A Republican House member who called for the resignation of former Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. said he has been approached about taking over the helm at the evangelical Christian university.
Speaking with Politico, Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina, a minister with deep ties to the university who is not seeking reelection this year, stressed the importance of Liberty finding “strong leadership” in the wake of Falwell’s fall.
“I have talked with a board member but my focus is for the Liberty University family to find healing while continuing its mission of developing Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world,” Walker said, according to a report published on Wednesday.
Walker was a leading voice among calls for Falwell to resign after he posted a scandalous picture of him with his pants unzipped on a yacht. Falwell followed up the picture with a public apology on Lynchburg, Virginia, radio station WLNI in which he claimed the photo was “just in good fun.”
Falwell’s time as head of the Christian university quickly unraveled as racy stories about his and his wife’s sex life with a Miami pool boy leaked to the press earlier this week. Falwell says he is owed $10.5 million as part of a severance package because he has not been accused or admitted to doing anything wrong.
The acting school president, Jerry Provo, said the spirit of the students at the school remains unbroken and added he would do his best to maintain the level of spiritual integrity for which the school is known.
“Our students are ready to be world changers as Champions for Christ,” Provo wrote in a statement released following Falwell’s resignation. “Their spirit is strong as they look to the future. I intend to do all I can to nurture their spiritual side as they grow academically and enjoy all our campus has to offer.”
