Liberty University official says college isn’t 'educating,' just 'buying real estate' with students' money

Liberty University's president, Jerry Falwell, Jr. is a well-known supporter of President Trump, but it wasn't his politics that prompted some high-ranking, longtime university employees to come out of the woodwork, albeit anonymously, to criticize their boss, Politico reports.

The employees described a culture of fear at the conservative, evangelical university that reportedly manifests itself even among residents of Lynchburg, Virginia — where the school is located — that have no direct ties to Liberty. "It's a dictatorship," one current high-level employee said.

But the thing that really seems to rankle folks at the school is how Falwell reportedly directs the nonprofit university's resources into projects and real estate deals that have allegedly led to personal gains for his family and friends. "We're not a school; we're a real estate hedge fund," a senior university official with inside knowledge of Liberty's finances told Politico. "We're not educating; we're buying real estate every year and taking students' money to do it."

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One deal reportedly involved Falwell's personal trainer, Ben Crosswhite. Liberty University began renting a space for Crosswhite to use as a fitness center in 2013 reportedly so that Falwell and his wife, Becki, could train privately. The school gradually upgraded the facility and then sold it to Crosswhite at a discount, paying him up front for Liberty's use of the facility for the next seven years. "Hell of a deal," a former high-ranking Liberty official said. "We gave Ben everything he asked for." Another senior university official said no one else besides Crosswhite was allowed to bid on the facility.

Politico also reports that Liberty employees think Falwell has fallen short of standards in other realms, including partying at nightclubs, graphically discusses his sex life with employees, and going overboard with his political influence. Read more at Politico.