Presidential profile


Warning: Undefined array key "url" in /var/www/html/wp-includes/media.php on line 1433

Warning: Undefined array key "descriptor" in /var/www/html/wp-includes/media.php on line 1433

A conversation with the university’s most sought-after leader

vision — President Jerry Falwell reflected on all of the changes and special moments that have taken place during his seven years as president. Photo credit: Ty Hester

Vision — President Jerry Falwell reflected on all of the changes and special moments that have taken place during his seven years as president. Photo credit: Ty Hester

“Okay, Tré, you can come on back now,” his secretary said. For a moment, I felt as if I was back in the eighth grade.

I walked through the door and rounded the corner.

“Hi, Tré,” President Jerry Falwell said. All of a sudden, memories of my days in grade school left my mind and I felt as if I was seeing an old friend again. We sat at the end of a long conference table in his office, surrounded by maps and campus mockups, a tangible example of Falwell’s passion for campus updates.

I never felt as if I was interviewing an executive, separated by rank. Describing his summer pastimes, our conversation proved to be both down-to-earth and engaging. As he began to describe his newfound hobbies, wakeboarding and wake-surfing, I quickly realized that behind the title “president” is a man to whom we can all probably relate.

“(My kids) taught me how to wakeboard this year,” Falwell said. “So, at 52 … I mean, I’ve water-skied my whole life … (but) I’m learning how to wakeboard, wake-surf. I’m learning some new tricks in my old age.”

Watersports and all, the Falwells spend much of their time on their family farm in Bedford County, Virginia. With a lake on the property, the home serves as the perfect place for wakeboarding and water-skiing.

Falwell said the farm serves as both a house and a vacation home. From summer to winter, the family keeps busy.

“Every Christmas on the farm, we shoot mistletoe out of the trees,” Falwell said. “The last few years, I’ve been bringing it to Convo and making an exception to the kissing rule for that one day. When we hand it out at Christmas, it disappears in a few minutes, even if we bring a big bag. But the only easy way to get it out of the tree is to shoot it down with a shotgun.”

Through the years, many different traditions have defined what it is like to grow up as a Falwell. When his kids were younger, they would often venture out on motor home camping trips.

“We had some neighbors that also had motor homes,” Falwell said, leaning back in his chair, legs propped up on the seat next to him. “One summer, we all went out West for three weeks, drove 5,000 miles and saw a lot of the national parks.”

With busy schedules and a big farm, the Falwells do not travel quite as much these days, but they do enjoy spending their down time in the area. Some of their favorite weekend getaways include taking a hike up Peaks of Otter or enjoying dinner at Jimmy’s on the James, the Millstone Tea Room or Main Street Eatery.

Spending more time at home was not always something that came naturally to Falwell. For years, Liberty was fighting financial struggles and in need of
constant attention.

“I was so busy for so many years,” Falwell said of lessons he has learned. “I was probably spending more time than I should have working. In the last two or three years, I’ve tried to change that. … I finally learned just to turn the computer off when I take off work. I’ve found a whole lot better balance in recent years.”

Falwell and his wife, Becki, have been married for 27 years. As he shared stories of his time dating Becki, I wondered what lessons he may have learned after nearly 30 years of marriage.

Falwell spoke very highly of Becki, telling me “she sees things that I would never see or notice, and I see things she would never see or notice.” He said their differences have complemented each other in their marriage.

“I can’t imagine how two people just alike could enjoy being married,” Falwell said. “It would just be boring, I think.”

Liberty’s growth in recent years has given Falwell the opportunity to exercise his eye for architecture. Falwell shared that he is most looking forward to the construction of Liberty’s Landmark Tower and the new student center behind DeMoss Hall, describing campus construction planning as “almost like playing ‘SimCity.’”

“All those years, I remember walking around campus and saying, ‘It would be nice if we had a different type of building here,’” Falwell said about his time as a student at Liberty. “To see those changes actually taking place is something I’ve dreamed about for years.”

In this season of dreams becoming realities for Falwell, Liberty is gaining traction, becoming a model campus for other religious institutions around the nation.

“I was talking to the president of another large Catholic university and they were saying that they have watched Liberty’s growth and they want their university to become for Catholics what Liberty is for evangelicals,” Falwell said. “We always said the same thing about Notre Dame, and I thought it was funny that another school was using us as what they want to become.”

Passionate about creating and sustaining a world-class university, Falwell has dedicated his efforts to advancing Liberty’s role in
Christian education.

“That’s what I wake up every morning trying to do — to move Liberty toward that ultimate vision and dream. I’m just humbled to be part of it actually taking place now.”

GOINS-PHILLIPS is the opinion editor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *