Liberty University making major leadership change, splitting roles of chancellor and president

While at Liberty, Jerry Falwell Jr. served in both roles

In this March 24, 2020 file photo, a sign marks the entrance to Liberty University, Tuesday March 24 , 2020, in Lynchburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A major change is coming to Liberty University.

The university’s Board of Trustees announced Monday that one person will no longer serve as the university’s chancellor and president.

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This is a change from how the university operated under Jerry Falwell Jr.'s leadership, where he served in both capacities.

The chancellor will be the university’s spiritual leader to ensure it is faithful to its Christian mission, while the president will be responsible to administrate the academics, operations and employees of the University.

This decision comes after two days of meetings by the board.

The board named 10 trustees to a president and chancellor search committee and tasked them with starting the planning process for presenting the candidates for the two senior leadership positions.

In addition to that committee, an advisory committee will be formed consisting of students, faculty and alumni.

Liberty expects it to take more than a year to find its next president and its next chancellor.

That timeline will not begin until the board approves processes and job descriptions in a future meeting.


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