Liberty University posts qualifications for next president

Following the announcement earlier this month that Atlanta-based CarterBaldwin was chosen to conduct a national search to identify the next president of Liberty University, the Liberty University Board of Trustees released a search profile this week that details the qualifications and attributes for the position.

According to the profile, Liberty’s next president will be “an evangelical Christian leader who pursues godly wisdom and humility in both life and leadership” and a person who is “above reproach, teachable, optimistic, authentic, transparent, and steadfast in their commitment and affirmation of the mission, vision, values, and the statement of faith of Liberty and Thomas Road Baptist Church.”

The selected candidate will be charged with advancing Liberty’s Gospel-centered mission of Training Champions for Christ, safeguarding the university’s rich history, modeling leadership integrity, and promoting academic and spiritual excellence among staff, faculty, and students.

The next president is expected to build upon Liberty’s strong leadership and foster a culture of integrity, trust, and transparency as a committed servant of Jesus Christ and ardent communicator of the unique value of Christian education. Among those spiritual convictions is a proven commitment to the inerrancy and authority of God’s Word.

The Board of Trustees seeks an evangelical leader with both business acumen and spiritual maturity who can manage and lead in a highly complex environment with financial and operational savvy and incredible poise and discipline. The next president is expected to build like-minded partnerships with external stakeholders who will seek to advance Liberty’s mission.

The profile notes that preference will be given to candidates who have experience in higher education and a deep appreciation for Liberty’s historic legacy and full integration of the Christian faith in education.

As promised, the position profile allows for the search committee to solicit and evaluate potential candidates. The committee has set a target of installing the new university president prior to the 2023-24 academic year.

Nominations and résumés can be submitted to Price Harding (pharding@carterbaldwin.com) or Bill Peterson (bpeterson@carterbaldwin.com).