Mike Pompeo joins staff: Former Secretary of State named new faculty member

Liberty University gained a new faculty member when it announced the induction of former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as the distinguished chair of the Helms School of Government during Convocation Oct. 11. 

Pompeo will bring a wealth of knowledge to Liberty from his background in public policy and international relations, as well as his former military service. He graduated first in his class in the United States Military Academy at West Point and is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He also served as director of the CIA in 2017 and as the 70th U.S. secretary of state. 

Pompeo said he looks forward to using his position to interact on a personal level with students. 

“As part of my new position with Liberty, I want to be on campus as much as possible,” Pompeo said. “When there, I want to ensure I’m connecting with students, sitting in on classes and doing everything I can to prepare them to pursue successful careers and fulfilling, faith-centered lives.”

He also said he recognizes Liberty’s uniqueness as a Christian university and the opportunity he will have to share his faith
with students. 

“Liberty is a unique and special institution because it recognizes how important the intersection of faith and public service (is) to leadership,” Pompeo said. “So many in America today reject that faith should be involved in public service, but nothing could be further from the truth. Over my years serving in government, my faith was always central to my decision-making.”

Katie Gooding, student in the Helms School of Government, is excited for Pompeo to continue furthering Liberty’s mission of training Champions for Christ.

“Pompeo’s mission at Liberty not only is to represent his years of service and experience throughout various branches of government, but to truly continue to train Champions for Christ,” Gooding said. “His work throughout his years of serving the country both (in a military and political sense) truly shows how Christians can use their faith to (share)
their worldview.

For more information on the Helms School of Government, visit this website.  

Smith is the editor-in-chief for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X