CNA Week 2
Liberty News Week
We’re only a few weeks into the semester and campus is already buzzing — church partnerships, a football compliance mess, and a brand new ROTC track. Here’s three stories worth knowing about.
Students connect with neighboring churches on Local Church Emphasis Day
Liberty News Friday, Aug. 28 Read it here
Who: Liberty students and reps from 43 Lynchburg-area churches What: Churches pitched tents on the Academic Lawn so students could scope them out and find a church home When: Friday, Aug. 28 Where: Liberty’s Academic Lawn, Lynchburg, Va.
Liberty’s pushing thousands of new and returning students to get plugged into a real, local church right away — not just show up to Convocation and call it done. That decision shapes way more than someone’s Sunday mornings; it shapes the next four years.
Liberty News is credible because it’s the university’s own official outlet, reporting live from campus events and quoting leadership and church partners directly.
Reps from 43 Lynchburg-area churches showed up on the Academic Lawn Aug. 28 for the fifth annual Local Church Emphasis Day. Chancellor Jonathan Falwell and other university leaders were blunt about it: don’t treat campus worship as a stand-in for actually joining a church. The whole thing was run through LU Serve, the office that partners with local churches on service and discipleship year-round.
Liberty University resolving rules violations involving football staff
WDBJ7 Saturday, Aug. 29 Read it here
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Who: Liberty University, AD Ian McCaw, head coach Jamey Chadwell, and three football staffers What: Liberty’s finalizing self-imposed penalties after a Level II NCAA violation When: Announced Friday, Aug. 28 Where: Liberty’s athletics department, Lynchburg, Va.
This is not some rumor; it's a compliance hit. It goes over coaching staff and recruiting, which is exactly what anyone following Liberty football should care about.
WDBJ7 is credible because it’s a licensed local broadcast station reporting the facts and direct quotes from the athletic department — no spin.
Liberty confirmed Aug. 28 that three football staff members committed Level II NCAA violations by improperly contacting two recruits. McCaw and Chadwell both took ownership publicly and said they’d worked with the NCAA’s enforcement staff to get it resolved. Neither recruit ended up enrolling, and the staffers involved are already suspended while the NCAA closes out the case.
Naval Reserve program established at Liberty University
Cardinal News Monday, Aug. 31 Read it here
Who: Liberty University, the U.S. Navy, the Marine Corps, and UVA What: Liberty’s launching a new NROTC unit When: Reported Monday, Aug. 31; scholarship applications for 2027–28 are open now Where: Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va., under a host agreement with UVA
This hands students a brand new shot at a full-ride scholarship and a military commission — on top of the Army and Air Force ROTC programs Liberty already offers.
Cardinal News is credible because it’s a nonprofit newsroom covering Southwest and Southside Virginia with an education reporter on staff, and this brief traces straight back to Liberty’s own announcement.
Liberty’s rolling out a third ROTC track — Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps — through a new partnership with the Navy, Marine Corps, and UVA. Students in the program train to commission as Navy or Marine officers, and the scholarships generally cover full tuition plus other costs. Applications for the 2027–28 class are open now, and President Dondi Costin gave credit to Rep. John McGuire and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for helping get the unit off the ground.
