Longtime staff member credited for key role in ‘building up’ Liberty’s campus

Many members of the Liberty University community have watched structures rise from the ground, turning farmland into a college campus, but Charles Spence is one of a select few who have been directly involved in much of the building. After 39 years of working for Liberty and its related ministries, Spence recently retired from Liberty as Senior Vice President of Campus Facilities and Transportation.

“Charles Spence is a true Champion whose life and work have been an integral part of Liberty University’s mission and story for nearly four decades. From a temporary construction worker to ditch digger to master electrician, to overseeing project planning and design, there are buildings and facilities all across Liberty’s campus that are the fruit of his careful labor,” said Liberty President Dondi Costin. “Charles leaves our campus and facilities today in the best shape they’ve ever been. His outstanding service and dedication from the days of Dr. Falwell to today and his unwavering commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Liberty’s mission cannot be overstated. We wish God’s richest blessings on him and his family as he begins a new chapter in his life.”

“Charles has been an integral part of our team, embodying professionalism, expertise, and a genuine passion for his work,” said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Scott Hicks. “His wealth of knowledge, leadership, and mentorship have positively impacted countless colleagues and have been instrumental in shaping the success of Liberty University.”

Beginning in February of 1985, Spence spent his first three years working for the “Old-Time Gospel Hour” television ministry as a temporary laborer for the in-house construction crew, digging ditches for the electrical group. The job, which was only supposed to last through the summer, involved the construction of the first floor of DeMoss Hall, Dorms 25-28 (now known as The Circle), and the now-demolished Hancock Athletic Building (the site of the current Hancock Welcome Center). Spence was one of 100 workers on the electrical team, but by the end of the summer, the crew was reduced to five and then to him as the lone electrician.

“From that role, I worked my way to becoming a Master Electrician by putting myself through classes at Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) and passing state certification tests,” Spence said.

In 1988, he was placed in the maintenance department and soon promoted to crew leader, a role through which he aided in the construction of the Vines Center, Williams Stadium, and the original Reber-Thomas Dining Hall. He was promoted to Maintenance Director in 1993 while also overseeing projects such as the addition of three floors to DeMoss Hall, Dorms 33 and 19 on Campus East, and the pedestrian tunnel under U.S. 460 that connects Campus East to Main Campus.

During the school’s financial struggles in the 1980s and ’90s, Spence said it took resilience and a belief in God’s provision and the mission of the school to carry on operations.

“We have been through some very tough times over the years, and in the late ’80s and early ’90s I was known as the king of duct tape and tie wire,” Spence said. “This is how we lived and survived. Times were tight… but it was real, and we lived through it.”

The ministry of Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell was growing rapidly in 2004, Spence said, and he was hired by Falwell to start the Planning and Construction Department to oversee all new projects, which at the time included the new (and current) building of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty Christian Academy, the new Football Operations Center, and several more residence halls on Campus East.

“From that role, I oversaw renovation of the entire Green Hall project, converting it from an old 1950s General Electric industrial factory to a new educational and business space,” Spence said. “We constructed the LaHaye Student Center, the Thomas indoor Soccer Center, the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center, the School of Law, and more.”

Spence said working directly with Falwell was one of his fondest memories of his career at Liberty, citing their morning phone calls when he would pick up the phone to hear Falwell asking, “Charles, what are we doing today?”

“He was very inspirational and motivational,” Spence said of Falwell. “He had a dream and a vision and worked so hard to see the dream brought to life, so being on his team meant that I had to do everything I could to make it happen. Up until my retirement, I would often tell people that while I only worked for Dr. Falwell a couple of years (before Falwell’s passing in 2007), ‘I am still trying to complete the work, dream, and task that Falwell planned for me.’”

In the years since, Spence has played a core role in the transformation of Liberty’s campus into what it is today and charting out a master plan for future changes. Looking back now in his retirement, Spence said he is grateful to have played a part in building the university and contributing to God’s kingdom in some way.

“Every project we took on, we knew that it was a project to further the mission of Training Champions for Christ,” Spence said. “It was all part of Dr Falwell’s dream and vision. It was our service to God, and it was our privilege and honor to serve the Lord as builders of the Kingdom.”