Liberty University Past Presidents
Since 1971, Liberty University’s mission of Training Champions for Christ has been carried out through its leadership and the men and women who served alongside them. From 154 students to over 135,000, Liberty has grown and thrived due to the Lord’s provision and the leaders through whom He worked.
Dr. Jerry Prevo
2020-2023
An entrepreneur and Baptist pastor, Dr. Jerry Prevo has been a member of the Liberty University Board of Trustees since 1996 and served as Board Chairman from 2003 to 2020. He retired as the senior pastor of Anchorage Baptist Temple in Anchorage, Alaska, after serving for 47 years.
Dr. Prevo became interim president of Liberty in 2020, during which time he led the university with a renewed focus on Liberty’s foundational Christian mission. He provided stable leadership — supported by Liberty’s ongoing enrollment growth, excellence in academics and intercollegiate athletics, and thriving spiritual life — and strove to make Liberty an employer of choice through multiple initiatives. He also helped lead the university through its 50th Anniversary celebration in Fall 2021. In the summer of 2023, Dr. Prevo passed the presidential position to Dr. Dondi E. Costin and was given the title of president emeritus. He has continued in an oversight role in the completion of The Champion Center, a project he started while president.
Mr. Jerry Falwell Jr.
2007-2020
The eldest child of Liberty’s founder, Jerry Falwell Jr. succeeded his father as university president in 2007. His tenure marked the greatest campus expansion since construction first began on Liberty Mountain in 1977. He re-envisioned the central campus with new academic buildings such as the Jerry Falwell Library, the Center for Music and the Worship Arts, Montview Student Union, and Freedom Tower, which houses the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity. He also opened three modern residential high-rises and developed state-of-the art athletic facilities like the Liberty Athletics Center, Natatorium, and Indoor Track & Field Complex. Additionally, he helped the university reach its highest accreditation level with SACSCOC, gain classification from The Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral University, transition Liberty Football into the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and grow the university’s endowment to over $1 billion.
By the end of his term in 2020, Falwell had helped grow the university into a world-class institution with more than 100,000 students enrolled on campus and online — surpassing the goal his father had set years before.
Dr. Jerry Falwell
2004-2007 | Aug. 11, 1933-May 15, 2007
The founder of Liberty University, Dr. Jerry Falwell started Thomas Road Baptist Church in his hometown of Lynchburg, Va., in 1956, followed by the establishment of an accredited Christian K-12 grade school called Lynchburg Christian Academy.
In 1971, Lynchburg Baptist College opened with just 154 students. In 1985, this small Bible college became Liberty University and, in that same year, founded a distance education program that set the university apart from other Bible-based institutions.
Dr. Falwell served as chancellor throughout the university’s early years and assumed the additional role of president upon Dr. Borek’s retirement in 2004. He served in both positions until his passing in May 2007.
Dr. John M. Borek Jr.
1997-2004
Shortly after Liberty University celebrated its 25th anniversary, Dr. John M. Borek Jr. assumed the mantle of president and CEO following Dr. Guillermin’s retirement in 1997.
An experienced businessman, academic leader, and a U.S. Army officer, Dr. Borek prioritized the university’s accreditation and financial stability. As a result, he was instrumental in leading Liberty’s 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. He also led the growth of the university’s distance education program to a total enrollment of 10,000 students with 140 course offerings. He worked with the university’s chancellor to extend DeMoss Hall and the Campus East residence halls, expanded the university with the addition of its North Campus, and welcomed Liberty’s first School of Law students. In 2004, he retired as president with the title of president emeritus and has continued to serve the university on its Board of Trustees. Presently, Dr. Borek serves as an adjunct faculty member where he teaches the business capstone and DBA courses.
Dr. A Pierre Guillermin
1971-1997
As a co-founder of Liberty University, Dr. A. Pierre Guillermin served alongside Dr. Jerry Falwell and was the founding superintendent for Lynchburg Christian Academy, now known as Liberty Christian Academy.
From campus construction to the introduction of academic and athletic programs, Dr. Guillermin helped establish the college on a solid foundation that would be built upon for years to come. Notably, he aided the college in gaining its regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and oversaw the transitions from Lynchburg Baptist College to Liberty Baptist College in 1975 and then to Liberty University in 1985. Following his resignation as president in 1997, he received the title of president emeritus. Dr. Guillermin passed away at the age of 82 in the summer of 2019.