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Liberty University has made national news with its recent promotional commercial starring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

However, according to a statement released by Liberty’s General Counsel David Corry, the ad was not intended to support Gingrich as a presidential candidate.

“Liberty University and Speaker Newt Gingrich have a long history together that predates his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president,” Corry said. “Speaker Gingrich has collaborated on curriculum and is a visiting professor at Liberty University.”

According to the statement, the ad in question was aired not only in Iowa, as many news outlets reported, but also in Houston, Miami, Orlando and Philadelphia.

“The ad is not designed to endorse Newt or anyone else,” Dean of Liberty’s School of Law Mat Staver told the Lynchburg News and Advance. “…We’re not speaking about his positions. We’re not comparing him to another candidate. We’re not promoting his election.”

According to Liberty’s Vice President for Executive Projects Johnnie Moore, the statements offered by Staver were completely accurate.

“In each election cycle, Liberty has made it clear to our student body that the university cannot endorse candidates,” Moore said. “We have done this in various forums including convocation, on hall meetings, in the Champion and through the offices that have provided voter registration opportunities to the student body.”

The advertisement, which featured Gingrich, is one of many that the university uses to promote the school across the nation. The fact that the ad aired on the eve of the Iowa primary is purely coincidental, according to Corry.

“Newt Gingrich is a national figure whose prominence has risen greatly,” Corry said. “The ad is not intended to be Liberty University’s endorsement of Speaker Gingrich but to highlight instead that Newt Gingrich has endorsed Liberty University.”

“Furthermore, its Chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr., though legally free to endorse, has not made any endorsement in this election cycle either,” Corry said.

Corry concluded his statement by noting that all decisions made by the university were done as business decisions and not in any way intended to take part in the current political happenings.