Liberty University plans engineering school campus

Liberty University has plans to build an engineering campus that eventually would accommodate 2,000 students, a small research park and new degree programs for its School of Engineering and Computational Sciences.

The project is slated for Liberty-owned land just across the city line in Campbell County between the dorms on Campus East and U.S. 29, said Ron Sones, dean of the engineering school. The land had been under contract to a shopping center developer, AIG Baker, but plans fell through when the economy took a nosedive, said Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.

“I really think that a research park and a school of engineering will benefit the community more than another shopping center would,” Falwell said. On Monday, Liberty officials will present plans to the Campbell County Board of Supervisors, who must approve the school’s request to rezone the land, now designated for retail.

The nation’s high demand for engineering jobs and a strong local engineering community are two factors that prompted the project, Falwell said. The expansion also aligns with Liberty’s ongoing mission to grow beyond its roots as a small Christian liberal arts school.

The facility would provide a boost to Liberty’s fledgling engineering school, which was launched two years ago and enrolls about 450 students.

Phase one of the project is an 8,000-square-foot building dedicated to welding engineering — a new undergraduate major that will be offered next fall. Construction will begin early next year, Sones said.

The second phase includes a larger building that will hold the rest of the engineering school and a small research park. When the building is complete, Liberty plans to launch undergraduate programs in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering, as well as graduate programs, Sones said.

About $1 million has been allotted from Liberty’s budget for initial construction costs. The school is seeking an additional $500,000 in grants and donations for equipment.

Engineering is a top request among prospective students, Falwell said.

Currently, Liberty offers undergraduate degrees in four engineering disciplines: electrical, computer, software and industrial.

Liberty student Ben Slaughter will be part of the first class of students to graduate from the engineering school in the spring of 2011. Slaughter, a software engineering major, transferred to Liberty last fall.

“The combination of an engineering school being at a Christian school was very inviting to me,” he said.

Between classes and his job as a lab assistant, Slaughter said he spends upwards of 10 hours a day at the engineering school, which is housed on the third floor of DeMossHall, Liberty’s main academic building. He looks forward to the engineering campus, especially the upgraded research facilities.

“I think it’s awesome. It’ll give us a lot more room to go and test our theories,” Slaughter said.

Jud Simmons, spokesman for Babcock & Wilcox, said that Liberty has the potential to train more engineers with roots in the city and spur growth within the local engineering community.

“It will be attractive to other business who want to move here,” he said.

Keith Mascher, co-owner of AMTI, a small engineering firm based in Lynchburg, is one of several local business leaders on the engineering school’s board of advisers. He cites the potential for research collaborations between Liberty and local industry as a plus.

“It will help expand the local businesses in this area that are doing engineering work and product development, without a doubt,” he said.