During 13 years under the stewardship of Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, has grown into a powerhouse with an endowment of over $1.7 billion, more than 15,000 on-campus and over 94,000 virtual students and a Division I athletics program.
During 13 years under the stewardship of Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, has grown into a powerhouse with an endowment of over $1.7 billion, more than 15,000 on-campus and over 94,000 virtual students and a Division I athletics program. However, Falwell’s tenure at Liberty has become increasingly controversial. On Tuesday, he resigned as university president after the latest in a series of scandals, this one involving an extramarital affair by his wife and allegations from her lover that Falwell participated as a voyeur. A look at key moments in Falwell’s life and relationship with the university: June 17, 1962: Jerry Falwell Jr. is born in Lynchburg to the Southern Baptist pastor and televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr. and Macel Pate Falwell. — 1971: The Lynchburg Baptist College is founded, beginning as an institution of just 154 students. It would be renamed Liberty Baptist College in 1977 and Liberty University in 1985. — 1984: Falwell Jr. graduates from Liberty with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and history. — 1987: Falwell Jr. earns a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. A few months later he marries Becki Tilley, also a graduate of Liberty, according to his university bio. — May 15, 2007: Falwell Sr. dies at age 73. Falwell Jr. is named president of Liberty soon after. — 2007-present: With Falwell Jr. at the helm, Liberty dramatically expands its enrollment, curriculum and academic, residential and athletic facilities, including with the 2014 opening of the Center for Medical and Health Sciences.
