Academic Viewbook 2023

ALL YOU BRING Refined through learning.

What’s Lipscomb all about? ALL YOU BRING.

At Lipscomb University, we believe all you bring makes all the difference. That’s why it’s our highest priority to help you discover how you’ll use your God-given gifts to make the world a better place . As you consider how and where to apply your talents, we want to support you in the college search and admission process, and even help you choose a major.

The decisions you make over the next few months will set a course that will shape the trajectory of your future. The college you attend will immerse you in a community where you’ll build deep friendships and share experiences that become lifelong memories. And that community will inspire you as you earn a degree, gain knowledge and build skills.

So dream about the whole thing—college life and academic opportunities. Maybe you know exactly what you want to major in and have dreamt of your career since you were a little kid. Maybe you have no idea. Either way, when you bring your yearning for knowledge and ambition to excel, we'll make sure you’re equipped with the possibilities that lead to a life of purpose.

What is my calling?

As a Lipscomb student, you will engage with the Center for Vocational Discovery , which guides you through a process to help you explore opportunities at the intersection of your academic aspirations and life purpose.

This specialized service is integrated throughout your Lipscomb experience to help you discover your natural abilities and how to carry out your calling by focusing on a different theme each year. Then, you’ll take what you’ve learned to create a life of impact.

1. Identity Who am I?

Delve into who you are to discover all you bring—your strengths and defining character traits and how those innate qualities align with various occupations and interests.

2. Purpose Why am I here?

Explore the questions of purpose through workshops, opportunity exploration, cross-cultural discovery and spiritual formation activities, emphasizing community, discernment, empowerment and mission.

3. Vocation What should I do?

Faith + Work Fellowships and service opportunities will help you better understand how to use your gifts through spiritual formation opportunities and an examination of cross-cultural engagement and reconciliation.

4. Location Where should I go?

Refine how you use your gifts and talents to better the world through college-specific integrations and experiences. When you graduate, you will be prepared to leave Lipscomb confidently equipped and committed for the sake of the world.

Fulfilling your purpose in unexpected ways.

Donken Andre (’26) grew up in an orphanage in Haiti, where the seed was planted for an idea he would discover years later at Lipscomb in a series of events only God could orchestrate. But Donken needed support to pursue his education in the U.S., so he prayed for God to provide.

And He answered. Donken got to know an American family, because they made several visits to the orphanage, and they offered to host him and provide financial support for his education. After attending community college, he decided to transfer to Lipscomb because of the scholarships that helped make it possible. He had connections to Lipscomb through one of his sisters at the orphanage who had come before him and to Rob Touchstone, director of the Center for Vocational Discovery, who taught Donken’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship class.

“In my mind, I thought the only way I could possibly be involved in God’s mission and God’s kingdom was to be behind the pulpit, but Rob opened my eyes to the idea that everything you want to do can be part of your vocation,” Donken says. “It doesn’t have to be inside the church.”

So he began working to create a foundation with a mission to help educate, empower and equip young men and women in Haiti to break the cycle of poverty in their lives. With the support of Rob and his host family, Donken plans to launch his foundation in the near future.

Lipscomb has changed my life for the better. I feel like I have a better sense of who I am, what I want to do, and I have a better understanding of God’s kingdom and how I can be involved in that.

Donken Andre • Junior • Pastoral Leadership • Haiti

Donken

Pastoral Leadership

BROAD LEARNING AND A FIRM FOUNDATION.

At Lipscomb, we believe academic exploration in a Christcentered community builds a foundation for a life of learning and service. Cultivate your curiosity and learn to think critically and ethically through multidisciplinary, integrated coursework to make connections between different areas of study.

Taking courses in disciplines across the university not only gives you exposure to a wide variety of subjects to inform your choice of major. It also equips you with skills like problem solving and critical thinking, demanded universally by employers and important to success in any academic area.

Our general education curriculum, called The Lipscomb Core , features 47 hours in three tiers of courses— foundations, explorations and engagements. The course of study includes 15 hours of Bible classes taught by the College of Bible & Ministry along with classes in math, science, communication, literature, humanities, social science and more.

This breadth of academic experience helps you discover how to apply your unique gifts and passions, and engage with different cultures and worldviews with integrity and compassion. It also might lead you to pursue a double major in molecular biology and music or finance and theology. Lipscomb students have done it all, and you can too.

President Candice McQueen

Education defined by experience.

Beginning with The Lipscomb Experience course you take your first semester here, you’ll participate in learning activities that extend beyond the walls of your classroom.

Can I put my learning in action?

Internships

Ranked as the nation’s hottest job market by The Wall Street Journal, Nashville is ripe with opportunities for employment after graduation, and it’s also a great place to find an internship. Our well-connected faculty and Career Development Center can help you find an internship to get professional experience that stands out on your résumé. Lipscomb students have interned at places like Bridgestone, CMT, Nissan and Sony Music, just to name a few.

Service Learning

Gain a fresh perspective on how to engage in purposeful work right here in Nashville’s vibrant, urban community. Service learning at Lipscomb pairs classroom instruction with service experiences to meet real needs that exist in our city. If you have a particular interest in learning through serving, consider pursuing a major in the College of Leadership & Public Service to prepare for a service-oriented career.

LIFE Program

Life-giving. Hopeful. Transformational. These are words participants in the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) Program use to describe their experience—both within and beyond the prison’s visitation checkpoint. The LIFE Program offers residents of the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center access to higher education. It also offers traditional students like you the opportunity to learn alongside them. Every week, groups of students and professors travel to the prison to meet with inside students for both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Zoe Nursing

Growing gifts to serve needs.

Everyone who knows Zoe Shah (’24) would say she brings a zest for life to everything she does. Her involvement on campus includes founding Bison Skaters, a student organization that brings people together around a common interest of skating. She has also helped start a Lipscomb chapter of Nurses Christian Fellowship.

In the classroom, Zoe loves that Lipscomb classes are small enough for real conversation. “One of my favorite things about the classroom experience has been classroom dialogue,” Zoe says. “I love when the professor involves the students, and the class sizes are small enough that it makes it very possible to do that, even in a class of 60.” That’s about as big a class as you’ll find here.

And her professors have become mentors and friends who have encouraged Zoe to explore her

interests. She’ll gush about her evidence-based research professor, Jennifer Hicks. “She just gives me so much personal advice into my own nursing path but also my personal spiritual journey.”

Her experience in Professor Hicks’ class provided an opportunity to present her research at Lipscomb’s annual Student Scholars Symposium. “Through my evidence-based practice class, I’ve gotten to see that research is a very important part of nursing. And not every undergraduate nursing program will get to experience the amount of research we get to be involved in.”

A theme of her Lipscomb experience, Zoe leads by serving, and that's why she wants to become a nurse. “There’s a lot of reasons, but I think this is where my giftings and passions meet the needs of the world .”

“I love how much room I’ve had to explore myself as an academic.”

Zoe Shah • Senior • Nursing • Los Gatos, California

What are my options?

Whatever you aspire to, you can do it here.

Choosing a major is a big decision. With over 200 different areas of study to consider, you have the world at your fingertips.

TOP MAJORS

Art

Art History

Art Therapy

Graphic Design

Studio Art

Visual Arts

Administration

Biology

Biology

Bioscience and Philosophy

Computational Biology

Molecular Biology

Neurobiology

Pharmacy 3+1

Business

Accounting

Data Analytics

Data Science

Entrepreneurship

Economics

Finance

Management

Marketing

Chemistry

Biochemistry

Chemistry

Cinematic

Arts

Animation

Film Production

Game Art

Communication

Advertising

Journalism and New Media

Public Relations

Sports Media

Computing & Technology

Computer Science

Cybersecurity

Information Technology

Software Engineering

Education

Disability Studies

Education Interventionist

6-12

Interdisciplinary Studies in Education

Interdisciplinary Teaching, Pre K-3 Licensure

Interdisciplinary Teaching, K-5 Licensure

Interdisciplinary Middle Grades Teaching, 6-8 Licensure

Secondary and K-12

Teacher Education Programs

Special Education Interventionist K-8

Engineering

Civil Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

English & Modern Languages

English

French

German

Spanish

Environmental &Sustainability

Science

Family Science

Child and Family Services

Child and Family Spiritual Formation

Child Life Specialist

Family Life Education

Mental Health Professions

Fashion & Design

Fashion Design

Fashion and Interior Merchandising

History

American Studies

History

Law, Justice & Society

Conflict Management

Law and Ethics

Social Change

Urban Leadership and Policy

Mathematics

Music

Commercial Music

Instrumental Performance

Music

Music Industry Studies

Piano Performance

Theory and Music Composition

Vocal Performance

Worship Arts

Nursing

Nutrition & Kinesiology

Dietetics

Exercise Science

Fitness and Sport Studies

Food Systems

Management

Health and Physical Education

Nutrition

Sport Management

Philosophy

Ethics

Philosophy

Physics

Biomedical Physics

Physics

Politics

International Affairs

Political Science

Public Policy

Restorative Criminal Justice

PreProfessional

Pre-Dental

Pre-Law

Pre-Med

Pre-Occupational Therapy

Pre-Optometry

Pre-Pharmacy

Pre-Physical Therapy

Pre-Physician Assistant

Pre-Vet

Psychology

Social Work

Theatre

Acting

Design and Production

Directing

Musical Theatre

Theatre

Theology & Ministry

Children’s Ministry

Greek/Hebrew

Mission, Ministry and Leadership

Pastoral Leadership

Youth Ministry

University Studies

95% JOB PLACEMENT students are placed in jobs or graduate school within six months of graduation

#1 JOB MARKET

Nashville is the hottest job market in the U.S.

70+ ANNUAL TRIPS to serve and study abroad

4,800+ STUDENTS

3.85

GPA 60+ CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS

13:1 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO

$46 million ANNUAL AID in scholarships and grants to students

Think higher and dig deeper.

Lipscomb has produced 14 Fulbright scholars in the last 16 years.

Sculpt your success and elevate your academic experience through the Honors College, home to some of the brightest, most creative students at Lipscomb who are driven by innovation.

That’s what Schyler Jones (’22) and Danny Kotula (’22) did as they became the latest Lipscomb students selected for the Fulbright Student Program, one of the most competitive—and prestigious—scholarship

Danny Kotula (’22)

Danny was selected for a Fulbright Study/ Research Assistantship that will allow him to work with organizations in Bolivia and Peru to encourage the development of microbusinesses among the indigenous population

“I can’t wait to make my proposal a reality and hopefully start something that truly helps people,” Danny explains. “Getting to live in Latin America full-time will be quite literally a dream come true, and I’m elated to get to live in two new countries.”

Schyler Jones (’22)

Schyler was selected for an English Teaching Assistantship in Colombia on a project with Alianza IMP (Alliance of Colombian Women for Peace), which works with women who have been abused and experienced gender violence, to promote gender equality in Colombia

“My experience at Lipscomb has been everything I expected and more,” Schyler says. “My worldview has been expanded immensely, and I feel that Lipscomb has prepared me to enter the world with confidence.”

programs in the country. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the Fulbright program fosters international relations by placing young scholars in countries around the world to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English abroad.

Whether you’re on your way to becoming a Fulbright scholar, a research fellow or a Ph.D. candidate, the Honors College will prepare you for success.

Restoring mobility.

When a friend was involved in a car accident, Lipscomb Business alumni Luke Benda (’17) and Braden Davidson (’16, ’17) saw firsthand the challenges that patients face as they recover. Motivated to develop solutions to enhance the recovery process, they co-founded Healing Innovations Inc. , a Nashville tech start-up that focuses on the development and commercialization of technology that positively impacts the lives of people recovering from neurological injuries.

“We were on a mission to develop something that made sense within the U.S. health care system, and so we developed the Rise & Walk , which is kind of like a 3-in-1 neuro rehab station, kind of like a Swiss army knife for PT,” Luke says.

Launched in 2018, a core team worked through the development process of ideation, prototyping, commercialization, FDA approval, team building and fundraising that led to a full commercial launch

of the Rise & Walk about 18 months ago.

In recognition of their success, the Nashville Technology Council named Healing Innovations as the 2021 Tech Start-Up of the Year . But the foundation of that success goes back to the entrepreneurial spirit Luke has always possessed, starting a business in high school and another at Lipscomb with the support of a community of peers and professors invested in his success.

As a third generation Lipscomb student and one of six siblings to attend the university, Braden has plenty of reasons for joining the Herd and gives it credit for his success.

“Lipscomb offers a great opportunity to form a tight network in a booming Nashville market that will lead to plenty of career options going forward,” Braden says. “My professors always cared about me and were a helpful resource during and after my time there.”

I don’t think Healing Innovations would have happened without Lipscomb. Luke Benda • Class of ’17 • BBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship Nashville, Tennessee

Like Florah Mhlanga, who founded Lipscomb’s annual Student Scholars Symposium to highlight student research. It was her own empowering research experience as an undergraduate at the University of Zimbabwe, which helped her earn a scholarship for graduate studies in America. Now she delights in seeing how research inspires her students. “Just to see students present so confidently, so professionally, to see them dig deeper into the annals of knowledge and see them become so knowledgeable—as a faculty member, that is what gives me joy,” she says.

Tom Bancroft

Or Lee Camp, Professor of Theology and Ethics in the College of Bible & Ministry. In addition to teaching classes like Christian Ethics and Joy and the Good Life, he is the creator and host of No Small Endeavor, which hosts theological and philosophical variety shows along with a podcast and weekly Sunday afternoon public radio show. Through music-making, song-singing and conversations about things that matter, No Small Endeavor imagines a world governed by hospitality, graciousness and joy; life marked by beauty, wonder and truthfulness; and social conditions ordered by justice, mercy and peace-making.

Or Tom Bancroft, Artist-in-Residence in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts. He spent 30 years in the animation industry, most of which was for Walt Disney Feature animation, where he helped animate classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Tarzan and Brother Bear. He is also the creator of Mushu the Dragon in Disney’s Mulan. Professor Bancroft is one of five Disney animators who teach at Lipscomb, more than any other school in the country.

Lee Camp

Florah Mhlanga

Our faculty are experts.

Your professors will teach you about your major, but they might teach you even more about yourself. At other places, a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio might clue you in to how many students will be in your business class. At Lipscomb, it means hand-picked opportunities to pursue your ambitions. It means learning firsthand from Nashville’s brightest minds. It means professors who are personally committed to your success.

Will I have mentors to guide me?

WORK TOGETHER WITH THE BEST.

At Lipscomb, you’ll have access to leaders in your field, regardless of the major you choose. For instance, students in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts have worked with greats like award-winning songwriter and producer

Tommee Profitt, as well as world-renowned Italian tenor

Andrea Bocelli

With Assistant Professor and Director of Instrumental Studies

Dr. Ben Blasko, nine Lipscomb composition students helped write and compose 17 songs on Profitt’s album Birth of a King, released in 2020 and performed live in concert at Nashville’s Fisher Center during the 2022 Christmas season. Dr. Blasko also conducted the orchestra for the live performance.

In a simulation of the type of work they could do professionally, the students worked with Dr. Blasko on the orchestrations, investing more than 600 hours in the project. After listening to and writing down the original songs, they had to think about how to creatively incorporate new instruments and still be playable for musicians—all under the pressure of the standards expected by professional artists. Those artists came away impressed by the students’ professionalism, and the soldout concert was a tremendous success.

And when Bocelli needed local talent for his accompanying choir, his team worked with Lipscomb faculty and staff to form the choir for his Nashville concert—in only 12 days. With experience regularly singing and performing professionally with global artists, the Lipscomb students, singing mostly in Italian, were up to the task of performing with Bocelli along with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at a sold-out Bridgestone Arena.

You can expect to work with the best at Lipscomb too.

Austin

Mexico

Guatemala

Honduras

El Salvador

Costa Rica

A full passport makes an excellent textbook.

At Lipscomb, some of your most valuable learning experiences will happen outside of the classroom—or even outside of the country. Transform your worldview by engaging with another culture.

Choose from over 30 destinations on six continents to serve and study abroad.

Nashville

Florida

New England

New York City

Washington, D.C.

Jamaica

Ecuador

Saba

Peru

Argentina

Northern

Scotland

Spain

Egypt

Research with real outcomes.

Kaylee Wu ('23) came to Lipscomb to play on the women’s golf team, but she also brought a sense of motivation and self-confidence with her and a plan to become a doctor. That led to opportunities and opened doors she couldn’t have imagined.

During her junior year, Kaylee was selected as a Ward Fellow, Lipscomb’s most prestigious science award. Over the summer, Kaylee worked with a team of doctors as a clinical research assistant for a global health trip to India, led by Lipscomb alumnus Dr. Scott Guthrie (’95), an associate professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University.

She and the doctors taught local physicians how to perform a new technique for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. After the trip, these health providers were surveyed on the effectiveness of the technique, and Kaylee helped analyze the data.

“I learned so much from the brightest doctors,” Kaylee says of her experience. “In addition to the clinical research, I observed the collaboration process and learned the nuances of adjusting to cultural differences in a professional setting. I learned how to participate in global health meetings and how to talk to doctors from other countries.

Recently, Kaylee and Dr. Guthrie presented their research at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Washington, D.C., where she was one of only a few undergraduates who presented to an international audience of pediatricians and other health professionals.

She also presented her research at the Student Scholars Symposium, Lipscomb’s premier annual research conference. In our community of intellectual curiosity and creativity, over 300 students give presentations across diverse academic disciplines at this event. With the guidance of a faculty mentor, you’ll have limitless resources to explore the questions that drive your passions.

To read more about the Student Scholars Symposium, visit lipscomb.edu/sss

During that trip, I learned so much about medicine and the world in general, expanding my cultural knowledge and professionalism.

Kaylee Wu • Class of '23 • Biology • Medford, Oregon

Kaylee Biology

IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU LEARN, IT’S WHERE.

Nashville is a flourishing, diversified city that delivers the world to your door. In a leading city for the health care, music, entertainment, technology, hospitality and finance industries, you’ll gain insights you won’t find anywhere else.

Home to more than 2 million people and over 50,000 businesses , Nashville sets itself apart as a city of unparalleled growth. In fact, over the last three decades, more than 930 companies have responded to the leading role Nashville is taking in the global economy and relocated operations here, creating 485,000 new jobs

The opportunities for high-caliber employment continue to multiply, and you have the opportunity to attain a professional edge . Internships and applied learning will help you develop competencies that can’t be taught in a classroom, and the work experience you gain will better prepare you for what comes after college.

Lipscomb’s stellar programs and respected reputation make our students a top choice for local businesses in the hiring process. With the help of professors, mentors and alumni connections, students are continually landing jobs at prestigious companies.

When you succeed, we succeed.

Take advantage of all the resources that help you make the most of your Lipscomb experience, not to mention graduate on time and find a fulfilling job. It’s all part of our mission to cultivate the next generation of difference-makers.

Career Development Center

It’s never too soon to prepare for the job market or graduate school. The Career Development Center provides comprehensive resources to help you achieve your goals through résumé reviewing, internship experiences, job search strategies and networking opportunities—in any field.

Accessibility and Learning Supports

We’re committed to providing reasonable accommodations for the needs of students with physical, mental, social or learning disabilities. The Office of Accessibility and Learning Supports is the on-campus program that brings these resources to life.

Bison One Stop

As part of our approach to prioritize student service, we created Bison One Stop, a central resource where you can find answers to questions about financial aid, payments, registration, security, technology and more.

Academic Success Center

Providing academic support and enrichment, the Academic Success Center includes resources like Math Lab, The Writing Studio and Peer Tutoring, where student tutors can help you polish that paper, solve that equation, or get help in any subject.

LEARNING BY DOING.

From the very beginning of your time at Lipscomb, you will acquire practical knowledge and immediately learn how to apply it in realistic scenarios. Perhaps no course at Lipscomb demonstrates this distinctive learning experience better than Introduction to Engineering.

Every section of the course includes a service-oriented, real-world project designed to teach students about the engineering process. Even the dean of the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, Dr. David Elrod, rolls up his sleeves to work alongside students each semester, taking a project from concept to completion and helping them use their new knowledge to improve the world around them.

In 2020 and 2021, new engineering students collaborated with Sanctuary, a tiny home village near downtown Nashville operated by Green Street Church of Christ to serve people experiencing homelessness, to provide solar power to their 15 units.

Working with faculty, teams of mechanical engineering students designed and installed solar panels and an electrical system that would provide enough wattage to power a fan, lighting and a cell-phone charger, making the homes more comfortable and meeting the necessity of reliable phone access. As an additional project, they also built a covered, open-air pavilion with solar power to allow residents access to small kitchen appliances and an increased number of cell phone chargers.

When Second Chance Ministries in Waverly, Tennessee, heard about this project, their founder reached out to Lipscomb about building a microhome to temporarily house displaced people or those in short-term crisis. Intro to Engineering students answered the call and spent their weekly lab time throughout the semester constructing the tiny home that can be powered by either the utility grid or by solar power. The completed home was delivered in January.

With application built into your learning, you’ll leave Lipscomb prepared to use your knowledge on the job and make a profound impact.

To read more about the College of Engineering, visit lipscomb.edu/engineering

Karen Elementary Education

“As a first-gen student, you have to break through so many barriers. I want to make it clear for my future students what to expect. I want to give that opportunity to other people and other kids especially and tell them ‘You can do it.’”

Karen De Leon

Nashville, Tennessee

Chart a path for your future.

The daughter of immigrants from Guatemala, Karen De Leon (’23) learned to speak English by watching Sesame Street. And as a firstgeneration college student, she had to rely on her teachers to learn how to be successful.

“My mom always told me about the importance of education. It’s a privilege,” Karen says. That passion for education made Karen want to be a teacher. Because her parents had worked at Lipscomb, she knew about the College of Education . During her college research, Karen realized “Lipscomb can prepare me to be the best teacher I can be.” She also discovered the Pionero Scholars Program , a scholarship and outreach initiative for local students who want to become teachers, which provided financial aid and a supportive mentor in program director Laura Delgado.

“She’s helped me in my academic, personal and professional life. She’s taught me a lot and really helped me understand how to navigate and make the best out of the college experience,” Karen says.

Because of her opportunities and connections at Lipscomb, Karen was selected to participate in the Ascension Project , a leadership development and mentorship program for students of color in education prep programs in Middle Tennessee. The program focuses on racial identity development, education policy, advocacy strategies, résumé development and networking for career advancement.

Now, Karen plans to give back to her community by teaching in Metro Nashville Public Schools, sharing her culture and experiences to help firstgeneration college students prepare for their own journey.

• Senior • Elementary Education •

To read more about the College of Education, visit lipscomb.edu/education

Ready to get started?

YOU WERE MADE FOR THIS.

Your academic journey at Lipscomb will magnify your purpose and set the course for the rest of your life. When all you bring collides with our Christ-centered academic experience, you emerge with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead with purpose wherever you go. Your future awaits.

Take your next step by following the QR code to contact your admissions counselor, submit your application or plan your visit to campus.