UPDATED: Liberty University files $10M suit against Falwell
Liberty University has sued Jerry Falwell Jr. for $10 million, accusing the former president and chancellor of the Lynchburg-based Christian university of breach of contract and fiduciary duty. The suit alleges that Falwell negotiated a salary increase and larger severance package in his 2019 contract while not disclosing to the university’s executive committee his entanglement […]
Liberty’s renamed think tank names Pompeo, Huckabee as fellows
Liberty University’s newly renamed think tank, the Standing for Freedom Center, has announced a slate of five new fellows, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Also named as fellows are Abby Johnson, an anti-abortion activist who used to work for Planned Parenthood, and Liberty alumni David and Jason Benham, […]
VMI names Wins new superintendent
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins was named Virginia Military Institute’s new superintendent by the VMI Board of Visitors on Thursday. Wins, who has served as interim superintendent at VMI since November 2020, is a 1985 graduate of the state-supported military college in Lexington. “Maj. Gen. Wins has distinguished himself as a leader […]
Mary Baldwin University announces $5 million gift
William H. “Bill” Goodwin Jr. and his wife, Alice, have made a $5 million gift to Mary Baldwin University to fund the launch of a new hybrid doctor of nursing practice degree program. The prominent Richmond philanthropic couple, who have given tens of millions of dollars to charitable causes, said in a statement that they […]
GMU Center for Government Contracting taps two fellows
The Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University has named two senior fellows, it announced this week. The Fairfax-based center added Stephanie Halcrow, who most recently served on the House Armed Services Committee as a professional staff member, and promoted researcher Eric Lofgren. Halcrow is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, who […]
Hampden-Sydney receives $12M gift from alum’s estate
Hampden-Sydney College announced Tuesday it has received a $12 million gift — the second-largest in the history of the 245-year-old private men’s college — from the estate of a 1937 graduate and his wife. The estate of M. Blair Dickinson Jr. and Sarah “Lucile” Lawton Dickinson bequeathed the gift to the college, which Blair Dickinson […]
Mary Baldwin receives $1M gift to endow building
Mary Baldwin University has received a $1 million gift from the Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation to endow the building that houses the university’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted for girls age 13 and older seeking college degrees, MBU announced Wednesday. The building will be named in honor of President Emerita Cynthia Haldenby Tyson at a […]
A growing legacy
Since his selection as president of Radford University five years ago, Brian Hemphill has fulfilled the mission he set when he was hired: to increase fundraising and open channels to boost enrollment. During Hemphill’s tenure, he has seen the university reach record enrollment numbers and grow its endowment by $20 million. But all things must […]
Virginia Tech aims to fill cybersecurity jobs gaps
The U.S. Department of Defense in January awarded Virginia Tech a $1.5 million grant to prepare students for careers in cybersecurity — a field facing a critical shortage of skilled professionals. The need for a pipeline of skilled cybersecurity professionals is regularly emphasized whenever a major hack is uncovered. In December 2020, news of the […]
Tuition-free program for eligible community college students becomes law
Legislation creating a tuition-free community college program in Virginia became law Monday, as Gov. Ralph Northam held a bill signing ceremony at Northern Virginia Community College for the “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” program, one of his signature initiatives. Known as G3, the program provides funding for tuition, fees and books and other […]
Liberty University hires Alaska GOP chair
Liberty University has hired the Alaska Republican Party’s chairman, the Rev. Glenn Clary, for the newly created position of vice president of strategic partnerships and alliances, the Lynchburg-based Christian university announced Tuesday. Clary became chairman of Alaska’s state GOP in 2018. He also has worked as a pastor at Anchorage Baptist Temple. Alaska’s most influential [&[...]
$5M donation establishes Bridgewater’s School of Arts and Humanities
A 1962 alumna of Bridgewater College has made a $5 million donation that will establish the Bonnie Forrer and John Harvey Rhodes School of Arts and Humanities, named for the donor and her late husband. The private college’s first named and endowed school will combine its existing communications, fine arts and literature divisions with its […]