LIBERTY STUDENT NEWS

Facing allegations of repeat plagiarism, Timothy Clinton, a former professor of counseling and pastoral care at Liberty University and a member of President Trump’s evangelical executive advisory board, denied academic misconduct through a spokesperson. Clinton remains president of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Jimmy Queen, a spokesperson for Clinton at the association, said via email that Clinton “has a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism.”

Clinton has written “countless articles and dozens of books, totaling hundreds of thousands of pages,” Queen said, and “some of those works have involved more of his direct involvement than others since he has often been assisted by graduate students or research associates.” Queen offered explanations for various instances of alleged plagiarism, including “posting errors via some third party partners,” a “former employee whose work did not meet our quality standards” and a “co-authored work,” the latter being a devotional book that is under an immediate editorial review. He said Clinton retired from Liberty last year.

Source: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/08/14/former-liberty-u-professor-denies-plagiarism-allegations

Liberty University is opening its Odd Fellows Road Annex to those who have been displaced by flooding.

Because of evacuations, Liberty University has decided to offer housing at its Odd Fellows Road Annex.

Officials with the university say that several rooms with beds and bathrooms are available.

Source: http://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/Liberty-University-opens-Odd-Fellows-Road-Annex-to-those-displaced-by-flooding-490019761.html

One horse has died and several more are recovering after developing signs of Potomac horse fever (PHF) at the Liberty University Equestrian Center, in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Source: https://thehorse.com/159653/multiple-potomac-horse-fever-cases-at-liberty-university/

The Military Times released its Top 50 Schools for Tuition Assistance last week with Liberty University listed at No. 8.

Over fiscal year 2017, Liberty provided more than $14.5 million for military service members, veterans, and their spouses, who took a combined 20,461 courses. Liberty’s military students also enjoyed a 90 percent course completion rate (higher than most of the top 10 institutions).

“We consider it a privilege to support the hardworking men and women who serve this great nation,” said Emily Foutz, director of Liberty’sOffice of Military Affairs. “We are able to see firsthand the positive impact an education can have in preparing service members and veterans to advance in their military and civilian careers. Their college education, combined with the exceptional experiences and training they receive in the military, is often the springboard they need to continue to advance on their journey.”

Military Times also ranked Liberty No. 2 on its Best Online & Nontraditional Schools of 2018 list, recognizing the university’s vibrant military community both on campus and online. Liberty has been ranked in the top 10 by Military Times for the past eight years.

Liberty ranked No. 7 among private institutions on the 2018-19 Military Friendly schools list, with more than 30,000 active military service members, veterans, and military spouses currently pursuing degrees from their bases, stations, or homes around the world.

Last year, Liberty was officially recognized as the first Purple Heart University in Virginia.

“In many ways, our veteran students are the heart of our university and have consistently become a larger percentage of our student population,” Foutz said. “Our military students motivate us to continue to advance in our services and commitments as well. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve this amazing group of extraordinary individuals.”

More than 30 percent of Liberty’sClass of 2018 had military ties. Many military graduates participate in Liberty’s Commencement exercises each May, including a Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony. Some who are unable to attend Commencement on campus participate in graduation ceremonies held on their military bases, where university staff often join them in the celebration.

Liberty aims to meet the educational needs of service members, veterans, and their spouses, whether they are studying on campus or online. The Office of Military Affairs offers a variety of educational resources and special events, including Military Emphasis Week, for military students. Student veterans can visit the Veterans Center in the Montview Student Union, where they can connect with fellow veterans, as well as with faculty, staff, and community residents who serve as their mentors.

Visit Liberty.edu/Military for information on tuition discounts, scholarships, and book vouchers, as well as resources and a community network for military students.

(Liberty University is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any military service.)

SOURCE Liberty University

Liberty University Head Men’s Soccer Coach Jeff Alder and two members of his coaching staff partnered with a group of prominent evangelical leaders to provide a day of fun, food, and activities for immigrant children on Friday, July 13.

The event was held at Youth For Tomorrow’s campus, a residential children’s program in Bristow, Va. The facility is one of over 100 in the country that is caring for undocumented immigrant children while they are waiting to be connected with family members in the U.S. or placed in foster care.

Alder and assistant coaches Jose Gomez and AJ Madero were invited by Todd Lamphere, pastor of global outreach for Paula White Ministries and a former Flames soccer player, to provide a soccer clinic for about 100 children, ages 10-17, who are being housed at the facility. White, senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, helped out at the event, along with Dr. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church; Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor of Free Chapel; Johnnie Moore, CEO of The KAIROS Company and an alumnus and former vice president at Liberty; and Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church. Many of the evangelical leaders who helped host the event have served as advisers to President Donald Trump.

“Pastor Todd felt that soccer was the one sport that would really appeal to the kids based on their backgrounds, so we jumped at the opportunity to serve and represent Liberty,” Alder said. “Soccer has the ability to bring people together, even when we are from different backgrounds and cultures, and we felt it was important for us to be salt and light to these kids and be the aroma of Christ at every point of contact.”

When the children came out of their classrooms to start the camp, Alder said, “They walked across the fields to see our staff and the piles of soccer balls, and you could see the smiles, the pure joy, and the energy level from the group. They loved the soccer event and spending time with our staff. We were able to work with them on their passing, receiving, dribbling and shooting.”

The coaches held clinics in the morning and the afternoon and ended each session with a soccer game. Between sessions, the coaches and pastors served the children a lunch of Central American food. At the end of the day, Alder shared the Gospel with the group, with Madero translating in Spanish.

“I opened by sharing that the common denominator for our staff from Liberty University Soccer was a soccer ball and a relationship with Jesus Christ,” Alder said.

They gave each child a Liberty University Camp drawstring bag with a Liberty Frisbee, flashlight, water bottle, and pen. They also received a backpack filled with school supplies as well as a duffle bag with toiletries and clothing, all donated by the participating churches.

“The experience for our staff was extraordinary,” Alder said, “and we are blessed by our time with this special group of kids who ended up giving us much more than we gave them.”

The children also played in an inflatable water park set up at the site.

The event was part of the Project Shine refugee mission initiative, for which several churches and ministries came together to provide compassionate aid to hundreds of refugee minors through a day of enrichment and hope at the Virginia facility as well as an immigrant foster facility for children in Miami, Fla.

“This was a beautiful example of people of faith working with government, in this case the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Trump Administration,” Graham said. “This was one of the best experiences of that kind in my life.”

On his Instagram account following the event, Graham posted: “It was great to have the great Liberty University Soccer Coaches with us at Youth For Tomorrow event with migrant children from Central America. The kids were rockin the soccer ball and had so much fun learning from these fine coaches. Liberty is truly raising up champions as Dr. Falwell said so many times. @jerryfalwelljr and the University is a model for Christian higher education.”

Graham also complemented the facility, founded by Joe Gibbs, for providing for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the children. He said the children he served at the event were primarily from Honduras and Guatemala, and that 90 percent of them came there as unaccompanied minors — not separated from their parents at the border but sent over by their parents and, sadly, in many cases, as victims of human trafficking.

He called the event “Good Samaritan work.”

“When they’re here, we see it as our responsibility to care for them and show them the love of Christ,” he said.

Graham said he was touched when he heard one of the workers tell of a little boy who was able to call his father back home and tell him he was getting three full meals a day.

“His father was weeping on the phone that his child was being treated so well,” Graham said.

White said she also enjoyed the partnership with other ministries and appreciated Liberty’s willingness to give the children a wonderful outlet by playing a game they love.

According to White, the two Project Shine events involved 40 volunteers who served 230 refugee children.

“One of my favorite parts was when a child psychologist said to me: ‘You have given them their identity today,'” White said. “It was profound, after lengthy conversations. To us, what seems like a ‘small contribution’ of authentic love and care can literally transform a life.”

About Liberty University
Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the world’s premier Christian university, the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, and the largest university in Virginia. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 600 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. Approximately 350 programs are offered online. Utilizing its world class infrastructure and Christian faculty, Liberty’s mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrow’s world.

SOURCE Liberty University