LUCOM welcomes second class of student-doctors; students serve locally and globally
Now in its second year, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) is the training ground for 317 student-doctors. The newest class of 160 was formally welcomed during the White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 1 and heard from keynote speaker Dr. William G. Anderson, D.O., who, besides being a distinguished osteopathic physician and surgeon, is a civic and human rights leader and educator. Anderson, the first African-American to serve as president of the American Osteopathic Association, is a senior associate dean at Michigan State University.
But LUCOM had reason to celebrate even before the new class arrived. In July, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the new primary care clinic in Lynchburg, Liberty Mountain Medical Group (LMMG). The clinic is operated in cooperation with Central Virginia Family Physicians (CVFP) and is staffed by LUCOM faculty and CVFP physicians. It is located in the K-Mart shopping center on Wards Road in Lynchburg and provides family medicine, internal medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, pediatrics, sports medicine, and women’s health to residents of Lynchburg and the surrounding areas. The LMMG was built as a general family practice with a commitment to treating patients of all ages, incomes, physical abilities, races, and ethnicities. LUCOM student-doctors will shadow physicians this year and will be assigned to the clinic next year.
LUCOM students Gisela Quinones (left) and Kaleigh Margaret served in Guatemala during the summer.
While efforts to serve the local community increased, efforts to serve communities abroad became another summer highlight. Student-doctors, faculty, and staff traveled to Guatemala July 18-25 to take part in LUCOM’s first international trip.
R. James Cook, LUCOM’s director of medical outreach and international medicine, led the group, which partnered with Hope of Life International. In addition to 56 participants from LUCOM, the team included five Liberty graduate-level public health students and three School of Nursing students.
Volunteers separated into four teams. Three teams were comprised of medical personnel who ventured into remote mountain villages to work with individuals who had no access to medical care. They set up mobile clinics, providing blood pressure and diabetes assessments as well as a variety of other health care services to those who came. The fourth team served those living in orphanages and homes for senior citizens and cared for abandoned babies who had been rescued from poor living conditions.
Fall 2015 Convocation Schedule
Liberty University’s Convocation is the world’s largest weekly gathering of Christian young people. Held two to three times a week in the Vines Center, Convocation gives students the opportunity to hear from prominent speakers of national and global significance from every sphere of society. Speakers challenge, motivate, and inspire students as they share stories and experience from the stage.
This semester, students have already worshiped with eight-time Dove Award winner David Crowder (Aug. 26) and heard from guest speakers David Platt, president of the International Mission Board (Sept. 9); presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Sept. 14); Korie and Sadie Robertson from A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” (Sept. 18); and the filmmakers behind “Woodlawn,” including actor Sean Astin (Sept. 21).
Below is the remainder of the Fall 2015 Convocation schedule; it is tentative and subject to change. Visit
www.Liberty.edu/Convo for the most up-to-date schedule.
10/2: Tim Hawkins – Christian Comedian & Author
10/7: Passion Live – Louie Giglio & The Passion City Church Band
10/12: Darryl Strawberry – Former MLB player & Founder of Strawberry Ministries
10/14: Wayne Huizenga – American Businessman
& Entrepreneur – 321 Improv Comedy – Christian Improv Team
10/19: Brian Houston – Senior Pastor of Hillsong Church
10/21: Dr. Ed Hindson – Dean of Liberty University’s
School of Divinity
10/23: Jefferson Bethke – Spoken Word Artist & Author
10/28: Paul David Tripp – Author & Speaker
10/30: Louie Gohmert – U.S. Representative (R-Texas)
11/4: Deon Joseph – The Sheriff of Skid Row
11/6: Tim Lee (Military Appreciation Week) – Founder of Tim Lee Ministries
11/9: Kay Arthur – Co-Founder of Precept Ministries International
11/11: Ben Carson – Author, Retired Johns Hopkins Neurosurgeon & Presidential Candidate
11/16: Brent Crowe – Vice President of Student
Leadership University
11/18: Rabbi Daniel Lapin – Radio Host & Author
11/20: Mark DeMoss – Founder of the DeMoss Group & Author of “The Little Red Book of Wisdom”
12/2: Darrin Patrick – Lead Pastor of The Journey & Vice President of Acts 29 Network
12/4: Jim DeMint – President of the Heritage Foundation
12/9: Rosaria Butterfield – Author & Former Professor at Syracuse University
Many Convocation messages can be viewed at www.Liberty.edu/OnlineCommunities. Past events can be viewed at www.Liberty.edu/Streaming or at www.YouTube.com/LibertyUniversity.
New dean takes office at school of law
B. Keith Faulkner became dean of Liberty University School of Law on Oct. 1, after serving in senior leadership at Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law for more than 10 years.
“Keith Faulkner is an experienced legal education administrator, who I believe is uniquely qualified to lead Liberty University School of Law, and we are honored to welcome him to Liberty,” said Liberty President Jerry Falwell. “Both the search committee and the faculty were impressed by Mr. Faulkner’s practical skills and his commitment to the Christian mission of this law school.”
Faulkner holds his J.D. and M.B.A. from Campbell and his B.S. in business administration from Charleston Southern University. Prior to joining Campbell, Faulkner was a litigation associate for a law firm in Wilmington, N.C., and a partner in a private practice. He served for eight years in the U.S. Navy as a submariner, nuclear power plant operator, and instructor in the Nuclear Power Training Pipeline.
“I am honored and humbled to be selected as the next dean of Liberty University School of Law,” he said. “I was drawn to the school by its mission and purpose and by an outstanding team committed to producing future leaders in law. It is an exciting time at Liberty, and I am thrilled to be joining this dynamic community.”
Falwell and Dr. Ronald Hawkins, Liberty’s provost, served on the search committee, along with law school faculty members Edna Udobong, Joel Hesch, Pam Bell, and Yuri Mantilla, as well as Lynchburg Circuit Court Judge F. Patrick Yeatts and retired Virginia Circuit Court Judge Sam Johnston.
Dining hall ranks No. 1; food choices expanded on campus
From left, students Caleb Blair, Peter Johnson, and Sebastian Hernandez enjoy pretzels on opening day of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels in Liberty’s Tinney Café.
Fresh ingredients, innovation, and diversity contributed to the No. 1 ranking of Liberty University’s Reber-Thomas Dining Hall on the 2015 Best Dining Halls list by BestColleges.com.
Liberty outranked Cornell University (No. 2), the Ohio State University (No. 3), the University of Chicago (No. 6), the University of Notre Dame (No. 14), and the University of California – Los Angeles (No. 16).
“Concentrating on fresh ingredients and culinary options, Liberty University has several dining options,” the site states. “The Reber-Thomas Dining Hall offers an innovative approach to dining with nine different areas, like the Main Dish, featuring homestyle comfort foods, or the Red Avocado station, with all of the ingredients needed for a made-to-order burrito or taco.”
The main dining hall was one of the many eateries across campus to receive an upgrade over the summer. It now features a “smash burger” station where students, faculty, and staff can have fresh beef prepared as they watch.
The most unique addition from Sodexo, Liberty University’s dining services provider, was “Cravings,” a food truck that is parked at various locations around campus every day and features a rotating menu. The truck will also be found at home football games, offering wings, barbecue, and waffle fries.
Other new options include an Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and a Pizza Hut WingStreet in the Jerry Falwell Library’s Tinney Café.
The “Cravings,” a food truck is parked at various locations around campus every day and features a rotating menu.
The Tilley Student Center at Green Hall now offers Farmer’s Field, a made-to-order salad concept with fresh protein toppings, including salmon, shrimp, steak, and chicken. Wholly Habaneros, a food truck-style eatery in the student center, received an upgrade to allow better visibility and faster service.
Renovations were also made to Doc’s on East Campus, which has added a Gourmet To Go section with a drive-thru and now takes online orders.
Liberty will have the opportunity to showcase its innovative dining services to industry leaders next year when it hosts the 2016 National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) Mid-Atlantic Region Conference.
Campus Farm adds livestock
Liberty University’s campus garden was recently renamed the Morris Campus Farm.
In addition to growing seasonal crops on about 1.5 acres, the farm is now using 23 of its 70 acres for livestock. Taylor Young, campus farm livestock coordinator, joined the staff in July, and the farm has begun adding chickens to the recently rezoned pastureland.
The new livestock will improve soil and grass quality by using strategic rotational grazing. As grass is fertilized by animals during the grazing period and allowed to grow for a period after the animals are moved to a new pasture, it grows back healthier, and soil quality improves.
The long-term plan is to add pigs, cows, sheep, and goats, as well.
The farm provides students with hands-on opportunities to learn more about growing various types of crops, fostering soil health, and being responsible stewards of natural resources. Produce from the farm is served at the new Farmer’s Field in the Tilley Student Center, donated to community food banks, and sold at weekly farmer’s markets on campus. A new initiative, the Harvest Share program, allows faculty and staff to purchase a seasonal plan to receive a selection of produce weekly.
This summer, the farm also added an in-vessel composter. Each day, approximately 500 pounds of food waste from the dining hall is collected and recycled.
Top Hawk program spotlights Liberty’s aviation program
WWII veteran Lt. Col. Bruce L. Sooy flies alongside Liberty University School of Aeronautics graduate and flight instructor Jonny Hewitt.
Liberty was one of four universities selected to participate in Textron Aviation’s inaugural Top Hawk program over the summer. Top Hawk was designed to promote university aviation programs, showcase internship opportunities for flight instructors, and support learn-to-fly programs.
An instructor pilot from each school was chosen for a Top Hawk internship at the Cessna Aircraft Company (a Textron company) in Wichita, Kansas. (The other schools chosen were Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Kansas State University, and the University of North Dakota.) Out of the interns who were invited, Liberty’s intern, senior Evan Thrams, emerged as the winner in a performance-based competition, earning the designation as “Top Hawk” intern. The competition included logging the most discovery flights, evaluating assigned flight students, short field landing accuracy in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and a cross-country flying event (which Thrams won).
The Top Hawk program also loaned a Cessna aircraft to each university, allowing the schools to use them to accomplish the Top Hawk goals. Liberty’s School of Aeronautics (SOA), supported by Freedom Aviation, chose to tour the country and promote its programs. SOA military student Phil McLanahan and flight instructor Jonny Hewitt, an SOA graduate from Ireland, flew the Top Hawk Cessna 172 aircraft to more than 30 locations nationwide to promote Liberty’s extensive Flight Training Affiliate (FTA) programs. FTAs allow students to complete their flight instruction on site while earning a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics online. McLanahan and Hewitt also recruited more than 100 new students to the SOA.
The tour spanned three months, 34 stops (going as far as California, Washington state, and Louisiana), and over 8,500 miles. Along the tour, Liberty’s pilots had opportunities to interact with individuals from across the country. In California, they had the honor of bringing 98-year-old WWII veteran Lt. Col. Bruce L. Sooy aboard for a flight. Sooy, a B-24 bomber pilot and P.O.W., hadn’t flown an aircraft since the 1960s, but took the controls without any hesitation.
The FTA program significantly reduces the cost of education, even below in-state tuition for students studying outside of Virginia. The program has grown tremendously from one to over 25 affiliates since it was started two years ago. Liberty expects to add another 20 affiliates in the near future.
Liberty’s participation in the Top Hawk tour garnered media attention for its FTAs across the country, including recognition in “Flyer,” a weekly Textron publication, a spot on Suncoast News Network, and a cover feature in “Avionics News.”
Flag flown at Pearl Harbor now on display in library
An American flag from a WWII naval destroyer, the USS Cassin, is now on display — oil-stained and bullet-scarred from the attack on Pearl Harbor — at the Jerry Falwell Library.
Robert H. Carlson, who served on the ship during WWII, presented the flag to Dr. Jerry Falwell, Liberty’s founder, in 1975. Since then, it has been displayed in various locations around Liberty’s campus. After the completion of the Jerry Falwell Library, the university decided to display it more prominently, honoring what it represents and giving library visitors an opportunity to learn from the history behind it.
Rachel Schwedt, research and instruction librarian, said the flag represents an important piece of U.S. history. “The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the nation together in support of entering World War II,” Schwedt said. “The flag and the story behind the ship on which it flew can remind us of the sacrifice that was paid by servicemen in the defense of our country.”
The flag is displayed in a custom cabinet, accompanied by framed pictures of the ship and descriptions of its history.
The Jerry Falwell Library has a number of historical resources available to students and researchers, including collections of global significance, such as the Liberty Biblical Museum. Other collections, like the Liberty University Archives, focus on local history, organizing and preserving artifacts and documents associated with the university. For more information on scheduling a visit to the library and the archives, or if you would like to donate Liberty memorabilia or items from Liberty’s related ministries, call (434) 592-6230 or email archive@localhost.
Liberty attracts top-name Christian musicians to campus
Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors performed at Block Party on Aug. 29.
Liberty University continues to be a hotspot for influential artists in the Christian music industry. Events such as Block Party, College For A Weekend (CFAW), and Winterfest bring well-known artists and their signature sounds to campus, attracting thousands of prospective students and their families as well as church youth groups and leaders.
Block Party introduced freshmen and transfer students to campus life and provided returning students a much-needed opportunity to unwind after the first week of classes with two concerts on Aug. 29. The free, outdoor carnival included food, games, rides, and fireworks, and was highlighted by live shows from Los Angeles-based JOHNNYSWIM and Nashville-based Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors.
This fall’s first CFAW was headlined by Tenth Avenue North and Sidewalk Prophets (Sept. 18 in the Vines Center). For the Nov. 6 CFAW, hip-hop artist Andy Mineo will perform at Thomas Road Baptist Church. These concerts, geared toward current and future students, are open to the public, with tickets available at www.Liberty.edu/CFAW.
The 14th annual Winterfest, held in the Vines Center on Dec. 30-31, promises to ring in the New Year with inspiring music from Casting Crowns, NEEDTOBREATHE, for King & Country, Matthew West, Rend Collective, Thousand Foot Krutch, Colton Dixon, Burlap to Cashmere, and more. Fans will also have opportunities to interact with band members at Artist Q & A’s. Tickets for the event, which is also open to the public, can be purchased online at www.Liberty.edu/Winterfest.
Student Activities also welcomes artists to Liberty’s LaHaye Event Space for a more intimate concert setting. Dustin Kensrue kicked off the fall schedule on Sept. 8, touring with The Rocketboys, and RED will pay a visit Oct. 22 on its REDvolution Tour, joined by Tedashii, Capital Kings, and Wolves at the Gate. Liberty’s aspiring musicians get their own moments in the spotlight during the Campus Artist Series (Oct. 15, Nov. 5, and Dec. 8) and Open Mic Nights (Oct. 5 and 19 and Nov. 2, 16, and 30). LaHaye Event Space concerts are also open to the public.
Youth flood Liberty’s campus for variety of camps
Liberty’s expansive selection of summer camps attracts thousands of elementary through high school-aged visitors from the local community and across the country every year. They come to Lynchburg for a taste of campus life and a peek at Liberty’s state-of-the-art facilities, but their biggest draw is the opportunity to learn from Liberty’s exceptional coaches and faculty.
“It is truly one of my favorite times of the year, interacting with and mentoring talented and teachable young artists,” said Department of Theatre Arts Associate Professor Chris Nelson, who coordinates Liberty’s theatre camps for elementary, middle school, and high school students.
From aspiring actors and aviators to budding basketball, football, and volleyball players, every camper has the opportunity for recreational adventure, educational growth, and spiritual edification.
Brant Tolsma, head coach of Liberty’s cross country and track & field programs, said that besides serving as effective recruiting tools, his camps have the dual purpose of improving athletes’ techniques and increasing their faith.
The two Next Level overnight ski and snowboard camps held at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre (LMSC) in July were filled to capacity this year with 105 campers. LMSC staff and the Liberty Ski & Snowboard team were joined by nearly 30 counselors and coaches from Skiers and Snowboarders for Christ (SFC), many from winter sports capitals like Colorado and Canada.
Counselors joined campers for meals, Bible studies, and free-time activities at the Liberty Mountain Skate Park, Liberty paintball fields, Thomas Indoor Soccer Center, and the LaHaye Student Union’s rock climbing wall and swimming pool.
“There are a dozen camps out there that are doing things similar to what we do, and we’ve got to match them and stay ahead of the competition,” said Drew Sherwood, LMSC’s general manager. “We’ve got to continue to bring in great coaches and professional athletes and create great experiences.”
Check the www.Liberty.edu/SummerCamps website in the spring for information on next summer’s offerings.
