Press Release - due 11/13

For more information contact
Samantha E. Rozenblum
Liberty University
(954) 629-0346

For release after 11:45 a.m.
Friday, November 15

Liberty University Announces 10 Percent Tuition Decrease

After steadily increasing tuition for five years, the university finally offers students relief.

The prestigious and rapidly expanding Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, has announced that, despite its immense recent growth, it will be decreasing tuition in order to keep prices in-market for students.

This tuition decrease encompasses all students: in-state, out-of-state, graduate and undergraduate students. As a result of the university’s recent explosion, students have been hit hard with tuition increases, particularly out-of-state students.

In the past five years, enrollment has increased from 14,500 students to 16,275 students this year; however, last year’s total enrollment was 16,700 students and applications for this semester were projected to decrease by 10 percent had it not been for the tuition decrease.

Liberty University recognizes that though it is expanding, the university must remain affordable for the demographic of students it seeks to attract, even if it is at the expense of some of the programs Liberty can currently afford to offer.

“Cutting tuition means a reduction in our income, and that reduction will have to be made up in other areas. No faculty or staff member will lose his or her job because of these cuts, but we will not be able to offer as many of the programs as we have in the past,” says university president Jerry Falwell Jr.

Falwell continues that he is “very pleased” that a majority of these programs will be absorbed into other areas of the university. The students involved in these specific programs will have to find more generic alternatives.

These programs include: women’s studies, the ornithology department, the arts and sciences honors program, men’s and women’s golf teams, the human resources management institute, the university hosts and hostesses program, and the department of Eastern languages.

Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the largest Christian University in the world and fervently seeks to train champions for Christ in all arenas of life. For questions or more information, call (434) 582-2000 or to schedule a visit, email visitorscenter@liberty.edu. 

Advertising Project

Copy Platform :

Ad Subject: Liberty University Football - IGNITE Your LU Flames Football Season

Ad Problem: Student attendance to football games has dropped by 25% in the last 5 years

Product Characteristics:
1. FIRE UP before the game with a new and better Gillville and a Carnival-esque Tailgate.

     2. Give us your best SMOULDER and interact with LU Football social media; the more interaction, the more perks!

     3. Stay throughout the entire game in order to attend IGNITE,  an after-party social event (approved late night),

·         Wristband/Stamp given upon entrance to the game allows free entrance to the social.

·         Awards for players as well as most dedicated fans

Advertising Objective: To allure students to attend the games weekly and to be excited enough to plan their weekend schedules around the festivities surrounding the game. We want to foster community between the study body, the sports teams, and even the local community through the new Tailgate Carnival and IGNITE After-Party.

Target Market: Directly, students of Liberty University. Indirectly, local vendors and organizations who would like to advertise or make an appearance at the carnival tailgate.

Competition: Other “social events” such as football games at UVA or Virginia Tech, outdoor activities, private group socials, etc.

Statement of Benefit or Appeal: IGNITE your weekend and enjoy your revitalized Liberty Flames Football experience to the fullest.

Creative Theme:

·         FIRE UP

·         SMOULDER

·         IGNITE

Supportive Selling Points:

·         More involvement (via social media, attendance, enthusiasm/spirit, etc.), more perks

Sponsored Content Piece 

A Whole New Spark : FIRE UP, SMOULDER and IGNITE your Flames football weekend like never before

Do you feel like your weekend is lacking that special spark?

The Liberty Flames football team is hotter than ever, but there is just one problem. To many fans, the football games have lost their spark. This is all about to change.

Liberty University is revamping the definition of college football, taking everything we Flames know about Saturday night lights and throwing it as kindling for the fires of what’s to come.

LU plans on turning up the heat and capturing the heart of Flames Football in three big ways, telling fans to:

·   FIRE UP before the game
·  SMOULDER during the game, and
·  IGNITE after the game

First, the excitement of FIRE UP begins Friday night with a new and better Gillville, complete with better games and Snowflex-quality music. The festivities are amplified Saturday with a carnival-esque tailgate experience – yes, think this past Homecoming Weekend - complete with food vendors and booths for face-painting, henna, and more.

This not only enables members of the community to partake in our carnival tailgate experience, but also allows clubs and groups within the school to present themselves each week. If you or your group would like to host a booth at the upcoming carnival tailgates, register on myLU.

Second, fans are encouraged to SMOULDER throughout the game by tweeting selfies, score predictions, and other encouragement for the players. Be following LU on all social media, because there will be various media challenges posted each week where participants can win anything from a shout-out in Convocation to Flames Cash.

Finally, fans that stay throughout the game will be able to freely attend IGNITE, an approved late-night social event directly after the game, typically hosted in the lobby of the Lahaye Student Union.

A stamp given upon exiting the game after the 3^rd quarter ends will allow free entrance to the social, which is a chill environment for Flames fans to cool off, get warm foods like soup and hot chocolate, and build relationships.

IGNITE will announce the winners of the SMOULDER media challenges, and promises to boast a different, thrilling theme each week dependent on the opponent school and time of year. Bonfires and fan awards are also part of what IGNITE will offer.

The players have been practicing their victory dance…Have you been practicing yours? Bring your body heat on over to support your Flames and together let’s bring this new tradition to life!