Liberty’s newest faculty eager to fulfill their callings and advance the mission

With the Fall 2026 semester right around the corner, Liberty University welcomed over 35 new residential faculty members at New Faculty Orientation on Aug. 11 and 14. The new faculty represent multiple disciplines across Liberty’s undergraduate and graduate programs.

Held in the Jerry Falwell Library and DeMoss Hall, the orientation sessions provided new faculty the chance to become better acquainted with various university offices, policies, and software. They heard presentations from staff with the Jerry Falwell Library, the College of Applied Studies & Academic Success, the Office of Disability Accommodation Support, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, LU One, and more.

The sessions also allowed professors to learn how they can play a special role in Training Champions for Christ and build strong biblically grounded relationships with their peers as they enter new seasons in their careers.

Vice Provost for Biblical Integration Mark Eckel spoke to the faculty: “You join a great faculty group dedicated to thinking about and teaching their disciplines from a Christian perspective,” he said. “The Center for Biblical Integration (CBI) welcomes all new faculty to our campus and is here to serve and support all professors with biblical principles in their areas of study.”

Assistant Professor of Law Gary Dunn has joined Liberty’s faculty after years of experience as a commercial litigator and law clerk. He previously served as an assistant attorney general specializing in constitutional defense for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. He said he felt drawn to Liberty because of the university’s commitment to teaching law from a biblical perspective.

“First and foremost, God is the source of law,” he said. “We wouldn’t be here at all to even make laws or do anything if it wasn’t for Him. Related to that, too, is the idea of objective morality instead of the prevalent moral relativism in society. To even know I can open a Bible and start my class that way is the cornerstone of what it means to me (to teach at Liberty).”

Engineering Assistant Professor David Fazzina, who is entering his first year as a full-time faculty member teaching mechanical engineering, hopes to use his 20 years of engineering and manufacturing experience to help train the next generation to enter the workforce.

“It’s like a dream come true for me,” he said. “I’ve spent a big part of my career teaching whenever I could. I have that innate desire to aggregate information and synthesize it into a cohesive story and then share that with others. It’s a strength and a joy I have to do that. It is really exciting for me to be able to do this full time.”

Through classroom instruction, Fazzina hopes to not only increase his students’ engineering expertise but also help them grow in their personal walks with Christ.

“The most important thing we can do is share about our love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to impart how much He has meant to us, all to encourage the students,” he said. “Engineering is considered a difficult discipline, so there is going to be a high level of stress to get through the program. But students have a shoulder and support beyond their wildest imagination by turning to Jesus. I definitely want to make sure our students understand how awesome our Lord is.”

The new faculty joined their colleagues at the All-Faculty Orientation on Wednesday, where they enjoyed a time of worship along with messages from Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, President Dondi E. Costin, Chief Operating Officer Scott Hicks, and Eckel.

Residential classes for the Fall 2026 semester begin on Monday, Aug. 24.