President for Life, until some pictures of Jerry Jr and his pool boy surface…

I don’t think it matters. It’s been eminently clear for years that Falwell says and does whatever he likes. He is in complete control and the Board of Trustees is nothing more than a rubber stamp body. Unfortunately, this is nothing unusual for large evangelical organizations, especially those run by their founder or offspring thereof. It’s a facade, a mirage of accountability, where the members of the board are typically trusted allies of or related to the boss.

Falwell is president for life, not unlike the way Putin will rule Russia for as long as he cares to.

What is the legal setup of Liberty University? I know at my university ultimate power now rests with the Board of Trustees. When initially set up (some 130 years ago) that power rested with the married couple who founded and funded the university (though they brought in an experienced college president to actually run it). There was a Board of Trustees but its main purpose may have been to give advice and to eventually take over when the founders died. They officially took over when the widow stepped down from her founder’s role and became just a trustee though effectively they only took over when she died.

Liberty University’s web page on the trustees is remarkably light on what they do and who they are and the list seems to contain at least one Falwell relative in addition to Jerry Falwell himself. How independent are they? How often do they meet? Are they paid for their duties (my university’s trustees are not beyond some of the poorest ones getting expenses reimbursed if the trustees do an extraordinary trip such as visiting another university to see how they do things).

Oh, and he just tweeted that he originally forgave Northam for the blackface incident and practically stated that his forgiveness has been rescinded because of the completely unrelated cost cutting policy decision that will cut assistance to some disadvantaged LU students.

It’s one thing to take back your forgiveness if you find out it was obtained under false pretenses, but I’ve never heard of anyone revoking forgiveness because of they made a policy decision you didn’t like. I didn’t think forgiveness worked that way…