Liberty University Motto Knowledge Aflame Established 1971 Type Private Religious affiliation Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia Endowment $58,646,614 [1] Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. Academic staff 1,838 Undergraduates 12,600[2] and 90,000+ online[3] Postgraduates 5,814 Location Lynchburg, Virginia, USA Campus Suburban Former names Lynchburg Baptist College Liberty Baptist College Colors navy, white, and red Nickname Flames Mascot Sparky Affiliations Big South Conference Website liberty.edu

Liberty University is a private, Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. Liberty's annual enrollment includes 12,600 residential students and over 90,000 online students as of May 2013.[4][5][6] When including the number of people taking its online courses, LU is the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world, the nation's largest private nonprofit university and 7th largest four-year university, and the largest university in Virginia.[7][8][9]

Liberty's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Liberty Flames. They compete in the Big South Conference.

The university was founded as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971 by Jerry Falwell, who was also Senior Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church. The name was changed to Liberty Baptist College in 1976 before settling on its current name, Liberty University, in 1984, when it obtained university status.

Liberty University describes itself as a Christian academic community. Its stated mission and aims emphasize both the intellectual and spiritual development of the institution's students.[10] Students are held to The Liberty Way, a code of behavioral conduct.

Liberty University's Campus East housing complex consists of 30 multi-story apartment style dormitories, the last six of which were completed in 2007. Rooms in these dormitories have their own kitchens, living room and private baths. A clubhouse offers a swimming pool, billiards room, and a private theater. A tunnel connecting the east and west ends of the campus was completed in 2004. A second tunnel was completed January 2012, and provides pedestrian passage under the Norfolk Southern Railway and access to nearby shopping opportunities. In addition, a campus bus/shuttle system was added in the fall of 2006, providing transportation both on and off campus until midnight most evenings.

The 90,000-square-foot (8,400m2) LaHaye Student Center, has a lounge, basketball courts, cardio and weight rooms, cafe, multi-purpose rooms, aerobic rooms and other amenities.[11] The adjacent Tilley Center has TV lounges, game tables, pool room, and social areas, as well as a stage for student performances, bands and small concerts. Other projects include a 60-mile (97km) mountain bike trail system, a motorcross facility, paintball fields, 3D archery range, intramural sports program and club sports, including lacrosse and ice hockey, which plays in an ice rink donated by Drs. Tim and Beverly LaHaye, and a new indoor soccer facility.

During the spring of 2007, a secondary practice facility for the Liberty volleyball program was opened as part of a new, on-campus training complex. The existing $750,000 facility on Campus East houses the volleyball coaches offices and a team room, and serves as the teams practice facility whenever the Vines Center and Schilling Center are unavailable.[12]

Construction was completed in August 2009 on the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, a synthetic ski slope featuring Snowflex; the Centre was designed by Englands Briton Engineering. It includes beginner, intermediate and advanced slopes, and is the first of its kind in the United States.[13]

On September 24, 2010, Liberty opened the new Tower Theater, with seating for up to 640 people. For the 2010-11 theater season, The Theater Department opened with Hairspray, and closed in Spring 2011 with The Phantom of the Opera. The theatre includes balcony seating, an orchestra pit, catwalks, a fly tower, a box office and 12,000 square feet (1,100m2) of support area.[14] The tower was originally part of a cell phone plant. BCWH Architects, which designed the adaptation of the tower as a theatre, won first place at the ASID's annual IDEAs for the Contract Institutional Category.[15]

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