Spring 2026 Board Report: Advancing the mission with eyes on the future

With the honor and responsibility of safeguarding Liberty University’s mission of Training Champions for Christ while preparing for future challenges and opportunities under God’s leading, the Liberty Board of Trustees convened on campus for its regular spring meeting on April 15.

Outside of their formal meeting held in the Hancock Welcome Center Boardroom, trustees continued their usual practice of meeting with students and taking part in campus events during their visit. They attended Convocation, where Board Chairman Tim Lee delivered the main message. The night before, board members had dinner with students, taking every opportunity to learn from them about their college experience. Trustees also joined their spouses for a luncheon and tour of The Champion Center, which is set to open this fall.

“I have been privileged to serve on the Liberty University Board of Trustees for almost four decades, and I believe this university is experiencing some of its best days ever,” Chairman Lee said after the meeting. “It is exciting to see how God has blessed Liberty University under the direction and leadership of our President Dr. Dondi Costin and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell.”

He said the best parts of the board’s visit are always the times spent with students and attending campus events.

“It strengthens us to see God at work, particularly in the lives of the students we meet. They are amazing, and they give us even more motivation to keep serving Liberty well. We thank God for all of them and for the privilege of serving Liberty University.”

The board of trustees conducted the following business during the spring meeting:

Spiritual development

Chancellor Falwell and Vice President of Spiritual Development Joshua Rutledge reported on the strong spiritual climate at Liberty. The Wednesday night Campus Community service continues to see record-breaking participation, averaging 6,000 students this past fall at the voluntary event and the corresponding discipleship program held in the residence halls afterward. Liberty served as the host site for the global Collegiate Day of Prayer on Feb. 26, during which over 8,000 campuses around the globe were adopted in prayer. On the last Thursday of every month, Liberty hosts a 24-hour prayer event. Even more emphasis will be placed on prayer when a 24-hour prayer room opens in The Champion Center. Students will be able to join the room virtually from anywhere around the world.

Students are also growing spiritually through one-on-one discipleship and missions opportunities. Staff have led 6,500 individual pastoral sessions with students so far this year, and 368 students have signed up for LU Send service and learning trips this spring semester.

Future planning

To engage board members in discussions of big-picture issues affecting the university and higher education as a whole, university administrators made presentations at the meeting under the theme, “Positioning Today for Future Change.” President Costin facilitated the discussions, leveraging the expertise of key vice presidents on a range of topics.

“Positioning Liberty University for continued success in an increasingly uncertain future is one of our most sacred obligations,” said President Costin. “As the old saying goes, ‘Some folks make things happen, some watch things happen, while others simply wonder what happened.’ I was energized by the robust discussion among trustees and leaders on our team. And I thank God that every one of them is demonstrably committed to ensuring Liberty leads the pack in making things happen — for the good of our students and the glory of God.”

One discussion focused on how Liberty can proactively prepare for upcoming federal student loan changes and anticipate overall enrollment trends. Vice President of Student Financial Services Matt Cooper set the table by presenting on the implications of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act and its impact on the future of federal student loan availability. The presentation highlighted Liberty degree programs that may face challenges retaining federal loan eligibility under the new regulatory framework. Discussions ensued on how Liberty can continue to offer degree programs that are central to the university’s mission while maintaining affordability for its students. The board tasked Liberty’s executive leadership with exploring creative approaches to funding educational opportunities, ensuring students can be the hands and feet of Christ to a world in desperate need of a touch from God.

Executive Vice President of Enrollment Management & Marketing Dr. Ron Kennedy reported that Fall 2025 residential enrollment remained steady at 16,151 students, and Liberty expects to surpass 131,000 students in its online programs by summer 2026. In March, Liberty University Online Academy for K-12 topped 20,000 for the first time. In addition to highlighting the university’s continuing successes, Kennedy noted that Liberty is not immune from the enrollment headwinds facing all institutions of higher education. Yet despite federal policy changes regarding immigration, issuing of visas for prospective international students, and student loan caps, Liberty is well prepared to pivot as necessary to serve its students.

The board also discussed a wave of the future: the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom and in campus operations. The trustees were briefed by Provost Scott Hicks and Chief Information Officer John Gauger on many examples of how AI is being used in academics, finance, fraud detection, customer service, and call centers across the university. In addition, they discussed ways to refine approaches to using AI to preserve classroom integrity and appropriately address students’ concerns if a detection system inaccurately flags a problem. AI tools are also being taught in classes so students can stay on the cutting edge of their chosen fields.

Campus development

The board and its committees take an active role in overseeing line-item costs for campus development projects in the capital budget. The board approved funding for several new projects in the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, including:

> 3,000-seat expansion (upper decking) at the Vines Center, with a plan for construction to occur while the building remains in operation

> Funding for the design of a new residence hall. A location has not been determined.

> Addition of quick-service restaurants in three outparcel sites at the West End area of River Ridge Mall.

> Phase 2 of the new Collaborative Health Partners Healthplex on Graves Mill Road, which calls for adding more medical tenants and greatly expanding services to the Central Virginia region while supporting student clinical placement opportunities.

President Emeritus Dr. Jerry Prevo gave a separate report on The Champion Center. He outlined the significant progress that has been made on the building in anticipation of a fall opening. As an extension of the Hancock Welcome Center, The Champion Center will regularly host prospective students and their families. Creative displays, videos, and interactive content will contextualize Liberty’s history and growth in light of its mission, sharing how Liberty has remained a distinctively Christian institution committed to the Great Commission. The center has also been designed with multifunctional spaces that will benefit the whole Liberty community. A variety of university events will be held there, from academic conferences to student, alumni, and donor engagement events. The new Event Space will be the largest meeting room of its kind in the Lynchburg area, with seating for 2,000.

Finance and investment

The board approved the 2026-27 operational budget with $1.5 billion in revenue. Built into the budget are a 3% residential undergraduate tuition increase and $20 per credit hour increase for most online tuition, as well as modest room and board increases to keep pace with inflation. The capital budget stands at $74.9 million, to include the campus development projects highlighted above. The budget continued the board’s five-year strategy to keep construction spending flat each budget year.

The board of trustees authorized the transfer of additional funds to Liberty’s endowment at the end of the operating year. The investment committee reported that Liberty’s investible assets are increasing as the endowment stands at $3.5 billion. Significantly, the endowment has grown by more than $1.5 billion since 2020.

Because of God’s provision and faithful stewardship, Liberty University operates with no long-term debt.

The board was also engaged on the importance and intended use of the endowment, agreeing to continue to grow it as a hedge to maintain financial strength of the institution for generations to come. Board members have long purposed to save money to be fully prepared to face the future if, for example, the university is confronted by burdensome regulatory, cultural, or other financial challenges that hinder its mission and disadvantage its students.

Special recognition

The board voted to name the exterior plaza of the west side of the School of Business building (facing DeMoss Hall) the Hendrick Family Plaza to recognize the loyal support of the Hendrick Family Foundation over the years and in memory of NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick, who passed away in 2004.

Athletics

The board approved a contract extension for Head Men’s Basketball Coach Ritchie McKay through the 2031-32 season. McKay’s extension comes on the heels of a strong 2025-26 season for the Flames, who posted a 26-8 overall record and won the CUSA regular season title outright for a second straight year.

Business conduct, security, safety, and compliance

The board approved updates to the university’s Code of Business Conduct and Whistleblower Policy. These policy updates centered upon ensuring alignment between the two policies, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and better explaining the appropriate channels to report different types of alleged “wrongful conduct.”

In addition, the day of the spring meeting marked the conclusion of Liberty’s two-year monitoring period following the Department of Education’s Clery Act Program Review. The Board was notified that the university submitted its final report outlining a wide range of Clery Act compliance programmatic improvements, which included investing $2 million in security assets and equipment to enhance campus security and student safety; significantly increasing the number of staff across the Office of Ethics & Compliance; strengthening focus on Title IX and Clery Act compliance; developing online resources for the Liberty community that promote transparency, accountability, and intervention; markedly expanding cooperation across university departments; and creating new Campus Security Authority (CSA) training along with additional prevention and awareness courses. The Clery Compliance Monitor will now transition to a consulting role to help sustain and build upon the tremendous progress Liberty has made. While the monitoring period has ended, the university is wholeheartedly committed to continuing the processes and programs implemented to ensure ongoing and full compliance with the Clery Act.

The Liberty University Board of Trustees holds two on-campus meetings each school year, in the fall and spring, as well as several special meetings between those two regular meetings. The board is structured to uphold the university’s founding mission while maintaining the operational efficiency necessary to remain competitive in a highly regulated and rapidly evolving higher education landscape.

The board is organized into seven committees: spiritual mission, investment, audit, budget and finance, academic and student affairs, facilities and campus development, and the executive committee. (View committee membership on the board webpage). The committees meet throughout the year and play a critical role in enabling focused, in-depth oversight of complex issues such as financial management, construction, governance, and long-term strategy areas that would be difficult for the full board to address with the same level of detail and efficiency. The committee work between meetings provides essential guidance that informs those board actions. All trustees serve on at least one committee, and many serve on multiple committees, a practice that ensures broad participation and an active role for board members in the university’s governance.

In keeping with the tradition set by Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell to have a well-balanced board of trustees made up of both pastors or ministry leaders and Christian business leaders, the 31-member board currently has 16 members with backgrounds in business and 15 from nonprofit or ministry organizations.