Glen Belden

No matter where you go and what you do, therearealwayspeopleworking behind the scenes to make things run smoothly.

Glen Belden,the vice president foruniversityrelations, is one ofthose people hereat Liberty.

As a student, you rarelyseeBelden, but hiswork is evident all around campus.

He is responsibleforMIS,thosewho let you reachoutand touchsomeone. Liberty's computing system, which keeps track of practicallyeverythingyou do here,is partof this.

Belden alsoworks very closelywith the recruiting and admissions departments which helped you gettoLiberty inthe first place.

Before coming totheuniversity, Belden worked in the public education system in New Hampshire. As he dealtwith thevalues being incorporated into the system, he realized that God was excluded. Being a Christian, this seemed contradictorytohim.

AllofBelden'swork inNew Hampshire had been ininnovation and change,and he saw Libertyas afast growing, innovative institution.It was agood opportunityforhim to use his knowledge and experience in Christian education.

Beldensaid, "IthoughtIwas preparedt contribute to education in a Christian setting."

So he moved his family to Lynchburg and began working for Libertyparttime.In 1983 he became a full-timestaffmember.

Belden has worn many hats in thepast sevenyears, buthe feels thathis role asa fa cilitatorbetween offices is veryimportantto keeptheuniversityrunningsmoothly. Even though the administration is divided into departmentsbyfunction,theymustallwork together in a coordinated fashion, and Belden enjoys working with the staff to bring about that order.

When asked what he likes best about working forLiberty, heresponded,"Being a part of a school that Ihonestly believewill impact the world."

He seesit asa straightforward attempt to make a difference. Liberty is training young Christians in many different fields. Thesestudents, Beldensaid,willbe "thesal oftheearth"astheyscatter acrosstheworld seasoning the communities in which they settle.

Belden is one of many who are constantly working behind the scenes with dedication and determination to help you impact the world.

Denise Pugh