belcher David & Pam Bell Sheldon & Shannon Bream Mike & Allison Brown Sarah R. Canino Josh & Carrie Cox H. Glenn & Rachael Esbenshade Charlie & Barbara Falwell Jefferson Harman Joel & Theresa Hesch Mikayla N. Hudson Brian Johnson Daniel Jones Ron & Rachel Justice John Kenney Brian Kirschner Michael & Christina LaFleur B. A. Langley Morgan E. Marsh Ian & Heather McCaw Geraldine E. Moose Mitch & Elizabeth Morrison Jay Nogle Mr. Bradley Owen & Dr. Pamela Zimmerman-Owen Bill & Vida Parker Amy L. Peavley Troy & Hollie Schultz Rebekah L. Scoville Gabriel Sharff Herbert F. Shirrell* Tim & Martha Stoudnour John & Trish Trimble Edgar & Allison Tuck Gene & Debbie Walker Mara K. Weigner Duke & Carlene Westover Organizations Airport Lodging Inc. TA Comfort Inn & Suites Lynchburg Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church BB&T Chapel of Hope Religious Offering Fund Daniel’s Auto Glass David Towles Representing LUSI Delta Air Lines Foundation Dunham ShareMedia Services English Construction Company, Inc. Fellowship of Orlando, Inc. DBA ReThink Life Church First Baptist Church of Lexington Harvest Bible Chapel Homestead Creamery, Inc. Kain Enterprises, Inc. Lynchburg Family Dentistry MH Masonry & Associates, Inc. Musser Lumber Company Pure Freedom, Inc.

SBC of Virginia Foundation Venture Mountain, LLC Walls Insurance Agency Walter Christian Development Foundation Zaki Gordon Memorial Charitable Gift Fund ZMJ, LLC

$1,000 - $2,499

Individuals Steve Andrews Emily Arbelaez Robert Scott Arthur Al & Lisa Billingsly Jerome & Kathy Bogacz David Bostic Judith I. Brown Dr. Kendrick & Lelanda Brunson Richard & Carla Bryan Brad & Claudia Butler Larry & Barbara Compter James & Patti Cook Lindsey Crane John F. Cross Bo Cullifer Junessa A. DeBiasi Epperly Doug & Sheila Diehl Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. DiPaola Olive M. Eckmann* Linda L. Farver Kenneth E. Ferry Robert W. Garthwait, Sr. Max Gasser Austin Gray Lee & Tonja Hall Bob Handwerker Jefferson Harman Jeff & Allison Helgeson Mikayla N. Hudson James Larry Ingram Carla Jones Pam Katt Linda F. Kay Ira Stephen Kennedy Jennifer Lehman Lance & Stephanie MacKenzie David & Linda Martin Eva Martinez Perry & Laurie Maze Terrance & Julie McCloskey Bill McEachen Paige McEachen Nathan & Joanna McGlothlin Mark G. Minar P. H. Mitchell, Jr. Barbara C. Moore Wayne & Deb Mullin Gene & Joyce Myers Dr. James Nalley, M.D. Leonard E. Newman, Jr. Jay Nogle Clyde & Esther Ott

Larry Pollard Dr. & Mrs. James L. Rhoades Chuck & Kristin Sailors Margot S. Sample Carina Schiro Maria Schiro Emily J. Sherman Archie & Carlita Smith Brad & Jennifer Smith John A. Snider Jesse & Heather Stephens Leana Stoltz H. Gregg Strader John & Anne Thompson John Tucker Greta Van Susteren William & Sarah Wagner Deborah Walker Mara K. Weigner Sonny & Sharon White Paul & Andrea Williams Jewel E. Wilson Linda Woelke Lian-Tuu Yeh Organizations Adele Diamond Advanced Underground Specialists, Inc. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc. Bellevue Baptist Church Brevard Community Church BWX Technologies, Inc. Byrd Enterprises Unlimited, Inc. Central Church, Inc. Century21 All-Service Chesapeake RV Solutions Christ Chapel-Mountaintop Christian Cheerleaders of America, Inc. Church of the Redeemer Daystar Christian Fellowship Environmental Options, Inc. Faith Baptist Church of Knightdale, NC Fill the Gap Concerts First Bank & Trust Company First Baptist Church of Pelham First Baptist Church of Roanoke First Baptist Orlando Fox News Network, LLC Garber Lowe Fence Co., Inc. HealthWorks His Generation HJH Foundation Johnson Health Center Liberty Godparent Foundation Family Life Services Long’s Termite & Pest Control Lynchburg Area Veterans Council, Inc.

Millbrook Baptist Church Mills Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Novo Nordisk Matching Gift Program Parker Dental, PC Parkwood Baptist Church, Inc. Pregnancy Resource Center of Metro Richmond, Inc.

Priority One Properties R. Coffee, Ltd. Rejoice Ministries, Inc. ServPro Of Lynchburg, Bedford & Campbell County Sodexo, Inc. & Affiliates Southern Baptist Conservatives of VA The Bible Museum

The Church at Battlecreek The Scriptive Stethoscope, LLC True Vine Ministries World Outreach Fellowship Verizon Foundation Victory Baptist Church Wellington Builders, Inc. West End Baptist Church

* Estate Gift If we have omitted, misspelled, or misplaced your name, please accept our apologies and notify our office by calling toll-free (866) 602-7983. For more information on planned giving to Liberty University, visit Liberty.edu/ Giving or call (800) 543-5309.

GRADUATES GIVE BACK WITH GREEN CORD CAMPAIGN

K E VI N M ANGU I OB

For the fourth consecutive year, the Liberty University Office of Development and Alumni Relations has sponsored the Green Cord campaign, asking graduates to contribute $20

or more to help fund scholarships for future Champions for Christ.

In recognition of their generosity, graduates were provided a green cord to wear with their Commencement regalia.

Those who made a $40 donation received a green cord and a Liberty University blanket in appreciation for their gift.

Vice President of Development Chris Carroll said that the program is a great way for graduates, most of whom were scholarship recipients themselves, to pay it forward to others coming along behind them.

“I am thrilled at the level of participation in this year’s Green Cord campaign,” Carroll said. “Thanks to the giving hearts of our graduates, we anticipate being able to make more than $100,000 in scholarship funds available to Liberty students next year.”

SUPPORTING THE MISSION, LEAVING A LEGACY

Worth Harris Carter Jr. had a special place in his heart for Liberty University.

For many years, Carter, founder and president of Carter Bank & Trust, was the go-to guy when the young, fledgling university needed financial help.

He had a trusting relationship with both Liberty’s founder, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, and his son, current LU President Jerry Falwell.

“Over and over he was the right person in the right place at the right time when nobody else would believe in this university,” President Falwell said.

Beginning his career as a cashier, Carter put himself through college and two years of law school before founding a bank from scratch in 1973. From that venture, he went on to build Carter Bank & Trust, a $4.5 billion company with over 100 branches across Virginia and North Carolina.

Carter died last year at age 79, but his support of the university continues with a major, long-lasting contribution.

In his estate plans, Carter donated 75,000 shares of bank stock with an estimated market value of $1.3 million, which will be part of Liberty’s endowment.

Carter’s gift shows his loyalty to his employees, their families, and the regions that supported his banking business. It will be used for scholarships for eligible Carter Bank & Trust employees, their children and grandchildren, and residents of Franklin, Henry, and Patrick counties in Virginia.

Liberty is required to hold on to the stock for 10 years before it can start divesting of it at a rate of 10 percent a year. (The stock can be sold earlier if Carter Bank & Trust is sold.)

At Carter’s funeral, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice provided an insightful summary of who Worth Carter was.

“We grew up together,” Justice said.

“I knew I could count on him and always did.”

President Jerry Falwell paid tribute to Carter during a Convocation shortly after his death. He told students how vital Carter was to Liberty’s phenomenal success.

“He planted the seeds for everything you see here (on campus),” he said.

With the faithful support of many generous donors like Carter, the university’s endowment has grown from $4.1 million in 2007 to $1.3 billion this year. The endowment generates about $50 million in additional annual income for the university.

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