On Monday afternoon, Feb. 27, Campus Safety was informed of a concerning post made on social media made by a former William Jewell College student. Upon investigating, Campus Safety and the Liberty Police Department determined that the post constituted a credible threat to the safety of the College’s campus. 

As a result, President of the College, Elizabeth MacLeod Walls announced the suspension of all in-person campus operations for Tuesday, Feb. 28, in an email announcement delivered to students, staff and faculty on Monday evening. To further protect essential staff and students living on campus, security presence was increased on Feb. 28 as well, including recruiting several officers from the Liberty Police Department.

Initially, Macleod Walls also added that she had not yet made a determination as to whether or not Achievement Day celebrations – slated for Friday, March 1 – would be held.

In a follow-up email sent in the evening hours of Feb. 28, MacLeod Walls informed the campus that sufficient security measures had been put in place to proceed with normal campus operations. She stated that students will be given the option to attend classes in-person or via Zoom as they feel comfortable until the end of the week. Additionally, security personnel, including officers from the Liberty Police Department, will remain on campus until further notice. Achievement Day celebrations will proceed with armed security present at the event. 

Update: As of March 2, the former student is now in custody. In lieu of this arrest and the termination of the threat to campus, the College is reassessing its security measures.