Jonathan falwell
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President of Liberty University
Dondi E. Costin, Ph.D.
Major General, U.S. Air Force (Retired)
President, Liberty University
Dr. Dondi Costin began serving as Liberty University’s sixth president on July 1, 2023. He returned to Liberty, his alma mater, after five years as president of Charleston Southern University. He is a retired Major General with 36 years of service in a military career that culminated as a senior leader in the Pentagon, where he served as the eighteenth Air Force Chief of Chaplains.
Dr. Costin is a native of Wilmington, N.C., and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1986. He then served successively as an industrial engineer evaluating air-to-ground precision guided munitions, chief of scientific analysis on a major command headquarters staff, and assistant professor of aerospace studies at Texas Christian University. After ten years as a line officer, he became an Air Force chaplain in 1996.
An ordained Southern Baptist minister, he was endorsed by the Liberty Baptist Fellowship durin
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Dondi Costin: Unusual Name, Uncommon Passion & Commitment to Mission
Charleston Southern University’s new president has an unusual first name: Dondi. But it seems to fit, since Dondi Costin is not your typical university president.
As one would expect, he’s been decorated with academic degrees — five master’s and two doctorates — and he has taught as a professor (of aerospace studies). Costin, however, is also a decorated Air Force officer who recently completed a stint at the Pentagon as chief of chaplains.
A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he rose to the rank of major general during his 32 years of commissioned service, earning both the Legion of Merit award and the Bronze Star medal. In his role as chief of chaplains, he has led more than 2,000 chaplains and chaplain assistants in serving more than 664,000 active-duty airmen, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces.
Most striking, though — and likely honed through his decades of military service — is a passion for the mission and a commitment to serving those with whom he serves. That’s a core trait of any great lea
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Dondi Enos Costin (born August 21, 1964) is a major general in the United States Air Force. He has led the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps and served as Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force since August 30, 2015.
Education[]
Chaplain Costin is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina, and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in 1986. He received his Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He also holds Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, as well as a Master of Arts in Counseling from Liberty University. His military education includes U.S. Air Force Academic Instructor School, Squadron Officer School, Air War College, and Master of Strategic Studies.[1]
Early life and career[]
Chaplain Costin served as a squadron-level scientific analyst evaluating air-to-ground precision guided munitions, chief of scientific analysis on a major command headquarters staff, and
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