Liberty Journal Issue 2 2010

law school celebrates Full Accreditation

Economic study shows Liberty’s true impact

Graduation 2010: End of an era

Curtain rises on new Tower Theater

Lette r f r o m th e c hance llo r

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Liberty Journal is an official publication of Liberty University.

s 12,000 students call Liberty home this fall semester, we’re excited about the

new opportunities available to them. As we kick off another academic year, our highly trained, compassionate faculty and staff are ready to guide students. Our spiritual leadership teams are in place to provide for students’ personal needs. Student life is being enhanced, with the opening of our new Tower Theater and an expanded Williams Stadium. There’s even a new disc golf course on Liberty Mountain for intramurals, recreation and a new club sport.

But that’s just on campus. Liberty’s impact is being felt across the Central Virginia

region. A study released in April shows Liberty University is now the largest private, nonprofit four-year college in the country and the largest four-year college in Virginia, offering more than 115 exceptional undergraduate and graduate programs on its Central Virginia campus and globally online. Locally, Liberty was responsible for contributing $217 million in direct spending to the Lynchburg area in 2009.

We have included many more impressive facts and figures from the study (see Page 6), such as Liberty’s impact on the job market, the culture and our faith. The number of community service hours that our students, faculty and staff contribute each year will astound you.

In May, as we celebrated with yet another record number of graduates — 8,605 — our

reach is no doubt extending beyond the local area. These successful grads are entering the workforce across the nation and abroad — as nurses, lawyers, businessmen and women, educators and in other fields — and many are going into full-time ministry. All of them will carry the name Liberty University with them.

As Liberty begins its 40th academic year, please join us in praying for the students

who are coming behind them and in praise for all that God has done for and through Liberty University.

Sincerely,

Jerry Falwell, Jr. Chancellor and President

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P u b li s h e r Jerry Falwell Jr. E X E C UTIVE E d ito r Ron Brown c h i e f c o py e d ito r David Hylton C O NT RIBU TI N G E d ito r Becki Falwell m anag i ng D ESI G N E R Laura Sipple De s i gn E R s Caleb Atkins AJ Chan Kathleen Ostrom Josh Rice Carter Wingfield Wr ite r s Mitzi Bible Sarah Funderburke Elizabeth Mayhew Paul McLinden Marcelo A. Quarantotto Kristen Riordan Sarah Wittcop P h oto g r ap h e r s Joel Coleman Sara Hoffman Kevin Manguiob Les Schofer B us i nes s & ADVE RTISI N G MAN AG E R Claire Diamond If you would like to subscribe to the Liberty Journal for one year, please send a donation of any amount to Liberty Journal, Subscription Department, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502, call (434) 592-3100 or email lj@liberty.edu.

Copyright 2010 by Liberty University. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Liberty University. All pictorial material reproduced in this book, whether in a produced ad or by itself, has been accepted on the condition that it is with the knowledge and prior consent of the photographer or the artist concerned. As such, Liberty University is not responsible for any infringement of copyright or otherwise arising out of publication thereof. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Liberty University, however, makes no warrant to the accuracy or reliability of this information. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

Content S 2010 Issu e 2

f eatu r es Mak i n g an i m pact

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Study shows Liberty’s true value L aw s c hool

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Full accreditation comes in record time E n d o f an era

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Final class with Dr. Falwell receives degrees TOW E R TH EATE R D E B UTS 26

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The stage is set for the first season in the new theater R i g ht o n tar g et

28

Paintball team is on the national scene remember a le g e n d

31

Gospel music singer Doug Oldham dies s ecti o n s 28

g e n eral n ews

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See what’s happening on campus and beyond – 32 academ i c Li f e

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From the Virginia State Police to Liberty: Meet Don Childs – 44 44

alum n i

On the C ove r

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See the latest news from Liberty’s graduates – 46 s p orts

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The “Voice of the Flames” retires – 50 Sam Chelanga brings home another national championship – 51

ol scho l law tes Ful n bra cele editatio r c Ac

Dean Mathew Staver stands in the Supreme Courtroom at Liberty University School of Law, which recently received full accreditation.

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s show study omic e impact Econ y’s tru Libert

10 tion 20 Gradua an era End of

on ne in rises Curta Theater r Towe

impact

MAKING AN

STUDY SHOWS LIBERTY’S TRUE VALUE

LES SCHOFER

Beyond Campus

When a school experiences rapid growth in a short amount of

time, it is bound to have a far-reaching impact beyond its own borders.

As the world’s largest and fastest growing Christian university, Liberty University has branched out from its humble beginnings as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971. It is now the largest private, non-profit fouryear college in the country and the largest four-year college in Virginia, offering more than 115 exceptional undergraduate and graduate programs on its Central Virginia campus and globally online.

While its growth was gradual at first, enrollment has spiked at an unprecedented rate in the past two decades. A study by Mangum Economic Consulting, LLC of Richmond, Va., on the economic impact of Liberty University to the region shows that between 1992 and 2009, fall enrollment increased from 8,500 to 46,949, an increase of 38,449 students, or 452 percent. Since the completion of the study, Liberty has grown even more — more than 64,000 students are

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now enrolled, with more than 52,000 taking classes online.

With its rising enrollment necessitating many academic and facility improvements, Liberty is making a mark on the community like never before.

The ripple effect can be seen throughout the region, as more students are volunteering their time to help neighbors in need, contributing to the workforce after graduation and spending money to bolster the regional economy. The fiscal contributions alone are making an impact on local business, as Liberty students, employees and staff were responsible for $217 million in direct spending to the Lynchburg area in 2009.

Illuminated by the vision of its founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, Liberty is shining its light on a region poised for a bright future.

On Our Neighbors

Playing games with children, painting houses and reading to nursing

home residents are just a few acts of community service Liberty University students offer the Lynchburg area. Each semester, students volunteer their time and talents to impact the Lynchburg area in a positive way and share the love of Jesus Christ.

Liberty students, faculty and staff contributed 674,879 hours of service hours in Lynchburg in 2009, according to a recent economic impact study, with the average student volunteering 4.3 hours each month. The report says that the monetary value of these volunteer hours – just at minimum wage – would equal $4.9 million.

Liberty University requires students to complete a minimum of 20 hours of community service each semester to fulfill graduation requirements. The purpose of this requirement is to train students to give back to their local communities and to use their abilities to help others.

Students are connected to non-profit organizations through the Christian/Community Service (CSER) office on campus. The CSER office works to support the mission of Liberty to serve others and to demonstrate Christ’s love by facilitating volunteer opportunities and personal service evaluations.

“We see serving others as a mandate in Scripture to all believers,” said Troy Matthews, associate director of CSER and an associate professor. “We also believe that it is an

integral part of our academic program.”

Each semester, the CSER office receives numerous letters and emails from area organizations telling how they benefit from Liberty volunteers. This year, the office has received positive feedback from students’ supervisors at the YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Virginia, Lynchburg City Schools and many others.

Anne Wagner of Lynchburg City Schools expressed her gratification for Liberty student volunteers, noting the help from Kaitlin Royer, a junior psychology major who served as a volunteer with the Occupational Therapy and Vision Department of Laurel Regional School, a special education center and division of Lynchburg City Schools.

“I had high expectations before she came,” she said. “I expected efficiency, professionalism, dependability and flexibility — and with Kaitlin, I found all of that.”

Other organizations benefitting from the volunteer efforts of Liberty students and employees include the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Salvation Army, local Humane Societies and local churches, among others. page 8

JEROME STURM

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JORDAN CROSSINGHAM

On the Economy

When Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. gave his “state of the university”

address at the April 28, 2010, convocation, he said Liberty has grown

“beyond our wildest expectations” and offered statistics that describe the school’s exponential growth.

The figures were part of an economic impact study commissioned by Liberty. Among other findings, the report shows an enrollment increase of 452 percent in the last 17 years and an employment increase of 351 percent in the last nine years.

Fortunately for the surrounding region, the economic boom on Liberty Mountain extends well beyond Liberty’s borders and benefits many more than its students and employees. Most of the dollars that flow into the economy from students hailing from every state and 80 countries stay in the area, boosting revenues for area businesses and municipalities.

According to the study, of the $268 million in

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Liberty-related spending statewide in 2009, a net $180 million remained in the state, creating close to $283 million in activity as it rippled through Virginia’s economy. Stated another way, every Liberty dollar spent in Virginia in 2009 ultimately generated $1.57 in ovedrall economic activity.

In 2009 Liberty was also responsible for generating about $5.4 million in tax revenue for the city of Lynchburg, including 4 percent of the city’s real property tax revenue, 8 percent of its personal property tax revenue, 9 percent of its restaurant food tax revenue, 17 percent of its hotel/motel tax revenue and 2 percent of local sales tax revenue. Along with

its students, employees, tenants and visitors, Liberty accounted for approximately $8.4 million in tax revenue for the region.

“Liberty quite simply is an economic engine,” said Marjette G. Upshur, director of the Lynchburg Office of Economic Development, “… an integral part of economic development in the city of Lynchburg and Region 2000 [which consists of Lynchburg and the immediate surrounding counties]. We have known Liberty has a significant impact on our regional economy; this study measures that impact.”

In 2007, the university contracted Greater Lynchburg Transit Company as its exclusive bus transportation vendor. The partnership proved to be a win-win solution. At Liberty, it resulted in reduced parking and traffic congestion in and around campus; for GLTC, the $1.5 million annual contract enabled the carrier to upgrade its entire regional bus fleet.

Liberty has also contributed to the area economy through its revitalization projects, including $500,000 in improvements to the Plaza shopping center in midtown Lynchburg. The center now creates income for the university while boosting city tax revenues.

Many tourism dollars find their way to the region through Liberty, as seen in lodging expenditures and revenues. Visitors to the university purchased 59,545 hotel room nights in 2009, or one out of every nine hotel nights purchased in the region, and accounted for roughly one out of every $7 in area hotel revenue, which totaled $5.6 million last year.

“This study validates Liberty University’s contribution to the Lynchburg community. Many have speculated about Liberty’s financial impact but this study conservatively and objectively quantifies exactly what that impact has been,” Falwell said.

On the Job Market

According to a recent economic impact study, Liberty

University supported 5,179 local jobs in 2009.

“Given that the city of Lynchburg’s total employment in 2009 is estimated to have been 52,776,” the report states, “… approximately one out of every 10 jobs within the city were either directly or indirectly attributable to Liberty University.”

On Liberty’s campus from 2001-2010, the number of positions increased by 351 percent, a total growth of 3,023 jobs. Additionally, between 2008 and 2009, the city of Lynchburg experienced a 4 percent decline in total employment while Liberty University experienced a 25 percent increase.

Despite the decrease in total jobs in the city of Lynchburg, an April 2010 report by Forbes ranked Lynchburg 28th in the nation in its “Best Places for Business and Careers” listing, a great leap from being ranked 70th in 2009.

Liberty has also been contributing to the job market by training graduates ready to meet the needs of key industries in the area. For example, the economic impact report revealed that the university has met 100 percent of the region’s demand for professionals in nursing, business and commerce, accounting, business

administration and management, graphic design, law and other industries.

Carrie L. Barnhouse, director of Liberty University’s Career Center, said, “More than 200 employers came to campus during this academic year [2009-10] to recruit Liberty students for full-time, part-time and internship positions. Many of these businesses have communicated that a majority of their interns and employees come from Liberty students.”

Susan Brandt, a spokesperson for Centra Health (the largest employer in the city of Lynchburg, according to the Virginia Employment Commission), said “Liberty University is an important provider of nursing graduates to our health system.”

Liberty’s Career Center serves to offer its students with professional development, job preparation skills and networking abilities to help them secure their own careers after graduation.

“The local community provides a huge network of employers and businesses who not only provide opportunities for our students, but seek our Liberty students as employees,” said Barnhouse. page 10

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On the Culture

Lynchburg is a city steeped in heritage and history and Liberty

University has quickly become a part of that unique culture. Since 1971, Liberty has been offering not only exceptional academic programs, but also high-profile entertainment and unique recreational activities to area residents.

“We want to provide opportunities for the community to come to Liberty and see firsthand our Christian environment and the great facilities that we have to offer,” said Ernest Carter, director of Events Management for Liberty.

In the 2009-10 school year alone, Liberty hosted events ranging from the Homeschool Sports Network National Basketball Tournament, to theater productions, to a bridal tradeshow, to concerts in a variety of genres, including Skillet, The Fray, Switchfoot and TobyMac. Although these events impacted Lynchburg’s economy positively by bringing thousands of people into the area, Liberty has also become a pillar of support in the community. One example came in January when the university donated the use of its Schilling Center for the National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment departure ceremony (pictured below).

“Being able to provide something that would take a little weight off their shoulders before they leave to serve our country was a great thing,” Carter said. “It’s

really representative of how Liberty wants to give back to the community.”

Many Liberty facilities are open to the public daily, including the LaHaye Ice Center, which welcomed more than 100,000 people in 2009, according to the economic impact study, and the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, North America’s first year-round ski and snowboard facility featuring Snowflex, a patented synthetic material. The facility opened in August 2009 and has hosted events such as the Dew Games, an open competition for skiers and snowboarders.

Liberty also fields 20 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s athletic teams, giving Lynchburg a home team to root for on the national sports scene. In Fall 2010, thousands more fans can watch the Flames in action as the first phase of the Williams Stadium expansion project will be completed. Once finished, the stadium will seat 30,000 fans.

“I think it is amazing what we are accomplishing with God’s help,” Falwell said last year when announcing the renovation plans. “The sky’s the limit for Liberty.”

JOEL COLEMAN

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EMAN

SATTA EKTRAKUL

JOEL COLEMAN

For Our Faith

“We must remind ourselves every day that LU is first and

foremost a place where God has assigned us to train champions for Christ.”

— Dr. Jerry Falwell, founder, Liberty UniversitY

While Liberty’s story of making significant contributions to the community can be told in facts and figures, perhaps the biggest impact can be shown in the hearts of its students.

“As I see all the growth that is taking place at Liberty, it is comforting to me to know that, unlike so many colleges that were founded as Christian institutions but now go virtually unnoticed for those roots, Liberty University has not strayed from its core principles,” Falwell said. “As the world’s largest Christian university, we are not only producing graduates with the knowledge and skills to succeed in their careers, but also with hearts to impact their world for Christ — our original mission.”

Liberty provides a vibrant spiritual environment that is unmatched at other schools. Inside its walls, a strong core of student leaders provide personal support and prayer for their peers, weekly convocations bring in popular Christian leaders from around the world and Campus Church and other special services throughout the year encourage students in their faith.

With the world’s largest Christian university in their backyard, Lynchburg-area congregations also regularly take advantage of Liberty’s spiritual events, attending concerts with top Christian artists and conferences featuring some of the most popular Christian leaders of the day.

Liberty’s spiritual impact continues with dedicated Christian faculty and staff who are committed to bringing their faith into the classroom.

“Today, though we are far from perfect, less excellent than we soon will be … the reality is that, more rapidly than anyone expected or hoped, Liberty has become even better because of the dedicated and superior work of the faculty, staff and leadership of this institution,” said Dr. Ron Godwin, Liberty’s acting vice chancellor.

On an old patch of farmland in the 1970s, Dr. Jerry Falwell gathered his young college students in the snow to pray for what would become a 5,500-acre campus sprawling with dormitories, state-of-the art classrooms and recreational facilities that never before existed in Central Virginia. page 12

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“We believe God’s going to help us build the greatest Christian school in the world,” he told them.

Almost four decades later, that vision has been fulfilled.

“With more than 64,000 students enrolled at Liberty University, one of my father’s dreams has been realized,” Falwell, Jr. said. “It is evident now that God honored the faith of my father and many longtime Liberty supporters in ways they never could have imagined and much sooner than they ever expected.”

Others can testify to the extraordinary results of one man’s vision.

“Of all the miracles I’ve seen in my life, I don’t think any of them are greater than the miracle that is Liberty University and what God has done through the life of Jerry Falwell,” said Elmer Towns, Liberty co-founder and

dean of the School of Religion.

Area businessman Wayne Booth, a member of Liberty’s Board of Trustees, reviewed the recent economic impact study on the community and was thrilled.

“The vision that is right here [in the study] is what the late Dr. Jerry Falwell saw,” he said. “And I was part of that in 1970, as one of the co-sponsors of this university.

He could see these things and I couldn’t — and now they’re becoming a reality to us, and it’s so much greater than what we could think or dream about. It is such a phenomenal thing that has happened on this mountain here.”

Mitzi Bible, Sarah Funderburke, David Hylton, Paul McLinden, Marcelo A. Quarantotto and Sarah Wittcop contributed to this article.

JOEL COLEMAN

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CFAW

Liberty University’s

College For A Weekend

Lynchburg, Virginia

2010-11 CFAW Dates Sept. 30- Oct. 3 Nov. 4-7 Feb. 10-13 Mar. 31-Apr. 3

Book your travel plans to university life now! Liberty’s College For A Weekend (CFAW)* allows you to experience college classes, attend convocation, eat in the dining hall, stay in a residence hall, meet professors, try out snowless skiing and so much more.

Youth leaders who bring a group to CFAW can receive a free hotel stay and free meals! Check www.libertyu.com/yp for more details.

Space is filling up, so register early at www.libertycfaw.com, or by calling (800) 543-5317. *Fall CFAW dates are open to transfer students and high school juniors and seniors. Spring CFAW dates are open to transfer students, and high school sophomore, juniors and seniors.

EMAN

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School of Law

receives full accreditation in record time

Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. congratulates Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law, in San Francisco on Aug. 5.

B ec k i Fa lwell

Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. congratulates Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law, in San Francisco on Aug. 5.

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BY Sa r ah Wittc o p

ith only six academic years completed, Liberty University School of Law was awarded full accreditation approval in early August by the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar*. The School of Law received full accreditation on the first attempt and in record time.

“The accreditation approval of the School of Law represents a significant milestone in the history of Liberty University,” Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. said. “The speed of the approval is a credit to the School of Law and to the quality of its program.”

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To be eligible to apply for full accreditation with the ABA, a law school must be awarded and maintain provisional approval for a minimum of two years. Following its opening in 2004, the Liberty University School of Law was granted provisional approval in Feb. 2006.

Liberty’s School of Law began seeking full accreditation from the ABA in March 2009, and underwent an extensive program-wide evaluation. The review process included a three-day visit to campus by an ABA evaluation team and an appearance by school officials before the ABA Accreditation Committee in Washington, D.C. To conclude the review process, Dean

Mathew Staver and Falwell traveled to San Francisco in early August to represent the School of Law by appearing before the ABA Accreditation Council for a final round of hearings. Comprised of 24 experts in legal education and public representatives, the ABA Council voted to grant full accreditation approval to Liberty University School of Law on its first application. There are only 200 law schools in the country that are provisionally or fully ABA approved.

“Obtaining full accreditation approval has been a rigorous but rewarding process,” Staver said. “We knew we had a good program of legal education because our students compete against well-established law schools in every area of competition and they perform exceptionally well.”

Falwell called the achievement a “a giant step toward the fulfillment of Liberty’s mission to train students to serve Christ and to serve their fellow human beings in every profession and in every walk of life.”

Falwell and his wife Becki joined faculty and staff at a special celebration on Aug. 9 at the law school, and presented Staver with a commemorative plaque to mark the achievement.

“We’re not fooling ourselves into thinking that it was by [our own] efforts that this happened,” Staver said. “Without the Lord, it all would have been in vain.” *American Bar Association, 321 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60654-7598, (312) 988-5000.

Ring in 2011 at Liberty’s Winterfest!

December 30 - 31, 2010 Lynchburg, VA

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Third Day

Clayton King

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Register today: (800) 965-9324 - www.libertywinterfest.com The earlier you register, the more you’ll save on the All Events Pass!

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Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre Rock Climbing Basketball Ice Skating Indoor Soccer and more!

Commencement

2010

More than 8,500 receive degrees

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By DAVID HYLTO N

fter receiving an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree at Commencement in May, Glenn Beck, one of America’s leading radio and TV personalities on FOX News, became choked up at the honor.

“As a man who was never able to go to college — I’m the first in my family that went; I went for one semester; I couldn’t afford more than that — I am humbly honored.”

Beck said it was courageous for Liberty to invite him and that being here was not an endorsement of his Mormon faith.

He said accepting the invitation to speak to Liberty’s 8,605 graduates is “an endorsement of your faith. This is a time when we all need to come together. We may have differences, but we need to find those things that unite us.”

Beck told the graduates that they must have faith and courage to overcome challenges that face the world today, such as high unemployment and the weak dollar.

Dr. Jerry Falwell’s suburban was on the field during graduation. Chancellor Falwell told a story about how his dad would drive up behind students in the suburban and blow his horn to scare them.

“Turn to God and live,” he said. “Life is only what you make of it.

Nothing more, nothing less. … God is the truth. The truth will consume everything that is not true. … The world is full of lies.”

Beck urged graduates not to underestimate the power of the page 18 atonement. When he was 13, his mother took her life.

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R students enrolled on campus and through Liberty University Online.

He also spoke about new facilities that have been built in recent years and how Liberty’s endowment continues to grow.

He said he nearly followed in her footsteps.

“As a man who needed the atonement … I read the promise. He will carry your burdens. I made Him a promise. You keep your word and I will keep mine,” he said. “He will never break his promise, and now it’s all up to me. [The atonement] is the most powerful thing you will ever encounter.”

In seeking to give advice to the Class of 2010, Beck turned to his journal and read excerpts that he had originally written to tell his college-bound daughter.

“Your father loves you and so does your heavenly Father. … As long as we have today, we can change the world. … Marry for love, marry for laughs, but mostly importantly, as my wife Tania taught me, marry for God. Without God, life’s storms are too strong to withstand. … Always forgive, but don’t forget so much that you put yourself in the same situation. … Read the Scriptures every day — they are alive. He speaks to you through them.”

Falwell said that Beck has risen to prominence at a crucial time in American history. Liberty invited Beck, Falwell said, because this generation’s “ability to give back to those in need is in jeopardy.”

“Glenn Beck’s clarion call is reminding America of its own history and warning its citizens of how easily freedom and prosperity can fall prey to tyranny and socialism.”

During this year’s Commencement, Falwell noted that many of his father’s visions, those of Liberty’s founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, were met during the academic year, including having 50,000

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By the numbers

Of this year’s graduates, 24 percent were residential students, and 76 percent received their degrees from Liberty University Online.

They received degrees and certifications from the following areas: · aeronautics (22) · arts and sciences (2,192) · business (1,273) · communication (279) · engineering and computational · science (81) · education (1,050) · government (287) · law (57) · religion (886) · seminary (1,479) · Willmington School of the Bible (20) · Liberty Home Bible Institute (58) · Institute of Biblical Studies (20) · Liberty University Online Academy (53)

“The vision for Liberty was not to create just another Bible school, but instead to build for conservative evangelical Christians what Notre Dame is for Catholic young people or what Brigham Young is for Mormon youth,” Falwell said. “We are thankful to God that the dream is now being realized.”

The 2010 commencement fell on the three-year anniversary of Dr. Falwell’s death. The chancellor recognized his father with the unveiling of a monument that commemorates the Class of 2010 and his father’s last year as chancellor — students of this year’s graduating class were freshmen when Dr. Falwell died in 2007.

The monument, a gift from the Class of 2010, tells the story of Dr. Falwell and includes a 1970s era picture from the top of Liberty Mountain showing a view of what would become Liberty University. The picture in the monument was taken from almost the exact spot of where the monument now sits on Liberty Mountain overlooking campus. The photo was taken in 1974 when the campus was still a cattle farm.

“It feels like a small part of dad is leaving with you,” Falwell told the graduates. “We will miss hearing from students about how he encouraged them and befriended them or gave them a scholarship.”

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graduation

Snapshots Sarah Funderburke, David Hylton, Paul McLinden and Marcelo A. Quarantotto contributed to this article.

Paige Patterson leads baccalaureate Dr. Paige Patterson, a Christian education proponent and friend of Liberty’s founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, Sr., was the keynote speaker at Liberty University’s 37th baccalaureate service.

“Our speaker is a man who was greatly admired by my father,” Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. said.

“He is a modern-day patriarch of Christian education whose philosophy of education integrates a passion for evangelism and the Great Commission with a rigorous commitment to research and scholarship.”

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Patterson has been educating pastors and missionaries for more than three decades, having previously served as president of The Criswell College in Dallas and of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina.

He challenged the graduates to take 2 Corinthians 5 to heart when making decisions in their lives.

“Whether you are going to be a teacher, or an attorney, or a physician, or a businessman, that is actually your avocation,” Patterson told the graduating class. “You have a vocation already that is given to you of God … to be an ambassador for Christ.”

Also during the ceremony, two alumni were recognized for their dedication to Christian service. Liberty’s first graduate, Fred Vernon Brewer, and 1976 graduate Harold Lamarr Mooneyham were conferred an honorary Doctorate of Humanities and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity, respectively.

Brewer is the founder and president of World Help, an organization that is dedicated to child advocacy, humanitarian aid, Bible distribution and church planting. World Help feeds

Liberty alumnus Tom Coble, right, with Liberty graduate John Iazzi [story below]

300,000 children worldwide every day and has distributed more than $160 million in humanitarian aid since its founding in 1991.

Mooneyham planted his first church while still a student at Liberty, and went on to become an activist in the Moral Majority, assisting with a national voterregistration drive. Since 1986 he has served as senior pastor at The Tabernacle church in Danville, Va., and his sermons are heard on more than 30 radio stations across several states.

Pilot of the Year award comes with unique gift John Iazzi of Powhatan, Va., got a view

of campus like no other graduate on Commencement day — in an L-39 jet.

Iazzi was given the opportunity as Liberty University’s School of Aeronautics Pilot of the Year.

“The award, and the chance to fly the L-39 jet, came to me as a complete surprise,” he said.

The award was announced at the departmental All Aviator’s Meeting in May. It is given annually to a School of Aeronautics senior to honor professionalism, academic achievement and aviation accomplishments.

The jet belongs to Liberty alumnus Tom Coble (’76), who is page 22 li b e rty j o u r nal

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a member of Liberty’s Board of Trustees and a former pilot for Liberty’s founder, the late Jerry Falwell, Sr. Iazzi’s flight began a few hours after Commencement. It took off from Lynchburg Regional Airport and landed in Burlington, N.C. Coble was the primary pilot, but he allowed Iazzi to have the controls for several maneuvers.

“Everything happens much faster in a jet, with top speeds in excess of 500 mph,” Iazzi said. “After taking off and quickly reaching 10,500 feet, we spent 30 minutes flying aerobatic maneuvers … Pulling 5 to 6 [gravitational forces] is quite a strain on the body and takes some practice, but at least I never got sick.”

Online students honored From San Bernardino, Calif., to Fort Hood, Texas, to Normal, Ill., to Bronx, N.Y., hundreds of Liberty University Online graduates traveled to Lynchburg for Commencement and a special Liberty University Online graduation reception.

Daniel Rose, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice, visited with his family from Lake Nebagamon, Wis. After studying at a Bible college for a couple years, Rose switched to Liberty University Online so he could work full time and minimize his debt.

Skeptical at first about the quality of online education, he said he was “pleasantly surprised” and “very impressed” with the reading material, challenging exams and demanding assignments.

“They push you pretty hard,” he said.

After a family tragedy left her devastated two years ago, Rose Kennedy felt God leading her to Liberty.

“That’s a good school, Rose,” she remembers God telling her. She 22

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graduated with a Master of Arts in Evangelism and Church Planting.

“The professors here are so wonderful,” said Kennedy, who lives in California but is planning to start a church in Jamaica where she has family.

And Amber Kingry, visiting from Gainesville, Ga., with her husband, Phil, graduated with an Associate of Arts in Christian Counseling and has already enrolled for her Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

When asked why she chose Liberty, Amber points to Phil, who is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Religion at Liberty, and recounts a remarkable story of restoration.

“We were getting divorced,” Amber said, “but God had a different plan.”

When Phil started watching his course videos for his Old Testament and New Testament survey class, Amber explained, “it was popcorn time for the whole family … and the Bible opened up and came alive to me in a way that it never had before … and I couldn’t get enough … Liberty is awesome.”

Young grad studies in Africa As a 19-year-old, Shaina Dillon was among the youngest of Liberty’s 2010 graduates. She and her family came to campus for the first time in May, having driven from Marietta, Ga. Shaina received her bachelor’s in criminal justice from Liberty University Online and has already begun her master’s in management and leadership.

Warren, her father, said he found Liberty University Online to be a great blessing: “We really wanted to keep her close to home, so the online program was wonderful.”

While Shaina was working on her degree, the Dillons spent time serving as missionaries in Eastern Africa.

Shaina was able to help them start an

Shaina Dillon, 19, arrives at Liberty with her parents, who are missionaries in Eastern Africa.

all-girls school while still taking classes.

“The online classes were great,” said Shaina. “I thought they would be a lot easier since they were online, but they were really challenging, which I didn’t expect from an online program.”

Youngest, oldest and a family of grads During Commencement, Chancellor Falwell recognized the youngest and oldest graduates. Rachael Powell, 18, from Ohio, earned a B.S. in Accounting through Liberty University Online; Roland Malone, 78, from Roanoke, Va., received his Master of Arts in Evangelism and Church Planting.

Falwell also recognized Kelly Day Lesley, who is the eighth child of Joseph and Geraldine Day of Smyrna, N.Y., to graduate from Liberty.

The family connections don’t stop there — three of the couple’s sons-inlaw are graduates and two members of the family are full-time employees at Liberty.

And, lastly, one of the Days’ grandsons is enrolled at Liberty, and another will start classes in the fall.

“Joseph and Geraldine Day believed in Liberty University in 1981 when they sent their first daughter to college,” Falwell said, “and have continued to entrust their children to this university.”

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW CLASSROOM.

find your future at (866) 418-8738 www.LUONLINE.com/libertyjournal more than 40 degree programs offered

Ref l e c t ing And Looking Forward

F

By sar ah wittc o p

j o e l c o le m an

Julie Celano gets her degree – and a personal visit – from the chancellor.

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or recent graduate Julie Celano, graduation day did not go as planned. Although she walked across the stage at her degree presentation ceremony, her name was inadvertently not announced. To rectify the mishap, Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Vice Chancellor Dr. Ron Godwin traveled to Celano’s home in Baltimore, Md., in July to present her official diploma.

With her family proudly looking on, Falwell — dressed in full regalia — conferred Celano’s degree in the living room of her home.

“You exemplify what we want Liberty graduates to be, and we are just honored that you chose Liberty University,” Falwell told Celano.

An education major with a minor in youth ministries, Celano graduated with honors.

“She is one of our top graduates,” Falwell said.

For Julie’s mother, Maureen Celano, observing the chancellor personally confer her daughter’s college degree was another opportunity to beam with pride.

“Graduation was the end of one thing and the beginning of another,” she said.

“I look at Julie and I see the beginning of her future.”

Like many of her fellow graduates, Celano awoke on graduation morning with mixed emotions. While at Liberty, she met lifelong friends, grew spiritually and academically, and discovered her life’s mission.

“I was really excited for graduation, but I was surprised how sad I was at the same time,” she said. “I was thinking that I was so ready to be done with classes, but I wasn’t ready to be done being at Liberty.”

As a high school student, choosing a college can prove to be a daunting task.

However, hearing firsthand about Liberty

from counselors at a Christian camp, Celano never considered attending any other college.

“I knew that I needed spiritual mentors and to be surrounded by good peers,” she said. “I knew when I attended [Liberty’s] College For A Weekend, that Liberty felt right and felt like where God wanted me.”

As evident by her positive experience and love for her alma mater, Celano’s decision was the right one. Not only does she consider living on campus a highlight of her life, but Celano states emphatically that Liberty challenged her faith and prepared her to meet her professional and ministry goals.

As a young Christian away at college for the first time, Celano said she immersed herself in Bible courses. She also credits her spiritual growth to strong campus leaders, convocation and Campus Church.

“I grew so much as a Christian,” she said. “I am convinced that Liberty is the most unique and amazing university in the world.”

Originally an interior design major, Celano realized during her sophomore year that the Lord had something else planned for her life.

teacher, wasn’t at all surprised at her decision.

“I did always think that she was going to do something with kids,” said Maureen Celano. “She lit up around kids the way I did.”

Julie Celano also credits her professors in the School of Education for molding her into a teacher who cares about her students and their education. She said she didn’t learn this just from the curriculum, but also from the way her professors lived their lives and taught their own students.

“I learned from them that I want to be a teacher who goes home at night and who thinks about and prays for my students,” Celano said. “They weren’t just there to teach me, they were there to shape me.”

Celano is currently serving as a firstgrade teacher with Cambridge School in Baltimore, with future hopes of incorporating her love for children and ministry overseas.

“I don’t know what God has planned,” she said of her future. “I just know I will be working with kids.”

“I knew I wanted to work with kids and ministry full time,” Celano said, so she switched her major and focused on elementary education. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Her mother, who is an elementary school

li b e rty j o u r nal

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Curtain rises on new

ower Theater

By m it z i b i b le

p h otos by j o e l c o le m an

O

ne of the most visible points on the Liberty University campus is “the tower,” the 85-foot tall portion of the 1 million-square-foot Campus North building (originally a cell phone plant) acquired in 2004. Before a year ago, it wasn’t uncommon for people to point up and ask, “What’s in there?”

“People will never believe it was an old storage warehouse when they see it now,” said Charles Spence, Liberty’s director of planning and new construction.

carte r wi ng f i e ld

TAKE A SEAT:

By giving $1,000, donors can name a seat in Tower Theater in honor of a family member, loved one, friend or business.

Call (800) 368-3801.

The space — originally used by General Electric to test electronic equipment (they actually created lightning in there), then used for storage by the university — debuts this semester with its own light show as the new Tower Theater.

The idea of using the tower for a drama venue hit Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. one day in late 2008.

“We had considered using the space for an IMAX theater, for office space, for an alumni club and even for a dormitory high rise,” he said. “I am glad we settled on a performing arts center. The 85-foot ceiling was exactly what was needed for the fly tower and the room was the perfect size to accommodate 640 seats.”

Plus, by using an existing tower, “we were able to do it for about a third of what it would have cost to build from scratch. That’s what’s so exciting about it.”

The $7 million project broke ground in October 2009. It includes a contemporarystyle 640-seat theater with balcony seating, an orchestra pit, catwalks, a fly tower (an intricate system of ropes and pulleys that can move Broadway-size sets and scenery), a box office and 12,000 square feet of support area that includes dressing rooms, a practice room, offices, costume shop, prop room and woodworking and scene shops. The existing lobby also received a facelift.

Even with the savings, that doesn’t mean planners skimped on furnishings and equipment. Its complex rigging system and lighting and audio capabilities are on par with the nation’s best theaters.

“A Broadway traveling production could come in here and do a show,” Spence said. “They can roll their truck with all their equipment in, hook it on to our rigging system and with just one push of a button, hoist all their stuff, hand us a program and we slap it into our computerized sound system, lighting system [and] within 3 hours we’re ready.”

Liberty is the only college on the East Coast to have the complex rigging system (and only the third among all theaters on the East Coast to have it).

The theater also lends itself to many other uses to enhance student life, including showing high-definition, widescreen movies.

Linda Nell Cooper, head of the Theatre Arts Department, said the theater is “exquisite.”

“It’s exactly what we talked about in the planning stages, which is the room itself would be a work of art,” she said. “I feel that it is a very artistic space; it’s a creative environment. It’s relaxing, so the audience will feel very free to even be creative in their own imaginations sitting in this room.”

The theater replaces an old renovated lecture hall that could only seat 250 people.

“Our drama productions have become such high-quality that the facility just didn’t match them. We have needed this for a long time,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr.

Cooper said the staff chose a spectacular show, Hairspray (which opened Sept. 24) to kick off the new season in a new theater.

“It’s a show that’s a celebration, and so we thought it was perfect for opening up the theater … it allows for a huge cast so we could get as many of our students involved in the first show on this stage.”

She said they will be using all the lights and every single fly rig.

“What I’ve told my staff is that I want it to look like a birthday cake exploded.”

The rest of the season’s lineup is a cause to celebrate, too. All the shows are ones that have never been done at Liberty before — and two are first-timers for the Central Virginia area: Hairspray and The Phantom of the Opera. Liberty is the first college to get permission to perform these shows.

Cooper said the new theater will be a chance for even more of the Lynchburg community to see the talent of Liberty’s award-winning theater students.

“In the past, people have had to be put on a waiting list to see a show — and now we won’t have that problem. There’s plenty of seats for every show, and they’re all good seats.”

2010-11 Theater season opening dates *To see the full schedule and for ticket information, go to www.liberty.edu/theatre.

Hairspray The Last Night of Ballyhoo A Christmas Carol The Mikado-Opera Workshop The Civil War Enchanted April Phantom of the Opera

Sept. 24 Oct. 29 Dec. 3 Jan. 21 Feb. 1 March 25 April 15

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target (NCPA) Tournament in April in Lakeland,

Hoglund, who began playing around

Fla. Head coach Todd Hoglund said that in

age 13, said the legitimacy of the sport

the past few years the team has matured

has solidified in the past decade, and that

into a serious national contender on the

now many universities have recognized

paintball scene, a platform that they do

teams. Liberty’s co-ed club team started

not take lightly.

playing in 2005.

“Like any athletic program here at

“We’ve grown from a handful of Liberty

Liberty, our goal is to win so we have that

guys that got together and paid out-of-

main stage and we can then proclaim who

pocket to go and play in a tournament

A buzzer rings in the arena and

we are and why we believe what we do,”

somewhere, to where we now host college

immediately five Liberty University players

Hoglund said.

tournaments and I have more than 20

are dodging a flurry of sharpshooter ammo

Paintball is a newer sport on the athletic

players on my team.”

as they juke their way toward a variety of

scene, in which players shoot paint-filled

The Flames are able to host

“bunkers,” or inflatable safety barriers,

pellets at their opponents while dodging their

tournaments thanks to the recent campus

that sit just feet away. Once each player

competitor’s fire. A paintball tournament

addition of two turf paintball fields. The

is at least partially concealed behind a

sounds in some ways like a ping-pong game

new fields also give the Flames an edge

bunker, the Flames return fire, following

gone wrong, with hundreds of paintballs

in tournaments because they can arrange

a carefully developed strategy that was

exploding on the springy turf and inflatable

their bunkers to match the layout of the

created weeks in advance. Shouts of

bunkers in a matter of a few minutes.

competition’s field and practice.

“Get him out! Get him out!” quickly fill the

As the balls hit the plastic barriers the

“We’re building a program that has

air as both teams attempt to eliminate

players attempt to dodge all incoming

a lot to offer,” Hoglund said. “Only a

the competition by hitting all of their

ammo while returning fire and following

handful of schools actually have fields

opponents with paintballs.

carefully devised attack patterns with

on campus, and none of them are even

“It’s a serious game,” sophomore Adam

their teammates. When an individual is hit

close to the quality that ours is. Our field

Farris said. “Paintball just draws you in,

with a paintball they are eliminated from

is probably one of the nicest in the state

and you enjoy the adrenaline rush when

the competition, and the last individual

of Virginia.”

you play.”

or team that manages to evade their

Institutional support has made a huge

This year the Flames club paintball

competitor’s fire is crowned the winner.

difference in the team’s ability to compete

team eliminated almost all its competition

Players wear protective masks, long

nationally. At the 2009 national paintball

and made it to the semifinal round of the

sleeve shirts, pants and closed-toe shoes

tournament, Liberty’s team spent close

National Collegiate Paintball Association

to keep injuries to a minimum.

to $2,500 in paint alone, as the cost for a

BY SARAH FU N D E RBUR K E

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j o e l c o le m an

case of paint is about $30 and a team can

divisions: Class A, the most competitive,

burn through 12 cases per game.

and Class AA. When not hosting or

“[My players] see the support that we are

attending tournaments, the Flames

receiving from the university, both financially

compete in a conference that includes

and in fan backing, and they see the need

Virginia Tech, Clemson University and the

to perform well and live out who we are as

University of Tennessee.

Christians and make this more of a ministry

“We always try and exude a positive

opportunity to other teams,” Hoglund said.

influence on our fellow players,” freshmen

“The paintball community is a very dark,

Jonathan Going said.

very lost, very secular world, and there’s

Whether on the field or on the sidelines,

only a few Christian teams out there trying

the Flames are always paintballing for

to make a difference in that area.”

God’s glory.

Paintball is popular enough that Liberty

Catch videos and pictures of the team at

currently fields teams in two NCPA

www.lupaintball.com.

Disc golf adds another element of excitement to campus The disc golf craze has officially landed on

and slopes that would create interesting

machinery on the sites until late spring.

Liberty Mountain. As a new school year

challenges for disc golfers. By creating

Liberty’s course starts along the edge

begins, students and Central Virginia resi-

the course around the mountain’s natural

of the East Campus intramural field and

dents can tee off on a new 18-hole course

landscape, Liberty will eliminate and reduce

winds through six acres of the mountain.

that winds around the edge of campus.

the possibility of erosion problems while

Every hole offers beginner and advanced

Liberty’s trail manager, Lars Larson,

showcasing the area’s innate beauty.

level tees, as well as disc-golf satchel

enlisted the help of local disc golf enthu-

“I’m taking my time on the course and

holders.

siasts Steve Bowman and Kenny Palmer

making sure that everything is right,”

“We want to constantly challenge people

when designing Liberty’s course. Both had

Larson said. “There is a gorgeous shot at

to try new throws,” he said. “This course is

previously designed a disc golf course in

hole 17 where you have a perfect view of

definitely going to tire some people out.”

the nearby Bedford, Va., area.

the Peaks of Otter.”

The new course allows Liberty to add

“It’s about working with the land,” Bow-

Construction began late in the fall of

disc golf as an intramural sport this fall,

man said of designing the course. “We

2009 after many students expressed a

and possibly as a club sport in the future.

don’t want to move a lot of trees — we

desire for a course. Larson had hoped to

Larson hopes that the course will someday

want to try and use what’s already there.”

complete all 18 holes by the end of the

become part of the Professional Disc Golf

Bowman walked Liberty Mountain with

spring 2010 semester, but heavy winter

Association tour.

Larson before the course was designed,

snowstorms stopped crews from using

flagging natural phenomena such as ravines

30

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Remember a legend Gospel music singer Doug Oldham dies BY m it z i b i b le

L

iberty University, Thomas Road Baptist Church and the gospel music industry have lost a great friend.

Doug Oldham, a legendary gospel singer who played an important role in Liberty’s history, went to be with the Lord on July 21 following complications at the University of Virginia Medical Center after complications from a fall and back injury.

Oldham, 79, was a close friend of Liberty’s founder, the late Jerry Falwell, Sr. “My father and Doug Oldham were an evangelistic team who brought the gospel to nearly every home in America every Sunday morning on the ‘Old Time Gospel Hour,’” said Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. “The names Jerry Falwell and Doug Oldham were as synonymous as Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea. Doug Oldham’s family remain an important part of our team here at Liberty University and Doug will be greatly missed.”

The Rev. Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor at TRBC, said Oldham has always been an important part of the church and the Jerry Falwell ministries.

“Some of my earliest memories of TRBC services are of Doug Oldham in

his bowtie singing ‘The King Is Coming’ and ‘A Rich Man Am I.’ His booming voice and tender heart spoke to millions through the years,” he said. “God used Him greatly. He will certainly be missed, but I know that there was a grand reunion in Heaven of a pastor (my dad) and his soloist (Doug) worshiping at the feet of the One they so faithfully served.”

Paula Johnson, Oldham’s daughter, is a Liberty alumnus and a staff member at TRBC. In an interview with the Liberty Journal in 2007, she recalled her dad as a “tireless worker” who traveled all over the world with his gospel music in the 1970s.

In Liberty’s early years, he traveled by bus with the Rev. Jerry Falwell to church and school auditoriums as they raised money for the new Lynchburg Baptist College in the summer of 1971.

“Dad had a bus and he did the rallies to help raise funds to start [what would become] Liberty University,” she said. “Dad was the singer and Dr. Jerry would raise the money and preach.”

Oldham was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2006, with an introduction by his close friend, gospel music

icon Bill Gaither. Gaither told the Liberty Journal that it was “a very special moment.”

“Not all awards are historic, but I think that particular one was because of the major contribution he made — he was probably one of the first major soloists to sell albums in the big numbers,” Gaither said.

The year after the award, TRBC bestowed its own honors, presenting Oldham with the first-ever Lifetime Champion Award for his years of Christian service, and Liberty University also named a remodeled room in the Fine Arts building “Oldham Recital Hall,” honoring him at a faculty festival and ceremony there when the work was complete. The same anonymous donor who made that renovation possible also donated money to start the Doug Oldham Music Scholarship program at Liberty.

The awards are many, but when he was once asked what his top accomplishments in his life are, Oldham simply responded: “I just reckon people who have found the Lord, because you don’t sing for the awards, you sing for the Lord.”

Oldham leaves behind his wife, Laura Lee, three daughters, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

gene r al news

Chancellor, students play role in Restoring Honor rally in D.C.

k e vi n Man g u i ob

by pau l m c li n d en

Hours before sunrise Saturday, Aug. 28 250 Liberty students began the trek to Washington, D.C. aboard five tour buses to attend “Restoring Honor,” a peaceful but powerful rally that called all Americans to return to the principles that made our country great — faith, hope and charity.

Sounds of Liberty, Liberty’s premier traveling ministry team, kicked off the occasion with an explosive rendition of the National Anthem and closed the event with “Amazing Grace” and “When I Think About the Lord.” Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. said, “Chills ran up my spine when the Sounds of Liberty took the stage. They made all of us proud.”

The overtly non-political event, hosted by radio and television icon Glenn Beck, was staged on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and drew a crowd that Beck estimated to be 500,000, stretching beyond the Washington Monument.

In the days leading up to the rally, some media channels stated that the rally would be a test of Beck’s influence. “Apparently he passed with flying colors,” said Falwell, who was on the platform with Beck, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and scores of other religious, civic and business leaders who shared Beck’s plea for unity and “to turn

32

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back to God.” Jessica Morrison, a Liberty freshman from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., said she came to “join others who share our values … to restore our nation to its founding morals and ethics.

This is a huge deal for me,” she said.

Falwell said having Beck speak at Liberty University’s Commencement in May was really a turning point for the hugely popular media personality. “Up until then, [Beck] had not gotten a warm welcome from evangelicals,” Falwell said.

But that appeared to have changed at the rally as a diverse crowd gathered peacefully to honor troops past and present and celebrate our great triumphs as a nation. “The event brought together Tea Party activists, conservative Christians and the African American community like never before,” Falwell said.

Falwell also noted that media outlets reported after the rally that this newly formed coalition of Christians and other groups, who want to see America turn back to God and the nation to its founding principles, can be traced back to a single event — Beck’s Commencement address at Liberty University in May of 2010. “It is exciting to me to see God using the Liberty University community to impact the nation.”

Acknowledging that nearly 300 Liberty

students attended the event, Falwell said, “I was proud that LU was so well represented at this important rally.”

Dr. Alveda King, niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and mother of two Liberty University School of Law students, spoke, along with Beck, Palin and many others. King blessed the gathering, saying, “If Uncle Martin could be here today, he would sure commend us of giving honor where honor is due.”

Falwell said, “The common theme in all the speakers’ comments was the need for Americans to turn back to Jesus Christ.”

Another former Liberty Commencement speaker, Chuck Norris, was also in attendance, as was Christian historian David Barton, a friend of Liberty and frequent speaker on campus.

The event concluded with Beck inviting Falwell and more than 200 other religious leaders to join him on the main stage, a group he dubbed the “modern Black Robe Brigade,” referring to the revolutionary-era preachers that made grave sacrifices for future generations.

Earlier in August, Liberty donated two scholarships, together totaling $70,000, that supported the rally and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to surviving children of special operations personnel who died serving their country. To date, the organization has raised more than $5 million.

Falwell and his wife, Becki, began the day of the rally at a pre-rally breakfast that brought together more than 500 rally sponsors and supporters at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel. Liberty board member Richard Lee opened the meal in prayer, and Glenn Beck spoke, as well as Sarah Palin, SOWF president Bill Carney and former WSET correspondent Courtney Robinson. Falwell concluded the breakfast with comments and a closing prayer.

ews brief ews brief NN SS University Happenings

Chancellor appointed to governor’s commission on Higher Education Reform

Chancellor appears on ‘Glenn Beck’ show twice Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell made two appearances on the “Glenn Beck” TV show in May. He appeared on the May 18 show to discuss social justice and the role of religion in today’s society and then again on May 21 for a special Founders’ Fridays show to discuss revisionist history.

Joining Falwell on both programs was Peter Lillback, president of Westminster Theological Seminary and author of “George Washington’s Sacred Fire.”

Falwell’s appearances on the show came just days after Beck delivered Liberty University’s Commencement address on Saturday, May 15. “Glenn Beck” is one of the most successful shows on FOX News.

Scholarship bidding raises money for charity Two four-year scholarships donated

by Liberty University drew $70,000 in online charity auctions in July. The bidding for the scholarships began at $5,000 and $2,500 and drew high bids of $42,500 for a residential scholarship to Liberty University and $27,500 for a Liberty University Online scholarship.

Proceeds from the auction benefitted Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally on Aug. 28 in Washington, D.C., and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to surviving children of special operations personnel who died in missions.

Freshman David Ireland won the fouryear residential scholarship. Not only did it save his family money, it also allowed them to donate to a charity they are proud to support.

“My brother was in the Special Forces and my nephew is currently in the Special Forces,” said Kelly Ireland, David’s father. “Plus, Glenn Beck is a voice of truth in the world.”

David, who is considering a major in accounting, is confident in his decision to attend Liberty.

“I had visited other campuses,” he said. “I felt more at home [at Liberty] than I did anywhere else.”

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. to the Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment in May. The commission’s objectives include improving higher education by minimizing tuition increases, attracting more collegeage Virginians, developing innovative ways to deliver quality instruction and preparing students to meet workforce demands.

Joining Falwell on the commission are the presidents of eight Virginia colleges and universities, as well as several business, education policy and government officials.

The commission is scheduled to submit a final report to the governor with recommendations by Nov. 30.

Convocation kicks off Fall 2010 semester While classes started on Monday, Aug. 23, Wednesday’s convocation officially kicked off the Fall 2010 semester.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. welcomed students and excitedly announced several improvements to campus, the athletics program and leadership. He introduced the changes with words of thankfulness regarding God’s faithfulness to provide.

“Most private colleges in Virginia are fortunate to build one new building every 10 years,” he said. “We have been building about one every 10 months here at Liberty because of the way God has blessed this university.”

Falwell introduced the speaker, Dr. pag e 34 Elmer Towns, as the newly li b e rty j o u r nal

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brief brief News News SS University Happenings

appointed dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Towns, co-founder of the university, will remain dean of the School of Religion.

Summer break at Liberty was anything but a break for construction workers, faculty, staff and administration who worked on new projects and improvements. Here is a rundown: ACADEMICS: • The Bruckner Learning Center, Liberty’s campus-wide academic support center, has a fresh look in its new location in DeMoss Hall 3000.

• The new Tower Theater in Campus

North is a state-of-the-art facility that will host performances by the Department of Theatre Arts.

ATHLETICS: • The first-phase addition to Williams Stadium includes 6,600 new seats and a 34,000 square-foot tower that houses a press box, luxury suites, classrooms and banquet facilities. It will be ready for the Flames to play their second home game of the season there on Oct. 2.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES: • Liberty added disc golf to its list of student activities. The 18-hole course is located on East Campus just past the

Recent grad, two students take part in Miss Virginia Liberty University had three of its own as contestants in the Miss Virginia Pageant in June.

Recent graduate Sarah Lee Fitzpatrick, senior Heather Harley and sophomore Victoria Jordan competed in the 2010 Miss Virginia Pageant at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Va., in late June.

Fitzpatrick, a family and consumer science major, received the title of Miss Blue Ridge in December 2009, also earning the Interview Award and a $500 scholarship. She is a current advocate for YES!, Youth Engaged in Service, an organization that promotes volunteer efforts among teens.

Heather Harley

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Harley, who is majoring in fashion merchandising and interiors with a minor in business, was crowned Miss Lynchburg in February. It was the first pageant she had entered, walking away with a $750 cash scholarship and $8,000 in scholarships ($1,000 each for eight semesters) at Liberty. Harley has supported Love 146, a charity whose mission is to abolish child sex slavery and exploitation. She plans to graduate in December.

Jordan, who has served as a prayer leader at Liberty, earned the title of Miss Smith Mountain Lake in December 2009. Her platform was “Dating 101: Respect in Relationships.”

Sarah Lee Fitzpatrick

Victoria Jordan

intramural football fields. The increasingly popular sport is also an intramural option for students this fall.

STUDENT SERVICES: • Other changes this semester intended to make students’ lives easier are: post office improvements, including a new system for tracking packages and new drop-off locations around campus; expanded transit services between campus and several apartment complexes, featuring a new 40-foot bus; and vending machines throughout campus that accept credit cards and Liberty I.D.

Snowflex hosts July 4 celebration

Temperatures may have been in the 90s in Central Virginia for the Fourth of July, but that didn’t stop families from hitting the ski slopes of Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre.

The “Celebration on the Mountain” featured free slip and sliding, water games, bounce houses, food, two movies and discounted skiing and snowboarding at Snowflex. Drew Sherwood, general manager for Snowflex, said that more than 5,000 people visited Snowflex throughout the day.

“It was amazing to see this many people at the facility and to be able to maintain safety and customer service,” Sherwood said. “I was extremely impressed with my staff and their hard work. We were excited to be able to be a part of something so big and special to the local community."

Liberty dedicates athletic training facility to deceased professor In April, Liberty University dedicated its Athletic Training Education Laboratory to Jeffrey O. Taylor at a memorial service for the former assistant professor of Health Sciences and Kinesiology. Taylor was killed in a tragic baseball accident during batting practice with his son at Lynchburg College last year. April 28 was the first anniversary of Taylor’s death.

Members of Taylor’s family attended the memorial, along with Liberty University staff and administration, including Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Vice Chancellor Ron Godwin.

Ralph Linstra, chairman and professor of the Department of Health Sciences, said the purpose of the memorial was to “celebrate life,” the life of a great man who is responsible for creating Liberty’s Athletic Training Program.

At the end of the service, members of Taylor’s family unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the new laboratory.

Student recognized for outstanding volunteer work in the community Senior Aly Sievers was the recipient of this year’s Volunteer of the Year Christian Service Award for her outstanding contribution and commitment to service in the Lynchburg community.

Lew Weider, associate professor and Director of Christian/Community Service (CSER), presented the award at convocation in April.

“What we see here in this wonderful servant of Christ is a person who exemplifies the command of Christ to be salt and light, and epitomizes the goal of

the CSER program,” he said. “She has been a model citizen and servant.”

Sievers, an elementary education major, volunteered with a downtown Lynchburg ministry affiliated with Gospel Community Church, and devoted her time

to service projects such as painting and construction. Through her acts of service, she developed friendly relationships with members of the community and cultivated opportunities to share the message of God’s love and salvation.

Liberty mourns loss of education professor, son Dr. Jill Jones, 41, associate professor of Graduate Education for the School of Education, and her 16-year-old son Nicholas were killed Aug. 8 in a car crash in Roanoke County, Va. “The entire university community is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Dr. Jones and her son,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. “Dr. Jill Jones was one of Liberty University’s finest faculty members. I have heard from many how she was an extremely competent professor and a committed Christian who went the extra mile with her students, showing them how teaching could be not only a profession but a ministry.”

Falwell said his own son was a classmate of Nicholas “Niko” Jones, a junior at Liberty Christian Academy.

The loss also hit hard at nearby Thomas Road Baptist Church, where Jones and her family were members. Jones was

active in her Sunday school class and served as a “mentor mom.”

Jones leaves behind her husband, Raymond Jones, and son Raymond, Jr. Jones specifically focused on mentoring young women and recently wrote a women’s devotional, “The Princess Journal: A 30 Day Journey of Learning to Live Like a Daughter of The King,” published by Liberty University Press. She has traveled the country presenting at educational and women’s conferences.

On Jones’ online faculty profile page, she lists her three passions as “1) God, 2) My family and 3) education.”

Dr. Beth Ackerman, associate dean of Liberty’s School of Education, said Jones brought “high energy” to her job, but also “high standards.”

“She was one of our toughest professors, but she was loved and respected.”

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Groups receive pro-Israel activism award

Joni Eareckson Tada delivers inspiring message

From left, Liberty University students Taylor Webb, James Kimmey and Matthew Mihelic accept the Activist of the Year award at the AIPAC conference in March.

Three Liberty University students were presented the Activist of the Year award by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) during its annual Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. in March.

On behalf of their respective student groups, Matthew Mihelic, Student Government Association president; Taylor Webb, SGA’s vice president of Student Affairs; and James Kimmey, chair of the Stand With Israel Club, accepted the award for their steadfast commitment

to pro-Israel politics and widespread education of students on the pro-Israel cause.

Their work included outreach efforts to leaders of College Democrats, College Republicans and the SGA, and educating student groups on the Iranian nuclear threat. As a result, leaders from College Democrats and College Republicans proclaimed that Israel needs to remain a top priority for both parties and all students at Liberty.

LU Online ranked No. 1 in industry study Liberty University Online recently ranked No. 1 on MyCollegesandCareers.com, an online resource that helps college-bound individuals identify and compare schools and weigh their options for higher education.

Since 2008, LU Online has been ranked among the top 10 online universities twice by the Online Education Database (OEDb), ranked No. 3 in a similar study conducted by “The Journal,” a technology education publication, and third again by BestOnlineColleges.net.

“Liberty University has become a pioneer

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in the use of technology to change the traditional methods of delivery in higher education,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. “My father used the newest technologies of his day to preach the gospel by becoming one of the first television evangelists. We are now continuing that tradition with LU Online. Provost Dr. Ronald Godwin, Vice Provost Dr. Ronald Hawkins and the faculty members who have worked so tirelessly to create quality online academic programs have helped Liberty University change the face of higher education in this country.”

Liberty University students heard a tale of humility during convocation in April as Joni Eareckson Tada spoke about her experience as a disabled disciple.

A popular Christian singer, artist, author and speaker, Tada, a quadriplegic, says she has been defined by the love of Jesus instead of her disability.

A diving accident in 1967 left Tada, then 17, disabled, unable to use her hands or legs. Initially she found herself in a hopeless depression, not wanting to leave her dark bedroom. Then she said God brought the verse 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to mind: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

After two long years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills, including an ability to paint by holding a brush between her teeth, and a love for writing and speaking that has touched millions and inspired those with similar struggles.

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Who are

Kitchen donations aid flood relief efforts at Nashville school

for

Your

Partners Your

Health Care

What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?

What fellowship has light with darkness? What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? –from II Corinthians 6: 14-15 Liberty University, in partnership with Gleaning for the World and Liberty Dining Services, sent a truckload of commercial kitchen equipment on May 13 to a private school in Nashville, Tenn., after floodwaters submerged parts of the city on May 3, causing millions of dollars in damage.

Donelson Christian Academy (DCA) was immersed in 10 feet of water.

Chuck Faulkinberry, resident district manager for Liberty Dining Services, which is operated by Sodexo, heard about DCA’s hardships from another district manager for Sodexo, Brad McNealey.

While DCA did have insurance to cover much of the damage, it did not cover the $120,000 worth of kitchen equipment that was destroyed.

Faulkinberry remembered several pieces of equipment that Liberty had in storage and, after gaining approval from the administration, offered to donate anything that could fit on a truck.

As staff filled the delivery truck at Liberty’s 12th Street warehouse, Faulkinberry remarked at how if they had waited much longer, the equipment would have been sold. A large display refrigerator had been stuck with a Post It note reading “eBay.” He estimated that all the donated equipment, if purchased new, would cost between $60,000 and $70,000.

Whether you realize it or not, when you participate in a health insurance plan, you are agreeing that the premiums for your policy can be used to pay for anything your insurance company covers in any of their polices. Health insurance can actually support the opponents of Jesus Christ.

You may be working and praying for abortion to end, but supporting abortions and the use of abortifacient drugs by helping pay for them with your health insurance premiums. You may be encouraging others to trust in Jesus Christ and turn away from the dangers of living in disobedience to Him. At the same time, the policies offered by your health insurance may be encouraging disobedience to Jesus Christ by agreeing, in advance, to cover the consequences of sexual promiscuity, drug or alcohol abuse, or other unbliblical practices..

We should not confuse health insurance with charitable giving. Charity is a compassionate, precise response to existing needs. Health insurance is a business agreement that indiscriminately agrees to cover things before they even happen.

Members of Samaritan Ministries share one another’s medical needs through a simple, Biblical approach that doesn’t involve health insurance. They have agreed not to share in medical needs for unbiblical practices, and the monthly share for a family of any size has never exceeded $285*, even less for couples, singles, and single-parent families. Come experience the blessings, and the savings, that result when members of the body of Jesus Christ partner with one another instead of joining in partnerships that support the works of darkness.

To learn more about our Biblical, non-insurance ministry call us toll-free at 1.888.2.OTHERS (1.888.268.4377). *as of December 2008

Mention you saw us in the Liberty Journal.

Faith in God applied to health care

www.samaritanministries.org

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Student wins award from CWA

Students reach out to Lynchburg community Liberty University affiliates have joined the growing Gospel Community Church (GCC) in serving the Lynchburg, Va., community.

From administrative positions to deacons, students and alumni of Liberty have become an integral part of the church’s ministry.

GCC strives to fulfill two distinct purposes — ministering to the community and teaching the gospel.

Liberty alumnus and current pastor of GCC, Andrew Moroz, graduated in 2009 with a master’s degree in divinity from Liberty and is currently pursuing a doctorate in ministry. Moroz took over as teaching pastor in March 2009, where he serves alongside Liberty alumnus and former resident director, Nathan Taylor, the church’s worship director.

GCC is growing and attendance is at about 100 during the semester. Recent growth allowed the church body to move from the original location, the Power Source room of the old Thomas Road Baptist Church, to the James River Conference Center in downtown Lynchburg.

“We view the change in location as a tremendous blessing that is opening up doors for us to reach the heart of

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Lynchburg,” said Liberty graduate student and deacon of GCC Joshua S. Murray.

GCC holds regular services on Sunday mornings, meets in small groups during the week, and serves the community in various ways on Saturdays. The volunteers cut grass, paint porches and do various other projects in the community. The church organized a Lynchburg city cleanup volunteer event where they focused on cleaning a large part of Florida Avenue.

Liberty students enjoy the outreach aspect of the ministry, which aims to meet needs throughout the community yearround.

The efforts of their ministry are consistent with their message.

“As we serve people, we keep the Gospel central and always tell people the difference the Gospel has made in our lives and how the Gospel can change theirs,” Moroz said.

Murray said students love GCC “because it provides a real chance to build community and fellowship.”

“We are continuing to pray that God would use us and help us build a diverse church body focused only on doing His will and not becoming complacent,” he said.

Amanda Haas, president of the Liberty University chapter of Concerned Women for America (CWA) — the nation’s largest conservative women’s organization — was awarded the Young Leader Award in March at a politically star-studded gala in Washington, D.C. Haas, a sophomore Government major, was honored at the Susan B. Anthony List Gala for her exceptional work in pro-life efforts at Liberty.

As the executive secretary for Liberty’s Student Government Association (SGA), Haas helped organize The R.O.S.E. (Reclaiming Other’s Sacred Existence), the largest pro-life conference ever held on a college campus, in November 2009. The weeklong conference featured speakers, political figures and guest Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff “Jane Roe” in the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case of 1973.

Selah Yearbook receives top awards The Liberty University Selah Yearbook has once again gained national recognition.

For the third year in a row, Selah was presented with a Silver Crown by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, making Liberty’s yearbook one of only nine collegiate yearbooks to receive a crown. The award was for the issue “Risk, refinement,” released in May 2009.

The book also claimed the College Media Advisers’ Apple Award for “Best in Print” in its division, the fifth consecutive honor for Selah.

The Associated Collegiate Press also named the 2009 edition as a Pacemaker finalist, placing Liberty’s yearbook among the top in the country for the second consecutive year.

YOU CAN HELP TURN AMERICA BACK TO GOD BY BEING CONCERNED AND ACTIVE! “Occupy till He comes” Luke 16:13 “Thank you for the extraordinary commitment you have made to our party and our cause.”

Republican National Committee Chairman

Liberty “cornerstone” J.O. Grooms dies A longtime friend of Liberty University, Jesse “J.O.” Odell Grooms, died of cardiovascular issues at the age of 86 April 5.

Grooms taught soul winning and evangelism at Liberty throughout the 1970s and ’80s.

“Rev. J.O. Grooms was one of the cornerstones of the Liberty faculty in the school’s early days. He taught large evangelism courses that all freshmen were required to take, and he taught them with a passion,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr., who was one of his students in 1980. “He believed fervently that Scripture memorization and soul winning were essential in the Christian life. …

Rev. Grooms practiced what he preached daily and will be greatly missed.”

Liberty co-founder Dr. Elmer Towns said Grooms was a great asset to Liberty in its early years.

“He was the first teacher of evangelism, the very first year. He was not just a good teacher, a thorough teacher, but he communicated the heart and passion for people and soul winning.”

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J.O. Grooms speaks at Thomas Road Baptist Church in 1978. li b e rty j o u r nal

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Dwayne Carson promoted to senior campus pastor Dwayne Carson – a Liberty University alumnus and campus pastor for 22 years – has been named senior campus pastor. Carson will continue to serve as vice president of Spiritual Development, a role he has had since 2008.

As senior campus pastor, he is responsible for ministering to all resident commuter and online students, and will oversee all faculty chaplains and athletic

team chaplains. Through this position he will provide pastoral care, counseling and support to the entire university.

“I believe Dwayne Carson’s leadership in this position will result in a spiritual awakening at Liberty University,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. Carson received a Bachelor of Science in Religion from Liberty in 1987.

Dr. Todd Campo, who served as superintendent of Liberty Christian Academy for the last three years, is now vice president of Student Leadership

Moot Court team wins second in national competition Liberty University School of Law sent two teams to the regional ABA Law Student Division National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) in Washington, D.C. in March.

Liberty School of Law (SOL) students Ben Walton, Tim Todd, and Matthew Hegarty took the second Best Brief award in the nation at the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition this past spring. In another section, Todd was awarded the fourth Best Advocate in the Nation for his oral argument performance. The moot court

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team competed against more than 200 other universities from across the nation.

Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty SOL, said, “Liberty’s performance against these teams is incredible.”

“As this team succeeds, their accomplishments make the school and everyone associated with it succeed.”

The team thanks professors Scott Thompson and Rena Lindevaldsen and the other faculty involved who invested many hours to ensure the success of the team.

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at Liberty. Campo has worked for the university since September 2004 in various positions involving student life.

Campo received a Master of Arts in Religion from Liberty University Online in 1989 and earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Theology in 1997 from Trinity Theological Seminary in Anaheim, Calif.

SHRM chapter wins top awards The Liberty University chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) received the Superior Merit Award for providing opportunities for growth and development to its members. The chapter is also one of the top 10 student chapters in the United States, receiving the Outstanding SHRM Student Chapter Award for the 2009-10 academic year.

SHRM is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Founded in 1948, it has more than 450 student chapters within the United States.

Liberty’s SHRM competition teams have also earned top honors. In addition to winning the state HR competition for the previous two consecutive years, the teams won the 2009 SE Regional HR Competition and placed second and third in the 2010 SE Regional HR Competition.

Visiting professor hits best-seller lists A visiting professor at Liberty University School of Law reached national bestseller lists this past spring with his political book about the motives of the Obama administration.

The Honorable Kenneth Blackwell is co-author of “The Blueprint: Obama’s Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency.” Released

Empowerment at the Family Research Council and is a contributing editor for Townhall.com.

Advertising team places second at regional competition

in April, the book reached No. 5 on the Washington Post’s hardcover nonfiction bestseller list and No. 1 on its politics books list in May. At Liberty, Blackwell teaches in the areas of public policy, government and international human rights.

A noted conservative leader, Blackwell serves as a Senior Fellow for Family

Liberty University’s advertising team placed second at the District 3 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) April 23 and 24 in Charlotte, N.C., just barely falling behind the University of Virginia. The team also received the top presentation award.

District 3 includes schools from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Each year, the NSAC, which is sponsored by the American Advertising Federation, provides students with a case study outlining the history of a corporate sponsor’s product and current advertising situation. This year’s national client was State Farm

Online Academy sets the stage for young actress’s education For 16-year-old Taylor Boswell, Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA) is the ideal alternative to the typical classroom.

The teenager can now pursue her acting, modeling and singing career while doing all her schoolwork online through a fully

Liberty’s advertising team finished just behind the University of Virginia in a competition in April.

Insurance. Students researched the product and developed a fully integrated advertising campaign to present to a panel of judges.

“Being on the advertising team gave us real-world experience,” said Eli Overby, an advertising major. “We developed a campaign from the bottom up. It was an incredible experience.” accredited institution.

Boswell has appeared three times on “One Life to Live” on ABC, was recently filmed for an upcoming “Celebrity Apprentice” on NBC and is currently featured in a Nickelodeon promotional television commercial. She also landed the lead role in a full-length feature film, Windjammers, and spent a summer filming in the Bahamas.

Actors, Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC) lists Boswell as one of its top 100 success stories. She won AMTC’s winter 2009 Acting, Modeling & Talent Competition Overall Best Actress award.

“I am so grateful to have found a program such as LUOA,” she said. “The courses offered are interesting and fun. The teachers and faculty are very encouraging.”

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Marketing team takes second in international competition The Liberty University American Marketing Association (AMA) Collegiate Case Competition Team placed second at the Annual International Collegiate Conference April 8-10 in New Orleans.

Marketing professor Dr. Ken Brunson led the team of eight students: Matthew Smith, Storm Blizzard, Jesse Perry, Kelly Donnelly, Mike Godsoe, Kelly Detweiler, Peter Hoppe and Wesley Cole. Brunson and the team began preparing for the competition in early August.

This year’s challenge was to create a marketing strategy plan for UNICEF, an organization that works with more than 150 countries to provide children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education and emergency relief through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Students presented their plan to help raise $2 million in 2010 and ultimately eliminate deaths from unsanitary water conditions around the world.

Debate Team wins national sweepstakes championships The 2010 Liberty University Debate Team continued its historic run of

Liberty’s debate team had another historic season in 2009-10.

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success this spring by winning the National Debate Tournament (NDT), Cross-Examination Debate Association (CEDA) and American Debate Association (ADA) sweepstakes championships for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the last five years. Liberty remains the only school to claim all three championships in a single season.

The Flames set new CEDA and NDT records, making the 2009-10 season historic, even by Liberty’s lofty standards.

Liberty University established a new CEDA record of 197 points, breaking its own record of 196 points set in 2009.

The Flames finished the season with 626 NDT points, shattering the previous record of 608 set by Liberty in 2004 — the only two times the 600-point barrier has been crossed in the tournament.

Student-made designs take the runway at charity fashion show The Liberty University Department of Family and Consumer Sciences sponsored its fourth annual studentinitiated and directed fashion runway show on April 9 in the Schilling Center.

This year’s show, titled Timeless, the Cotton Collection, was funded by a $15,000 grant from Cotton Inc., a research and promotion company based in Cary, N.C. More than 1,800 people attended the event, which raised more than $3,600 for the Liberty Godparent Home and the Blue Ridge Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Freshman Katie Johnson won the Best of Show top prize — a “Project Runway” sewing machine — for her design line.

The three other featured Judges’ Choice award winners are: first runner-up Tshaerng Sherpa, second runner-up Molly Neff, third runner-up Oronde

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Vassell. Neff also won the Designers’ Choice Award, where the student designers cast a silent ballot for their favorite line.

Art students recognized in national advertising competition

From left, Jael Schultz, Lee Ann Cusi Zipagan and Kathleen Ostrom show off their award-winning designs.

Three Liberty University Visual Communication Arts (VCAR) students were honored at the ADDY Awards Western Virginia Regional Competition in Roanoke on March 6. The ADDY Awards, hosted by the American Advertising Federation, is the largest advertising competition in the world.

Award winners are Jael Schultz for her CD design Schindler’s Foot (Silver), Lee Ann Cusi Zipagan for her collateral material poster Love Nature (Gold), and Kathleen Ostrom for her cover design of LU’s literature magazine “The Lamp” (Silver).All Gold ADDY winning entries are automatically forwarded to the Third District ADDY competition with a chance to compete for a national award. Zipagan’s poster went on to win a silver at the district level, competing against students from public and private colleges and universities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Newly formed Forensics Team achieves national recognition Liberty University’s Forensics Team ended its first year with a victory at the National Christian College Forensics Invitational March 5-7, hosted by Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.

Liberty brought home the second-place Team Sweeps trophy, competing against 27 other colleges and universities, including Covenant College, Bethel University, University of Virginia and Cedarville University.

Intercollegiate Forensics is an academic competition focused on advanced skill in oratory. Tournaments include three types of competition:

platform oratory, limited preparation oratory and oral interpretation.

Students are critiqued on the quality of their presentation and the quality of their selection.

Team members Christina Haynes, Josh Wade, Meridith Brush and Colin Dowd placed third overall with their Reader’s Theatre presentation of The Singer, as adapted by Liberty professor Dr. Darlene Graves.

Dowd ranked second in the nation for Interpretation of Faith Literature; Wade placed fourth in the nation with his poetry interpretation; and Brush ranked 10th in the nation for Novice Sweepstakes Points earned and is the national champion for Communication Analysis.

Liberty professor makes presentation at Oxford Professor Rob Van Engen participated in the fifth annual Autonomous Learning World Caucus (ALWC) at Linton Lodge and Exeter College at Oxford University, Oxford, England, March 8-12. The ALWC is an international forum that discusses human resource development, autonomous learning and learner-centered leadership.

Van Engen is Liberty’s assistant director for Christian/Community Service and teaches GNED classes as an assistant professor in the School of Religion.

He graduated from LU in 1987 with a bachelor’s in Pastoral Leadership and holds a master’s in Ministry Leadership from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.

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a c u lt y f o c u School of Aeronautics welcomes veteran helicopter pilot

les scho f er

Don Childs is the new associate director of helicopter flight operations at Liberty’s School of Aeronautics. He stands near a Virginia State Police helicopter, which he flew before he retired May 1, and Liberty’s helicopter, which has been recently outfitted with an avionics upgrade. He wears a wristband that says “Heidi and David,” memorializing his 19-year-old daughter and her boyfriend who were murdered last year.

BY MITZI BIBLE

Media across the country covered the Jan. 20 tragedy in Appomattox County, Va., when a lone gunman killed eight people, including three teens and a 4-year-old. It was Virginia’s worst mass shooting since the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.

Don Childs was on the scene. As a sergeant with the Virginia State Police, he was called on to fly his helicopter in what he thought was a routine search mission.

“I was summoned to search for this individual; the law enforcement community was responding from all different jurisdictions to this location,” Childs said. “I was on duty that day and we had already sent a helicopter to pick up one of the shooting victims. At that time I only knew of one shooting victim — I did not know there were several.”

What happened next was incomparable to any other mission he had been on, including his 12 years in the Army.

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“In the process of my search, I thought I saw some movement in the bushes behind the home, so I did a turn — a 360 in the helicopter — and came back around to try and spot what I thought might have been him [the shooting suspect],” he said. “At that time the helicopter took seven shots into the rotor blade and fuselage. I didn’t think it was that bad until a few seconds afterwards, after I heard the sound, I smelled something burning and I thought maybe I should go ahead and get on the ground as soon as I can, so I did, and I got out and I saw the fuel dripping from the belly.”

The seven shots barely missed Childs.

“My mechanic is a Christian and he called me up a couple days later and he said, ‘You know, the more I take this helicopter apart and see where the bullets went, the more I realize that God was looking out for you.’

And I truly believe that,” Childs said.

Childs said this may be the only time a

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law enforcement helicopter has been “shot down” (forced to land) by a civilian.

“It was frustrating in a way because I wanted to finish the job,” he said. But he learned later that his role in the incident wasn’t a total loss. Investigators told him he may have saved the lives of officers that day, because they were getting ready to storm the home and the shots let them know where the shooter was so they could safely discover the extent of the massacre.

Childs retired from the Virginia State Police May 1 and on May 3 he started full time with Liberty University School of Aeronautics as associate director of helicopter flight operations. The same month he was honored by the Military Order of the World Wars, in conjunction with the Military Officers Association of America, with a “meritorious action” award for his work in the Appomattox incident.

As notorious as his career was with the State Police, there is one crime that will stay with him the rest of his life. His daughter, Heidi, was murdered along with her friend, David Metzler, in August 2009. Their bodies were found at a campground in the Jefferson National Forest, not far from Virginia Tech, where they were both students. No suspects have been named.

Through two major tragedies in less than a year, Childs, a father of eight, has not lost his faith. He misses his daughter greatly, but feels God “has a unique plan for every one of us.”

“I have to look at what happened with my daughter. Here she is, an 18-year-old girl going to college, second year, smart, everything is going exactly as planned with her, she’s doing well, and then this happens.

We have to understand that God does things that maybe we don’t understand … but we also need to understand God’s sovereignty and his grace. That’s really what’s kept us going as a family, my wife and I.” The story of his strong Christian faith,

even through immense adversity, has no doubt made it into the classroom, and he welcomes the chance to teach students life lessons as well as regular academics.

“I’m excited about being here. I think it’s a great opportunity. I hope I can give something, but I think the university and the kids are going to give me something in return, too — that’s the satisfaction of being able to maybe have some bright young people go out into the world and be good solid Christian witnesses and pilots; anybody can be a pilot, but to be a Christian pilot and to be a witness, that’s the key.”

He counts it a blessing to teach at the second largest faith-based university-level flight school in the U.S. and the only faithbased aviation school to offer helicopter training. With programs for commercial,

military and missionary pilots, as well as aircraft maintenance and flight attendant programs, the School of Aeronautics has a mission to train Christ-centered men and women for the aviation industry.

“There’s no other school in the world that has what Liberty School of Aeronautics has,” he said.

Experienced, caring faculty like Childs round out the unique program.

“Don Childs is a tremendous addition to our program,” said Dave Young, dean of the School of Aeronautics. “Under the oversight of Don we now offer a wider array of training opportunities in helicopter that were not previously available. … We have a fully instrumented helicopter simulator and have modified our helicopter for instrument training.

Within the last eight years, the department has grown from four students to almost 300 in its accredited, FAA-certified aviation program. And with the acquisition of an aviation company near campus, the program now has under its auspices a full jet charter service, aircraft maintenance repair station and fuel sales. There is no other university-level aviation program offering these unique features.

Childs, who has worked part time with the School of Aeronautics for about a year, said he is glad to be a part of the Liberty community at such an exciting time.

“I’ve seen some growth and I‘ve seen some really good young people who are going to be a big asset to the world once they set foot out there and they leave our school trained up — that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

F LIG HT S I M U L ATO R S D E B UT AT S C H O O L O F A E R O NAU TI C S Students at Liberty University’s School of Aeronautics can now receive flight training without even leaving the ground. The school recently introduced the Redbird FMX flight trainer to the aviation program and the Flyit Helicopter Simulator to its helicopter training program.

The simulators give students a lower risk, cost-effective means for flight training.

With a retail price of $85,000, the Redbird is a costly investment, but the payback goes beyond dollars and cents. Students are able to use the simulator to log nearly half of their aviation training time for certification, providing considerable savings over the cost of training in an actual airplane.

“Our goal is to train competent and confident pilots, and the Redbird is a wonderful tool to help us meet these objectives,” said Spahr.

From the pilot’s seat in the Redbird, the student experiences the look and feel of an actual cockpit. Six flat-screen monitors make up the external viewpoint for the pilot, and can display a graphic replica of any location in the world. When the Redbird moves, the experience is even more realistic, especially during takeoff and landing.

“Flying the Redbird was an amazing experience,” said aviation major and junior Jesse Ronda. “I’ve flown the simulated plane twice

now — in addition to flying an actual plane — and it’s incredibly similar to the ‘real deal,’ only more safe for training purposes.”

The helicopter simulator is just as effective, said Don Childs, associate director of helicopter flight operations.

“This simulator allows students to train during times of adverse weather and learn certain emergency procedures in a much safer environment,” he said.

With both simulators, instructors can train students to fly in any weather conditions, creating turbulence and displaying rain, snow or hail on the monitors meant to replicate the aircraft windscreen.

The simulators also allow students to train for emergency situations, such as mechanical failure.

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Alumni Update

Class of 1986 Merisa Davis released her first book, “Bill Cosby is right,” which analyzes and defends Bill Cosby’s historic speech delivered at the 50-year celebration of Brown v. Board of Education. Davis is a cousin of Cosby. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Liberty University and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2008. She currently resides in Lilburn, Ga., with her husband of 16 years, Marc, and two children, Charissa Joy and Marc Isaac.

Class of 1987 Deborah Yow was named director of athletics at North Carolina State University, the first female athletics director in the history of the university. She earned her master’s degree in counseling from Liberty, and has spent the past 16 years as athletics director for the University of Maryland. During that time, the university secured more than 20 NCAA championships under her leadership. Yow also served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the national Division I-A Athletic Directors Association.

Class of 1991 Norma McMurry, who received her master’s degree in counseling from Liberty, is the author of “Count With Me,” a children’s book. The book teaches children how to count using scripture verses, with illustrations drawn by her grandchildren. The book was released in September 2009.

Class of 1993 Rusty Sherman is the author of the fantasy adventure, “A Kingdom Conspiracy,” a Christian fiction story revealing spiritual truths through colorful graphics and an enchanting tale of a Princess. Sherman

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has holds a master’s degree in Church Ministry and lives in east Texas along with his wife. They have one daughter.

Class of 1994 Timothy Gombis recently received a promotion and tenure at Cedarville University in Ohio. A faculty member at Cedarville University since 2004, Gombis has been promoted to associate professor of Bible.

Class of 1995 Craig Daliessio is the author of several books, including “Sometimes Daddies Cry,” and “Nowhere To Lay My Head ...

The Secret Confessions Of A Homeless Banker.” His latest is titled “Harry Kalas Saved My Life: Striking Out, Bouncing Back And Living With High Hopes.” His books are based on his own life experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and currently resides in Nashville, Tenn. During his time at Liberty, Daliessio played hockey for the Flames for three years.

Class of 1997 Ben Gutierrez, academic dean for Liberty University Online and chairman of the Pastoral Leadership Department in Liberty’s School of Religion, received the 2009 Alumnus of the Year award from Word of Life Bible Institute. He graduated from Word of Life in New York in 1994, before attending Liberty and earning an Associate of Arts in Religion and a B.S. in Biblical Studies, both in 1995, as well as a Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 1997. He also holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership & Divinity from Regent University.

Class of 1999 Aaron Mathes was named Virginia’s deputy secretary of technology. Mathes previously served as chief information offi-

cer and information security officer in the Office of the Attorney General for Virginia.

He previously worked at Liberty University, where he spent almost 11 years in various information technology management and leadership positions, including deputy chief information officer. Mathes, his wife and their two sons live in Midlothian, Va. Class of 2003 Dave Sterrett released his latest book, “Why Trust Jesus?” which examines difficult questions of the very character and nature of God. He has also co-authored the book entitled, “‘O’ God, A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah’s Spirituality,” with prominent Christian author Josh McDowell. He earned his B.S. in Biblical Studies through Liberty University, an M.A. in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Dallas.

Class of 2007 K. Dawn Byrd is the author of “Queen of Hearts,” an inspirational World War II romance novel released in April, and “Killing Time,” a romantic suspense novel.

attention alumni send us your submissions email: sewittcop@liberty.edu mail: 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502 note: Please include a headshot in high resolution (300 dpi) JPEG format

Byrd, who lives in Marion, Va., earned her master’s degree in counseling from Liberty and is currently serving as a crisis counselor.

Class of 2008 Tim Chaffey is the co-author of “The Truth Chronicles,” a youth fiction series designed to teach apologetics and a biblical worldview in the context of illustrated adventure stories. The book was released in April, and is the first in a three-book series. A cancer survivor, he also authored “God and Cancer: Finding Hope in the Midst of Life’s Trials” and “Old-Earth Creationism on Trial,” which was released in June. He holds a Master of Divinity with a specialization in Apologetics and Theology and is now

pursuing a Th.M. in Church History and Theology at Liberty.

Timothy Hall has been named the superintendent of the Northwest School Board. He has served as the principal for Sault Area Middle Schools in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and as athletic director for the school. In addition, Hall served in the U.S. Army and as adjunct faculty for Lake Superior State University. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Liberty.

Calvin Williams is the author of “What Now: Take Control: Live Life; Don’t Let Life Live You,” a book about seizing opportunities in life. Williams wrote his book with the purpose of communicating positive ways of living life. Retired from the United

States Air Force, Williams graduated from Liberty University with a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling in 2008 and with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2006.

Class of 2009 Rebecca Stovall has been named as the president of Forrest College in Anderson, S.C. She was formerly the vice president of the college and has experience in both the public and private sector and experience in the fields of human resources, sales and marketing, business and technology, operations, and facility management. She holds a Master of Science in Business Management and has previously been employed by Clemson University, Tri-County Technical College and Toccoa Falls College.

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Helping Liberty succeed California couple gives time, talents to ministry BY m i t z i b i b le

Michael and Dorothy Dodak enjoy their five great-grandchildren at a family reunion in 2008.

We Received High Fixed Payments With A Gift Annuity From

Liberty University!

Single Gift AGE 60 65 70 75 80 85 90

Gift Annuity RATE 5.00% 5.30% 5.70% 6.30% 7.10% 8.10% 9.50%

*Rates subject to change. ** Two (2) Life Annuities at slightly lower rates.

4068_LJ_PlannedGiving_GWINS.indd 1

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“We have purchased multiple annuities with Liberty University, the first being in 1998. With the high rates of return along with the tax benefits, we found the annuity program at Liberty a great way to invest God’s money. At the same time, we know our gift will help Liberty train up Young Champions for Christ.”

(800)543-5309 | LUgiving.com 7/27/10 9:59 AM

Michael and Dorothy Dodak have lived in California for the last 60 years. Even out on the West Coast, they heard about Dr. Jerry Falwell and his work at Liberty University early on.

“We first met Jerry Falwell, Sr. in 1975 while we were working with the Christian Freedom Foundation whose purpose was to get God-believing persons primarily to run for U.S. Congress. At that time, Jerry had just in the past few years started Liberty with his dream to build a large university to train young champions for Christ,” Michael Dodak said.

The Dodaks, who said their lives were turned around when they were saved in their 50s, considered Falwell “one of the great Christian evangelists among a handful in the 20th century.”

They have shown their loyalty to their friend by supporting the ministry as Faith Partners and making financial contributions over the years. In 2000, they donated their ownership in a music publishing business through a Charitable Remainder Unitrust with Liberty’s Planned Giving Department, from which Liberty will receive the lion share of the proceeds. In 2009, they established a Dodak Family Scholarship Endowment Fund.

They also contributed investment advice that helped secure Liberty’s endowment during the huge market decline in 2008 and the early part of 2009. Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. has credited the Dodaks with helping Liberty avoid big endowment losses and keep scholarship funds safe.

While other schools suffered big market losses, even having to lay off many faculty and staff, Liberty stood on high ground.

The Dodaks’ “Crash Proofing Tool,” a methodology for institutions to improve long-term performance in managing endowment funds, is being copyrighted.

“By publishing the book for public consumption it will be our way to share the tool with the investment community and it would be just another contribution to society that we can make,” Michael Dodak said.

The Dodaks value their relationship with Falwell, Sr. and Liberty University.

“We cherish and are very proud of our relationship with him … it was a great experience of God’s friendship and fellowship with him, the university and his ministry and to watch his dream for the university come true with the mighty help and power of God.” The couple celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in April. They have four sons, 12 grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.

Liberty welcomes Board of Regents Each year Liberty University has invited some of its biggest supporters to campus for a weekend full of activities. The Board of Regents, close to 800 members strong, serves as a spiritual advisory board to the university and helps support university projects and students through various programs, including “Adopt a Champion,” where the Regents step in and provide the financial means for individuals to continue their education at Liberty.

This year there will be no annual meeting, but the campus will be open to Regents all year long. They will be contacted by staff in Liberty’s Development Office and encouraged to attend a Convocation, athletic event, a drama performance or other

university events.

“Bringing Board of Regents members to campus in such a large group was very impersonal. It is my hope that members will have more personal interaction with students, faculty and staff by visiting in smaller groups throughout the year,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. “ The Board of Regents sacrificed to help Liberty University when it was struggling to survive financially. I would like for all of them to come see how their sacrifices have succeeded in helping to create the world’s largest Christian university.”

Some of the more recent projects funded

by Liberty’s Board of Regents include the DeMoss Fountain and Regents Parkway, the perimeter road around campus.

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s po rts

The ‘Voice’ Retires Jerry Edwards steps away from being the Flames play-by-play announcer

les scho f er

Flames Sports Network announcer Jerry Edwards broadcasts from the press box at Williams Stadium during the Flames’ defeat of the VMI Keydets on Nov. 7, 2009.

For the first time in nearly three decades, followers of Liberty Athletics will hear a new voice on the radio airwaves next year, as longtime play-by-play broadcaster Jerry Edwards has announced his retirement from the Flames Sports Network (FSN).

“Jerry Edwards has been the voice of Liberty University athletics for decades,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. “He has been the play-by-play announcer for almost every LU sportscast since 1981 as an unpaid volunteer. … The whole university community owes Jerry Edwards a debt of gratitude for his unselfish service to LU athletics.”

As the station manager for WRVL Victory FM, Edwards realized he will no longer be able to devote the necessary time and preparation into announcing

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for FSN, given the station’s recent and continuing expansion.

“Over the years, you are called several things,” said Edwards, who announced his retirement in May. “My wife has a special name for me, much like any other husband does, and my kids call me dad, which is a big name. My granddaughters call me Papa and I love that name. But for 29 years, I’ve been called the ‘Voice of the Flames,’ and to me that is a pretty special title.”

Since Edwards began at Liberty, he has broadcast more than 800 men’s basketball games and 300 football games, and has traveled to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico for Liberty University Athletics. Over three decades, Edwards only ever missed a few men’s basketball games, and only one

football game. “[Edwards] was a great role model for Liberty and for athletics,” Barber said, “and he will be sorely missed.”

In July, a national search to replace Edwards ended as FSN hired Alan York to begin calling games for the 2010 season.

York has produced the radio broadcasts for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest, South Carolina, Georgia and Arkansas.

“My No. 1 goal is to uphold the tradition of quality play-by-play that Jerry Edwards provided for the last 29 years,” York said.

Barber said the radio booth in the new press box at Williams Stadium will be named in honor of Edwards for the thousands of volunteer hours he has served at Liberty.

Liberty Athletics contributed to this article.

Lightning fast Sam Chelanga now one of the top runners in the world

les scho f er

By s a r a h f u n d e r b u r ke

If Liberty was a betting institution, it may have the inside track on one Flames athlete becoming an Olympian. Distance runner Sam Chelanga has not only proven himself in the collegiate circle, he is currently ranked No.3 in the world in the 10K. Chelanga’s No. 3 ranking occurred thanks to his blazing 10K time at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., in May. Chelanga was one of only two collegiate athletes fast enough to gain entrance to the top-seeded heat at this invitational, and he quickly proved that he more than deserved the opportunity, setting a new collegiate record by more than 20 seconds. His time of 27:08.39 was fast enough to lap the other NCAA athlete in the race, Chris Barnicle of New Mexico, and finish ahead of four past Olympians.

With such an impressive race under his feet, few members of the track community were surprised when about a month later Chelanga won the 10K (28:37.40) at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. His closest competitor, John Kosgei of Oklahoma State, finished the race 18 seconds later.

This victory was Chelanga’s second national title, after winning cross country nationals in the fall of 2009, and it makes him Liberty’s first-ever men’s outdoor track and field national champion. A mere two days after winning this race Chelanga stepped out on the track again at nationals, this time to run the 5K. He placed second in this event (13:45.35), just half a second behind Northern Arizona’s David McNeil, and the points he earned from the 5K and 10K races were enough to place Liberty 13th overall in the competition.

“You have to be either really good or really stupid to run both the 10K and the 5K at nationals,” Liberty’s head track and field coach Brant Tolsma said. “Aerobically, [Sam] is one of the most amazing athletes I’ve ever seen.”

Chelanga, originally from Ngong Hills, Kenya, has received almost every award a college track and cross country athlete is eligible for, including nine All-American honors, two Big South Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors, USTFCCCA Division I Southeast Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year honors and two Sparky awards, Liberty’s awards for top athletes during the year. Chalenga’s record makes him a likely contender for corporate sponsorship next year. For now though, Flames fans can look forward to seeing him back in action this fall with Liberty’s cross country team. li b e rty j o u r nal

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S ports roundu P Flames Dominate in the Spring

By Sar ah F u n d e r b u r ke P h oto s by Les Sc h o f e r

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD One word accurately describes the Flames this year: domination. The Flames completed the Big South Conference’s first ever “Double-Triple,” championships in men’s and women’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. At the April 15-17 outdoor championships alone, Liberty athletes placed first in 11 individual events, and grabbed the Women’s Freshman of the Year award (Meghan Burggraf), the Women’s ScholarAthlete of the Year award (Rebekah

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Ricksecker), the Men’s Outstanding Field Performer award (Clarence Powell), the Men’s Outstanding Track Performer award (Evans Kigen) and both the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year honors (Brant Tolsma).

On top of this, 16 athletes competed in the NCAA’s first-ever Division I preliminary round track and field meet, which decided who would continue on to the 2010 national championships in Eugene, Ore. Four athletes from this group made it to nationals: Evans Kigen in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Clarence Powell in the triple jump, Elliot

Galeone in the javelin and Sam Chelanga in the 10K and 5K. Chelanga, who set the collegiate record in the 10K (27:08) this spring, finished an outstanding season by winning the 10K and placing second in the 5K. For more on Chelanga see page 51.

BASEBALL The Flames baseball team concluded a successful season with its left-handed pitcher Shawn Teufel being selected by the Detroit Tigers in the Major League Baseball draft. Teufel had a 3.22 earned run average (ERA) while at Liberty and

was named to the VaSID University Division All-State Baseball second team, Big South All-Conference first team and Big South All-Tournament team. He is the 40th player in Liberty baseball history to be selected by an MLB team. Other individual standouts include sophomore Tyler Bream, who broke the school record for hits in a season with a total of 96, Senior Kenneth Negron and Junior Steven Evans who were named to the Big South All-Tournament team and Senior Nathan Thompson, who made the Big South AllConference academic team.

The team was 49-19 overall this season, its best record in Head Coach Jim Toman’s three years with the program.

The Flames made it all the way to the title game of the conference championship tournament before being defeated by the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

GOLF Liberty’s golf team claimed its secondever invitational win on Oct. 13 when the team finished two strokes ahead of the rest of the competition at the Davidson College Invitational. In the Big South Conference, the team placed third overall and received several individual awards.

Freshman Max McKay was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year while Head Coach Jeff Thomas took home the Coach of the Year Award. Sophomore Robert Karisson received the Golfer of the Year award, just one of many accolades on his way to a 24th place finish at the NCAA New Haven Regional Tournament on May 20-22. He had a 72.4 stroke average and seven top five finishes in 12 events.

SOFTBALL In conference play the Flames posted a 13-5 record, the most league wins in a single season in program history,

Liberty celebrates a big win over Ball State on Sept. 11. The win was the second in school history over a Football Bowl Subdivision team. For more on the football team and fall sports, visit www.libertyflames.com. including a perfect 10-0 record at their home field. They finished the regular season in second place in the Big South conference.

Four Lady Flames were named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) University Division All-State Softball Team. J’nae Jefferson, Tiffani Smith and Kaylee West were named to the first team, while Cassie Hendrix was named to the second team. Smith, who struck out 211 hitters this year, was also recognized as the Big South Pitcher of the Year, and was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region second team and the All-Conference first team. Kat Johnson was named the Big South coFreshman of the Year.

TENNIS Men’s tennis closed the season with a winning 12-10 record, and were tied for third place in Big South conference standings (4-2). Liberty’s Siim Tuus was named the Big South Men’s Tennis Freshman of the Year and was an All-

Conference selection in singles play.

The pair of Chad Simpson and Giancarlo Lemmi were named to the All-Conference doubles team and Louis Steyn was named the Men’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

LACROSSE The women’s lacrosse team celebrated its inaugural season at Liberty. Despite being brand new to the National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) six individual players received recognition for their talents on the field.

Sierra Clearwater was named to the NLC All-Tournament Team, while Cammille Little was named an NLC Second-Team All-Conference selection. Sophomores Amanda Hornick, Mary Huff, Chloe McIntosh and Senior Rebekah Luetters all made the 2010 NLC Academic AllLeague Team.

The team competed at the NLC tournament in Farmville, Va., on April 30 losingtobothJacksonville(8-24)andHoward (11-17). li b e rty j o u r nal

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e d ito r ial

Supreme Court divided over Constitution’s meaning

High Court weakens the First Amendment while barely affirming the Second Amendment J erome Sturm

BY Math ew Stave r

The Supreme Court in its last week of the term issued two 5-4 decisions that reveal the sharp division among the justices on the meaning of the Constitution. In Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, the court sided with Hastings Law School in San Francisco while ruling against a Christian student group, and, in the process, severely weakened the First Amendment.

In McDonald v. Chicago, the court affirmed by one vote that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to bear arms, that a ban on the right by state and local governments is unconstitutional.

Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a student group that meets on a number of law school campuses. Hastings Law School allows many student organizations to use its facilities for meetings and provides other opportunities to advertise their events.

These groups cover a broad range of interests. Some of the groups include Jewish, Muslim, La Raza, environmental, pro-life, pro-abortion, Republican, Democrat and

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other special interest organizations.

Student groups officially recognized by Hastings Law School have the opportunity to use school facilities for meetings, advertise their meetings through a special bulletin board, and are eligible for funding in the amount of about $85 per group.

CLS was denied official recognition when it refused to sign the school’s new so-called “all-comers” policy that included sexual orientation along with religion, race and gender. CLS contended that sex outside of marriage, whether heterosexual or homosexual, was contrary to its Christian beliefs. While anyone could attend a CLS meeting, CLS allowed only those that affirm its Christian doctrine and mission to vote and become officers of the organization.

During the course of litigation, the school continually changed its reason for denying CLS equal access. In fact, one of the policies argued before the Supreme Court was not revealed by the school until long after the case was tried and appealed to the High Court.

With Justice Kennedy as the swing vote,

five members of the court sided with the law school, ruling that the First Amendment does not protect CLS under these facts.

Yet, historically the First Amendment has always protected private group meetings on public property. Only by defining the criteria to vote and become an officer may an organization maintain the integrity of its mission.

The school appears to have created the policy solely to discriminate against the Christian club. However, now that the case has been decided, this policy must apply to every organization, meaning that the Republicans must allow Democrats and the Democrats must allow Republicans to become officers.

The pro-life groups must allow those that favor abortion and the Pro-Abortion groups must allow pro-lifers to become voting members and leaders of their groups. The La Raza group requires Latino ethnicity of all of its officers, but now the La Raza group will have to admit anyone regardless of ethnic heritage. The result is absurd.

Perhaps at Hastings in San Francisco the Christian club may have a problem because homosexual activists will likely attempt to infiltrate CLS in order to shut it down or change its mission. It may be doubtful that the Republicans would want to take over a Democratic group or vice versa, but the policy allows for such to happen.

If this policy becomes widespread across the country on college and secondary school campuses, or in other public venues, there will be winners and losers.

In liberal areas of the country, such as San Francisco, Christians may be the losers.

However, in other areas it is possible that Christian and conservative values could take over homosexual clubs or clubs that are ideologically in opposition. In reality, Christians typically will not seek to dominate another organization by running

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them out of business, but some activists, particularly those who are unprincipled, will in fact seek to dominate conservative, pro-family, or Christian organizations.

In response to this case, I have drafted proposed legislation that applies to all federal and state government entities that create a limited forum for private expressive activities. If passed, this proposed law would require equal access to all such facilities and would restore the freedom to associate with those who share the same core values.

In the McDonald case, by a vote of only one majority, Justice Kennedy being the swing vote again, the Court ruled that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies to state and local governments.

Thus, Chicago’s ban on private possession of firearms will no longer stand. The right to bear arms has been a core fundamental right prior to the adoption of the Constitution.

The Founders believed that the right of self-defense was critically important to the preservation of freedom. Without such a right, tyrannical government could overpower the citizen. The right to bear arms is a private check on overreaching government power. It is startling that only one vote separated the majority opinion on this fundamental issue.

The Supreme Court and our elected leaders need to return to the rule of law and to the original meaning of the Constitution.

The Constitution is not what anybody says it is; it is what the Founders intended. It is a contract between the people and the government, which no elected official or judge is free to rewrite.

Mathew Staver is the dean Liberty University Law School. Staver is also the founder of Liberty Council, the nationally recognized religious liberty litigation and education public interest organization.

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