91��Ԫ marked a defining moment in its campus story with a day that began in chapel and ended with shovels in the ground, honoring Dana Holland Liberatore and Phil Liberatore and officially launching the Dana Holland Liberatore Welcome Center.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, family members, and friends gathered to celebrate a legacy shaped by faith, generosity, and a deep commitment to Christian higher education.

Chapel: A Message of Vision and Calling

The day opened with a standing-room-only chapel service, where Dana Liberatore addressed students with a message rooted in Scripture, calling, and intentional living.

“I love Psalm 139,” Liberatore said. “It tells us exactly how God feels about us personally. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, He recorded and wrote down the days of your life.”

Drawing from Habakkuk 2, she encouraged students to take ownership of the vision God has placed in their lives.

“There is a book in heaven where God has recorded what your days will hold,” she said. “It’s up to you to write down that vision and declare it so clearly that anyone who sees it can run and tell somebody else about it.”

Liberatore reflected on her own journey, from growing up in Texas in a home that welcomed missionaries, to serving as a missionary in West Africa, and later returning to 91��Ԫ as a professor. Her testimony emphasized trust in God’s timing and perseverance through uncertainty.

“Nothing in your life is wasted,” she told students. “Every single experience, whatever it might be, God will redeem and use for your destiny.”

Phil Liberatore also shared with students, grounding the moment in the couple’s shared foundation of faith.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” he said, quoting Proverbs 3:5–6. “Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your steps.”

From Message To Foundation

Following chapel, the LPU community gathered outdoors for the official groundbreaking ceremony, formally beginning construction on the Dana Holland Liberatore Welcome Center.

President Angie Richey framed the moment within the broader context of Christian higher education.

“We are in a season where we are seeing universities close, even Christian universities,” Richey said. “And yet here we are standing strong. Today symbolizes not only this incredible Welcome Center, but because of Dana and Phil, we are able to build forward and release more Christ-centered, Spirit-filled leaders into the world.”

She emphasized that the Welcome Center represents more than a physical structure.

“This Welcome Center is going to be a light,” Richey said. “It will be a place of purpose and hope and vision. It’s an invitation, but more than that, it’s an invitation into transformation and into a story larger than ourselves.”

During the ceremony, the Liberatores were presented with engraved hammers to commemorate the day, symbolizing gratitude, growth, and building toward the future.

“This honor is overwhelming,” Dana Liberatore said. “I am filled with gratitude and expectation for what the Lord is going to do here.”

Phil echoed the long-term perspective behind the project.

“This is just the beginning,” he said. “What’s being built here will impact lives far beyond what we can see today.”

About The Welcome Center

The Dana Holland Liberatore Welcome Center will serve as the primary entry point for prospective students and families, shaping first impressions of 91��Ԫ. Designed as a space rooted in hospitality, clarity, and connection, the center will welcome guests into the life and mission of LPU while providing guidance, conversation, and support as students take their first steps toward enrollment.

The Welcome Center is the first phase of LPU’s broader Campus Transformation Project, which also includes future improvements to residence halls, athletic facilities, counseling services, and worship spaces.

A Legacy That Reflects The Space

Dana Holland Liberatore is a 91��Ԫ alumna and former professor whose life and ministry have been shaped by faith, missions, and a commitment to investing in others. Her time at LPU as both a student and educator left a lasting impact on generations of students, making her legacy a natural reflection of the welcome, care, and purpose this space is designed to represent.

The themes she shared during chapel – vision, calling, and intentional living – mirror the purpose of the Welcome Center itself: a place where students are invited to pause, ask questions, and begin writing the next chapter of their story.

As Dana reminded students earlier in the day, “Write down the vision. Make it clear. At the right time, it will come to pass.”

For 91��Ԫ, that vision is now taking shape, grounded in faith, built with purpose, and designed to welcome generations to come.