Liberty University
Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, US / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a private evangelical Christian[8] university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns as Lynchburg Baptist College, Liberty is among the world's largest Christian universities and one of the largest private non-profit universities in the United States by total student enrollment.[9][10]
Former names | Lynchburg Baptist College (1971–1976) Liberty Baptist College (1976–1984) |
---|---|
Motto | "Knowledge Aflame"[1] |
Type | Private university |
Established | 1971; 53 years ago (1971) |
Founder | Jerry Falwell Sr. Elmer L. Towns |
Accreditation | SACS |
Religious affiliation | Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention) |
Academic affiliation | NAICU |
Endowment | $2.1 billion (2022)[2][3] |
Chancellor | Jonathan Falwell |
President | Dondi E. Costin |
Provost | Scott Hicks |
Academic staff | 735 full-time, 3,075 part-time (fall 2022)[4] |
Students | 96,709 (fall 2022)[4] |
Undergraduates | 48,906 (fall 2022)[4] |
Postgraduates | 47,803 (fall 2022)[4] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Small city[5], 7,000 acres (28 km2)[6] |
Newspaper | The Liberty Champion |
Colors | Navy blue, white, and red[7] |
Nickname | Liberty Flames and Lady Flames |
Sporting affiliations | |
Mascot | Sparky the Eagle |
Website | www |
Liberty University consists of 17 colleges, including the Helms School of Government and the Rawlings School of Divinity.[11][12] Most of its enrollment is in online courses;[13][14] in 2020, the university enrolled about 15,000 in its residential program and 80,000 online.[15][16] Liberty's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Liberty Flames. Their athletics program joined Conference USA as a full member in 2023.[17]
The university requires undergraduate students to take three Evangelical Bible-studies classes.[18] Its honor code, called the "Liberty Way", prohibits premarital sex, cohabitation, any kind of romantic relationship between members of the same sex,[19] and alcohol use.[20][21] Liberty University has been described as a "bastion of the Christian right", playing a prominent role in Republican politics under Falwell and his son and successor Jerry Falwell Jr.[22]