Liberty University

Liberty University in Virginia

Liberty University isa private, non-profit Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. Liberty's annual enrollment includes 13,800 residential students and over 100,000 online students as of May 2013.

Liberty's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Liberty Flames. They compete in the Big South Conference.

Academics

As of August 2015, Liberty University offered 522 total programs, 349 on campus and 247 online. There are 138 graduate programs and 3 doctoral programs offered on campus.

Liberty Divinity School

The Liberty Divinity School was founded in 1973, and offers various degrees for both academic and vocational endeavors. Many programs are on campus only, while others are available online.

Center for Ministry Training

The Center for Ministry Training is the practical experience requirement for Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary students. The requirements are much like internships for other programs with a religious aspect involved in the experience. Specifically, the CMT includes Ministry Impact and Supervised Field Ministry Experience (SFME). Ministry Impact asks a Ministry Specialist to speak on practical aspects of ministry in the world today. Additionally, "[t]he main requirement for completing SFME is completing a minimum of 40 hours of field ministry during each semester."

Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts Center

Liberty University offers a Bachelor of Science in Cinematic Arts Degree, which is based in the new Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts Center. Subjects include: producing, directing, screenwriting, cinematography, production design, post-production, general production, documentary, and narrative. Around 1.5 million dollars was spent on professional equipment. Guest speakers come to offer their experience to the students in the classrooms as well as in a workshop to the public.

In the fall semester of 2012, 40 students were accepted as the inaugural class to major in Cinematic Arts. The program has expanded to 160 students. In the first year, students write a screenplay, and produce and direct a short film.[41] The executive director of the Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts Center is Stephan Schultze, a Hollywood veteran who is known for movies such as Far and Away. During the second year, students participate in a large-scale theatrical project and a film festival. Students also write a business and fundraising plan for producing their own screenplay.

College of Osteopathic Medicine

In August 2014 Liberty University opened the college of osteopathic medicine, also known as LUCOM. The college is housed in a new 144,000-square-foot, $40 million building completed in 2014 next to Candler's Mountain.The college will feature a Christian faith-based curriculum consistent with Liberty University's mission statement in addition to the accepted curriculum expected of recognized accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine. The college received provisional accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association through the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation in 2013 and is eligible for full accreditation in 2018. The college has secured long-term affiliations with Halifax Health, the Johnson Health Center, LifePoint, and a 30-year clinical clerkship and graduate medical education affiliation with Centra Health that includes a commitment of clinical rotations for 80 students per year.

In July 2015 the college of osteopathic medicine opened Liberty Mountain Medical Group LLC, a primary care clinic serving the greater Lynchburg area. The clinic will be staffed by licensed physicians from the college's professors as well as clinicians from Central Virginia Family Physicians. The clinic will offer a range of services such as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and sports medicine, as well as medical labs and x-ray machines. The clinic is able to serve approximately 180 patients daily. The clinic will also provide opportunities for students of the college to gain access to and participate in the care of patients as well as shadow specialists.

The school is a culmination of over 4 years of planning, starting with a $12 million grant sanctioned by the Virginia Tobacco Commission and matched by Liberty University to build a college of osteopathic medicine and expand the health sciences school. This grant is the second largest ever authorized to a medical school by the Virginia Tobacco Commission.

School of Music

In September 2012, Liberty University announced that it will be combining the Department of Music and Humanities with the Department of Worship and Music Studies to form a new School of Music. The school of music will have 32 full-time and 24 adjunct faculty members separated into two distinct centers. The Center for Music and Performing Arts will focus on music education and performance technique, while the Center for Music and Worship will seek to train skilled musicians as worship leaders and specialists within the Christian music industry. The School of Music will be located in a new building being constructed across from the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center, featuring 124 Steinway & Sons pianos (an all-Steinway center). The faculty from the School of Music are collaborating with the construction team to optimize the building to their needs. The building will include a new fine arts auditorium for university and community use, and is part of Liberty University's campus transformation initiative.

Liberty University Online

Liberty University has an internet education component which is called LU Online, previously the Distance Learning Program (DLP). Prior to the launch of its online education component in 2009, Liberty University provided adult learning courses through the LU School of Lifelong Learning (LUSLLL) by way of its External Degree Program. The LUSLLL was Liberty University's fastest growing school at the time with Jerry Falwell forecasting in his 1997 autobiography an enrollment of 40,000 students in the early 21st Century with the expectation of an addition 10,000 students studying on campus at the same time. Both expectations have been surpassed by current enrollment figures. Liberty's online component currently provides degrees from Associates level to Doctorate. The online school runs unilaterally with the semester program offered at Liberty University's campus. One difference with LU Online is that students take 16-week (full semester) classes for a few of their cataloged courses while the remainder are taken in 8-week subterms which are titled B, C, and D. These subterms provide the student with scheduling flexibility through shorter, slightly overlapping sessions. There is a separation at the 600-level and above at which courses are only offered in the B and D terms. LU Online promotes teacher/student discourse through interactive online discussions and class size limits (capped at 25 students). Liberty University reports that enrollment for their online program is six times greater than their residential enrollment, with about 80,000 of their 92,500 total students enrolled online.

Rankings

Liberty University is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in several categories for 2015:

Regional Universities (South) - 80th

Best Colleges for Veterans - 37th

Best Online Bachelor's Programs - 79th

Best Online MBA Programs - 93rd

Best Online Graduate Business Programs (Excluding MBA) - 61st

Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs - 18th

Best Online Graduate Education Programs - 112th

Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs - 56th

Furthermore, Liberty has been ranked in the Top-10 most conservative colleges in the U.S. by Young America's Foundation.

In 2005, Barron's Profiles of American Colleges ranked LU as a "competitive" college, its fourth-highest of six ranks, indicating that it accepts students in the top 65% of their graduating class.

In 2015, Forbes' list of America's Top Colleges ranked Liberty University 639 out of 650 rated colleges.

In 2012, with 48.2% graduation rate, Liberty University ranked among the private universities with the lowest graduation rates.

Accreditation

Liberty was founded in 1971 and received Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation in 1980, which was most recently reaffirmed in 2006. In addition, it was accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) in September 1984, but resigned its TRACS accreditation on November 6, 2008. Liberty has 60 accredited degree granting programs. The law school, which opened in August 2004, gained provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2006 and was granted full accreditation in 2010.  On December 9, 2009, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. announced that "Liberty University has received Level VI accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). This is the highest classification from SACS and is reserved for colleges and universities that offer four or more doctoral degrees. Liberty is also accredited by: American Bar Association (ABA)  Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)[73] National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Commission on Sport Management Education (COSMA). 

Student life

Demographics

The acceptance rate for new first-time, full-time students entering Liberty’s resident program in 2012 was 24.6%.  Liberty's annual enrollment includes 13,800 residential students and over 100,000 online students as of May 2013.

As of 2010, when including online students, LU was the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world.  As of 2013, LU was the largest private non-profit university in the United States. Liberty University is the 7th largest four-year university, and the largest university in Virginia.

Convocation

Students who live on campus are required to attend convocation at the Vines Center three times per week, although they have one unexcused absence per semester to use whenever they feel they should. At these convocations, they attend presentations by speakers from various professions, see performers and musicians, and participate in live praise and worship. Past convocation speakers have included Presidential candidate John McCain, President Ronald Reagan, President George H. W. Bush, Senator Ted Kennedy, Rev. Billy Graham, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Lt. Col. Oliver North, Major Jeff Struecker, Steve Forbes, Leonard Davidson, former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, Sam Donaldson, John R. Rice, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, CEO William S. Simon, Elisabeth Elliot (wife of the late missionary Jim Elliot), Skip Erickson, Freddie Gage, Adrian Rogers, governor Tim Kaine, Congressman Trey Gowdy, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Neurosurgeon and 2016 Presidential candidate Ben Carson, Pastors; Mel White, Mark Driscoll, Josh Mcdowell, Miles McPherson,Rick Warren, Steven Furtick, John Piper, David Platt, Matt Chandler, John F. MacArthur and Francis Chan, Entertainers/Athletes in pro-wrestler Lex Luger, rapper Lecrae, singer-songwriter Meredith Andrews, Kari Jobe, producer Mark Burnett and his wife actress Roma Downey, author Karen Kingsbury, Bobby Bowden, Lou Holtz, Carrie Prejean, Allan Houston, Tim Tebow and Candace Cameron Bure, Kirk Cameron, Douglas Gresham, Gianna Jessen, Clint Hubbard, 2016 Presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, 2012 and 2016 Presidential candidate Rick Santorum, 2012 and 2016 Presidential candidate Rick Perry, 2008 and 2016 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and 2008 Presidential candidate Ron Paul. Jerry Falwell regularly spoke at chapel, giving his "Never Give Up" speech in the first semester. Senator Ted Cruz announced his candidacy for 2016 President of the United States at the university. Senator Bernie Sanders candidate for President of the United States spoke at the University on Morality and Social Justice.

Athletics

 May 2012, Liberty University Chancellor and President Jerry Falwell Jr announced the school's intention to pursue NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference affiliation for all 20 varsity sports. This announcement followed several university developments supporting the push for conference re-alignment including a 6-month feasibility study, hiring Turner Gill as football coach (formerly head coach of the University of Kansas) and renovation of the football facilities. According to the university's FBS feasibility study Liberty has accomplished the preparation necessary and is ready to make a move to the FBS, they just need to find the right home. In order to complete the move to FBS competition, Liberty must receive an invitation from one of the ten FBS conferences.

For now, the Liberty Flames are a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championships Subdivision (FCS) in football (formerly Division I-AA) and NCAA Division I sports level in other competition. Liberty is a member of the Big South Conference for 18 sports. Women's Lacrosse competes in the National Lacrosse Conference, while Women's Swimming will join the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, bringing the university total of scholarship-eligible varsity sports to 20.[87] The university regularly competes for the Sasser Cup which is the Big South's trophy for the university which has the best sports program among the member institutions. Liberty has won the Sasser Cup ten times, placing it first in cup titles in the Big South. In 2012 Liberty became the first Big South school to win 5 consecutive Sasser Cups.

Newly renovated Williams Stadium is home of the Liberty Flames football program. Started in 1973, the Liberty Flames Football team originally used Lynchburg's City Stadium as their home stadium until October 21, 1989, when the Flames played their first home game on-campus at Williams Stadium in front of 12,750 fans. Recent upgrades to the stadium include increased capacity from 12,000 to 19,200 attendees, luxury suites, a Club level and a new media area. Additional phases of stadium expansion will increase seating to 30,000.

Liberty University is also notable for its basketball programs and its venue, the Vines Center, that can house up to 8,085 spectators for its games. Several members of the Liberty men's basketball (Liberty Flames Basketball) team have been recruited to the NBA. The women's basketball team (Lady Flames Basketball) was honored by the Big South "with the Top 25 'Best of the Best' moments in League history from 1983-2008, with Liberty University's 10-year women's basketball championship run from 1996-2007 being crowned the No. 1 moment in the Big South's first 25 years."

The Liberty Baseball Stadium, completed in June 2013 and home to Liberty Baseball, has been ranked No. 4 in best college ballpark experiences of 2015 by the Stadium Journey website. The stadium includes 2,500 chairbacks, locker room, four indoor batting tunnels, four luxury suites, offices for the baseball program, a weight room, team room and a fully functional press area. Several Liberty Flames baseball players were drafted during the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. With their fan base ever growing, local stations are airing select games. Some games have even been chosen to air nationally on ESPNU.

Liberty University supports men’s and women’s club hockey teams. Men’s hockey started in 1985 when students at Liberty self-organized a team to compete against surrounding colleges and clubs but has since become a competitive club team competing against much larger schools such as Oklahoma University, University of Delaware, and Penn State University. In 2006, Liberty University opened the 3000-seat LaHaye Ice Center, which was a gift from Drs. Timothy and Beverly LaHaye. Also in 2006, Liberty became the only school in the state of Virginia to host a men’s Division I American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) club hockey team Currently, Liberty University has Division I, II and III men’s teams and Division I and II women’s teams, making it the only school in the ACHA to host 5 club hockey teams.The men’s Division I team is coached by Kirk Handy while the women’s Division I team is coached by Paul Bloomfield.

Liberty University is also proud of its Quiz Bowl team. Called the "varsity sport of the mind," Liberty's Quiz Bowl team has won Big South Conference Championship eight out of ten years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2015). Liberty also placed 3rd in the National Academic Quiz Tournament's (NAQT) Regional Competition in 2012 and 14th in the Academic Competition Federation national tournament in 2015.

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