Liberty University

The information on this page was last updated 4/19/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]


Summary

Liberty University, Inc. is a Christian academic community in the tradition of evangelical institutions of higher education, with the primary mission of providing quality collegiate education.


Contact information

Mailing address:
Liberty University
1971 University Blvd
Lynchburg, VA 24515

Website: liberty.edu

Phone: 434-582-2000

Email: [email protected]


Organization details

EIN: 540946734

CEO/President: Dr. Jerry Prevo

Chairman: Tim Lee

Board size: 30

Founder: Jerry Falwell

Ruling year: 1974

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 06/30

Member of ECFA: No

Member of ECFA since:


Purpose

Liberty University will:

Emphasize excellence in teaching and learning.
Foster university-level competencies in communication, critical thinking, information literacy, and mathematics in all undergraduate programs.
Ensure competency in scholarship, research, and professional communication in all graduate programs and undergraduate programs where appropriate.
Promote the synthesis of academic knowledge and a Christian worldview in order that there might be a maturing of spiritual, intellectual, social and physical value-driven behavior.
Enable students to engage in a major field of study in career-focused disciplines built on a solid foundation in the liberal arts.
Promote an understanding of the Western tradition and the diverse elements of American cultural history, especially the importance of the individual in maintaining democratic and free market processes.
Contribute to a knowledge and understanding of other cultures and of international events.
Encourage a commitment to the Christian life, one of personal integrity, sensitivity to the needs of others, social responsibility and active communication of the Christian faith, and, as it is lived out, a life that leads people to Jesus Christ as the Lord of the universe and their own personal Savior.


Mission statement

Maintaining the vision of the founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Liberty University develops Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world.
Through its residential and online programs, services, facilities, and collaborations, the University educates men and women who will make important contributions to their workplaces and communities, follow their chosen vocations as callings to glorify God, and fulfill the Great Commission.


Statement of faith

We affirm our belief in one God, infinite Spirit, creator, and sustainer of all things, who exists eternally in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are one in essence but distinct in person and function.

We affirm that the Father is the first person of the Trinity and the source of all that God is and does. From Him the Son is eternally generated and from Them the Spirit eternally proceeds. He is the designer of creation, the speaker of revelation, the author of redemption, and the sovereign of history.

We affirm that the Lord Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity. Eternally begotten from the Father, He is God. He was conceived by the virgin Mary through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. He lives forever as perfect God and perfect man: two distinct natures inseparably united in one person.

We affirm that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son and equal in deity. He is the giver of all life, active in the creating and ordering of the universe; He is the agent of inspiration and the new birth; He restrains sin and Satan; and He indwells and sanctifies all believers.

We affirm that all things were created by God. Angels were created as ministering agents, though some, under the leadership of Satan, fell from their sinless state to become agents of evil. The universe was created in six historical days and is continuously sustained by God; thus it both reflects His glory and reveals His truth. Human beings were directly created, not evolved, in the very image of God, as either biologically male or female from the womb. As reasoning moral agents, they are responsible under God for understanding and governing themselves and the world.

We affirm that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words are the written true revelation of God; it is therefore inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters. It is to be understood by all through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, its meaning determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the author's language, comparing Scripture with Scripture.

We affirm that Adam, the first man, willfully disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world. As a result, all persons are sinners from conception, which is evidenced in their willful acts of sin; and they are therefore subject to eternal punishment, under the just condemnation of a holy God.

We affirm that Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice by the appointment of the Father. He fulfilled the demands of God by His obedient life, died on the cross in full substitution and payment for the sins of all people, was buried, and on the third day He arose physically and bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven where He now intercedes for all believers.

We affirm that each person can be saved only through the work of Jesus Christ, through repentance of sin and by faith alone in Him as Savior. The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven.

We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all who are born again, conforming them to the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is a process completed only in Heaven. Every believer is responsible to live in obedience to the Word of God in separation from sin. Doing so produces a distinctly Christian lifestyle of practicing virtues and avoiding sin. Among other virtues, followers of Jesus Christ will: show evidence of the Holy Spirit living within them such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and supremely, love; seek righteousness, mercy and justice, particularly for the helpless and oppressed; love and side with what is good in God's eyes and abhor what is evil in God's eyes; uphold the God-given worth of all human beings, from conception to death, as the unique image-bearers of God; treat all people impartially, seeing them as equals before God and worthy of salvation; pursue unity and embrace people of all tribes and tongues as part of God's design for humanity; uphold chastity among the unmarried and the sanctity of marriage between one natural-born man and one natural-born woman; be people of integrity whose word can be fully trusted; give faithful witness to the Gospel; practice good works toward all; and live lives of prayer and thanksgiving. Sinful acts are prohibited by God and include but are not limited to: worship of idols or gods other than the Lord God of the Bible; denying Jesus Christ as eternal, as God's son in flesh, as resurrected, as Creator, as Lord or as Messiah who died for the sins of all people; rejection of Jesus Christ or rebellion against God; blasphemy; participation in devil worship, practice of the occult, astrology, fortune-telling, sorcery, or witchcraft; taking of innocent life; denial of birth sex by self-identification with a different gender; married persons sexually or romantically coupling with a person other than their spouse; sexual relations outside of marriage between one natural-born man and one natural-born woman; romantic coupling among persons of the same sex; prostitution; orgies; rape; drunkenness; use of profanity and vulgarity; injustice; making false statements; dishonest sales and exchanges of money; thievery; fits of rage; and illegal activity.

We affirm that God ordained three institutions with unique purposes in society: marriage, government and the church. God established marriage as a covenantal bond between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman to populate the earth, to raise and spiritually train children within a family, to provide the couple with intimate companionship, loving help and joy, and to serve as an illustration of the relationship of Jesus Christ to the church. God established civil government to protect its citizens, punish evil and reward good. God established the church as the entire body of believers with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone and the apostles as its foundation to evangelize, baptize and disciple people of all nations.

We affirm that a church is a local assembly of baptized believers, under the discipline of the Word of God and the lordship of Christ, organized to carry out the commission to evangelize, to teach, and to administer the ordinances of believer's baptism and the Lord's table. Its offices are pastors and deacons, and it is self-governing. It functions through the ministry of gifts given by the Holy Spirit to each believer.

We affirm that the return of Christ for all believers is imminent. It will be followed by seven years of great tribulation, and then the coming of Christ to establish His earthly kingdom for a thousand years. The unsaved will then be raised and judged according to their works and separated forever from God in hell. The saved, having been raised, will live forever in heaven in fellowship with God.

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Transparency grade

C

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Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Colleges/Universities

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating495 of 107463 of 130
Fund acquisition rating423 of 107545 of 130
Resource allocation rating299 of 107529 of 130
Asset utilization rating824 of 1074113 of 130

Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
11%5%13%10%16%32%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
2%0%0%0%0%0%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
18%3%1%2%2%1%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
2%0%0%0%1%1%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
82%97%99%98%98%99%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
84%89%89%87%87%87%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
95%77%81%78%78%79%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
79%69%72%67%68%68%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
5%23%19%22%22%21%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
4%10%9%11%11%11%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
13%10%11%13%13%13%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
0.500.300.320.320.320.34
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
2.662.993.352.773.853.78
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
1.540.891.090.891.241.29
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
7.305.374.375.753.702.99
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.140.190.230.170.270.33
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
6.4111.038.5211.197.066.20
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20212020201920182017
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
25%12%14%14%15%18%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
15%5%6%6%7%8%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
143%297%266%269%263%240%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20212020201920182017
Cash$405,275,506$330,655,881$263,487,727$283,091,994$174,705,205
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$50,662,550$48,758,903$81,729,521$55,731,753$115,989,911
Short-term investments$860,248,918$627,288,983$784,840,644$392,123,074$389,387,764
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$1,316,186,974$1,006,703,767$1,130,057,892$730,946,821$680,082,880
Long-term investments$1,149,714,103$918,446,198$663,873,966$798,677,070$735,828,946
Fixed assets$1,450,534,059$1,419,694,279$1,308,955,036$1,258,649,379$1,150,465,204
Other long-term assets$14,595,838$22,650,108$24,494,530$24,665,636$5,182,657
Total long-term assets$2,614,844,000$2,360,790,585$1,997,323,532$2,081,992,085$1,891,476,807
Total assets$3,931,030,974$3,367,494,352$3,127,381,424$2,812,938,906$2,571,559,687
 
Liabilities20212020201920182017
Payables and accrued expenses$84,372,367$88,680,388$68,688,052$71,082,091$70,103,244
Other current liabilities$160,581,155$141,750,772$127,695,672$126,407,226$156,970,249
Total current liabilities$244,953,522$230,431,160$196,383,724$197,489,317$227,073,493
Debt$194,994,010$197,589,939$202,536,441$205,052,835$207,769,474
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$30,144,590$29,753,358$31,760,591$29,905,036$32,706,878
Total long-term liabilities$225,138,600$227,343,297$234,297,032$234,957,871$240,476,352
Total liabilities$470,092,122$457,774,457$430,680,756$432,447,188$467,549,845
 
Net assets20212020201920182017
Without donor restrictions$3,429,256,394$2,886,771,669$2,672,903,339$2,359,931,414$2,087,057,966
With donor restrictions$31,682,457$22,948,226$23,797,329$20,560,304$16,951,876
Net assets$3,460,938,852$2,909,719,895$2,696,700,668$2,380,491,718$2,104,009,842
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20212020201920182017
Total contributions$44,452,653$16,444,061$24,340,904$28,909,244$13,964,116
Program service revenue$1,407,719,569$1,309,847,537$1,229,034,114$1,082,668,020$1,037,526,114
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$58,967,255$13,759,215$22,156,313$33,001,962$50,245,699
Other revenue$4,814,229$3,606,577$14,063,754$14,735,745$9,574,570
Total other revenue$1,471,501,053$1,327,213,329$1,265,254,181$1,130,405,727$1,097,346,383
Total revenue$1,515,953,706$1,343,657,390$1,289,595,085$1,159,314,971$1,111,310,499
 
Expenses20212020201920182017
Program services$1,041,993,560$969,960,646$868,723,138$785,776,571$760,115,740
Management and general$121,304,718$121,720,343$129,919,330$116,107,683$112,679,894
Fundraising$2,381,210$2,060,809$2,473,311$4,635,951$4,486,779
Total expenses$1,165,679,488$1,093,741,798$1,001,115,779$906,520,205$877,282,413
 
Change in net assets20212020201920182017
Surplus (deficit)$350,274,218$249,915,592$288,479,306$252,794,766$234,028,086
Other changes in net assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total change in net assets$350,274,218$249,915,592$288,479,306$252,794,766$234,028,086

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
Mr Jerry FalwellChancellor/President$2,202,231
Mr Hugh FreezeHead Coach-Football$1,138,306
Mr Ritchie McKayHead Coach-Men's Basketball$1,121,422
Mr Ian McCawDirector of Athletics$684,209
Mr Ronald KennedyEVP of Enrollment & Marketing$578,805
Mr Turner GillFormer Highly Compensated$573,682
Dr Peter BellDean, LU College of Osteopathi$474,539
Mr David NasserSR VP of Spiritual Development$422,737
Mr John GaugerChief Information Officer$369,792
Dr Robert RitzCFO/Treasurer$365,474
Mr Scott SymonsLinebacker Coach$362,783
Mr Richard AustinTightend Coach$353,862
Mr Randall SmithEVP & COO/Management Consultan$338,912
Ms Laura WallaceEVP for Human Resources$324,267
Mr David CorryGeneral Counsel/Secretary$320,913
Mr Don MoonSR VP of Investment Management$275,642
Dr Scott HicksProvost and Chief Academic Off$261,338
Mr Charles SpenceSR VP of Facilities Management$255,219
Dr Ronald HawkinsFormer Officer$232,000
Dr Shawn AkersOnline Provost$230,891
Mr Dan ApplewhiteDeputy General Counsel/Assista$226,773
Mr Trey FalwellVP of University Operations$216,433
Dr Lawrence HineSenior VP of Student Affairs$203,235
Mr Christian KennedyFormer Officer$201,700
Mr Chris JohnsonFormer Key Employee$127,586
Pastor Jonathan FalwellTrustee/Vice Chancellor of Spi$54,209
Mr Anthony BecklesTrustee/Online chair$29,066
Dr John Borek JrTrustee & Adjunct Professor$16,400
Dr Allen McFarlandTrustee & Adjunct Professor$5,300

Compensation data as of: 6/30/2020


Response from ministry

No response has been provided by this ministry.


The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/19/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]


History

Standing on the shoulders of more than two millennia of Christian scholarship, Liberty University emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge in every discipline. A world-class liberal arts university with 15 schools and colleges, Liberty offers more than 750 programs from the certificate to the doctoral level ranging from medicine, biology, chemistry, and engineering to design, music, religion, law, and more.

Founded in 1971 in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty has grown from a small college of 154 students into a university with a residential student body of over 15,000. Preparing students to be doctors, educators, ministers, lawyers, aviators, counselors, engineers, and more, Liberty is committed to developing tomorrow's leaders - men and women of character whose impact will extend beyond their professions to change the world around them.

Through those founding years, students and faculty were inspired to influence the moral and ethical course of America. Subsequently, the school's name officially changed to Liberty Baptist College in 1976 and the colors were changed to red, white, and blue. The college achieved full accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in 1980.

By 1985, the school had become recognized as a fully accredited university, adding programs and garnering recognition from both mainstream culture and the world of academia. Liberty also pioneered a distance learning program that year, launching what is now known as Liberty University Online.

With the passing of the founder in 2007, his son, Jerry Falwell Jr., became chancellor and president of the university. At the 2007 Commencement ceremony, just days after his father's passing, then Cancellor Falwell proclaimed, "We have prepared for this transition for 15 years or more. All is well at Liberty."

Liberty's journey has been one of facing giants, making the impossible possible, watching fervent prayer move mountains, and Training Champions for Christ.


Program accomplishments


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