As a relatively young institution, founded in 1971, Liberty University’s rise to become a leader in higher education is unprecedented. And several major media outlets have taken notice. In February, The Chronicle of Higher Education, the leading source of news for university faculty and administration, noted the university’s unique position in the realm of online education. Below are more examples of Liberty University in the news:
In April, the Associated Press shared the story of Liberty’s growth in an article that was distributed by broadcast, print, and online media organizations across the country, including FOX News, ABC, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Tribune, Miami Herald, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The article documented Liberty’s massive campus transformation underway, with its 7,000 acres “part campus, part construction zone.” Reporter Steve Szkotak writes, “A half-dozen towering cranes compete with the hazy outline of the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance as a $500 million construction program changes the once-modest skyline of the campus.” With the growth in facilities and enrollment, now at more than 100,00 students studying on campus and online, “It’s all a stunning change from the tiny Baptist college Rev. Jerry Falwell founded in 1971,” he states.
Contrasting Liberty’s rise with the decline of nearby Sweet Briar College (which announced its closing earlier this year), an opinion/editorial in the Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Va.) pointed out the forward-thinking business practices of Liberty and how they have led to its success, unlike other private liberal arts colleges, which have faded as higher education evolves. “Liberty, however conservative it might be in its theology, is ultra-modern in its approach to the economics of higher education,” the editorial reads. “Jerry Falwell says his famous father founded Liberty on sound principles, including a competitive academic program capable of sustaining accreditation from outside monitoring groups and on the power of athletics to build student cohesiveness and attract money. In recent years, Liberty has proved itself adaptable by becoming a top purveyor of distance education. … It is a shame to lose Sweet Briar, which fills a niche and provides a special sort of education to those who want it. But Liberty University — perhaps to outsiders’ surprise — has proved itself more progressive, more adaptable, and therefore deservedly more successful.”
After Liberty announced it would offer full cost of attendance to its NCAA student-athletes on scholarship (Liberty was the first Football Championship Subdivision program to do this), USA Today published a story explaining how this move positions the university to succeed at the highest level of collegiate athletics. As Liberty seeks to move to a Football Bowl Subdivision conference, sports reporter Dan Wolken noted that while other institutions are struggling to distinguish themselves, Liberty has locked its unique standing, leading to growth and financial stability — all key indicators of further success on the playing field.
