All eyes were on Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., when he placed his high profile stamp of approval upon Donald Trump in an official endorsement on Tuesday. Falwell stated that Trump is “a successful executive and entrepreneur, a wonderful father, and a man who I believe can lead our country to greatness again.”

Liberty University issued a press release a few hours later stating, “Liberty University does not support or oppose candidates for public office. Jerry Falwell’s endorsement of Donald Trump is a personal endorsement, in his individual capacity as a citizen and not as President of Liberty University.”

While Falwell is free to endorse whoever he wishes in his personal capacity, his name is so closely linked to Liberty University that his personal views still strongly reflect upon the school. The Falwell name is revered in the world of evangelicals, and his platform as the president of Liberty gives him significant prestige and influence among evangelicals. With great power, comes great responsibility, and Falwell must realize that he represents a network of thousands of current students, alumni, professors and donors. Unfortunately due to his position, he doesn’t have the freedom to make decisions without considering the impacts they will have upon Liberty, whether he intends to or not.

“The biggest issue with Falwell endorsing Trump is the huge stigma it places on the rest of Liberty University -- the students, the professors, and the alumni," said Joe Swanner, a 2012 graduate of the school.

His former classmate Patrick Flesher added, “The decision is an embarrassment to the University and to the Faith it still claims to represent."

However, another young Liberty alumnus Carlos Marti, said he wasn't surprised by the endorsement.

“I think one thing to keep in mind in this whole thing is that while Falwell is the chancellor of the Liberty he is still an individual," Marti said. "He has a personal relationship with Trump that he doesn't have with the other candidates. So I am not shocked that he chose to endorse Trump because he is endorsing a friend as most people would do if they had a friend who is running for president."

Falwell's support for Trump has been met with backlash from conservative Christians and religious leaders. Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has been remarkably vocal against Trump’s presidential bid, recently stating that, “The problem is not supporting Trump or any other candidate. The problem is with allowing Trump to present himself as a man of faith and character, without calling him out on both.”

The Republican frontrunner has made some off-colored remarks that do not line up with the beliefs of Christianity, yet Trump’s popularity with evangelicals is steadily increasing. With the Iowa caucus less than a week away, the endorsement of a prominent evangelical leader certainly helps Trump. In a statement regarding this endorsement, Trump proudly boasted, “It is truly an honor to receive Jerry’s endorsement. Not only is he a high-quality person, with a wonderful family, whom I have great respect for -- I also consider him a very good friend and his support means so much to me.”

Falwell warmly said in a December interview that Trump reminded him of his father -- the late Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University and leader of the Moral Majority. While evangelicals have different opinions, the beauty of being an American is that we have the freedom of speech to engage in these discussions civilly and with kindness. The importance of the 2016 election is historical, may the American voters choose wisely and choose well.