(03-31-2018 09:15 AM)Ewglenn Wrote: If you were in charge of Liberty what would you like to see changed? Less politics, more politics, alcohol at events, more/less online presence, etc. What would you like to see changed if you could make any changes you wanted?
The politics here at Liberty have gone overboard. The number of Convo speakers who are strictly political, or times where other Convo speakers have been cut short bc Sally Politician needed to preach politics for 15-20 minutes, is ridiculous. If I was in charge, I'd cut that in half. I'm not opposed to some politics or even being a Conservative school, but the way our President tweets & talks, you'd think the school owed everything to POTUS. Back-off from the constant politics, let the school become the pride & joy of hi eye & conversations again.
Invite more people from this area such as doctors, businessmen, ministry leaders, engineers, etc who can speak to a more wide-range of students who have to go to Convo, as well as making good connections with the Lynchburg area. There is a divide between people who are all for Liberty & people who hate our guts. The more we can show we are for this community, the more we can build a good relationship that can have even more great benefits for both parties.
Regarding alcohol at events, I think it's best that Liberty continue their stance. I'm from a family where drinks are a part of family gatherings, so I am by no means anti-drinking. However, there are many benefits to Liberty continuing their stance on drinking, especially with sporting events being family-friendly, & the RAs & RSs have enough to deal with on their halls without also having to worry about a majority of students drinking.
Until we become a school that is consistently bringing in more money through Resident academics & athletics, we have to keep our Online academics strong. They bring in some of the most money of any area here at LU. However, I would make some major changes to the way the offices are run for Admissions through Advising at LUO. I have heard from friends who work at the local hospital that one of the most consistent groups of people in the city being admitted for mental health & heart issues is people who work in that department due to the stress put on them. Quite frankly, something has to be done soon.
I'd also put someone from the School of Divinity in charge of overseeing what ministers & Christian artists are invited to Convo. There are a number of other areas that can & should be invited to Convo, & I think departments related to those speakers should also be consulted, so this would only affect minister & Christian artist speaker selections. There have been a number of ministers invited with some questionable theology in recent years based upon what i hear from current students, & this is disheartening. If you want to have one or two that challenge students' ability to reason theologically, that's fine. But unfortunately that seems to be the rule more than the exception. We need to build up our students & present the true Gospel, otherwise you leave the students at risk by promoting false gospels.
Finally, I would also look into a major expansion within the Residential areas. Seek to build more academic buildings to allow for growth in a number of Schools we already have. Our Nursing program is highly respected, but they are limited by a small number of classrooms & practice examination rooms. Build more varying dorms up or out on the mountain that can hold more students. Add another cafeteria on the Mountain that functions like the ROT with basic meal swipes instead of Flames cash or meal points, making dorm expansion & special events like CFAW more possible. Grow our Graduate program with Grad housing. Build a hospital along the lines of Duke & others.
