Winter 2018 Employee Newsletter

A Word from the President

As we enter a busy Christmas season and prepare for another full semester, I want to encourage you to continue making an impact in every area of your job. Across our academic and athletics programs, we’re hearing more and more about how Liberty is carving out a unique place in higher education and making an impact in our community, across the state, and around the country.

In a recent study on Liberty’s economic impact, researchers found that the university is generating over $1 billion in economic activity in our community and in the commonwealth as Virginia’s largest and most rapidly growing institution of higher learning. The university and its auxiliary enterprises also make it Lynchburg’s largest employer. But the impact is measured by more than just the financial reports. With our top-rated facilities and attractions that draw thousands of guests to campus each year, the report says that Liberty has enhanced the quality of life for our region. Additionally, for the 2016-17 academic year, our faculty and staff provided an estimated 168,134 hours of volunteer service in the Lynchburg community, while our students provided 228,723 hours. I am proud to be part of an institution that takes such an active and positive role in our community.

At Liberty, when we say “impact,” we are talking about taking the gifts that God has given us and using them to better our world, to affect culture, to serve others, and to bring about real change in a person’s life. It all comes from our core mission: to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world. Thank you for joining me in this mission every day.

To say thank you for all that you do in Training Champions for Christ, I invite you to join me in celebrating the Savior’s birth and the season of giving together at our annual staff Christmas party on Dec. 14.

Becki and I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Jerry Falwell
President

Enjoy the Christmas season at the President’s Christmas Reception. Join us for Christmas in New York at The Food Court at Reber-Thomas on Friday, Dec. 14, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and taste the delicious assortment of entrées and desserts, including allergen-friendly options.

Transportation to and from the reception will be provided via shuttles. See the following for departure times and routes:

River Ridge Facility employees will be transported via bus to and from the reception in two groups:

• The first group will depart at 11:20 a.m. and return at 12:20 p.m. The second group will depart at 12:20 p.m. and return at 1:20 p.m. Buses will begin loading five minutes before leaving. The last bus will begin loading at 1:15 p.m.

Nationwide location employees will be transported via bus to and from the reception in two groups:

• The first group will depart at 11:20 a.m. and return at 12:30 p.m. The second group will depart at 12:20 p.m. and return at 1:30 p.m. Buses will begin loading five minutes before leaving. The last bus will begin loading at 1:20 p.m.

Green Hall employees will be transported to and from the reception via buses departing from the Green Hall transfer center. Buses will operate continuously during the event for people who wish to leave the reception early.

• The first bus heading to the reception will depart at 11:20 a.m.
• The last bus leaving the reception will depart at 2 p.m.

At least one ADA-accessible bus will be available at each location, and a supervisor will provide any necessary assistance.

Celebrate the New Year at Winterfest

Ring in 2019 with your favorite Christian artists at Winterfest. This year features Skillet and TobyMac, as well as other artists, performers, and speakers.

Your All-Event Ticket will include:

• Admission to all concerts
• Artist Q & A
• Ice skating at the LaHaye Ice Center
• Indoor soccer, rock climbing, swimming, and more at the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center
• Skiing, snowboarding, and tubing at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre

Check out current prices at LibertyWinterfest.com or call (866) 447-2084 for more information.

Liberty Welcomes New School of Engineering Dean

Liberty recently welcomed Dr. Mark Horstemeyer as the new dean of the School of Engineering.

With an extensive background in both engineering and higher education, Horstemeyer brings a wealth of experience to the position. His contributions to engineering include integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) research in the nuclear industry and helping to revolutionize safety testing in the automotive industry.

Coming from Mississippi State University as a Giles Distinguished professor, he has taught computational manufacturing and design and served as chair for computational solid mechanics in the university’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. Horstemeyer also founded and is the president of two startup companies: Predictive Design Technologies and Yobel Technologies.

Liberty is proud to bring such an accomplished individual to our School of Engineering.

Employee Poll Follow-Up

The Chief Experience Office would like to thank those who participated in the single statement poll during our All-Employee Meeting. The value of your voice can’t be overstated. You are helping us transform our university’s culture.

To recap, the statement was as follows:

True or False: Someone from the university recognized my work to me in the past 30 days.

Over 1,300 submissions later, the results were 68% FALSE and 32% TRUE. This reveals a few key observations about our employee population:

• For every one employee that has been recognized recently, there are two employees that haven’t been.
• Due to individual perceptions and experiences, a portion of our employee population did not engage in the poll about our workplace culture.
• Before any positive change can be felt, the word “recognition” must be clearly defined.

So, what’s next?

We need to understand what “recognition” is. Recognition is the acknowledgement of performance in relation to shared expectations: 1) the celebration of expectations met, and 2) the correction of neglected expectations.

While there are leaders (managers, department chairs, assistant directors, etc.) who currently employ best practices, it’s important to communicate that we — university leadership and the Experience Office— are training our leaders to set clear expectations and proactively recognize achievement and areas of needed growth in our employees.

Our goal is to improve communication between leadership and employees next year. In the coming months, expect to see more polls as we continue this conversation about bettering our workplace culture.

Join us — the Chief Experience Office — as we transform our university’s culture together.

Liberty Rallies Together for Giving Day

Giving Day 2018 successfully impacted our Liberty community this year.

Thank you for rallying with us to inspire a generation and impact our community. Your support means more student scholarships (71 Club Scholarship Fund), more aid for co-workers in need (Benevolence Fund), more assistance for military members (Heroes Fund), and more encouragement across a range of departments and programs.

Your impact has made a world of difference.

If you didn’t have a chance to give, it’s never too late. Would you join us in giving back? Give today.

Winter Sports Update

With the winter sports season upon us, Liberty Athletics is heating up. The men’s and women’s basketball teams have hit the ground running— including a season opener win for men’s basketball over Maine Fort Kent — but both teams have several more games before ASUN Conference play begins in January. Indoor track & field starts its season on Jan. 18 and hosts the Liberty Kickoff on Jan. 25-26.

See below for the 2019 ASUN Conference Championship calendar, and be sure to come out and support your Liberty Flames!

Feb. 22-23 | Indoor Track & Field at Liberty
March 1, 6, and 10 | Men’s Basketball (hosted by top-seeded teams)
March 8, 13, and 17 | Women’s Basketball (hosted by top-seeded teams)
April 18-20 | Men’s Tennis at Stetson
April 18-20 | Women’s Tennis at Stetson
April 19-20 | Beach Volleyball at Stetson
April 21-23 | Men’s Golf at The Legends Golf Club in Braselton, Ga.
April 21-23 | Women’s Golf at The Legends Golf Club in Braselton, Ga.
May 2-4 | Women’s Lacrosse at Coastal Carolina
May 8-11 | Softball at FGCU
May 10-11 | Outdoor Track & Field at North Florida
May 22-25 | Baseball at Stetson

The men’s basketball team takes on Kentucky Christian on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. We’re offering all Liberty employees $5 general admission tickets — that’s 50% off! You can purchase tickets online through your Liberty Athletics ticket account at LibertyFlames.com/Tickets.

Legacy on the Mountain

Discover the vision that started it all with Legacy on the Mountain, an interactive way to connect with Liberty’s history as you explore campus.

When Jerry Falwell Sr. stood before his congregation at Thomas Road Baptist Church in January 1971, he said, “Young people are the hope of our nation and our world. Let us dedicate ourselves tonight to starting a college with the goal of seeing thousands of young men and women, deeply in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, who will go out in all walks of life to shake this world for God.”

And that is what we do. We Train Champions for Christ.

You are invited to travel back through time and dream with our founder as you walk Liberty Mountain. Begin your journey here and then explore campus to find Legacy on the Mountain QR codes at the following locations:

• Freedom Tower
• Vines Center
• Jerry Falwell Library
• DeMoss Hall
• Williams Stadium

Unable to visit Liberty in person? Follow the links and rediscover the vision wherever you are.

Get the Liberty Today App

The Liberty Today App is your all-in-one Liberty University resource. This fully-customizable app allows you to choose from a list of modules to suit your needs and interests.

Need a parking space? Search parking availability before you arrive on campus.

Looking for a quick snack? View menus of campus dining locations in a snap.

This app even gives access to Blackboard, campus maps, Campus Community and Convocation livestreams, event calendars, ticket-purchasing options, the Liberty Journal magazine, and live sports updates — all in one easy location.

Put Liberty at your fingertips and never miss a second of the excitement. Download the app today.

Have You Visited the Employee Bulletin Board?

Did you know you can find all of Liberty’s upcoming events and information in one spot?

The Employee Bulletin Board is your one-stop shop for important announcements, special events, and great discounts. No need to shuffle through webpages to find what you are looking for because we’ve got it for you.

Interested in advertising an event or need to make a campuswide announcement? Contact your project coordinator or email marketing@liberty.edu for more information.

Employees of the Month

Congratulations to our Employees of the Month. You are a tremendous blessing to this university, and we are thankful for you. This recognition is proof that you go above and beyond expectations to consistently produce excellent work with a Christlike attitude and spirit. Thank you for all you do to make Liberty a shining light.

October: Bonnie Creef, Angel Dickerson, Kornel Gerstner, Julie Glover, Valerie Hancock, Amy Manuel, Daniel Notarbartolo, Tarik Oruc, Dan Ott, Betty Pittman, Katherine Rippy, Joyce Roberts, Sean Sealy, Daniel Solorzano, Ben Terry, Jay Thomas, April Tolley, Ciara Volkov, Keith Waller, Dan Wolf, and Jessica Workman.

November: Andrew Arrington, Robert Arthur, Jordan Bolt, Tyler Branson, Gene Brown, Ashley Clemons, Erin Cleveland, Danielle Cloos, Patrick Donigan, Corin Freeman, Peter Hoagland, Josh Little, Zachary Mann, Michael Marrano, Heidi Morales, Katie Ott, Roland Parris, Andy Smith, and Leah Summers.

December: Gabrielle Bateman, Ronald Camden, Wanda Gilmartin, Donald Hawkins, Wendall Hensley, Donna Hodgert, Courtney Huffman, Ryan Knowles, Jeremy McGinniss, Timothy Norton, Tim Pandorf, Tunya Pannell, Autumn Phillips, Aaron Sparkman, and Estefania Whitesell.

You Stand Out

Senior university leadership has been looking for staff members who exemplify an exceptional commitment to Liberty’s customer service standards. Last month, tickets* were handed out as our way of thanking those whose hard work and dedication (often behind the scenes) make a difference.

Congratulations to You Stand Out recipients: Jonathan Allen, Marishia Allie, Rebekah Bailey, Daniel Benedict, Connor Bogardus, Jerry Brooks, Brennon Carlson, Mark Cheatham, Charles Dechant, Denise Farmer, Kaitlyn Genaway, Timothy Griffin, Scott Hancock, Chrissie Hastoglis, Rhonda Hudsone, William Hungerford, Michelle L. Jack, MJ Jackson, Christopher Wayne Kidd, Alyssa Kidder, Lisa Kinsley, Jacqueline Flournoy Kline, Adyson Rose LeClair, Rachel Lindblad, Tracey Lindsay, Patrick Logan, Weston Martin, Daniel Maxam, Michaelle McCarthy, Barry J. Ousley, Samantha Pfeiffer, Timothy Player, Kimberly Ryckman, Debra Saucier, Chris Shaw, Virginia Stainback, Rebecca Stephens, Ashley St. Macary, Mathew Swinson, Candice Thornton, Justin Ulrich, Chris Wilson, Kimberly Witt, and Ronnie Young.

*Remember, these tickets are redeemable for a Barnes & Noble gift card. Continue to serve others — you never know when someone might notice that You Stand Out!