2021 Lipscomb Now Winter by Lipscomb University

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends

winter 2021

DIFFERENT WORLD, same Lipscomb spirit

Vol. 16 No.1

Senior Vice President of Strategy Susan Galbreath Editor Kim Chaudoin Senior Managing Editor Janel Shoun-Smith Writers Kim Chaudoin Janel Shoun-Smith Cate Zenzen Photography Kristi Jones Lauren Scott Lipscomb Athletics

Design Emily Ashby Kinney Will Mason Produced by the Office of Public Relations & Communications. Lipscomb Now is published by Lipscomb University®. Go to lipscomb.edu/news to read more. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Lipscomb Now, Alumni Relations Lipscomb University One University Park Drive Nashville, Tennessee 37204-3951

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends winter 2021 Vol. 16 No.1

4 —

SURVIVING In 2020, the world’s focus shifted to survival. That focus has

brought new behaviors and new expectations, big disappointments and major pivots. The Lipscomb community experienced all those

things but has met the requirements of survival with the resilience and strength endowed by a higher power … God’s power.

Left: In an unusual year, May and December commencements went virtual, with Provost W. Craig Bledsoe (pictured here), President L. Randolph Lowry and other academic officials recording their graduation talks in an empty auditorium prior to the digital broadcasts. Cover: Lipscomb’s spirit remains strong despite the historic challenges our nation faced this year. As resilient and robust as the American Bison, which faced near extinction in the 1800s, the Lipscomb Bison returned to campus bold and strong this past fall. See page 4. Ghost of the Plains Photo by Gary Crandall ©Gray Crane Studios graycranestudios.com 307.690.9510 @graycranestudios Gary Crandall has been photographing wildlife for over 25 years, and for more than 20 years he has been spending more and more time each year in the Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks and surrounding areas. His business, Gray Crane Studios, moved to Jackson, Wyoming, in 2012, and his images are on display in The Jackson Trading Company Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

24 —

Leading Lipscomb through COVID

Responding with Resilience

Protecting the public in a pandemic

Tennessee’s captains navigating a storm of crisis

The pandemic descended, Lipscomb alumni stepped up

THRIVING With advancements in the physical campus, academic

accomplishments, expansion of diversity awareness and leadership, financial growth and the graduation of a unique class of new

professionals, Lipscomb University has not only survived in this tumultuous year, it has thrived.

LipscombLEADS: Lanier Center for Archaeology, Lipscomb’s first Ph.D. program

LipscombLEADS: New facilities bring added value to university and academy students

Respects leads the journey to diverse, respectful campus

Innovative education program bridges the culture gap in public schools

Departments 3 …….. A Letter from the President 46 …… Athletics News 50……. Lipscomb News 58 ……A Word from Alumni Relations 59 ……Bison Notes To see more of the Lipscomb Now features and the latest Lipscomb news, visit LIPSCOMB.EDU/NEWS.

Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expression of their desire to be back on campus for the 2020-21 school year was a major driver in the decision to re-open the campus to on-campus living and in-person classes this fall.

A Letter from the President

‘MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND PROTECT YOU’ Last year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when I first saw the photo of the bison that appears on the cover of this edition of Lipscomb Now, I was immediately intrigued. As my wife Rhonda and I explored the full gallery, it kept pulling at me. In contrast to the typical silhouette that I have often seen, here’s this majestic bison, with thick frost coating his face and frozen snow stuck to his fur. He is standing on the bitterly cold plain, looking right at me. I just kept looking at it. My sense was that the bison in this photo recognized the realities of the situation he was in. It’s cold. His environment is bleak and harsh. It’s been a long winter, and he’s weary. Yet, he seemed to have a sense of tenacity, persistence and courage to endure this moment—or any moment that is difficult. I could imagine the bison thinking, “I’ve done this before. I’ve lived through the winters of life before. And after every winter, spring came, and the sun was bright and the grass was tall.” Bison are known for their resilience, being uniquely created with the ability to withstand the extreme cold. There is tremendous symbolism here with the bison being our school’s mascot. Lipscomb has been through difficult times before. On Christmas Eve in 1929, Lindsey Hall dormitory burned. A few months later in March 1930, Avalon Home women’s dormitory burned during the night while students were sleeping. There have been wars, recessions, communicable diseases, natural disasters and other moments in our journey when we look back and ask ourselves how did our institution recover from that?

But we did. We’ve been through difficult times before … and those attributes of courage and tenacity and persistence—with God’s grace and providence, get us through the winter while we look forward to the wonder of spring and summer that follow. I encourage you to read the special section of this magazine that focuses on the Lipscomb community’s response to the coronavirus pandemic (page 4). Then I hope you will also read the following stories that highlight those who have shown great tenacity and persistence to move beyond surviving to thriving (page 24). While challenged in this COVID era, we are also very blessed.

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26

L. Randolph Lowry President

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

Different world, same Lipscomb spirit Alumni, faculty, staff and students are stepping out in faith to serve, care and innovate in a world changed by COVID-19 We’ve been hearing a lot about how the world drastically changed, perhaps permanently in many ways, with the rise of the novel coronavirus in the spring of 2020. Indeed, we grieve with the millions of people around the world whose lives have permanently changed with the loss of family and friends. Everything from the job market to eating out, from exercising to grocery shopping, from investments to vacations has changed. Yet, here at Lipscomb, we have watched as students have volunteered to work on-site in health care facilities even before they obtain their license. We have seen faculty and staff come together to not only work extra hours or from remote locations to ensure that students today can study and live in

lipscomb now

a safe on-campus environment, but they also joined hands to provide the most in-demand protective equipment to the city, the nation as well as the Lipscomb community. We see alumni across the nation jumping in to help alleviate shortages and to provide money where financial need exists for Lipscomb students. So sometimes it seems that not so much has changed. The Lipscomb spirit is still strong, and Bisons the world over continue to face each day armed with the strength that only God provides. From emergency room physicians to business owners, from Lipscomb’s service operations staff to Tennessee’s top public health official leading the state’s pandemic response, Lipscomb is shaping the way Americans face the future in a post-COVID-19 world, drawing courage from the Holy Spirit and power from the Savior. And that has never changed.

SURVIVING Since May, student pharmacists, faculty and recent graduates have periodically gathered in a College of Pharmacy lab to compound thousands of bottles of free hand sanitizer for campus and community use.

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

Leading Lipscomb through COVID President Lowry reflects on managing the institution’s response to global pandemic In the midst of a crisis, strong leadership is more important than ever. At Lipscomb University, President L. Randolph Lowry and his administrative team, along with the determination of faculty and staff and the support of the board of trustees, have navigated these choppy waters in such a way that the institution not only survived the storm but is thriving in the midst of the storm.

Lipscomb Now editor Kim Chaudoin sat down with President Lowry in November to learn more about his approach to leading the institution during this season and what is on the horizon.

Lipscomb Now: In your 15 years as Lipscomb University president, you have prepared for and managed through difficult circumstances, but 2020 brought an unprecedented challenge with the COVID-19 global pandemic. How has the Lipscomb community responded to this challenge?

The second phase in March resulted in requiring students to remain at home after spring break, and the third phase was to move academic programs to remote learning for the remainder of the spring semester. How did you manage this situation as it unfolded and impacted the Lipscomb community?

Randy Lowry: A key to effective leadership in these situations is an institution’s ability to adapt to its new environment. When you approach a situation from the framework of “change,” that’s a word that people may be resistant to or that may cause fear or anxiety. But thinking about adaptability … that’s a different mindset.

RL: At the beginning of a situation such as this, one of the first steps we take is to quickly assemble the right people around the table to manage the given situation. With the everevolving nature of this pandemic, we’ve had to do that over and over and over again.

The adaptability of our people to find their talents and giftedness and then adapting to the new circumstances early on was more than just pivoting to do something a different way. The leadership team adapted. Faculty and staff adapted. Students adapted. LN: Throughout the months of 2020, Lipscomb has managed the ongoing situation in phases. The first phase in February resulted in a decision to relocate and then bring home global learning students studying in Europe.

lipscomb now

After we brought our global learning students home, we then turned our focus to our students in Nashville. What was going through our minds at the time is that the virus could take paths where we couldn’t respond appropriately and resources in Nashville might or might not have been available to us. With so many unknowns it made sense for our students to remain home after spring break so they could be in familiar settings with people who love them and take care of them, and to be able to use resources that were available to them.

SURVIVING Like nearly every college and university across the nation, we decided to finish the semester with remote teaching, and we knew we had very, very little time to figure out how to do that. Before this happened, if we had given our community a year to prepare for transitioning to virtual teaching, they would have taken the full year to prepare for it. We gave them two weeks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and they were absolutely wonderful in their response.

LN: The fourth phase was the continuation of remote learning through Maymester and summer terms. The fifth phase was the decision to open for simultaneous in-person and virtual instruction for the fall semester. The sixth and final phase of 2020, was to successfully sustain ourselves with on-campus learning through the fall semester to Thanksgiving break. Making the decision of what to do for the fall semester and then preparing for that had to be a new leadership challenge.

Our goal was to make sure our students were able to make the academic progress that they expected to make during spring semester. That was a real accomplishment. We also went to a remote work format for most of our employees, except for those who remained on campus to disinfect and care for our campus and to prepare for the time when we could all be back together. It was a very historic moment in the life of our institution.

RL: When making a decision about opening in person or virtually for fall semester, a lot of conversation in the media and higher education centered on the ethics of opening rather than what the business or strategic impact would be. The ethical questions centered around the potential danger to the lives of students and employees. Of course we talked deeply about the financial impact of not opening, but the

biggest factor in our decision to open was that we heard from students that they wanted to come back to school. After six months of doing college in a totally remote format, students were weary of not being on campus and wanted to be a part of the Lipscomb community. It was a major disruption to these students, growing into adulthood and moving toward independence to be thrust back into an environment where one canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily be as independent as you were at college. So the question we considered was whether or not our students would do what they need to do to protect themselves and the rest of the community on campus. We felt confident that our students would rise to the occasion and they have. There was a substantial and positive contrast early in the academic year between what we were experiencing at Lipscomb and what a number of other schools, especially

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

able to continue their academic progress. Academic and event management leaders were instrumental in measuring classrooms and developing a plan for making more than 100 classrooms and learning spaces safe for students. Our computing and technology teams installed new equipment in these spaces so every class offered could do so virtually as well as in-person in real time if needed. Faculty worked tremendously hard to transform their teaching plans and curriculum to fit into these new formats and to learn new technologies, and the Center for Teaching and Learning provided valuable resources for faculty during this time.

big state universities, were experiencing, where students and their behavior led to significant COVID outbreaks that ultimately resulted in closing campuses for a time. Opening the campus for in-person learning was no easy feat. Every aspect of how we do what we do had to be re-envisioned, and then changes implemented. The Incident Management Team, a group of six people led by Susan Galbreath, senior vice president of strategy, who met every week for months—and continues to meet weekly—to develop a plan for each new piece of the puzzle, played a key role. Kathy Hargis, associate vice president of risk management and compliance, scoured the country to make sure we had plenty of the supplies we needed to disinfect our campus and to follow our cleaning protocols across campus. This was done at a time when supplies were scarce—and she made sure we

 

were taken care of then and in the long term. Dr. Kevin Eidson stepped out of his faculty position in the College of Pharmacy into the new role of director of health and wellness to think about the health piece and plan for the resources we need. Our residence life team had to be creative in how they moved 1,500 residential students into the dorms in a safe and socially distant way. The tremendous team in the Office of Student Life prepared for everything to be different—and yet still meaningful— from residential life to spiritual formation to campus activities and everything in between. They worked extraordinarily hard all summer to pull that off. Lipscomb Dining Services has been great—and the list goes on and on and on. We had to rethink our academic spaces and develop a flexible model that blended virtual with in-person learning to allow students who were sick or had to quarantine to be

What is amazing to me is how nobody grumbled or complained. We had a group of people who rolled up their sleeves and did whatever they needed to do. In the Biblical story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, you had a whole community coming together and saying, none of us can do all of this, but all of us can do some of it. I think that’s a good illustration. With each difficult moment that comes, we at Lipscomb gather a team of brilliant people. Because we react quickly, we assemble the right team, the right team knows how to carry out their piece and we have a community that will follow them and help us get it done. We not only survive in these moments. We thrive. LN: That decision to return to in-person classes in the fall was not necessarily in the norm, and yet, we did not back down from our decision. RL: We did labor a good bit privately in that decision, but there was also a sense of claiming a direction. That had to be done before we could rally people to accomplish a common goal. Leaders often find themselves in circumstances where certainty is not something that we are offered, but we still have to move forward. I couldn’t see any

other option that had any more certainty than the path we were on. In those moments, you gather all the information you can, get input and counsel from other perspectives and then make the wisest decision you can with the information you have. LN: And now, at the time of this interview, we have passed Thanksgiving break and we have been able to remain open. RL: It has taken each and every one of us doing our part to protect the Bison herd. This has been one of the toughest stages because there’s a weariness that comes from a situation like this that is now in its tenth month. Our students are weary of life not being “normal.” Some are anxious. But we have tried to be very intentional about caring for the mental health and wellbeing of our students in addition to their physical health. We gave them a day when undergraduate classes were cancelled, and our students had time to rest. We have added staff to the University Counseling Center staff. It has also been challenging for our faculty and staff. But I think our community has adapted well, even though they wish this were a typical academic year. I am also pleased that through all of this we have been able to continue the employment of almost every one of our faculty and staff. That was not the situation at many institutions across the country, and it was extremely important to me and to our board

We have a small percentage of our faculty who are not teaching face-to-face and a small number of our traditional students who are completely remote this fall. With the technology that was installed in learning spaces across campus this summer and with the majority of employees working remotely for nearly six months this year, we now know that very engaging and productive activity can take place remotely. I hope when people look back, they feel Lipscomb took good care of them during a very difficult time in their lives. LN: Lipscomb thrived in terms of enrollment this fall. Did that surprise you? RL: We were very, very blessed with an enrollment increase this fall, but most schools were not. Nationwide, private schools are down about 4% in enrollment on average. We are up about 6% this fall, which is about 10% above other private colleges. That’s pretty significant. One of the things we are now deciding is how much of that is due to COVID with people staying in Middle Tennessee who might have gone elsewhere and how much is people loving Lipscomb and coming in greater numbers? One also has to recognize that while online education was a product some schools offered six months ago, now, almost every school in America offers online education, almost every faculty member has taught online classes and almost every student has taken an online class. Higher education likely will never return to what it was prior to this pandemic. The last few months have proven that the traditional way education

has been delivered for hundreds of years isn’t the only way to do it. But Lipscomb has shown itself to be highly adaptable, innovative and creative. We can take those attributes that we’ve used over and over again the last 10 to 15 years and now apply them to new and exciting things. LN: What do you believe will be the future impact of the pandemic on our institution? RL: We have to take a moment and realize the enormity of what this institution has gone through this year, what this community has done and the cost of it. But then we have to turn to the future, because we can’t wait until this pandemic is behind us to get to it. The institutions that can adapt the fastest to this new reality will be the institutions that lead higher education into the next decade. Those that either linger too long or can’t adapt will be those that follow the rest of them into the future or that don’t survive. I am confident we will adapt, and with God’s help, lead Christian higher education.

SURVIVING

to take care of our employees. It was essential for our employees to be able to continue their work during this time so we were prepared for our students to return.

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

Responding with Resilience Lipscomb responds to crisis with bold commitment to our students When today’s students look back on their time at Lipscomb, no one will be able to say they had a normal year in 2020. But they will be able to say they had a wonderful experience at a college that emerged from a historic year of crisis even stronger and even more committed to students’ wellbeing. Making the bold decision to begin in-person classes in the fall—a challenge that hundreds of universities across the nation were unwilling to tackle— paid off this fall as Lipscomb set an all-time enrollment record with almost 4,900 students enrolled by October for the first time in university history. Although scattered across Middle Tennessee since March, the Lipscomb community was united in a common mission to finish the spring semester strong for students, to provide summer online course options to keep them on track academically and to return them to a safe and caring campus in August. Five months after students were asked to stay home after spring break to continue their classes remotely due to COVID-19, they returned to campus in record numbers, especially first-time freshmen, doctoral education students, veterans and new graduate students. “Lipscomb is thriving even in the unique season we have been in during 2020 in the midst of a pandemic,”

said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. “In fact, the hardships of the past year have drawn even more students to our campus as they recognize Lipscomb is a place that offers relevant preparation for not only their careers, but for their lives.” That mission became more challenging this year, but administrators, faculty, staff and students all rose to the challenge as many took on new roles, new equipment was installed, new protocols were established and $3 million in preparations were enacted during the summer to make the campus community safe for students and employees.

CAMPUS WELLNESS An interdisciplinary team of leaders focused on the rapidly changing environment has worked—and continues to work—to carry out the All Bisons Care operations plan, based on local, state, federal and higher-education specific guidance for safe operation during a pandemic. Since this past summer, Lipscomb has made public health decisions and policies under the guidance of Kevin Eidson, Pharm.D., director of health and wellness, who had been on faculty in the Lipscomb College of Pharmacy since 2010. Eidson worked eight years with the State of (continued on page 12)

MARCH 12 Lipscomb closes campus and plans to finish out spring 2020 through remote learning.

lipscomb now

MARCH 13-30 Faculty move all course work for the semester into digital formats.

MARCH 25 TO MAY 1 Staff coordinated the moves for 1,546 students out of the residence halls, including the belongings of 60 students who couldn’t come back to campus.

APRIL 17 Lipscomb establishes the Student Tuition Emergency Fund.

APRIL 27-MAY 1 Faculty and staff film the May 2 virtual commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020.

SURVIVING

STILL-LIFE OF LIPSCOMB HAND SANITIZER BOTTLES, A PILE OF MASKS AND POSSIBLY A FACE SHIELD? Director of Health and Wellness Kevin Eidson, the former state strategic national stockpile director for the Tennessee Department of Health, has applied his experience in preparing for health emergencies to the Lipscomb community since this past summer, developing a COVID-19 assessment center, quarantine processes and general wellness policies.

JUNE 1 Kevin Eidson hired as director of health and wellness.

JULY 6-17 President and faculty teach incoming freshmen in the online Surviving and Thriving course.

JULY 14 Lipscomb announces faculty will teach both on-site and online students in class at the same time during fall semester.

AUG 3 All employees return to campus. After returning, they each received a care kit with a mask, hand sanitizer and useful health information.

AUG 24 After $3 million spent in improvements and preparation, students begin in-person classes on campus.

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

NISSAN SHIFTS ROBOTICS DONATION TO SCHOLARSHIPS After talks with officials in the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, Nissan North America agreed to shift a portion of its $60,000 donation, usually used for the 2020 Nissan/ Lipscomb BisonBots Robotics Camps and Music City BEST Robotics Competition, to fund scholarships for more than 10 students who realized financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and were in need of additional support to complete their degrees. Bibiana Perdomo used her scholarship to take a summer course when summer internships evaporated.

“The novel coronavirus is driving novel solutions to helping others.” —DAVID ELROD Dean of Lipscomb’s Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering

lipscomb now

(Responding continued from page 10) Tennessee Department of Health, serving as the state strategic national stockpile director and the director of pharmacy. During his time at the state, Eidson developed many plans to address disasters, both man-made and natural, including bioterrorism and pandemics. He worked in that public health role during the 2001 anthrax scare across the nation, and under his watch, Tennessee became the first state to deploy Mark 1 antidote kits to be used for exposure to nerve agents. Under Eidson’s direction, an on-campus COVID-19 rapid testing laboratory was established, and alternative care sites were built and outfitted on campus for use in the extreme circumstance that a student needs to self-isolate and has no other alternative housing options. The University Health Center developed a system for contact tracing potential cases of the virus, and systems for care checks, food and exercise for students in self-isolation have been developed. “What this situation has really highlighted for me is that Lipscomb is a community that cares,” said Eidson. “Our students really want to be here, and to make that happen, they are following the guidelines we have set up. When I see students who really want to be here that badly, it makes me want to make sure we can stay here.” New signage around campus reminds everyone of physical distancing protocols and other best practices. Numerous hand sanitizer stations were installed at building entrances, and temperature screening devices are used at the entrance to heavily trafficked buildings. Face coverings are required when wearing one

SURVIVING

BUSINESS STUDENT SEES OPPORTUNITY INSTEAD OF OBSTACLES

“We are blessed with a very special student body, and at times like these when many campuses face significant challenges, our student body really shines.”

Aidan Miller, a Lipscomb rising sophomore, has two great loves. The people of Rwanda and coffee.

As the son of 20-year missionaries in East Africa, Miller is acutely aware of the effects of poverty and unemployment on the population. As an award-winning competitive barista and the founder of coffee shop Crema in Rwanda, he also has a vast knowledge of coffee.

—AL STURGEON Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students is in the best health interest of the entire community, such as situations where physical distancing is not possible or where a known health risk to an individual exists. Sodexo, Lipscomb’s food service provider, has made numerous changes to enhance the health and sanitation of dining services, including the addition of plexiglass barriers at all food pick up areas and cashier stations, the elimination of self-serve fountain drinks (now it is bottles only), adding servers to eliminate self-service in the buffet, disposable cutlery and the implementation of new to-go options along with decreased seating. “The flexibility, responsibility and caring for others that our students have shown has been a major factor in our successfully carrying out this semester on campus,” said Al Sturgeon, vice president of student life and dean of students. “Lipscomb students have taken this threat seriously, and the majority of them show their love and respect for others by adhering to the guidelines we have set for masks, distancing and disinfection. We are blessed with a very special student body, and at times like these when many campuses face significant challenges, our student body really shines.”

ACADEMICS In this new pandemic world, choice has become a valuable commodity. The freedom to choose whether to pick up your groceries, have them delivered or to shop in the store is a freedom Americans now cherish. Students value choice as well, and that is one reason many opted to choose Lipscomb this fall, said Matt Paden, senior vice president of enrollment and student engagement. “We made a commitment to provide an exceptional learning experience not just in the classroom, but for students studying from their homes as well,” said Paden. “Students and parents valued that ability to be able to choose how to continue their college experience. Recognizing the strength of our commitment to that choice, they enrolled at Lipscomb.” This fall, students were able to choose an on-campus learning format or an online learning format thanks to LipscombFLEX, a course delivery model that provides faculty a flexible means to adjust the mode of teaching classes

As a freshman in the College of Business, Miller brought together his two passions into one unique Nashville business, Kwizera Coffee, where the purchase of bags of coffee and booking the mobile espresso bar contributes to hope-creation programs in Rwanda, East Africa.

When bookings began to slow due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, Miller leveraged his company’s relationships to use Kwizera coffee to raise funds for food packages for Rwandan families during the pandemic. They created a 10-day food package for one family that included corn flour, rice, beans, cooking oil, salt, soap and two face masks. The purchase of one bag of Kwizera coffee ($16.50) provided the funds for half of the package.

“I have always loved coffee’s ability to connect people. It is something that everybody shares, no matter where you are in the world ... I think we can leverage coffee to have an impact in the world.” —AIDAN MILLER Creator and Owner of Kwizera Coffee

(continued on page 14) lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

MOVE THREE ALUMNI-FIGHTING COVID BLURBS

LIPSCOMB PHARMACISTS HELP PREPARE NASHVILLE, EDUCATE TENNESSEANS As Nashville and Tennessee began to prepare in March for the worst, Lipscomb University’s College of Pharmacy was there to make sure the city and state were both as prepared as they could possibly be. College of Pharmacy faculty and Lipscomb alumni in the pharmacy field were among the first called on by the Tennessee Department of Health to help shape plans for a temporary overflow hospital in Nashville’s Music City Center.

Micah Cost (’05), executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, Kevin Hartman (LA ’89), owner of NPS Pharmacy, and Tom Campbell, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy, worked on a task force with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to create a plan for the potential conversion of the center into a 1,600-bed COVID-19 overflow facility.

“Going through this exercise, even though ultimately the (Music City Center) project was not needed,” was still a valuable venture, Hartman said. “We took the tack to say, let’s call in experts we know, to get the right team together. In the future, should some other crisis situation come up, we have gotten our feet wet on how to set this up in a fast period of time.” In addition, pharmacy students were recruited as some of the first health care workers to man the Tennessee Coronavirus Public Information Line.

In the first days of operation, the state tapped the Tennessee Poison Center, where managing director Nena Bowman (PharmD ’14), also adjunct faculty at Lipscomb, oversaw her in-house team and additional pharmacy students and interns in answering the often panicked calls from the public.

lipscomb now

(Responding continued from page 13) from in-person to remote/online learning or vice versa for any number of students who may need it at any point in time. Each course incorporates LipscombFLEX in the way that best serves the class content, physical room design, student and faculty safety needs and learning modalities. A team, led by Andy Borchers, associate dean of undergraduate studies in the College of Business, worked hard to review over 100 learning spaces and created a plan for adding enhanced technology to enable remote learning. This technology alone cost more than $300,000 to equip the classroom spaces with remote teaching and learning capabilities. This team also prepared an appropriate physically distanced plan for each classroom, which reduced the number of students in the physical space, as well as reviewed with our service operations team the daily enhanced cleaning protocols. Lipscomb Online, the university’s academic branch that offers a fully online learning experience for students, also opened its online courses to any student as part of the block tuition in the summer and the fall semesters. Lipscomb also focused on keeping a college education accessible and affordable for its students, through competitive scholarship and financial aid packages. Nearly $1.3 million in federal CARES funds were distributed through Lipscomb to more than 800 students to help ensure their ability to continue their education through the summer and into the fall. A Student Tuition Emergency Fund set up by the university, as well as gifts and pledges by the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees members, the senior leadership team and various other donors to the Lipscomb Opportunity Fund initiative, raised almost $450,000 for the general scholarship fund and aid for incoming freshmen in fall 2020.

SURVIVING

S HERE SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES Faculty come together to ensure resilience among incoming students during unprecedented school year

In July, Lipscomb offered a unique opportunity for incoming freshmen and transfers and students in the Summer Scholars program to get engaged with the university during the summer. The online summer class “Surviving & Thriving in Uncertain Times,” was led by President L. Randolph Lowry and was created specifically for students beginning their Lipscomb experience during this chaotic year.

ALL BISONS CARE Not only have the Bisons responded to their local community with love and generosity, but they are targeting that same generosity to our campus community. Student pharmacists compounded 2,590 bottles of hand sanitizer for employees, students and Lipscomb’s communityfocused operations such as the Lipscomb Racquet Club. The College of Engineering manufactured 920 plastic face shields for university departments, and faculty member June Kingsbury oversaw production of 1,257 facial masks made available to Lipscomb employees. The new school year kicked off with every employee and undergraduate student receiving a care kit providing a Lipscomb Strong face mask, a thermometer for at-home and in-dorm temperature checks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, Life Saver candies, important health reminders from the CDC and instructions to install the Lipscomb Ready app, providing up-todate COVID-19 information as well as other emergency alerts. “While the global pandemic did result in some difficult decisions, such as cancelling global learning opportunities for fall and scheduling classes during fall break and Labor Day, the diligence and commitment of the Lipscomb community allows me to say with confidence and a great sense of pride that Lipscomb is surviving and thriving,” said Lowry. “In all cases, you can be assured that our goal is first and foremost to protect the health and wellbeing of our community while providing a great on-campus experience for all.”

Hearing lessons by faculty from various disciplines, students learned the value of resilience in the face of adversity and how to develop strategies to thrive as young adults. The course explored the experiences of others throughout history in science, literature and religion who developed resilience, and students applied these examples in the context of their faith in order to live boldly, distinctively and faithfully in a variety of contexts.

The class provided students an opportunity to build community before ever setting foot on campus through videoconferenced question-and-answer sessions with fellow classmates and small-group mentoring.

More than 25% of the incoming class enrolled in the free, one-credit hour course featuring pre-recorded and live virtual interaction components.

Various faculty devoted their time during the summer to teach the course, offering an interdisciplinary experience combining concepts from the health sciences, English, Bible, psychology, history, business and conflict management.

To read more about the Surviving and Thriving course, go to bit.ly/SurvivingAndThriving.

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING COVID RESPONSE

11,346 150 7,830 2,677

Face shields manufactured

organizations benefitted shields for health care shields for education

PROTECTING THE PUBLIC IN A PANDEMIC The Bison Herd has reached out in countless ways to serve their friends, family and neighbors during the pandemic. Lipscomb’s engineering, pharmacy and arts faculty and students jumped on three of the most in-demand items during the early days of the pandemic to ensure that even the most vulnerable among us were protected from the coronavirus.

ENGINEERING GEARS UP TO GUARD AGAINST THE VIRUS More than 11,000 medical providers and educators in Middle Tennessee and beyond are better protected thanks to face shields the staff and faculty of the Peugeot Center for Engineering Service have fabricated, cutting the headpiece from plastic using the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering’s laser cutter in its innovation lab.

Shields have been distributed free to more than 150 organizations including Lipscomb departments, individual educators and schools, numerous medical sites and individual health

care workers. One thousand shields were made for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Some shields even went to White Plains Hospital in New York and to Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx at the request of an alumna. In addition, the Peugeot staff created downloadable instructions for making a do-it-yourself face shield that health care workers in under-resourced nations can use for protection during the pandemic.

Read more on this effort at bit.ly/EngineeringFaceShields.

“This program and the College of Engineering have definitely been a shining light in the midst of a very dark time. Seeing the generosity of people that has come out of this pandemic has been very uplifting and encouraging, especially as someone who has been on the front lines of the fight against this virus.” —BRANDON LOKEY (’05) Emergency Physician at TriStar Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee

lipscomb now

SURVIVING

PHARMACY STUDENTS USE THEIR EXPERTISE TO FILL THE GAP

ARTS FACULTY LEADS THE WAY IN SEWING MASKS June Kingsbury (above), costume designer and costume shop manager in Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts and a freelance costume designer in Nashville for 22 years, organized more than 800 volunteers to sew masks for local health care professionals.

Starting with sleeves for respiratory masks for health providers at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Kingsbury and her volunteers on the MedThreads Volunteers Facebook page have now made 12,000 masks that have been distributed to 48 health care facilities and community organizations throughout Middle Tennessee, including St. Thomas Hospital, Centennial Hospital, Williamson County Medical Center and Memory Care Center of Excellence. Nine weeks after she first reached out to five friends to help her sew masks, Kingsbury’s volunteer team had grown to the point that she was declared a Hometown Hero by Nashville’s WKRN Channel 2 news. The MedThreads volunteers requested that the hot lunch they won as Hometown Heroes be given to the workers at one of Nashville’s drive-up COVID-19 assessment centers.

50 faculty, staff and students compounded sanitizer

4,000+ 2 oz. bottles of hand sanitizer distributed free to Lipscomb students, faculty and the community

Finding solutions to community needs and positively impacting an individual’s quality of life are often part of a pharmacist’s daily work. A group of student pharmacists, faculty and recent graduates are using their knowledge and expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the high demand for hand sanitizer.

The group periodically volunteered their time and knowledge to compound a supply of the hand sanitizer formula based on World Health Organization recommendations to provide for free to Nashville area healthcare providers and public safety organizations, such as Heritage Medical.

Read more on this effort at bit.ly/PharmacyHandSanitizer.

Read more on this effort at bit.ly/KingsburyMasks.

860 12,000 48

members of MedThreads Facebook group masks made

health care facilities and community organizations in Middle Tennessee received masks

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING ALUMNI IN ACTION

Tennessee’s captains navigating a storm of crisis Lipscomb alumni are leading the state’s pandemic response in public health and economic recovery When Dr. Lisa Piercey (’98) and Mark Ezell (’82) assumed their respective roles as commissioner of health and commissioner of tourism in Gov. Bill Lee’s administration in January 2019 neither could have predicted that they would be leading the state’s response to a global pandemic and its economic devastation just over a year later. Piercey has played key roles in Tennessee’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic since the state’s first positive case was confirmed on March 5 and has worked around-the-clock in the trenches since that time. “The heavy responsibility is sobering and humbling, especially knowing our decisions impact so many families, including my own. Every day brings exhilaration, frustration, fascination and exhaustion, so it demands a leadership approach that centers around flexibility, transparency and grace,” said Piercey. Ezell was appointed in April to lead Tennessee’s Economic Recovery Group, which developed a multistage guideline for businesses in Tennessee to reopen just four weeks after a statewide stay-at-home mandate was issued. Thirty community and business leaders were gathered to develop the reopening plan. “We are always re-evaluating. One thing my grandfather (who established

 

Nashville’s long-time business Purity Dairies) said, ‘There is always a better way. Try to find it every day,’” said Ezell, who worked at Purity for more than 30 years. From the time Piercey was a child, she has been intrigued by science and has felt a calling to serve others. Those passions led the West Tennessee native to medical school and a career in health care. “I have always enjoyed STEM-based learning, and the human body simply intrigues me. When that intellectual pursuit is applied to the spiritual and emotional desire to serve my fellow man, it doesn’t feel like work at all,” she said. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Lipscomb before heading to East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine for medical school and pediatrics residency training. Piercey began her health care career as a pediatrician at the Jackson Clinic in Jackson, Tennessee. Following that, Piercey spent a decade in health systems operations, most recently as executive vice president of West Tennessee Healthcare, a public, notfor-profit health system with more than 7,000 employees servicing 22 counties. Piercey is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both general pediatrics and in the specialty field of

Lisa Piercey (’98), Tennessee Commissioner of Health. Photos, Tennessee Photo Services.

child abuse pediatrics. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree. Piercey says the opportunity to serve the state of Tennessee as commissioner of health was an unexpected honor. “Well, it was certainly something I never expected,” admits Piercey. “However, during the years I was managing several rural hospitals, it quickly became evident that, in today’s health care climate, successful administrators need to understand and engage in public policy and the legislative process. The exposure within that arena positioned me to engage with Gov. Lee during his transition into office, and we found commonality in our faith-based, practical approach to ensuring access to high quality and affordable health care to all Tennesseans.” Serving alongside Piercey in the Tennessee Department of Health are three fellow Lipscomb alumni: Brent Culberson (’05, MA ’10) is assistant commissioner for health licensure and regulation;

SURVIVING Mark Ezell (’82) Tennessee Commissioner of Tourism.

Valerie Oliver (’82) is assistant commissioner for administrative services; and John Webb (’01) serves as deputy commissioner for operations. Ezell is a part of an iconic Nashville business family that had Nashvillians drinking local milk for generations. Ezell, a graduate of Lipscomb Academy as well as the university, was a brand development executive with Purity Dairies (now owned by Dean Foods Company), the company his family established in 1946, until March 2018. In January 2019, he brought that experience to the state tourism office. Ezell is a nationally recognized brand developer who coordinated the creation and implementation of the iconic “Milk MustacheGot Milk?” campaign. “My grandfather said, ‘In order to have a great brand, you have to have great products.’ So as a brander, it was awesome to see that Tennessee has some amazing tourist assets,” said Ezell.

The effects of the pandemic have shown that Tennessee enjoys a “terrific diversity of assets,” said Ezell. “People can’t go to Bridgestone Arena (in Nashville), but they can travel down to a state park or enjoy the state’s small towns or visit so many of the museums that are open safely. We are seeing record attendance at many of our state parks.” When Ezell was called on to lead the Economic Recovery Group in April, hotel revenues for the state were down 84%, he said. A group including seven state commissioners and 15 representatives from various industries, came together to work out how to reopen the economy “with safety as our No. 1 priority,” Ezell said. “The pandemic has brought so many challenges in decision-making to the state and local leaders,” Ezell said. “Finding the best and right thing to do, regardless of what public opinion would be, is something that requires

a lot of prayer and consultation from subject matter experts. “I was blessed to have a lot of people in my life who taught me to pursue the right thing no matter what,” he said. “To face these unexpected challenges, we must be able to move back to what we have been taught as Christians, be willing to listen and learn from others and be willing to adjust and head back toward the right decision and what is best for others.” Ezell has spearheaded philanthropic efforts to create the Purity Foundation and other Middle Tennessee efforts like the successful Moosic City Dairy Dash. He is a current member of the Lipscomb College of Business Dean’s Board.

To read the full version of this story, go to bit.ly/TNHealthcareCaptains.

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING ALUMNI IN ACTION

The pandemic descended upon us Lipscomb alumni across the nation stepped up to the challenge From health care to education, from donations of money to donations of time and expertise, from one-on-one caring to marshalling the resources of an entire business, the Bisons brought the Lipscomb spirit of innovation and service to their neighbors in 2020.

BRINGING MORE HOPE THAN FEAR Dr. James Parnell (’06), attending physician at the emergency room at Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin, Tennessee, now works in a world where patients can no longer see the face of the doctor caring for them. A world where one of the most important duties of a nurse is to hold the hand of a dying patient. A world where providing hope, in the face of rising fear, is a crucial management goal.

“It’s a scary time to live in this paradox, and I ask myself, ‘How do I help?’ God has blessed me with skills and ability to care for patients, so I have great peace in that. I have to trust that He has me where he wants me to be.

“As the leader of the team, I look in the faces of the nurses and technicians, and there is a lot of fear and anxiety I see on those faces. My goal is to have more hope than fear, to block out the COVID noise and show that Jesus is around us all the time.”

 

CARING FOR EMOTIONAL AS WELL AS PHYSICAL NEEDS Often these days, nurses find themselves taking care of emotional needs just as much as physical needs. Megan Turnington (LA ’06), began an Amazon wish list where the public could buy COVID patients in Nashville’s TriStar Centennial Medical Center items they can use to make the days a little brighter, such as cell phone chargers, coloring books, word searches or puzzle books. The list started as a way to meet the needs of the health care workers, but quickly turned into a mechanism to fight the loneliness and discomfort of COVID patients, who are not allowed visitors. “That has really taken off and has been really cool to see,” said Kaleigh Sabin (’18, LA ’14), a charge nurse in the COVID ward for TriStar Centennial Medical Center.

SURVIVING

FREEDOM COMPANY EMPOWERS THE PUBLIC TO DONATE MASKS From its beginning, Adam Suttle’s (’17) business, Freedom Company, was about doing good. It’s tagline even spells it out: Wear Great, Do Good™. So it’s no surprise that when the world went into crisis mode, he shifted his business to address the crucial need for face masks.

ENTERING PANDEMIC CARE SYSTEM INSTILLS RESOLVE, NOT FEAR IN NURSING GRADUATE As a high school senior and aspiring nurse in Proctorville, Ohio, Abbey Ward (’20) certainly didn’t foresee that by the time she completed her training, the world would be dealing with a pandemic. Now her dream job in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center emergency department, which she secured before she even graduated, comes not only with excitement, but a good deal of uncertainty. “For me, nothing has changed, this is exactly what I want to be doing. In my preceptorship (at Vanderbilt), I was excited to go into work every day. I know this is exactly what I was made to do. (The emergence of the pandemic) actually makes me more excited, because I know how much of a difference I will be making and how people are relying on us.”

As an apparel company that works closely with American companies to make small-batch runs of premium cotton T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies, Freedom Company, based in Nashville, was well-positioned to begin making washable, non-medical cotton masks for the community.

When customers purchase Freedom Company apparel, they are empowered to choose where to donate a portion of the sale: to provide clean water around the world, job training in Uganda or to fight human trafficking.

Using the same model and setting aside its apparel production for a time, Suttle empowered customers to do good themselves by purchasing the cotton masks and donating them either to health care workers in Tennessee or to deliver the masks themselves to the site of their choice.

“We are trying to connect the dots for people … So we are donating these masks for health care workers in areas that do not need N95 masks, to first responders or even to the homeless population. We took what we had and put it to work.”

SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY GRABS CHANCE TO HELP FILL SHORTAGES Who ever thought that fake fog could become a hero?

That is exactly what Lipscomb alumnus Chris Markgraf is making happen at his plant in Columbia, Tennessee. Froggy’s Fog, which produces the chemicals needed to create fog used in theatrical special effects, has switched over to produce hand sanitizer. As Markgraf watched the supplies of hand sanitizer fly off store shelves, he came up with the idea to use some of the same chemicals he uses in the fog to make hand sanitizer. Froggy’s Fog paused production on its fog products and now produces an 80% alcohol formula for hand sanitizer that can be used in medical facilities and by first responders, as well as the public.

On its first weekend of public sales in March, the company set up a distribution station in its parking lot in Columbia and sold jugs to the public, providing a free gallon jug to any first responders who came by that day, Markgraf said.

“We care. We try to take care of people,” said Markgraf, whose company counts many firefighting and military units among its fog customers.

—ADAM SUTTLE Creator and Owner of Freedom Company

lipscomb.edu/news

SURVIVING ALUMNI IN ACTION

LETTERS PROJECT BOOSTS STUDENTS’ SKILLS AND WORKERS’ SPIRITS Kathryn Roach, a May 2020 graduate of Lipscomb’s post-baccalaureate certification for English as a second language, found a unique way for her 19 third-graders to “use their voices for positive change” while homebound during the spring semester.

CREATIVE TEACHING BRINGS HEART TO REMOTE LEARNING During the spring lockdown, when most of Tennessee’s schools were closed, Wilson County’s West Elementary School Principal Christopher Plummer, a doctoral student in the College of Education, made a point to visit his students in his teachers’ various Zoom classrooms, giving them virtual high fives and hugs just as he does in the school hallway greeting them in the mornings, he said. He also held several bedtime story readalongs on the school’s read-along Facebook site, dubbed “West Side Story” during the spring semester. Several teachers also began reading to students through the site.

One evening, however, he forgot about the scheduled bedtime story until the last moment, when he found himself still at a local Cracker Barrel restaurant. Undaunted, he bought a book at the Cracker Barrel store, sat down in one of the rockers outside, and recruited a Wilson County teen to video him reading the book to his students. From “lunch bunch” gatherings, to virtual scavenger hunts and talent shows, Plummer and his teachers kept Wilson County students engaged and feeling part of the school community despite the shutdowns.

 

As many of her students did not have a computer, Roach and a classmate at Lipscomb devised a project for the Glengarry Elementary School students in Nashville to handwrite letters of encouragement to essential workers who were still on the job this past spring. The project boosted their writing skills, required them to think about tips for staying positive and raised the spirits of workers at Kroger, Walmart, Walgreens, TriStar medical centers, Vanderbilt children’s hospital and the public school system’s food distribution site.

One of the letters was even selected to appear in the public school system’s employee newsletter as the inspiration of the week.

ALUMNUS’ FOUNDATION DONATES 10,000 LIPSCOMB STRONG FACE MASKS In June, after the state had opened up to commerce, Mark Ezell (’82), commissioner of the Department of Tourist Development and director of the Economic Recovery Group established by Gov. Bill Lee, spearheaded the Ezell Foundation’s purchase of 10,000 cloth masks for Lipscomb as part of the Tennessee Strong Mask Movement. The Mask Movement was an ERG partnership with more than 30 flagship brands to distribute close to 300,000 free or low-cost cloth face coverings across the state. The goal was to keep Tennesseans safe while showing their support for local brands from the worlds of sports, education and business. Lipscomb made the Lipscomb Strong masks available to all employees and students.

“These businesses are the heart and soul of Tennessee, and we’re grateful to them for helping our citizens stay healthy and have a little fun sporting their favorite brands while they’re at it.” —MARK EZELL Director State of Tennessee Economic Recovery Group

SURVIVING

YALE GRAD BECOMES LISTENING EAR FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES Kayla Ford (’17), a 2020 graduate of Yale Divinity School, is working as a chaplain at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in New York City, the U.S. city most hard hit by COVID-19 this past spring.

“A lot of work in chaplaincy is listening to people’s stories and helping them to find meaning in their suffering. People want to be heard and seen. They want to honor the suffering they are going through, so they just want to talk about it because sometimes the burden is too much to carry alone. I know that I am doing important and meaningful work. I am happy to do it, because I know it is really needed.”

ALUMNA OPTS TO CARE RATHER THAN CREATE DURING ECONOMIC DOWNTURN Finding herself out of a job shortly after the pandemic started, Rachel Stewart (’19) returned home and began work in long-term care rather than in her chosen field. Her positive, heartfelt LinkedIn post in July about what she is learning from the experience has garnered more than 1 million views and more than 1,000 comments.

“I had to move back to Canada and was out of a job back in March, due to COVID-19. No one was hiring graphic designers. So I took this job, not in my field, in the midst of a global pandemic so I could hug my grandma (I’m the only person in my family that can do that right now). I took this job to help instead of just sitting at home feeling bad for my displaced, unemployed self. I am not just a graphic designer. I’m a human being who loves to create but also to care for others.”

COUNSELING STUDENTS CREATE BLOG TO FIGHT ISOLATION As quarantines around the world placed millions in greater isolation, concerns about rampant depression, loneliness, suicidal thoughts and other mental health issues set in. Students Audrey Jean Jones, Jennifer Knowles and Christina Rumbaugh, all pursuing their Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling, were assigned the task of developing an advocacy project for their Introduction to Mental Health Counseling course. As the local lockdown continued, they realized how important it was to talk about isolation and to be aware of its impact.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER DEVELOPS OPEN SOURCE TOOL TO AID VACCINE RESEARCHERS While the world feverishly worked to develop a COVID-19 vaccination, Thomas Townsley (MS ’19) made his contribution by helping to develop PantographTM, a visual browser for Graph Genomes, a new way of capturing gene sequence data to aid researchers in studying the sequence diversity of the virus, which helps in successfully developing a vaccine. Townsley worked with a group of scientists and researchers from around the world beginning in March to build the pangenomic tool, which debuted in July to aid vaccine research. The software is free and open source. The research team hopes to “get it into the hands of as many researchers as possible” to expedite the development of a COVID-19 vaccination, Townsley said.

In response, they developed advocacyforisolated.org, a website that covers topics including mental health, COVID-related issues, good news, public resources and ideas for increased wellbeing for all people but especially those affected by isolation.

lipscomb.edu/news

THRIVING LIPSCOMB LEADS

We didn’t just survive. We thrived. The COVID-19 pandemic presented daunting challenges that the Lipscomb community turned into opportunities for growth, advancement and collaboration 2020 has been a year that most of us lived in survival mode, just trying to make it from one day to the next. Lipscomb’s founders lived through times of great division and illness as well, from the Civil War to epidemics of cholera and Spanish flu. Yet their extraordinary vision for Christian higher education not only survived the struggles, it thrived, providing a strong foundation for the institution we are a part of today. An institution that even in the midst of a worldwide virus, nationwide civil unrest and an unprecedented presidential election season, has remained bold in its choices to continue expanding and improving the campus for future generations of students, to embrace academic programs unlike any offered at Lipscomb before, to send a new class of graduates into the world to make a positive impact. During the fall of 2020, on-campus students spent most of their day in masks, but many of them spent that day studying in new or newly accredited academic programs. Working conditions and expectations changed overnight in the spring, yet work continued not only to survive quarantine, but to expand and improve the

lipscomb now

campus during quarantine. Construction continued during the summer in order to welcome students with almost 400 new parking spots in a new garage and to welcome freshman women to campus with newly renovated rooms, a new elevator and private bathrooms in the Elam Residence Hall. The journey to complete Lipscomb Academy’s largest construction project ever continued nonstop as the lower school’s Brewer Campus at Harding Place and Granny White Pike took shape and is on track to open in January thriving. And while social distancing and wellness measures certainly make life on campus different, it certainly hasn’t slowed us down, with students enjoying revamped student life activities from picnics to drive-in movies, from musical performances to virtual lectures by the nation’s leading voices, from thought-provoking candid discussions on current issues to painting pumpkins under a tent. The year 2020 has been full of challenges, but the Lipscomb community has done more than survive those challenges, we have turned them into opportunities, thriving in a way that will set the tone for our future in this new world. We are in a different world. But we have the same Lipscomb spirit.

THRIVING lipscomb.edu/news

THRIVING LIPSCOMB LEADS

Internationally renowned scholars launch Lanier Center for Archaeology CENTER WILL OFFER LIPSCOMB’S FIRST PH.D. PROGRAM AND FIELD RESEARCH IN A FIRST-OF-ITSKIND UNIVERSITY SETTING Internationally renowned archaeology scholars Steven Ortiz and Tom Davis have founded the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University. The Lanier Center for Archaeology is the first of its kind, in that it is part of a university instead of a seminary setting. The center will offer academic programs and field research projects as well as bring extensive resources and artifacts to Lipscomb University.

The Lanier Center for Archaeology will include four field research projects in Israel, Cyprus and Egypt.

 

The center plans to offer a Doctor of Philosophy in archaeology of the ancient near east and a Master of Arts in archaeology and Biblical studies beginning in January.

In addition, the center will feature archaeological research libraries, an extensive artifact study collection and a ceramic restoration lab. It will engage in field research projects, including four active projects: Tel Gezer excavation and publication project, Israel; Kourion Urban Space project, Cyprus; Karnak epigraphic survey, Egypt; and the Tel Burna excavation project, Israel. The center is housed in Lipscomb’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

“The Lanier Center for Archaeology adds a new dimension to the university’s academic offerings with its first Ph.D. program,” said W. Craig Bledsoe, Lipscomb provost. “The field research opportunities that are also part of this program greatly expands the scope of what we do. “We are very fortunate to have two of the world’s foremost experts in archaeology leading the development of this new center,” he said.

“It is particularly unique that a center like this is in the interdisciplinary academic setting that a university offers in comparison to it being located at a seminary. This will provide our faculty with new opportunities to collaborate as

THRIVING

Age I and II transition, and the border relations between Judah and Philistia.

Davis also joined the Lipscomb faculty in August and will be associate director of the center. He has 40 years of experience as an archaeologist, working extensively in Cyprus, the Near East, Egypt, Central Asia and the United States. He has held positions across the spectrum of archaeology, including professor of archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; assistant vice president of a professional archaeology company; and most significantly, the director of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus, one of the premier archaeological research centers in the Eastern Mediterranean.

well as to share and apply their knowledge and expertise. We look forward to the impact this program will have not only on Lipscomb but also on the field of archaeological research on the whole,” said Bledsoe.

The Lanier Center for Archaeology is made possible through the generosity of Becky and Mark Lanier. Mark Lanier is a member of the Lipscomb Board of Trustees and a 1981 Lipscomb graduate. The Laniers are known for their passion for theology and archaeology and are ardent supporters of this work. They also founded the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, Texas.

Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry noted that the center is a good fit for Lipscomb’s Christian mission.

“In a time when higher education is contracting and facing the winds of great challenge and change, Lipscomb University is stepping forward with programs that are important to both the academic and practitioner worlds,” said Lowry. “The world needs the deep thinking and the perspective that archaeology provides, and it broadens who we are as an institution of higher learning across an array of academic disciplines.

“For those in the Christian faith, it is archaeology that puts that faith into perspective and gives us the context and background for what we read and study in Scripture. This is a unique opportunity for Lipscomb to grow in an area that I believe will have a tremendous impact on our students and in the world around us.”

Ortiz and Davis, who will lead the work of the center, are known around the world for their work in the field. Both Ortiz and Davis were part of the team that produced the recent ESV Archaeology Study Bible.

Ortiz joined the Lipscomb faculty in August as a professor of archaeology and director of the Lanier Center. He was formerly director of the Tandy Institute for Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he was professor of archaeology and Biblical backgrounds. He received his Ph.D. in near eastern archaeology from the University of Arizona. He is the principal investigator and co-director of the Tel Gezer Excavation Project and is now a senior staff member at Tel Burna. He has been a senior staff member at Tel Zeitah, Ekron, JerusalemKetef Hinnom, Tell el-Hamma and Lachish. Ortiz’s research and publications focus on the archaeology of David and Solomon, Iron

Davis currently directs the Kourion Urban Space Project at the early Christian site of Kourion, Cyprus. He also serves as project co-director and field director of the Ilyn Balik Expedition, Kazakhstan; and as project coordinator for the Recordation Project of the West Wall of the Cour de la Cachette in the Temple of Karnak, Luxor, Egypt.

“We are very pleased that the center will be housed within a university setting as it not only involves scripture but also natural sciences, social sciences, history and more. It is such a great fit for the breadth of what archaeology is,” said Ortiz.

“We are excited about collaborating with other academic disciplines in the work of the center, and being at a faith-based institution is a wonderful place to be. Christianity is a faith grounded in historical events. Because of that, the study of archaeology helps us understand the faith context in which the Bible was revealed. We think it will add an interesting dimension to a variety of disciplines at Lipscomb.”

Approval for the M.A. and Ph.D. programs from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is pending. Based on SASCOC approval, the programs will begin in January of 2021.

For more information about the Lanier Center for Archaeology, contact Steven Ortiz at archaeology@lipscomb.edu.

lipscomb.edu/news

THRIVING LIPSCOMB LEADS

Students return to an expanded, improved campus Signiﬁcant new facilities bring additional value to academics, student life and Lipscomb Academy The Lipscomb campus was unusually quiet this spring and summer, but even so construction continued on several key projects designed to bring greater value to university and Lipscomb Academy students this school year. University students are enjoying additional garage parking, a completely renovated residence hall and upgrades in classroom buildings including specialized labs. Academy students at the lower school are enjoying the first completed upgrades to the Brewer Campus including a refresh of all existing public space and a new welcome center for prospective students and their families.

A new 396-spot parking garage serving the north side of campus opened in August in time to serve the thousands of students returning to campus.

 

ELAM HALL Elam Hall, Lipscomb’s primary residence hall for freshman women, was the latest in a decade-long campaign to upgrade all on-campus residence halls. Much as happened with Johnson Hall in 2016, Elam Hall was reconstructed from the inside out, with new wiring, plumbing, air conditioning, walls and exterior facade. The $11.4 million renovation includes adding an elevator, a larger common kitchen and lobby, and a new configuration of restrooms, allowing for 33 private bathrooms. The renovations provide many of the aspects that are in-demand by today’s discerning college student.

“Elam has been the locale for many fond memories for generations of Lipscomb students,” said Al Sturgeon, vice president of student life and dean of students. “The improvements this summer will enhance students’ quality of life for additional generations to come and will serve as a great first impression for students beginning their freshman year on campus.”

NORTH PARKING GARAGE The campus’ third parking garage was completed in August and serves the everexpanding north campus where a new residence hall and four academic buildings have been constructed over the past few years.

THRIVING

The new $10.3 million, 118,000-square-foot garage provides almost 400 new parking spaces as well as the housing for a wind tunnel for use by the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering.

Elam Hall, one of Lipscomb’s oldest residence halls and today’s home for freshman women, received a soup-to-nuts renovation this summer with new wiring, plumbing, air conditioning, walls and exterior facade (01). The expanded lobby and versatile furniture give Elam residents a more comfortable location to gather, socialize, study or participate in events (02). Admissions set up a preview room this fall to highlight the improved building, which now has an elevator and 33 individual bathrooms (03).

“The new garage addresses a primary concern of students and will be especially useful for residents of our newest residence hall, Bison Hall, and for our large population of commuter students,” said Sturgeon.

The new garage is located behind the Fields Engineering Center and borders Grandview Drive.

MCFARLAND SCIENCE CENTER 02

Improvement of McFarland, a facility that has served as headquarters for Lipscomb’s science students for more than 50 years, did not stop when its new 24,000-squarefoot addition with six new laboratories came on line in 2016.

Over the past two summers, $3 million in renovation has upgraded the top three floors of McFarland with a new air conditioning system and new flooring, ceilings, lighting, paint, whiteboards and teacher stations.

“The renovation has improved and expanded laboratory-prep rooms in both the principles of biology laboratory and the natural history lab, and small spaces have been repurposed for more efficient faculty use,” said Kent Gallaher, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “McFarland has always been home to cutting-edge technology and truly outstanding pre-professional programs. Now we have a facility that better reflects the academic quality that Lipscomb sciences have been known for.”

lipscomb.edu/news

In summer 2018, the entire basement of McFarland and Ward Hall was redesigned for the School of Art and Design, with new faculty offices and studios for the fashion, graphic design, painting, drawing, printmaking and 2D animation programs. A long whiteboard wall in the hallway allows art students to doodle or brainstorm, and an innovation center focuses on the intersection between art and engineering.

“The renovation of McFarland Hall, completed at a time when many businesses were on hold due to concerns over COVID-19, shows Lipscomb’s commitment to investing in their students by providing every possible advantage in their learning environments,” said David Holmes, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

 

DATA ANALYTICS LAB The College of Business debuted a new data analytics lab for students in the Swang Business Center this fall. Envisioned as a hub for the study of and collaborative projects in data analytics, the lab includes ample connectivity to specialized data analytics apps and furniture designed to promote collaboration in a multi-device environment. This is the second technology-rich, program-specific lab the College of Business has established for students. The Financial Markets Lab featuring access to the Bloomberg Terminal software was opened in Swang in 2017. “The data analytics lab is designed to facilitate student learning in a small-group setting by encouraging brainstorming and group communication,” said Jacob Arthur

(LA ’04, BS ’08, MAcc ’08), assistant professor of information technology. “Students will be able to dig deeper into concepts they learn in class using the lab’s technology and potentially conduct projects for industry out of the space.”

LIPSCOMB ACADEMY’S BREWER CAMPUS The corner of Granny White Pike and Harding Place continues to be transformed as construction of the $16.5 million, 55,000-squarefoot expansion of the lower school facility nears completion. The new building is expected to begin use in January.

But students from age 2 to 4th grade are already enjoying a renovation of the existing building, including new paint, ceilings, lighting and flooring in all public areas.

THRIVING

As the lower school’s library will be relocated from its existing location and re-open as a larger, more hands-on and collaborative learning commons in the new expansion, the existing library was transformed into a welcome center and offices for the lower school admissions staff and counselor. The center will be an inviting space that includes themed images of Lipscomb life, a place for prospective families to meet members of the Lipscomb community for the first time and a private area for more personal conversation with families and students, said Allen Long, associate head of school for the lower school.

“When families walk into a new school, they are excited and wrestling with a major decision for their children’s future,” he said. “The welcome center is designed to make families feel comfortable and valued. It is our launching pad for new relationships and a multi-purpose home base for our entire Lipscomb lower school team to get to know prospective students and their families.”

The lower school’s Brewer Campus has an inviting new entrance (01) at the corner of Harding Place and Granny White Pike. The expansion has a designated space for the new Solly School (02), to provide special education and support services for students with special needs. The existing library has been transformed into a larger, more collaborative learning commons that will include a hands-on makerspace (03).

lipscomb.edu/news

THRIVING LIPSCOMB LEADS

LIPSCOMBLEADS A FAITH-DRIVEN, FORWARD-THINKING CAMPAIGN Lipscomb is more than surviving. WE’RE THRIVING. Because of you. LEADERS LIKE YOU HAVE CREATED THE MOMENTUM FOR LIPSCOMB’S FUTURE

EVERY INDIVIDUAL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

$250M $246.8M

CAMPAIGN TOTALS:

CAMPAIGN GOAL

46,905

LIPSCOMBLEADS CONTRIBUTORS

RAISED TO DATE

382

A.M. BURTON SOCIETY* MEMBERS

32,530

NEW CONTRIBUTORS TO LIPSCOMB

*A.M. Burton Society members are those who make planned gifts such as bequests, trusts, or annuities or who establish a named endowment of $30,000 or more.

 

DAY OF GIVING RESULTS 2020

44% Given by the Lipscomb COMMUNITY

95%

$826,884 RAISED IN

24 HRS FROM

3,520 CONTRIBUTORS

Given by INDIVIDUAL alumni, friends and parents

THRIVING

Donors change the world one life at a time. You have the power to help Lipscomb students like Amelia complete their education and embark on a journey to fully live out their calling.

give.lipscomb.edu

The Lipscomb Scene As part of Lipscomb’s LIGHT program, an academic intercultural competence initiative, Cyntoia Long-Brown, a Nashville juvenile given a life sentence for robbery and murder in 2004 at age 16, gave a virtual lecture and a chapel talk to students as part of programming focused on the book Just Mercy. Brown-Long, who was forced into prostitution at the time of the crime, received clemency from the governor in 2019. She was a graduate of the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) program held in the Tennessee Prison for Women (01). This Wind Ensemble, conducted by Ben Blasko, performed on stage this past February (02). As part of the new norm in 2020, the Student Activities Board sponsored picnics for students to be able to hang out in small groups in the open air (03). The Office of Student Life has worked hard all semester to offer fun student activities in Bison Square each week this fall, including a plant sale, held by the University Counseling Center (04) and a Fitness Friday yoga lesson (05).

In March, deadly tornadoes hit Nashville and Middle Tennessee causing millions of dollars worth of damage. Lipscomb’s social clubs answered the call for help and sent crews around Nashville to assist with the clean-up (06). Pumpkin painting was one of various on-campus activities that students enjoyed in late October during Bison Break, when classes were cancelled in favor of safely distanced activities such as Zumba, picnicking and a Harry Potter movie marathon (07). Here are just two of the students who contributed to Lipscomb University’s all-time record enrollment this fall, topping 4,700 students for the first time in university history (08). Beaman Library’s First Friday concerts featuring student musicians, including the Avalon trio pictured here, continued this fall with audiences limited for wellness safety (09). Christmas came early in 2020 as the student musical group Sanctuary rehearsed in October for the taping of the annual Lighting of the Green holiday concert, hosted by Amy Grant and shown online this year (10).

THRIVING 05

THRIVING DIVERSITY

Respect leads the journey New Respect Leads council is the next step in a journey towards a thoroughly diverse, inclusive and respectful campus As the eyes and hearts of the nation turned to issues of racial equity and justice this summer, Lipscomb University was not immune to difficult conversations about increasing ethnic diversity and diversity of thought on its campus. Although Lipscomb’s past cannot be changed, the leaders of the institution today know we are on a journey—not yet complete by any means—but a journey moving toward being a better, more respectful, more diverse and more inclusive institution.

 

As an academic institution preparing students for a working world that has rapidly become ever more diverse and global over the past few decades, Lipscomb’s primary academic objective is to be a place where diversity, inclusion and cultural competency are intentionally woven into all aspects of its community, said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. In fact, that goal is not only crucial to the university’s accreditation status but to Lipscomb’s longstanding Christian mission as well, Lowry said. Within the past 15 years, Lipscomb has worked hard to bring a diversity of voices and experiences to students as well as to enhance diversity within the student body through

programs such as the Hispanic Achievers University Grants program, the Veterans Scholars Initiative, the Conversations of Significance guest speaker initiative and an enhanced Global Learning program, among others. In 2016-17, an important step on the journey was taken with the establishment of the Respect Leads initiative. A committee was created to generate ideas for promoting a culture of respectfulness in all quadrants of the university and to identify specific initiatives that the university might undertake leading toward a more respectful university climate. The Respect Leads committee identified a set of core factors associated with our understanding of what it means to be respectful.

Since then, the university has held respect-themed chapel programs, incorporated activities designed to build empathy into curriculum and extracurricular programming, offered student events and promotional initiatives to spur conversation among students and their friends and family, and hosted additional efforts. Lipscomb’s LIGHT program, an academic intercultural competence initiative, began its academic programming and infusion of cultural aptitude into the general education curriculum in 2017. Ethnic diversity of faculty, executive leadership and staff who deal directly with student life has been increased, and the Office of Intercultural Development has provided mandatory diversity training to members of the student staff for fall orientation since 2018. In 2020, the university has added a new task force, Respect Leads: Lipscomb’s Council on Diversity & Inclusion, charged to further the promotion of a culture of respectfulness throughout campus, to provide counsel to university administrators and to lead actions and activities regarding initiatives focused on diversity, inclusion, equity and community engagement. William Turner, special counsel to the president for diversity and inclusion, a position that is part of Lipscomb’s executive leadership team, is the chair of the council, assisted by co-chairs Norma Burgess, associate provost for equity, diversity and inclusion, and Prentice Ashford, dean of community life. The 18-member council will advise university leaders on initiatives that Lipscomb plans to undertake in the next two years to

enhance and further develop a more respectful university climate. Agenda items in 2020-21 for the council include: • Issuing a regular newsletter updating the Lipscomb community on diversity issues; • Developing an annual report on diversity with the first edition in 2021; • Leading efforts for regular campus climate surveys with the first survey planned for spring 2021; • Creating an open conversation path with the Lipscomb Black Alumni Council and other alumni of color; • Hosting Respect Leads events and activities that foster a welcoming community and advance diversity and inclusion on campus; and • Providing leadership for a comprehensive diversity and inclusion website. “While the year 2020 has shown our nation has a long way to go toward racial equity, here at Lipscomb, we’re trying to create a community that God would recognize as representing His creation,” said Lowry. “We are not always completely successful in that endeavor, but as an institution devoted to educating the next generation of Christian leaders, we gladly accept the responsibility to strive to figure out how to take a Christian approach to all humankind and educating students to be successful and effective in an increasingly diverse world.”

For more information on diversity at Lipscomb, log on to lipscomb. edu/diversity. If you would like to donate to the Office of Intercultural Development, visit lipscomb.edu/ giveinterculturaldevelopment.

THRIVING

THRIVING DIVERSITY

Lipscomb University enrollment of minority students has nearly quadrupled over the past 15 years (01). In 2016, Taegen Martin, completed the Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb (IDEAL) program, a certifi cate program that provides education and workplace training to students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (02). In the 2009-2010 school year, a former Nashville vice mayor Howard Gentry (left) and the late John Seigenthaler (right), Tennessean publisher and eyewitness to the civil rights movement while working for Robert F. Kennedy, spoke to students (03). Lipscomb Academy holds its Cultural Fair annually, highlighting and informing about the cultural heritage of the minority students who make up 19 percent of the lower school enrollment (04).

THRIVING DIVERSITY

Respect Leads: Lipscomb’s Council on Diversity & Inclusion 2020 Members William Turner, Chair, Special Counsel to the President for Diversity and Inclusion, Norma Burgess, Co-Chair, Associate Provost for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Prentice Ashford, Co-Chair, Community Life, Dean Beki Baker, College of Entertainment & the Arts, Theatre Chair Rebecca Clark, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Social Work Chair and Associate Professor Kirsten Dodson, Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, Assistant Professor

David Fleer, College of Bible & Ministry, Director of Christian Scholars Conference and Professor Chris Gonzalez, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Marriage & Family Therapy Program Director and Associate Professor Julie Harston, Beaman Library, Assistant Librarian David Holmes, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Dean and Professor Cori Mathis, LIGHT Program, Director Florah Mhlanga, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Associate Dean and Professor Kam Nola, College of Pharmacy, Professor Alfa Nyandoro, College of Computing & Technology, Information Technology Chair and Associate Professor

Lauren Pinkston, College of Business, Assistant Professor Juan Reveles, Student Life, International Student Life Coordinator Julie Simone, College of Education, Instructor Michelle Steele, College of Leadership & Public Service, Leadership and Public Service and Urban Studies Program Director and Associate Professor Al Sturgeon, Student Life, Vice President and Dean DeAndrea Witherspoon-Nash, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Assistant Professor Rebecca Zanolini, Global Learning Director

 

THRIVING

Lipscomb Black Alumni Council welcomes all who embrace diversity and inclusion There is no doubt it has been a year of hardship so far. But in hardship, we Bisons pull together.

Diversity through a decade Naomi Tutu, daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, spoke to Lipscomb students at Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in January 2010 (05). Diversity among the full-time faculty has increased to 10.3% in 2020 (06).

dependents of veterans has grown to a record 352 this past fall (08). The LIGHT program, an academic intercultural competence initiative, featured American book award-winner Thi Bui in February (09).

In 2016, the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society was named for Gray, a history-making civil rights era attorney who partners with Lipscomb on various initiatives (07).

In 2009, Lipscomb established the Hispanic Forum, bringing together 100 Middle Tennessee leaders. Today, called Global Voices, the forum focuses on cultural literacy in educational settings (10).

Since beginning its participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a benefit for military veterans under the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, the number of veteran students and

Through a partnership with the Malagasy government, 26 students from Madagascar earned Lipscomb degrees in 2012 (11).

Given the tragic national events earlier this year, more people than ever before are looking for ways to stand together and embrace inclusion, diversity and a better world. The Lipscomb Black Alumni Council (LBAC) wants those people to know that it can be a valuable conduit to carry out that vision on the Lipscomb campus, said Pat Bethel (’72), chair of the LBAC board of directors. Kicked off in November 2018, LBAC has almost 1,000 registered members and is open to anyone, of any ethnicity, who is committed to supporting diversity, inclusion and participation in the life of Lipscomb University, she said. “You don’t have a voice in the university if you are not engaged,” said Bethel. “There is so much good for today’s students that can come from alums who had the experience of being a minority at Lipscomb in the past.

“It is important for all of today’s students to understand the importance of inclusion. Lipscomb wants to be an even more inclusive and welcoming organization, and any alum can be a part of making the university even better,” she said. LBAC focuses on programming that supports black students and alumni to help strengthen their faith; excel in academic, social and cultural endeavors; acquire life skills required to successfully transition from college to post-college life; and develop networks that contribute to education and career advancement. A monthly LBAC newsletter is sent to all registered black alumni as well as those who are interested in supporting the mission. It doesn’t take any more than an email to LBAC@alumni.lipscomb.edu to start a dialogue with fellow alumni who share similar values and passions.

If you would like to donate to student scholarships offered through LBAC in 2021, go to bit.ly/ BethelScholarship2020.

lipscomb.edu/news

Alondra

sixth grade ELA teacher, McMurray Middle School

Ahmedina

seventh grade social studies teacher, STEM Prep Academy

Elisa

second grade teacher, Glenview Elementary School

Ruby

student teacher, Overton High School

THRIVING

Bridging the classroom culture gap First ﬁve graduates of Pionero program increase teacher diversity in Nashville schools

Angelica

first grade teacher, Hickman Elementary School

Elisa Martinez first envisioned herself as a teacher while working at Chuck E. Cheese. In kindergarten, Angelica Wright lined her stuffed animals up in a row and used the bathroom tile as a “whiteboard” to teach them the day’s lessons. Ruby Aguilar remembers bringing home loads of books from the library and trading book reports with her sister. Alondra Piña Mota practiced teaching through a traditional Mexican dance troupe she founded. And Ahmedina Bacevac was inspired to go into teaching by influential relationships she had with her own teachers, including those she knew while her family were refugees from war-torn Bosnia. These are the women in Lipscomb University’s first cohort of Pionero Scholars, four who graduated in May and a fifth who graduated in December. They are the first regiment in Lipscomb’s fight to reduce the culture gap between the diversity of students in Nashville public schools and the diversity of the faces they see at the head of the classroom. The four May graduates began teaching in Metro Nashville Public Schools this August, and they are each excited about bringing new opportunities and experiences to their students. “I want my (future) students to be self-confident in their abilities,” said Piña, a Glencliff High School graduate and sixth grade English language arts teacher at McMurray Middle School. “That is one of the biggest things I learned as a student. I really want them to see a challenge and believe in themselves and believe they can do it too, no matter their background.” “I look forward to decorating a classroom equipped for strong leaders. I’m eager to create a safe haven for my future students,” said Martinez, a Hume Fogg High School graduate and second grade teacher at Glenview Elementary School. Funded by a private grant, the Pionero Scholars program was established in 2015 with the intent to recruit Nashville students who reflect the diversity of Nashville to go into the teaching field and hopefully end up working in the school system where they grew up.

Photo by Karla MacIntyre lipscomb.edu/news

“Our goal was to create a local pipeline,” said Laura Delgado, program director of increasing teacher diversity and a mentor to all 24 Pionero Scholars now in that pipeline. “The idea was to grow our own. We know there is a teacher shortage, and the answer to that in Nashville is found in the halls of the Nashville schools.” In addition, like the nation as a whole, Nashville schools suffer from a culture gap with more than 30% of MNPS’ students coming from households in which English is not the primary language and 67% identifying as a minority, while only 22.5% of MNPS educators are African American and only 2.2% are Hispanic. This gap feeds a perception among high school students with diverse backgrounds that education is not a potential career option for them. “For me, I knew the opportunity was there, but I remember my classmates and I felt that it wasn’t really ours in a way,” said Bacevac, the only daughter of Bosnian refugees who brought her to America when she was 18 months old. “You are urged to go to college, but then that imposter syndrome kicks in and tells you, you are not meant for it or you are not good enough for it.” Keeping the concerns of these particular students in mind, the Pionero program was designed to provide a $10,000 per

“I want my students to be self-confident in their abilities. I really want them to see a challenge and believe in themselves and believe they can do it too, no matter their background.” —ALONDRA PIÑA MOTA Sixth Grade ELA Teacher, McMurray Middle School

year scholarship to Lipscomb, professional development and networking, mentorship and a community of diverse, like-minded students. The program has proven not just successful in training new diverse teachers, but it has become a genuine lifeline and crucially valuable to the five 2020 graduates. “I got a lot of things from Pionero in academics, in social and emotional learning and just navigating the whole college process,” said Piña, who like many first-generation college students appreciated having someone to advise her “how to apply for FAFSA or how to buy books and register for classes.” “It was nice to come to Lipscomb with the already built-in community of the other Pioneros,” said Bacevac, a Glencliff graduate and seventh grade social studies teacher at STEM Prep Academy. The Pionero cohort of students often meets together outside of classes to discuss professional development and life skills topics to prepare them for their future as pioneers in an urban school environment. “That is what most of us are aiming for,” said Aguilar, an English teaching major who earned student teaching hours at Overton High School this fall. “(Delgado) helps us figure out who we are as people and who we are as teachers—how our ethnic background makes us who we are and how we can advocate for ourselves as teachers.” “We set academic and personal goals for ourselves ... talking about those non-academic things has really helped me,” said Aguilar, a Glencliff graduate who was born to El Salvadorian immigrant parents. “Laura will find resources or bring in new people, such as the mock interviews we did with an expert who

told us about what questions we should ask the interviewer about the work environment. Those little things gave me a sense of hope.” In addition to the support services for the enrolled Pioneros, Delgado carries out extensive outreach to Nashville’s high schools, providing essay writing workshops and a summer camp focused on college readiness and teaching skills. Older students mentoring younger students is a major component of the program as well, Delgado said. “They offer students opportunities to see someone from their own school and background model how to navigate college and a career successfully,” she said. The new Pionero teachers are committed to bringing a greater future for their diverse students in the teaching field or any career they set their mind to. “Looking back it is definitely important for students to see teachers who look like themselves in a powerful role,” said Wright, a half Filipina who often visited the Philippines as she grew up. “I think my background will allow me to connect with my students on different levels … Because I am more globally competent, it will allow me to see and value more of the talents and ideas that the students bring to the classroom,” said Wright, a Martin Luther King High School graduate and first grade teacher at Hickman Elementary School. “Having a program like (Pionero), you can not only provide students opportunity but also make them feel adequate and ready enough,” said Bacevac. “You can help them know they are ready enough.”

To read the complete story go to bit.ly/PioneroScholars2020.

Photo by Karla MacIntyre

 

THRIVING

Photo by Karla MacIntyre

Alondra Piña created a dance troupe to perform the traditional Mexican Balet Folklorico (01). Ruby Aguilar sends the message, “Onward and Upward!” (02). Ahmedina Bacevac during a student teaching placement (03). Angelica Wright (second from right) at Lipscomb’s Pionero Summer Camp (04). The first five Pionero Scholars (05). Wright celebrating her May graduation on campus (06). Elisa Martinez during a student teaching placement (07).

THRIVING LIPSCOMB ACADEMY

Leadership to meet greater goals Lipscomb Academy leadership brings fresh vision, diversity of experience and insight The year 2020 will likely be remembered as a year of challenges by most, but the Lipscomb Academy community may well remember it as a year that launched new energy, diverse perspective and vision to the 2-year-old through 12th grade institution. Throughout this year, the academy has faced significant challenges due to the worldwide pandemic and difficult conversations examining the diversity and cultural environment of the school. Using its mission as a guiding rudder to navigate these deep waters, important decisions were made by drawing from the school’s commitment to prepare students for collegiate and global experiences within an intentionally gracious Christian community.

In response to the perspectives and values of its family community, the academy has established a head of school and assistant head of school position (synonymous to a principal and assistant principal) for each level: the lower school (pre-K through fourth grade), the middle school (fifth through eighth grade) and the upper school (ninth through 12th grade). The expanded leadership structure includes five faculty and staff members who have or will earn a doctoral degree by May 2021, one former professional football player and two with corporate or nonprofit management experience. “Perhaps never has the value of its mission been more clear as it continues

to equip students with the ability to think

deeply and cross-culturally while exploring who they are and discovering who God

wants them to be,” said Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry.

Leadership Team

Brad Schultz (M.Ed., Ed.S., Ed.D.) Head of School

Schultz came to Lipscomb as head of school after a three-year tenure leading Cross

Schools in Bluffton, South Carolina. Schultz embraced growth both with enrollment and

capital expansion. Prior to that, Schultz spent 17 years at Greater Atlanta Christian School, where he held the roles of teacher, assistant principal, principal and chief innovation officer as well as served on the executive cabinet for the K-12 school.

Academics

Jesse Savage (M.Ed., Candidate Ed.D.) Associate Head of Upper School

Savage has 14 years of service at Lipscomb

Academy and a total of 16 years’ experience

in both public and independent schools. At

LEADERSHIP TEAM

This past summer the academy welcomed new Head of School Brad Schultz, who brings 20 years of classroom learning innovation, and the leadership team was expanded and reorganized to provide closer interactions and foster deeper relationships with students and their parents at each level of the institution.

As the academy continues to move forward with its historic growth, including the innovative 21st century learning environment for students at the lower school’s Brewer Campus, Lipscomb has intentionally assembled a robust leadership team with diversity of educational experiences, life stories and insight to lead the academy through that growth and into the future.

BRAD SCHULTZ 44

lipscomb now

JESSE SAVAGE

KEN ROBINSON

CASEY FARRIS

CRYSTAL HASTINGS

high school English and journalism for four years in Williamson County (Tennessee) Schools and taught 11 years at Antioch High School in Nashville.

Ken Robinson

Allen Long (MBA, Candidate Ed.D.)

Assistant Head of Upper School An 18-year veteran educator, Robinson was also a linebacker and team captain for the University of South Carolina NCAA Division I football team and played two seasons for the NFL’s Washington Redskins. Robinson taught and coached at four schools in Georgia including Greater Atlanta Christian School, where he served as head football coach and director of diversity. Robinson also spent 14 years in leadership roles as a trainer and logistics administrator.

Casey Farris (M.Ed., Principal Certification Texas)

Associate Head of Middle School and Mustang Life For the last 22 years, Farris has worked in Christian education, including most recently as Lipscomb Academy interim head of school this spring and as associate head of school for advancement and alumni relations for three years. Before that, Farris worked as head of school at Cornerstone Christian Academy and in various capacities at Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas.

Crystal Hastings (Ed.S., Ed.D.)

Assistant Head of Middle School Hastings brings 23 years of teaching and leadership experience to Lipscomb. Hastings most recently served as principal and assistant principal at Christiana Middle School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She also taught

ALLEN LONG

KATY FLATT

Associate Head of Lower School After 22 years as a corporate executive, Long switched career paths. Hired in 2019, Long served as head of upper school. Prior to that, he was tenured faculty at Edmondson Elementary School in Brentwood, Tennessee. Prior to his career in education, Long also served in leadership roles in human resources and various operational capacities for companies including Tractor Supply Company, Carter’s/OshKosh B’Gosh Childrenswear and Batten & Shaw Inc.

Katy Flatt (M.Ed., Ed.D., ELL Endorsement)

Assistant Head of Lower School Flatt joined the academy’s lower school in 2019 as the assistant dean of academics. In her 12 years working in education, Flatt has taught first, second, third, fifth and sixth grades and worked as a high school instructional coach, and as math Response to Intervention coordinator, data analyst for English Language Arts and math and professional development leader for Williamson County (Tennessee) Schools.

Athletics

Michelle York (CMAA)

Associate Head of School for Athletics York became the academy’s first female associate head of school for athletics in 2019. Previously, she served as director of athletics

MICHELLE YORK

THRIVING

Lipscomb, Savage has held various roles in teaching, as assistant principal, as dean of academics and faculty development, and in coaching middle and high school teams.

at Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis, Indiana for seven years. In that role, she oversaw 18 high school sports, 17 middle school sports and more than 100 coaches, led Heritage into a new conference and directed the implementation of a major $1.2 million athletics facilities plan.

Advancement

Eric Adams (MBA)

Associate Head of Advancement Adams previously served as director of annual and leadership giving at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, where he helped grow the annual fund by more than 30%; cultivated a portfolio of nearly 150 leadership prospects; and managed a volunteer committee consisting of board members, parents, alumni and grandparents. Prior to that, Adams was executive director of annual giving at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee and was director of patron engagement for the Nashville Symphony.

Enrollment, Finance and Operations Jerold Givens (MBA)

Associate Head of Enrollment, Finance and Operations A corporate marketing executive, Givens joined the academy in 2016 to oversee external affairs, including enrollment, communications and marketing. He spent 23 years at Texas Instruments serving in various strategic marketing, customer relations and organizational development capacities.

ERIC ADAMS

JEROLD GIVENS lipscomb.edu/news

THRIVING ATHLETICS

Bison athletic program prepared to compete in a COVID world As the old adage goes, athletics are the front porch of a university—and this year that front porch has been anything but its typical portal into all an institution has to offer. Just like every other aspect of university life, COVID-19 has impacted intercollegiate athletics like nothing else in history. Beginning this past spring when the NCAA cancelled March Madness, institutions across the country experienced spring and fall semesters with entire seasons cancelled. Athletic conferences, national governing bodies and university officials worked diligently in the ensuing months to develop protocols and strategies to safely provide student athletes the opportunity to practice their skills and to represent their institutions in competition as well as to provide a way for fans to support their favorite teams virtually or in the stands.

Per NCAA guidelines, student athletes and coaches are tested for COVID-19 three times a week by Will Ness, head athletic trainer.

Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson has led the charge on Lipscomb’s campus along with his administrative team, coaches and student athletes in partnership with Dr. Kevin Eidson, director of health and wellness for the university, to steer the Bison athletics program down this uncharted path. Their efforts have resulted in robust protocols for Lipscomb’s more than 300 student athletes and 17 teams and coaches who have prepared for the return to competition. Men’s and women’s basketball seasons began in November with a spring semester on the horizon that will see all teams—both fall and spring sports—in competition. “Without a doubt this has been a very unusual chapter in the annals of Bison athletics,” Hutcheson admits. “2020 has led us to examine practically every aspect of our program and to develop new approaches to just about everything we do.”

A New ‘Normal’ Lipscomb Athletics has developed stringent protocols, which follow local, state, federal, ASUN conference and NCAA guidelines along with their own internal measures to make the experience as safe as possible so teams can compete. Per NCAA guidelines, student athletes and coaches receive surveillance COVID-19 testing three times a week while in season. Eidson and the Lipscomb University Health Center team have worked closely with Will Ness, head athletic trainer, to implement the testing routine and to educate student athletes and coaches about COVID-19 protocols such as wearing a mask, frequent hand washing and social distancing. “Will and the Lipscomb training team have been phenomenal partners in this

THRIVING ATHLETICS

effort,” says Eidson. “They are the ones on the front lines on campus and on the road. They administer most of the weekly testing and additional resources have been embedded in the athletics program to help manage and respond to this situation. We also partner with them on the contract tracing aspect.” Practices and training room services and procedures have changed and, Hutcheson says, athletes are encouraged to stay in smaller social circles to mitigate exposure and to stay healthy. “We have invested a lot of time in educating our athletes about how to be prepared off the competition field,” Hutcheson explains. “If we can control the controllables, then we will be in a better position to manage things we can’t control. We can control things like wearing a mask when we are inside or with a group and being smart about social distancing. We are encouraging our athletes to create their own social bubbles off the playing field—to do things like eat with their roommate instead of a group of people. Our coaches are also designing drills and practices that keep our student athletes with their roommates or smaller groups.”

“The gentlemen from your college ... were the kindest, most thoughtful individuals I have encountered in a long time. They were very respectful and wore their masks everywhere.” —Email from AMBER TARASYUK

Other protocol changes include having smaller groups in the training and weight rooms at any given time, spreading equipment farther apart, watching film in the arena instead of locker rooms, engaging pregame stretching away from others and holding virtual team meetings, in addition to other measures. If a student athlete goes to a health care facility for an x-ray or medical test, Hutcheson says, “everyone in the car is to wear a mask and drive with the windows down even if it’s a cold day.”

Total Team Effort Eidson says student athletes are issued N-95 masks, which provide more protection than typical surgical masks, when they travel and that they have been diligent in following COVID-19 protocols. “Our student athletes have been phenomenal,” he says. “They have adapted to the frequent testing, which I understand may be uncomfortable at times, and have worked hard to be leaders in doing what we have asked them to do.” Amber Tarasyuk, a travel nurse working in COVID units across the country, reached out to the university recently via a direct message on Facebook to share her praise for the men’s basketball team after observing them while they were on a road trip in early December to play Southeast Missouri State University. “I wanted to take the time to tell you about the young men from your basketball team. I am staying in the same hotel as they are. This is where I have stayed two to three nights per week since the first week of August. The gentlemen from your college who are in

Cape Girardeau, Missouri for a basketball tournament were the kindest, most thoughtful individuals I have encountered in a long time,” she writes. “They were very respectful and wore their masks everywhere. One guy forgot his mask so he had his shirt pulled up over his face. I witnessed your guys holding doors for people and helping strangers. You should feel proud of how well these young men represented your school. Thank you for all you do and please tell your basketball boys how much it meant to this Covid ICU nurse to see them all in masks.” “I also have to give a lot of credit to our residence life staff, food service and our service operations team,” Hutcheson said. “Every area of campus has really helped make the semester possible.”

A Spring Like No Other In August, the ASUN conference cancelled all fall sports seasons and announced that all sports—fall and spring—would be played in the spring. Hutcheson and his team have developed a plan that has been approved by the Metro Nashville Health Department to allow a limited number of fans in Allen Arena. Similar to venues across the country, seating is spread out throughout the arena and guests are asked to follow COVID-19 protocols including wearing a mask during sporting events. Having all 17 sports in season at the same time will be challenging for the athletics staff, but “if you’re a Bison sports fan, you’ve never had a better semester,” Hutcheson said.”

For full information about schedules and the Lipscomb athletic program, visit lipscombsports.com.

lipscomb.edu/news

ATHLETICS NEWS

HUTCHESON NAMED 2019 UNDER ARMOUR AD OF THE YEAR Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson was selected as a recipient of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award for 2019-2020, announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in March. He is one of 28 individuals overall and one of four NCAA Division I-AAA athletics directors selected for the award that spans seven divisions. The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors for their commitment and positive contributions to student athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities. Among the criteria for the award were demonstration of commitment to higher education and student athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. “The Athletics Director of the Year Award acknowledges the leadership and positive influence top athletics directors have had at their respective institutions across all levels,” said Brian Cummings, Under Armour’s vice president of North America sports marketing. “Under Armour is proud to partner with

Philip Hutcheson was a Lipscomb “lifer” and Bison basketball player who sits second on the all-time scoring record for college basketball across all divisions.

 

NACDA to honor those individuals who set the standard in guiding their student athletes through the ongoing journey to be better. Hutcheson has led Lipscomb’s intercollegiate athletics program since 2008. His leadership has been instrumental to success in a number of areas. In the most recent years, Lipscomb has won two ASUN Beam Awards, an award given for being the first member school to accomplish a particular feat. The Bisons have also claimed the ASUN Conference Academic Champion Trophy six times. Within the past five years, the Bisons saw 225 student-athletes eclipse the 3.0 GPA mark giving Lipscomb a total of 2,840 allacademic honorees, the most in the ASUN since the creation of the honor. Continuing in similar efforts under Hutcheson’s watch, Lipscomb has invested heavily in preparing its student-athletes for life after college, most recently adding the Student Athlete Development Center, a facility designed to provide students with the best possible academic support and a full-complement of resources to engage students in areas of advising, mentoring and internships. Other facilities brought online during Hutcheson’s tenure include, the Lipscomb

Soccer Stadium Complex, major renovations to the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms and completion of the fueling station, a nutrition hub for student athletes. In the area of fundraising, during Hutcheson’s time, Lipscomb has reached alltime highs for the institution in the following metrics: total donors, annual dollars raised, sponsorship sales and total attendance and revenue across all ticketed sports. Growing up as a Lipscomb “lifer” by attending the institution from grade school through his bachelor’s degree, Hutcheson stood out as an athlete, not only setting the all-time scoring record for the Lipscomb program, but for the entire realm of college basketball across all divisions. He currently sits second on the alltime list with 4,106 points, only trailing former Bison John Pierce. “Since returning to his alma mater in 2008, Philip has done a tremendous job of taking Lipscomb’s athletic department to new heights in terms of competitive achievements, academic excellence, community service and building a strong coaching staff who are not only successful on the playing field but who are having an impact on the lives of our student athletes,” said Lipscomb Senior Vice President Matt Paden.

ATHLETICS NEWS

DOAK, LEBER SWEEP ASUN STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR HONORS When the ASUN handed out its biggest annual individual honors this past spring, both awards went to Lipscomb Bisons as women’s soccer’s Olivia Doak was named the female student athlete of the year and cross country and track and field’s Brent Leber was named the male student athlete of the year. It is only the sixth instance in conference history that the same school won both awards in the same season. Leber is the first male winner in school history, while Doak is the fifth female winner in Lipscomb history joining cross country and track and field’s Courtney Brenner (2018-19) and Tessa Hoeﬂe (201314), softball’s Whitney Kiihnl (2011-12), and basketball’s Jenna Bartsokas (2010-11).

Leber was a 2019 ASUN Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and all-academic team member. He won the 2019 ASUN cross country championship title and led Lipscomb to a first-place finish by one point. He also qualified for the NCAA cross country championship, becoming the first in program history to achieve the feat. Leber set an ASUN indoor track and field championship record in the 5,000-meter run, which broke the previous mark by 13 seconds. Doak was a four-time all-conference member, the 2019 Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and 2018 Player of the Year. She is Lipscomb’s career leader in total points and ranks second in career goals and assists. She was chosen as the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American, the first in program history to earn the honor. She led the Bisons to two-straight NCAA tournaments including a victory in 2018 versus Mississippi State. Doak has signed a professional contract to play in Finland’s top league with PK-35 Vantaa.

Olivia Doak

Brent Leber

Ahsan Asadullah

ASADULLAH EARNS NABC FIRST TEAM ALLDISTRICT HONORS Already named a first-team All-ASUN selection, junior center Ahsan Asadullah has now been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches District III first team. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC in NCAA Division I, these student athletes and coaches represent the finest basketball players and coaches across America. “Ahsan had an amazing year for us from start to finish,” said Lennie Acuff, men’s basketball head coach. “His ability to score, get his teammates shots with elite passing and to control the glass on both ends made him one of the best post players in the country.

“I’m extremely happy to see Ahsan getting the recognition he so rightly deserves.” The Atlanta, Georgia, native averaged a team best 18.6 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 3.9 APG, becoming only the third player in the country since the 1992-93 season to record that season line. Those numbers ranked him second in the ASUN in each category. He also ranked first in field goals made (252), sixth in total blocks (36) and seventh in both field-goal percentage (52.0) and total steals (36). In the conference tournament Asadullah upped his play to average 29.6 points, 14.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. In the process he broke three ASUN Tournament records: total points (89), total rebounds (42) and field goals made in a single game (18 vs. FGCU). He also became the first player in the ASUN with at least 450 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists in a single campaign since the 2007-08 season. Asadullah is the third Bison to earn NABC First Team honors, joining Adnan Hodzic (2010) and Garrison Mathews (2018-19).

lipscomb.edu/news

LIPSCOMB NEWS

CEA STUDIOS BRINGS ‘TITAN MAN’ TO LIFE FOR TENNESSEE TITANS CEA Studios, the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts’ production house where students and faculty collaborate on artistic projects for the Nashville community, made a creative touchdown in 2019-2020 with a series of animated videos for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.

Kirsten Dodson, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, on one of Lipscomb’s humanitarian engineering projects in Latin America.

NSF AWARDS LIPSCOMB $200,000 TO ANALYZE IMPACT OF MISSIONS ON FUTURE ENGINEERS The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering has long been leading the way to incorporate vocational mission trips to disadvantaged communities in its curriculum, and now the National Science Foundation (NSF) is tapping into that expertise to discover how such programs are impacting the engineering industry’s workplace culture.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kirsten Dodson (’12) was recently awarded a $200,000 NSF grant to determine if student involvement in humanitarian engineering projects causes a shift in perspective to better embrace diversity, and if this mental shift could have a long-term effect on the professional engineering workplace toward a more inclusive culture.

Lipscomb has plenty of data and subjects to draw from, she noted. For 16 years, the college has been sending multiple groups of students each semester to countries such as Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras and Malawi to build bridges, water sanitation systems, solar panel arrays, bio-incinerators and even a therapeutic playground.

 

“Our organization has great respect for Lipscomb University as a leader in higher education and in the creative arts. We are especially honored to work with such a renowned talent as Tom Bancroft on new and innovative ways to connect with fans via social media.” — GIL BEVERLY Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Communications for the Tennessee Titans

The animated videos feature the character of “Titan Man,” developed and animated by Tom Bancroft, director of the animation program and formerly of Walt Disney Feature Animation, and colored by CEA then-student Hayley Mullins (’20).

The first videos appeared on the Titans’ social media channels in 2019 under the title “Saturday Morning Cartoons” and were released the day before each game day during the season. Bancroft and Mullins were called on to demonstrate the process of bringing Titan Man to life at Titans Art Rush: The Convergence of Art and Football, a Nashville art event in December 2019. And most recently, nearly 30 people within CEA Studios worked to create an animated video over a nine-week period to announce the Titans’ 2020 game schedule in May.

The schedule release video can be viewed on CEA Studios’ YouTube channel.

LIPSCOMB NEWS

HONORS COLLEGE DIRECTOR PAUL PRILL RETIRES AFTER 41 YEARS AT LIPSCOMB Longtime Lipscomb researcher Alan Bradshaw takes on honors role

Alan Bradshaw, former physics department chair who also holds a dual appointment at Vanderbilt University, in September was appointed director of the Honors College program, following the retirement of Paul Prill, a 41-year Lipscomb professor whom generations of students count as a major influence. Bradshaw has been on the faculty since 1999 and served as the physics department chair since 2009. Under Bradshaw’s leadership the department expanded its academic offerings, including a major in biomedical physics. Bradshaw is greatly respected by students and colleagues as a highly effective teacher, scholar and researcher. He was voted Most Outstanding Teacher by the students in 2004 and 2011. He is currently engaged in research at Vanderbilt at the Gastrointestinal SQUID Technology Lab, one of the few laboratories in the world that measures magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the gastrointestinal system. Prill, a professor in the communications department, earned the Outstanding Teacher designation (by being voted Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the students three times) and took on the Honors College program 20 years ago.

NATION’S TOP IMMUNIZERS PUT THEIR SKILLS TO WORK TO PROTECT CAMPUS COMMUNITY DURING FLU SEASON The College of Pharmacy’s Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP) chapter provided more than 1,000 flu vaccinations for faculty, students and staff in September during Bison Flu Fest, a three-day clinic designed to immunize as many people on the Lipscomb campus as possible before the 2020 flu season hit in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The student pharmacists involved in ASP have given thousands of flu vaccinations on the Lipscomb campus and throughout Middle Tennessee for the past decade. In fact, the group was the national first-place winner for the American Pharmacists Association’s Operation Immunization campaign in

2018-19. Giving more than 7,000 flu shots in that year, Lipscomb beat out 119 chapters across the nation for the honor. Recognizing the health situation in 2020, the university committed to provide free flu vaccinations for every Lipscomb employee and all university students this fall, said Kevin Eidson, Lipscomb’s director of health and wellness. Bison Flu Fest was the primary flu clinic this fall, but additional opportunities to obtain the vaccinations were offered throughout the semester, he said. “This event was the biggest undertaking we have ever had, enlisting 156 volunteers to help with the clinic,” said Sarah Uroza, associate professor of pharmacy and faculty sponsor for the student group. In addition to protecting the campus for this flu season, the Bison Flu Fest immunization clinic serves as a trial run for providing a future COVID-19 vaccine to the campus community, she said.

During his time as the director, the program increased to serve more than 600 students per academic year and expanded in space and resources, resulting in more students enrolled in prestigious graduate and professional schools and in nine honors students earning Fulbright awards in the past 14 years.

lipscomb.edu/news

LIPSCOMB NEWS

FOUR ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY VETERANS JOIN LIPSCOMB’S LEADERSHIP Experienced professionals from the corporate, higher education and health care industries joined Lipscomb’s academic leadership in 2020. David Holmes, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, was the associate dean for curriculum and general education at Pepperdine University’s Seaver College in Malibu, California. He served on the faculty at Pepperdine for 26 years in English, African American Studies and American Studies. He is the author of two books. “The role of liberal arts is essential to education but also is central to one’s flourishing in a civil community,” Holmes said. “There is not a job I can think of that doesn’t require the knowledge, skills or perspectives taught in the liberal arts—writing well, communicating clearly, working in groups, gaining a level of emotional intelligence, and creative and critical thinking. Christian liberal arts anchor us in the confidence, humility, faith and truth that transcends what we can learn on our own.” John Brocklebank (’74), dean of the College of Computing & Technology, was executive vice president and chief hosting officer for global hosting and U.S. professional services for SAS Institute Inc., a multinational firm located in Cary, North Carolina. He has more than 40 years of programming and statistical experience. “My interest in this field began as a student at Lipscomb. This is a place that means a great deal to me, and it’s an honor to return here to do something that I love. I am excited to build on the work that is already in place here and to provide a fresh perspective on how the university can develop wellrounded students who are grounded with a solid understanding of academics combined with a faithbased walk as they enter the workforce,” he said.

JOHN BROCKLEBANK

Tom Campbell, dean of the College of Pharmacy, previously served as interim dean of Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy and before that as associate dean for academic affairs since 2007. He brings with him more than 30 years of experience in various aspects of pharmacy practice including patient care, pharmaceutical industry management and higher education. “One thing that, from the very beginning of the college, we have trained our graduates to be is practice ready,” Campbell said. “To know not only how to make sure the patients are getting the right medication, but that we are also looking into all the other variables that are affecting the outcomes for that patient—such as socioeconomic and cultural issues. I want to continue to build upon the positive reputation that our college has for delivering quality and compassionate care for the patients we serve.”

TOM CAMPBELL 52

 

DAVID HOLMES

Quincy Byrdsong, vice provost for health affairs, which oversees the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, was previously associate vice president for research and administration at the WellStar Research Institute and WellStar Health System in Atlanta. He also has extensive experience in higher education including positions at Augusta University, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “As Nashville solidifies its position as a health care capital, Lipscomb is poised to advance the health care mission of this region as a strategic academic partner. My vision is to first meet the needs of students but to also meet the workforce and industry needs in Nashville, the nation and around the globe,” he said.

QUINCY BYRDSONG

LIPSCOMB NEWS

NEW SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT IS TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER Jeffrey A. Baughn, a veteran of the financial services industry and a transformational leader, has been appointed senior vice president of finance and technology at Lipscomb University. For more than 30 years, Baughn has served in various leadership roles in the financial service industry at IBM, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Andersen Consulting. In his new role at Lipscomb, Baughn leads the business operations, finance and information technology functions. “In this time of change both at Lipscomb and in higher education, Baughn brings vast experience in the business side of organizations, with the ability to quickly understand an organization’s challenges and to bring innovative solutions to the table. He will be adept at bringing an outside perspective to develop long-term strategies and proposed solutions for the future,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. From 2011 to 2017, Baughn was a vice president within the financial services sector at IBM. In that role, he was responsible for a $400 million portfolio of strategic IT outsourcing relationships with Fortune 500 financial services companies. Most recently Baughn, along with his two sons, established a family-owned and operated business, Atlanta Motor Gallery, which sells previously owned highline vehicles.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS RECEIVE ABET ACCREDITATION Lipscomb’s bachelor’s degree programs in information security and information technology, offered through the College of Computing & Technology, have been accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, the recognized accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. ABET accreditation provides assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards of the profession for which that program prepares graduates. ABET is a not-for-profit organization that has set the higher-educational standards in its fields for more than 80 years. In addition to providing colleges and universities with a structured mechanism to assess, evaluate and improve their programs, accreditation also helps students and their parents choose quality college programs and enables employers and graduate schools to recruit graduates they know are well-prepared. “This recognition speaks to the strength of our faculty and the strength of these programs,” said John Brocklebank, dean of the College of Computing & Technology. “These fields are vitally

important in our communities today and we are excited to continue to grow these thriving programs and deliver them in meaningful ways to students.” Accreditation is a voluntary, peerreview process that requires programs to undergo comprehensive, periodic evaluations. The evaluations focus on program curricula, faculty, facilities, institutional support and other important areas. Lipscomb’s formal accreditation process began in 2018. “ABET accreditation is one of the most sought-after recognitions by engineering and technology programs nationally and globally,” said Alfa Nyandoro, associate professor and chair of the Department of Information Technologies. “This dual accreditation gives all our students the assurance that our programs adhere to the highest standards.” Lipscomb’s bachelor’s degree in information security includes concentrations in computer systems, game development, information technology entrepreneurship, mobile computing, system administration and web application development. The bachelor’s degree in information technology includes concentrations in game development, information technology entrepreneurship, information security, mobile computing, system administration and web application development.

lipscomb.edu/news

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY NO. 5 IN NATIONAL LICENSURE EXAM FIRSTTIME PASS RATE Lipscomb University’s College of Pharmacy Class of 2019 achieved one of the top first-time pass rates in the nation on the 2019 North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX).

AUSTIN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, LIPSCOMB MERGER BRINGS NEW VISION OF THEOLOGICAL GRADUATE EDUCATION Under the terms of a merger agreement, the Austin Graduate School of Theology (AGST) located in Austin, Texas, merged with Lipscomb University and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lipscomb in January. John York, professor in Lipscomb’s College of Bible & Ministry, began providing management services to Austin Graduate School of Theology in August. Beginning in fall 2021, Lipscomb plans to offer a selection of additional graduate programs that will be unique to the Austin market and be complementary to programs currently offered at AGST.

Together the two institutions have developed a new vision for the work in Austin:

• Expanding the current offerings in theology

to include Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry programs.

• Broadening the scope of graduate education

to include programs in areas such as conflict management, marriage and family therapy, counseling and educational leadership.

 

The programs will draw from Lipscomb’s extensive slate of graduate programs, which now include more than 1,700 students.

Both institutions have been in existence for more than a century, share a common faith heritage and are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Though the Texas institution is fully accredited and financially solvent, AGST officials found it increasingly difficult in recent years to continue to operate as an independent seminary and approached Lipscomb University administrators in fall 2019 about a merger.

The graduating students had a 98.33% first-time pass rate, ranking them No. 5 in the nation out of 135 universities whose graduates took the most recent national licensure boards. Lipscomb’s graduates performed at a level that was 10% higher than the national average. This marks the highest first-time NAPLEX pass rate for Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy in its 13-year history. The national licensure exam also includes the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, a standardized exam created to assess competency and knowledge of pharmacy law and ethics. On that portion of the exam, Lipscomb’s Class of 2019 achieved a 94% first-time pass rate, the highest of any university in Tennessee.

“We were very honored that when the Austin Grad leadership wanted to seek a partner that they looked to Lipscomb University. They defined a way to continue the reach of AGST in Central Texas with programs and resources that Lipscomb can bring to the mission,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. “I am convinced that the mission begun by visionaries in Austin over 100 years ago will continue far into the future,” said Stan Reid, president emeritus of AGST. “The boards and administrations of both Austin Grad and Lipscomb have prayerfully worked together to establish this partnership. I am confident that Austin Grad, in the new arrangement with Lipscomb, can anticipate a brighter future.”

JOHN YORK

LIPSCOMB NEWS

GLOBALLY KNOWN MUSICIAN REED INDUCTED INTO STEINWAY TEACHER HALL OF FAME Jerome Reed, the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Piano in the School of Music, has been inducted into the inaugural class of the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, a prestigious designation recognizing the most committed and passionate piano educators.

He was one of 43 teachers from across the United States and Canada who were inducted as the 2019 inaugural class and who were celebrated with a series of special events hosted at the historic Steinway Factory in New York City. Reed’s name is now listed permanently on a commemorative wall inside the iconic factory.

Bringing music to life through his hands on the keys of a piano is something Reed has done since he was about five years old. In the decades that have followed he has performed in halls large and small across the country and around the world. While sharing his

immense talent with audiences for most of his life, he has also inspired generations of pianists to breathe life into their own musical talents as a teacher.

“I was awestruck by some of the other people being inducted … teachers I have known for many years whose students consistently win competitions,” says Reed. “Seeing my name on the wall with all of the other teachers, and seeing Lipscomb University on the wall with all of the other All-Steinway Schools was a very special moment for me.”

But for Reed, the real joy and honor comes from the nearly four decades of students he has taught as part of the music faculty at Lipscomb University. He knows firsthand the impact of a teacher-pupil relationship. Just as Reed knew he wanted to study piano from a young age, he also knew early on that he wanted to teach others. He became the youngest person at the Catholic University of America to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts and was on a fast track to begin his career.

Reed already had a job in Virginia and was in the process of taking some specialized courses to complete his education at Catholic University, when Earl Dennis, former longtime Lipscomb administrator and professor, called him and asked him if he could quit his job and compact his course schedule so he could start at Lipscomb as soon as possible. He officially joined the faculty at Lipscomb in fall 1983.

Since that time, in addition to teaching untold numbers of piano students, Reed has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.

His students have won many competitions, including first place in Tennessee Music Teachers Association competitions, the first Nashville International Piano Competition, the Tennessee Tech Young Artist Competition and Clavierfest at Middle Tennessee State University. But of all of his professional experiences and accolades, Reed says being a teacher is his magnum opus.

“I have a philosophy about teaching that I want to develop the whole person. I want to give them something through the piano that will impact their lives,” reflects Reed. “I have an astonishingly high number of my former students who are still working in music. But I hope even for those who are not, that I’ve given them something that made their lives better or their jobs easier to do. Being in music teaches you to organize your time, how to tackle a job, how to break down a large task into smaller tasks and how to look at the details.” Thanks to a $1 million gift from Nashville businessman Rodes Hart, the Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair in Piano allows Reed to bring in instructors and musicians from across the country as master teachers for Lipscomb-hosted master classes and concerts. Lipscomb’s status as an AllSteinway School also gives Reed’s students the best musical instruments on which to learn, he said.

lipscomb.edu/news

LIPSCOMB NEWS

FOR FOURTH TIME, EDUCATION COLLEGE NAMED ONE OF TOP IN NATION

INTRO TO BUSINESS PROJECT BENEFITS TORNADO VICTIMS Four students in a freshman Introduction to Business course came up with an idea that provided $1,000 in financial aid to a Cookeville, Tennessee, family who lost both their home and their 4-year-old child during the March tornadoes that hit Putnam County.

All freshmen business majors begin their studies with the Introduction to Business course, where they work in groups to start their own business venture. The proceeds—often as much as $5,000 per class—are then invested in socially conscious entrepreneurial ventures or donated to humanitarian work.

Monica Duff, Claire McCarter, Erin McCarthy and Amy Wu developed a business idea that made a healthy profit despite a spring semester cut short by COVID-19. The group sold bracelets labeled “I AM” on the outside and labeled with a personalized message on the inside. The idea was for the message to be from God to the wearer, reading phrases like “I am loved,” “I am redeemed” or “I am cherished.” The words would be literally against the skin of the wearer as a physical reminder of their true value in Christ.

While most groups chose to sell their products to other students on campus, the “I Am” company identified a unique target market, which they called “Facebook Moms,” and took their operation online, which allowed them to continue operations even after on-campus classes were cancelled.

lipscomb now

Lipscomb’s College of Education undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs have once again been named among the top in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research and policy organization for strong training in classroom management strategies and high-quality clinical practice experiences.

According to the NCTQ report, Lipscomb’s teacher prep programs stand out as among only 17 elementary programs in the country that earn an A in both clinical practice and classroom management and serve as a model of excellence for others.

Since 2013, the NCTQ has consistently ranked Lipscomb’s education programs among the top 25 in the nation, ranking them as high as No. 1 nationally in 2014.

Now in its fourth edition, NCTQ’s Teacher Prep Review assigns a team of

experts to evaluate teacher preparation programs on their adherence to evidencebased classroom management strategies and their requirements that support quality clinical practice experiences.

In 2020, the College of Education was also one of only seven institutions to receive a $100,000 Tennessee Department of Education Grow Your Own competitive grant, designed to increase access and remove barriers to the teaching profession. It also won a $50,000 grant from First Book to bring 10,000 books to children in 10 highpriority schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools and Murfreesboro City Schools.

Earlier this year, for the ninth consecutive year, the college was among the top-rated teacher preparation programs on the 2019 Educator Preparation Report Card, compiled by the Tennessee State Board of Education. The college also partnered with Metro Nashville Public Schools in their $13.4 million federal GEARUP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program to increase local students’ exposure to the college experience at an early age.

LIPSCOMB NEWS

GALBREATH RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM STATE FOR WORK IN SUSTAINABILITY Dodd Galbreath, conservationist and founder of Lipscomb Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Institute for Sustainable Practice, has received a Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. The award is part of the annual Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Environmental Stewardship

Awards announced in July. According to David Salyers, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Galbreath exemplifies the highest ideals of a love for nature and a commitment to preserving resources unique to Tennessee.

Galbreath, associate professor of sustainability, created the sustainability institute at Lipscomb in 2007 as the first comprehensive sustainability program in the Southeast. As a former state policy executive, Galbreath led passage of six state water laws, establishing the West Tennessee River Basin Authority and the Duck State Scenic River, and set new safeguards on internal and out-of-state water transfers and groundwater drilling. He co-chaired nationally ranked wetlands and environmental justice policy plans.

The Institute for Sustainable Practice offers a Master of Science, graduate certificates, and an undergraduate major and minor in sustainability. Its team of scholars and practitioners equip entrepreneurs, corporate executives, scientists, engineers, policy makers and people of faith for sustainability leadership and community engagement.

MORE SCIENCE TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS THANKS TO $1.2 MILLION NSF GRANT Lipscomb University was awarded its largest National Science Foundation grant in school history, a Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant, this past spring. The $1.2 million grant allows Lipscomb to recruit STEM students to become STEM teachers and award them scholarships as juniors and seniors. In turn, these students are asked to commit to teaching in high-need schools upon graduation and licensure.

Lipscomb will recruit sophomores currently majoring in the STEM fields of biology, chemistry, physics, math or engineering to pursue licensure as grades 6-12 STEM teachers. Lipscomb will provide scholarships of up to $16,500 per year for two years.

Through a partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, these teaching candidates will also have opportunities to work with veteran math and science teachers throughout their training and will participate in a summer professional development program and other experiences to prepare them. The program is intended to train 24 new secondary (middle and high school) STEM teachers who commit to completing two to four years of teaching in a high-needs school.

lipscomb.edu/news

LIPSCOMB NEWS

A WORD FROM ALUMNI RELATIONS Hello Bisons, The Bison Herd. We use this phrase often at Lipscomb, and I love to use it to help identify our community. However, for me this year, the phrase “the Bison Herd” has a new meaning. I don’t think anyone would disagree that the last nine months have looked completely different than we all expected. I was recently on a phone call where we were challenged to think about the good we have seen come out of COVID-19. The first thing that popped into my mind was how I have seen the Lipscomb community come together. Through our Small Business Bisons program, we saw many of you choose to order out from restaurants owned by Lipscomb alumni or shop for gifts from alumni-owned small businesses. Many of you prayed daily for our Lipscomb alumni who are doctors, nurses and other essential workers on the frontlines. We “saw” many of you virtually during our Stay@Home Homecoming & Family Weekend, and I eagerly look forward to a time when we can all be face-to-face again.

As we face the next seven months, our team is approaching how we gather as a Bison Herd differently. We continue to look for new ways in which we can support our Small Business Bisons, pray for one another and strengthen one another. We encourage you to get involved with our student mentoring program, check in with your fellow alumni and cheer on our Bisons online. Bisons herd to protect each other from external threats. Although we may not face extreme elements, we are definitely living in uncommon times. Let’s continue to come together as a Bison herd and create bonds that are stronger than ever.

Stephanie Carroll Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving, Alumni and Parent Program LipscombAlumni

ONE GOAL. ONE DAY. ONE HERD. Day of Giving is a 24-hour, online fundraising event that focuses on uniting the Lipscomb community to show the strength of a collective herd.

Lipscomb’s 3rd Annual Day of Giving is coming Feb. 25, 2021! Last year, nearly $830,000 was raised to benefit students. Each gift directly impacts Lipscomb students. Save the date! Plan to join the day and continue investing in students.

LIPSCOMB NEWS

Bison Notes

Robert Solomon (BA) of

Columbus, Ohio, is vice president for inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity at Case Western Reserve University.

At lipscomb.edu/classnotes you can post an update, share a photo, especially if it is your reunion year. For Bisons who have joined Golden Circle—that’s 50+ years since graduation—every year is a reunion year. 1961 Renith Capps Tacker (BA) of Roscoe, Texas,

is a retired teacher.

1965 Carolyn Sturm (BA) of Washington, W.V., retired in May as a professor of English from Ohio Valley University.

1966 Everett Lowe (BS) of Brentwood, Tenn., is president of Commonwealth Properties.

1986 Greg Glenn (BS) of Montgomery, Ala., is

head of school at Alabama Christian Academy.

Lisa Shacklett (BS, MBA ’09) of Nashville is the new vice president of enrollment management at Lubbock Christian University.

1987 Jeff Bills (BS) of Conyers, Ga., is an account management executive with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

1968 Bob Nash (BS) of Brentwood, Tenn., is CEO of LOC Distribution.

1970 Mike McDonald (BA) of Portland, Tenn.,

recently retired from Volunteer State University after serving 50 years in education.

1972 Patricia Shearry Bethel (BA) of Knoxville, Tenn., is an independent life and health insurance agent.

Turney Stevens (LA ’68) of Franklin, Tenn., was named to the National Association of Corporate Directors board of advisors for the southeast region.

1988 Mark Lundy (BS) of Rogers, Ark., is partner at BKD CPAs & Advisors.

Scott McDowell (MA) of Abilene, Texas, was named the seventh president of Lubbock Christian University and began his role on April 1. McDowell is the former Lipscomb University senior vice president for student life. Brad Ward (BS) of Brooklyn, N.Y., is a senior associate with Auerbach Pollock Friedlander.

1990 Brad Pope (BS) of Signal Mountain,

Tenn., received the Chattanooga area’s 2020 Champion of Health Care award in the administrative excellence category. He is the vice president and chief human resources officer for CommonSpirit Health, Southeast Division.

1980 Dirk Forrister (BA) of Fairhope, Ala., is president and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association in Washington, D.C.

Tamara Williams Retchless (BS) of Clarksville, Tenn., was named elementary school Teacher of the Year by the Cheatham County School District. Tim Richards (BS) of Franklin, Tenn., is founder of Let It Shine Gymnastics.

1982 Dale Gainey (BS) of Suwanee, Ga., is business

Gloria Sanders (BS) of Nashville is senior

development officer for major gifts estate and planned gifts at Meharry Medical College.

1991 Chad Thomas (BS) of Talladega, Ala., was

named Citizen of the Year in February by the Greater Talladega and Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce.

was inducted into the Oakland High School Baseball Hall of Fame in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Gannon is a former Lipscomb baseball player.

1985 Mack Hinson (BA) of Mercer Island, Wash.,

has been named president of Pediatrix and Obstetrix Medical Groups, a leading provider of pediatric specialty and maternal health care.

Brian Mast (BA) of Sorrento, Fla., is the president of Mount Dora Christian Academy and Children’s Home. Chris McGimsey (BS) of Brentwood, Tenn., is general manager of ARI, Tennessee Inc. Greg Ryan (BA) of Jackson, Tenn., is professor of political science at Union University.

1995 Michael Rollins (BS) of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a pediatric surgeon with Primary Children’s Medical Center.

1996 Deanna Clapper (BS) of Charlotte, Tenn.,

is associate executive director of Tennessee Donor Services. She joined a kidney transplant recipient to work on the Donate Life Rose Parade float for the 2020 New Year’s Day parade in Pasadena, California.

Heather Holland (BA) of Nashville and Lewis Burwell of Hendersonville, Tenn., were married April 10. Their wedding during the coronavirus pandemic was featured in The Tennessean.

Chris Walker (BS) of Brentwood, Tenn., is

director of business development for PhyMed Healthcare Group.

1997 Nichole Hobson (BA) of Nashville is the member services manager for Professional Pickleball Registry.

Courtney Parks (BS) of Murfreesboro, Tenn., is an accountant at LKQ.

1998 Christian Heuer (BA) of Brentwood, Tenn., is a valuation services adviser for LBMC.

1999 Zach Nixon (BS) of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., is an

auditor for the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security.

Cecile Sliger Wimberley (BA) of Kingsport, Tenn., was installed as the new state regent for Tennessee by the Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

2000

1993 Greg Brown (BA) of Nashville is the head coach of girls’ basketball at Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, Tenn.

partner for The Young Entrepreneur Project.

1984 Kevin Gannon (BS) of Estill Springs, Tenn.,

vice president of workforce education and dean of business and technology at Angelina College in Luf kin, Texas.

David Esslinger (BS) of Columbia, Tenn., is associate director of schools for finance and administration for Franklin Special School District.

1978 Beth Harwell (BA) of Nashville has been

Tenn., received two awards from the Tennessee Sportswriters Association. The awards were second place, Best Feature Writer, in Division III small outlets, Shelbyville Times-Gazette, and third place, Best Feature Writer, in Division IV colleges, Lipscomb University.

1994 Tim Ditoro (BA/BA) of Crockett, Texas, is

1989 Sam Collier (BS) of Pickerington, Ohio, is executive vice president of leading and national accounts for First National Realty Partners.

is the supervisor of transportation for Maury County Public Schools.

1979 Mark McGee (BS, MA ’17) of Shelbyville,

was selected to represent the 93rd House District in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Jamie Shelton (BS) of Jacksonville, Fla., is president of Bestbet.

1977 Garth Pinkston (BS) of Columbia, Tenn.,

nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority board. She is the former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Jason C. Stephens (BS) of Kitts Hill, Ohio,

David Goode (BS) of North Chesterfield, Va., is vice president of employee benefits for USA Insurance Services.

Julia King (LA ’89, BS,

MBA ’08) of Gallatin, Tenn., is vice president and director of human resources for Guaranty Home Mortgage Corp.

Ken Cheeseman (MED) of Nashville is head of school for The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn.

Justin Robertson (BA) of Signal Mountain, Tenn., is chief of operations for Hamilton County Schools.

Allen Sharpe (BS) of

Livingston, Ala., was named head coach of men’s basketball at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala. lipscomb.edu/news

BISON NOTES

2001 Eric Hale (BA) of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., is principal of The Classical Academy of Franklin.

Sam Smith (BA/MA

Seth Nichols (MA) of Hurst, Texas, is a minister at Park Row Church.

2007 Taylor Davidson (BS) of Memphis, Tenn., has joined Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC, one of the city’s largest law fi rms.

’05) is the new president of York College in York, Neb. Smith is the former dean of student life at Lipscomb University.

Rachel Donegan (BA) of Duluth, Ga., is

an assistant professor of English at Georgia Gwinnett College.

Luke Flener (BA) of Nashville is CEO of Checkless Inc.

Donald Tate Jr. (MA) of Mount Carmel,

Jonathan Harrison (BA,

Ill., is minister at Herrin Church of Christ in Herrin, Ill.

Campus suffers loss of professor, longtime tennis coach Lynn Griffith The Lipscomb family mourns the loss of Lynn Griffith, professor of kinesiology in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, who died suddenly June 13. Griffith, the former department chair of the former Health and Physical Education Department, began working at Lipscomb in the fall of 1980. A native of Chattanooga, Griffith was a longtime coach, coaching the university tennis teams for 21 years. He was named the NCAA D-I Independent Men’s Coach of the Year in 2002. Two of his teams participated in the NAIA National Tournament, and he was named TCAC Coach of the Year five times. Griffith also served as Lipscomb’s cross country coach from 1994-1999. In 1997, he was named the TranSouth Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year. Griffith was inducted into the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018 Most recently, Griffith was a coach at Lipscomb Academy, where he served as the Mustangs head swim coach and as girls’ and boys’ tennis coach, leading the boys’ tennis program to an undefeated season and a TSSAA Class A-AA team state championship in spring 2016. Griffith received his bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb in 1976. He received the Master of Science and Doctor of Arts degree from Middle Tennessee State University. He and his family were passionate about international mission work, particularly in Haiti. He is survived by his wife, Dianne (Goolsby), former Lipscomb Academy faculty and coach; and sons, Matthew (LA ’99, ‘04), Cole (LA ’02, MBA ’07) and Samuel (LA ’20).

 

2002 Nathan Prichard (BS) of Gallatin, Tenn., is director of Fast Slow Motion.

Donnie Tidwell (BS) of Louisville, Ky., is

operations manager for Dayton Freight Lines Inc.

David Harrison.

Travis Turpen (BS) of Greencastle, Ind.,

Leigh Lindsey (BA) of Nashville is senior

coaches boys basketball at South Putnam High School.

account supervisor for McNeely, Pigott & Fox Strategic Communications.

2003 Katherine Murrie (BS) of Nashville, is

Julie Martin (BS) of Arlington, Tenn., is a clinical assistant with Elite Sports Medicine & Orthopedics.

senior vice president for commercial card at Regions Bank.

2004 Monica Blake (BA, MA ’12) of Hermitage, Tenn., was one of seven individuals recently inducted to the Tullahoma Sports Council Hall of Fame.

Steven Culp (BS, MS ’14) of Brentwood,

Tenn., is director of business development for Batten|Shaw Construction.

MBA ’15) and Elaine Ritter of Ann Arbor, Mich., announce the March 5 birth of son Woodrow

2008

Ann Mullins (BS,

MA ’10) of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., is director of athletics for Father Ryan High School.

David Smith (BS) of Tullahoma, Tenn., is vice president of Traders Bank.

2005 Brent Culberson (BA, MA ’10) of

Brentwood, Tenn., is the assistant commissioner of health licensure and regulation for the Tennessee Department of Health.

Joshua Garner (BS, MBA ’09) of Franklin, Tenn., is director of operations for Star Transportation. Kelly and Laurel Jenczyk Jones (MED

’17) of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., announce the Nov. 13, 2019, birth of daughter Josie Elizabeth.

Will Tenpenny (BS) of Spring Hill, Tenn., is a fi nancial advisor with Edward Jones.

2010 Alex Dampf (BBA) of Nashville is president of Oakmont Benefits Group, a benefits brokerage fi rm.

Andrew (BBA) and Keela Evans Smith

(BA ’11, MA ’16) of Nashville announce the Jan. 30 birth of daughter Grace Clare Smith.

Cody Webb (BBA) of Brentwood, Tenn., is a bookkeeper with LifeReach LLC.

2011 Mandy Gallagher (MBA) of Nashville

is vice president and relationship manager of the entertainment division for City National Bank.

2006

Will Hagar (MS) of Lebanon, Tenn., is associate vice president and director of planning for Lose Design. Ethan Humphrey (BS) of Columbia, Tenn., is director of engineering for Bonitron Inc. David Lentz (BA) of Nashville is an associate with Lewis Thomason Law Firm. Deanna Largin (BS, MA ’18) of Clarksville, Tenn., was a 2020 Nashville Athena Award “Young Professional” nominee. She currently serves as the Middle Tennessee advocate for the Bluecare CHOICES program.

Erin Estepp Link (BA) is the new executive director of the American Heart Association in Charlotte, N.C.

Steve Owen (MBA) of Spring Hill, Tenn., is vice president of communications for CoreCivic.

BISON NOTES

2012 Sydney Ball (BBA, MBA ’14)

of Nashville is vice president of business development for NFP Executive Benefits.

Ed Knaus ’13 (MED) of Gallatin,

Tenn., is a math teacher at Sturgis High School.

Amanda Glover (MED) of

Brooklyn, N.Y., is a research associate for Teachers College at Columbia University in New York.

Tyler Hickman (BBA/MACC) of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., is the chief fi nancial officer and varsity boys’ basketball coach at Clarksville Academy.

Phyllis Hildreth (MA)

of Nashville, serves as vice president for institutional advancement and strategic partnerships at American Baptist College. She also serves on the Community Oversight Board for Nashville Mayor John Cooper.

Heather Sconce (BBA) of Brentwood, Tenn., and Jordan Stroop (BS ’11) of Murfreesboro, Tenn., got engaged in December 2019.

2014 Brandon Carver (BA) of

Lipscomb saddened by loss of Haley Sue Pearson: alumna, student and staﬀ member

Janis Luna (BS) is school director

at Lapis Dourado Primary School in Nampula, Mozambique.

Taylor McCullough (BA) of

Ashland City, Tenn., is a history teacher and soccer coach at Sycamore High School.

Mary Pardue Crawford

Lauren Van Atta McMahan (PharmD) and her husband Bert of Nashville announce the Aug. 4 birth of their daughter Joanna Louise McMahan.

Juli Oyer (EDD) of Franklin, Tenn., has been named assistant superintendent of elementary schools for Williamson County Schools. Catherine Stephens (EDD) of Franklin, Tenn., is the new superintendent of Tullahoma City Schools. She is the fi rst female to lead the school system in its history. Dawn Stone (MA) of Clarksville,

Tenn., is owner of The Conflict Chick.

Kayla Raines Wienczkowski (BS) of Murfreesboro, Tenn., is a pediatrician with Murfreesboro Medical Clinic.

2013 Jonathan Fiorella (PharmD)

and his wife Mehgan announce the May 22 birth of their daughter Campbell Rose Fiorella. She is pictured here with her two big brothers.

Photo by Becca Risley

Lebanon, Tenn., is program manager in risk and patient safety for HCA Healthcare.

(PharmD) and her husband Curtis of Saltville, Vir., announce the Jan. 11 birth of daughter Amelia Blake Crawford. Mary is the staff pharmacist at Walgreens in Wytheville, Vir.

Matt Crawford (MBA) of Spring

Hill, Tenn., has been named executive vice president and Williams County market president for Reliant Bank.

Catherine Glover (MA) of Cincinnati, Ohio, is center director of Northern Kentucky University Small Business Development Center. Erica Harmon (BA) of Spring Hill, Tenn., is strategic sales director for Comdata.

Savannah Hollis (BA) of Seattle, Wash., is the social media manager for the Seattle Kraken, National Hockey League’s new franchise. Nicole Nielsen (PharmD) of Los Angeles, Calif., graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Education in health professions and is teaching at West Coast University.

The Lipscomb family is mourning the Dec. 6 loss of Haley Sue Pearson, administrative coordinator in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts and student in the university’s graduate program in conflict management. Pearson passed away as the result of injuries sustained in a car accident. Pearson began her work in the CEA in November 2018, and was an engaged member of the Lipscomb community both within her role in CEA and by serving as a leader of a breakout chapel for students. She was also an integral part of the CEA team who managed the Lipscomb Academy pre-game concert series during the 2019 high school football season. Mike Fernandez, CEA dean, described Pearson as one of his team’s “hardest working employees who had a kind word for all.” “She truly loved her work at Lipscomb,” said Fernandez. “Haley won the hearts and minds of all of the faculty and staff in the CEA. She was tenacious, had a kind word for everyone, was a hard worker and was confident. She truly embodied the Lipscomb spirit.” A native of Kentucky, Pearson earned her undergraduate fine arts degree in theatre from Lipscomb in 2018. While an undergraduate student at Lipscomb, she was very involved in campus life as a student, including as a member of Pi Delta social club and as a Bison cheerleader. Pearson is survived by husband, Nathanial (Nat) Hubert; parents Stacy and Pam Pearson, of Franklin, Tennessee; sister, Hadley; brother, Hayden.

To donate to the Haley Sue Pearson Memorial Scholarship Fund visit bit.ly/LipscombPearson.

Phillip Stephens (PharmD)

and his wife Julie announce the May 18 birth of their daughter Cecily Elizabeth Stephens.

lipscomb.edu/news

BISON NOTES

Campus mourns two student deaths in 2020 The Lipscomb community mourns the loss of student Savannah Miller who died June 13 following complications related to a medical procedure. Known for her spunk and energy, Miller had just completed her first year at Lipscomb University in the IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) program. Miller served on campus last year in internships with Admissions and Student Life, often greeting others at the welcome desk in the Bennett Campus Center. She was a member of Phi Nu and a resident of Johnson Hall. A graduate of Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee, Miller aspired to a career in fashion or cosmetology. She played basketball and cheered for ABLE youth. She was crowned Little Miss Wheelchair Tennessee twice and was also a member of Best Buddies. Student and veteran Anthony Kuh, 31, of Clarksville, Tennessee, passed away Nov. 9 from complications related to a heart attack. He began his educational journey at Lipscomb this summer as a Lipscomb Online student. He was a veteran of the United States Army, through which he completed several deployments and served in the Signal Corps as an imagery analyst. “Anthony was dedicated to pursuing his degree to be able to do significant things with it in the future,” recalls Jimmie L. Handley, coordinator of Veteran Programs in the Office of Veteran Services. “He was full of life, was crazy about his family and loved God. Anthony was a very impressive young man.” Kuh is survived by his wife, Colleen, and their four young children.

 

Kyrsten Turner (BA) of Atlanta, Ga., was promoted to senior internal communications associate at Mailchimp.

2015 Carly Bergthold (BA) of Nashville is .net developer for EFC Systems.

Jason Cox (PharmD) of Morristown and Alex Wild were married Oct. 12, 2019. Danay Fothergill Houk (BS, MED ’16)

of Somerset, Ky., was recently inducted to the 12th Region Girls Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rodney Vongkhamchanh (PharmD) and Lauren Sullivan (PharmD ’17) of Hendersonville, Tenn., were married on Oct. 5, 2019.

Lauren Walden (PharmD) of Old Hickory, Tenn., married Powell Regen in July. She is a pharmacist at Monroe Carell Jr. Outpatient Pharmacy.

2017 Brad Aldridge (BS) of Wheaton, Ill., is business development manager for Spark Hire Inc.

Kayla Ford (BA) of Spring Hill, Tenn., received a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and began a residency at NY-Presybterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in August. Tiffany Lin (PharmD) and her husband Jim announce the June 2 birth of their son Henry Hui Lin. Zach Restad (MBA) of Nashville is

operations manager for Drees Homes.

Kim Rowland (BPS) of Gallatin, Tenn., is a

principal broker for Oak Leaf Real Estate and Haven Real Estate.

Stephen Grady (BS) of Nashville is client success manager for OneDay. Jay Klein (BA) of Nashville is director of legislative aff airs for the Tennessee Department of Education. Sam Lynn (BBA, MBA ’18) and his wife Megan announce the June 3 birth of their son Judah Rollins Lynn.

2016 Candace Bryant (PharmD) of Reno, Nev., is a clinical pharmacy specialist at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care.

Nhan Dinh (BSN) of Albuquerque, N.M.,

is an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner for the Division of Nursing at the University of New Mexico Hospital.

Elizabeth Fiser (MS) and Michal Williams were married Aug. 22. The couple lives in Rogers, Ark., where she is a registered dietitian and health coach with TrestleTree.

Don Gibson (MBA) of Franklin, Tenn., is

chief medical officer for Mercy Community Healthcare.

Natalie Gilbert (BBA) of Nashville is the

owner and operator of Natalie’s Office Spa offering massage therapy, corporate wellness, and doula and birth services.

Raven Hernandez (BA) of Mount Juliet,

Tenn., is a juvenile victim offender mediator for the Nashville Confl ict Resolution Center.

Brent Ottarski (PharmD) of Waxahachie,

Texas, completed a residency at Baylor Scott & White (BSW) All Saints Medical CenterFort Worth and now serves as the pharmacy clinical coordinator at BSW Medical Center.

Kelsey Pena (PharmD) of Nashville is

working at Saint Thomas Midtown as the antimicrobial stewardship pharmacy specialist.

Javier Munoz (PharmD) and his wife Sierra Pricher announce the July 16 birth of their son Mason Carter Munoz. Javier is a pharmacist with Publix, and Sierra is completing her fi nal year at Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy.

Hunter Printz (BS) of Kent, Wash., is senior operations engineer for EZ-ACCESS. Lucas Seagraves (BA) of Mason, Ohio, is

student pastor at Eastside Christian Church in Milford, Ohio.

David Daniel Spaulding (BBA) of Franklin, Tenn., is a retirement plan specialist for ERISA Consultants. Adam Suttle (MBA) of Franklin, Tenn., is founder and CEO of Freedom Company.

2018 Diadem Alejandre (BBA) of Bataan,

Philippines, is a brand and social media manager for CharTheCook.

Brooke Baggett (PharmD) of Gainesville,

Fla., completed a residency and received a master’s degree in health-system pharmacy administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and is working as the coordinator of oncology pharmacy services at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital.

BISON NOTES

Vinny Cavaliere (PharmD) of

Annapolis, MD., completed a residency at the University of Maryland and is clinical operations manager at Anne Arundel Medical Center’s new psychiatric facility.

Mary Decker (EDD) of Franklin,

Tenn., is associate director of schools for Franklin Special School District.

Cassidy Reynolds Ruckel (PharmD) and her husband Nick have moved to Germantown, Tenn., where Cassidy is completing a residency in emergency medicine.

Maline Senthilkumar (MS) of

Nashville is advanced analytics manager for logistics and supply chain at Bridgestone Americas.

Holly Freeman (BA) of Cookeville,

Samantha Siedlecki (BS) of Franklin, Tenn., is a social worker with Utilize Health.

Benn Hull-Garwood (BFA) of Mason, Ohio, is a freelance graphic designer.

Jess Smith (BBA) of Little Rock, Ark., is an account assistant at Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy.

Tenn., is executive director of CityScape.

Cameron Mahone (MS) of

Murfreesboro, Tenn., is a student at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry.

Jacob Poyner (BS) of Winona Lake, Ind., is head coach of cross country and assistant track coach at Grace College. Brittney Stockman (MS) of Nashville is a group coach for Noom Inc.

Savannah Summers (BA) of

Franklin, Tenn., is an administrative assistant for HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Roderick Webb (EDD) of White’s Creek, Tenn., is principal of Haynes Middle School.

August Whipple (PharmD) and

Brandon West (PharmD) of Cookeville were married on Sept. 4. August is a pharmacist at Cookeville Regional Medical Center and Brandon is a pharmacist at Publix.

2019 Taylor Bush (MBA) of Houston,

Texas, is operations manager for Arts Connect Houston.

Grace Hooker (BS) of Nashville is a

dietary aide for Good Samaritan Health & Rehab.

Brian Horncastle (MBA) of

Sam Starks (PharmD) of Seymour, Tenn., married Sydney French on Oct. 16 and is working as a staff pharmacist with Walgreens. Russell Vannozzi (BBA) of

Hendersonville, Tenn., received two awards from the Tennessee Sportswriters Association as a reporter for the Robertson County Connection, Main Street Media. The awards were second place, Gary Lundy Writer of the Year, and third place, Best Feature Writer.

Carson Wessinger (BBA) of Hermitage, Tenn., is an associate agent with McDonald Insurance.

2020 Priscilla Castillo (BBA) of Antioch,

Tenn., is an imaging order processor for Philips.

Kamisha Dickson (EDS) of Ripley, Tenn., is a teacher in the Lauderdale County School System.

Teresa Kingery (MBA) of Nashville is principal at Kingery & Associates.

Summer Larson (PharmD) of Franklin, Tenn., is a pharmacist with CVS. Katherine Lee (MED) of Nashville is a high school counselor at Nashville Christian School. Natalia Nasworthy (BBA) of

Nashville is a staff tax accountant with Community Health Systems.

Nashville, is a marketing specialist for Computer Services Inc.

Helaina Stonerock (PharmD) and

Lipscomb grieves the passing of campus legends in the classroom John Thomas Netterville (’51), who was instrumental in building Lipscomb’s strong science programs of today starting in the 1950s, passed away on June 27 at the age of 89. During his career, he served as Lipscomb’s chemistry department chair and taught science at Lipscomb Academy. He also coauthored eight college chemistry textbooks and served as the Superintendent of Schools in Williamson County in Tennessee. Netterville was one of the drivers behind building McFarland Science Center when it was built in the 1960s, and in 2016, one of the six labs in the McFarland addition was named in his honor. He was also honored as a Lipscomb Legend, a recognition awarded by Lipscomb’s Office of Alumni Relations in years past. Marlin Connelly Jr., 84, passed away on April 10. Connelly graduated from David Lipscomb High School in 1953 and David Lipscomb College in 1957. He served at Lipscomb University as a professor of speech communication from 1967 to 2000, spending 12 of those years as department chair and six years as the Baxter Chair of Preaching. During his 33-year tenure, he also taught a large freshman Bible class every quarter. Connelly served churches of Christ in Georgia, New Jersey and Ohio, before returning to Nashville to preach 26 years for the Bellevue church of Christ and 10 years for the Hillsboro church of Christ. From 1972 to 2008, he traveled extensively to the Middle East and to Mediterranean countries, leading groups to the Bible lands, including 25 visits to Israel.

her husband welcomed Nathaniel William Stonerock on March 4.

Sara Jones (BS) of Memphis, Tenn., is currently teaching fi rst grade in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Cameron Webb (BS) of Nashville, is a technical support specialist with ORCA Coolers LLC. Mark Yarbrough (MS) of Nashville is a marketing representative for Advantage Sales & Marketing.

lipscomb.edu/news

BISON NOTES

In Memoriam

We publish news of the passing of Bisons as we learn of it. Share your news of loved ones lost at lipscomb.edu/classnotes or submit obituaries and photos for possible publication in print to the Office of Alumni Relations. 1939 Mary Jewel Ward of Wichita, Kan., died Nov. 8, 2019.

New Lipscomb specialty license plate available to Tennessee residents Tennessee motorists have an opportunity to show their Lipscomb pride with a new version of the university’s specialty license plate. A new version of the Lipscomb University collegiate plate was released earlier this year. “Having a specialty license plate is a great opportunity not only to show pride in our school, but also to create awareness with those who may not know about Lipscomb,” said Amanda Martin, director of the Office of Neighborhood, Community and Government Relations. “It’s a fun way to show our Bison spirit.” In the state of Tennessee, specialty plates cost an additional $61.50 beyond the annual license plate renewal fee. Of that fee, $35 of each plate purchased goes to Lipscomb and the remainder benefits the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Tennessee Highway Fund. The new Lipscomb plate is available across Tennessee but may not be available at all license plate renewal locations. Individuals wanting to purchase the collegiate plate should check with their local Tennessee County Clerk’s office for availability. Lipscomb University introduced its first Tennessee collegiate specialty plate in 2004.

For more information on ordering a Lipscomb specialty license plate go to bit.ly/ BisonTNPlate.

1941

Paul P. Hembree of Brentwood, Tenn., died

April 10.

Louis A. Ross of Sparta, Tenn., died Nov. 16, 2019.

1942 Dorothy Dalton Evins of Smyrna, Tenn., died March 27.

1943 Jean Kilgore Ross of Sparta, Tenn., died Nov. 9, 2019.

1944 Emma Dunlap Staton of Nashville died April 30. 1945 Louise Allen Bobo of Topeka, Kan., died Jan. 13. 1946 Dortha G. Travis of Brentwood, Tenn., died March 17.

1950 James Wilton Stanton of Brentwood, Tenn., died Nov. 9, 2019.

Ruth Swan Yankee of Mount Juliet, Tenn., died May 17.

1951

Larimore Foster of Brentwood, Tenn., died Jan. 4. Sam L. Jones of Watertown, Tenn., died April 12. John T. Netterville Sr. of Brentwood, Tenn., died June 26. Netterville was the chair of the Lipscomb University chemistry department from 1965 to 1978. He also taught science at Lipscomb Academy in the 1950s. He is survived by his wife Annie Ruth Netterville; sons John T. Netterville Jr. (’74), James L. Netterville (’76), J. David Netterville (’81) and J. Paul Netterville (’84); twelve grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Forrest Neil Rhoads Sr. of Nashville died Feb. 24.

1954 Katherine “Joan” Crawford Cooper of

Franklin, Tenn., died March 12. She taught third and fi fth grades at Lipscomb Academy for more than 20 years.

June Carol Dunn Waldon of Atlanta, Ga., died

Feb. 17.

1955 James E. Davy of Nashville died April 30. Gloria Brannam Elliott of Searcy, Ark., died

We want your notes! Please send news of weddings, births, deaths; new jobs and promotions; academics and professional degrees; church and community service activities; awards and achievements; and changes of address to Class Notes Editor, Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204. Email: classnotes@lipscomb.edu; Online: lipscomb.edu/classnotes . 64

 

March 8.

Shirley Pullias Headrick of Abilene, Texas,

died Dec. 23, 2019.

1956 Kenneth W. Bunting of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died June 12.

Robert Thomas Knight of College Station,

(LA ’85, ’89); six grandchildren Kate Mason (’11), Victoria Connelly (LA ’08, ’12), Burton Walker, Shannon Connelly (LA ’12), Drew Connelly (’14) and Will Connelly; and greatgrandsons Silas and Levi Mason.

Ellen J. Ingram of Fayetteville, Tenn., died Nov. 9, 2019.

Rudie W. Smith of Franklin, Tenn., died April 7. Wayne Alan Wright of Sterling, Ill., died Feb. 23.

1958 Zane Edwin Burns Sr. of Brentwood, Tenn., died March 9.

Constance Marie Fulmer of Malibu, Calif., died March 17.

Anita Johnson Luther of Dickson, Tenn., died

July 13.

Kenneth Ray Shaw of Scotland Neck, N.C.,

died May 21.

1959 Carl Edwards Adkins of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died April 19.

O. John Payne Jr. of Tullahoma, Tenn., died May 30. He was a Lipscomb University Bible professor from 1985 to 1995.

1960 Gene B. Johnson of Glasgow, Ky., died Nov. 17, 2019.

Charles “Bud” Richmond of Florence, Ala., died Sept. 12. Richmond taught at Lipscomb University from 1964 to 1969. Walter Wayne Wyckoff II of Brentwood, Tenn.,

died March 10.

1962 Gerald Arthur Burkett of Searcy, Ark., died Oct. 30, 2019.

Virginia Odom McGuirk of Las Cruces, N.M.,

died Nov. 14, 2019.

Aubrey M. Meece of Dowelltown, Tenn., died May 9.

John Ronald Morgan of Brentwood, Tenn.,

died Nov. 6, 2019.

1963 Robert Gene DeMonbreun of Norcross, Ga., died April 24.

Barbara Sunderland Rives of Abilene, Texas, died Oct. 8, 2019.

1964 John William Anglea Jr. of Franklin, Tenn., died Oct. 21, 2019.

Jack Campbell of Cincinnati, Ohio, died Feb. 26. David Griﬃn Cook of Lewisburg, Tenn., died

April 13.

Texas, died May 27.

Mary Davis Gifford of Wausau, Wis., died June 6.

Raymond Edwin Ragsdale of Franklin, Tenn.,

Robin Dale Tacker of Roscoe, Texas, died Sept.

died Jan. 3.

1957 Marlin Connelly Jr. of Nashville died April 10. Connelly was a longtime Lipscomb University professor of Bible and speech. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Williamson Connelly (LA ’55); three children, Philip Marlin Connelly (LA ’77, ’82), Pamela Connelly Walker (LA ’81, ’86) and Andrew William Connelly

10, 2019.

Frank Lynn Wilson of Brentwood, Tenn., died Dec. 10, 2019.

1966 William Thomas Bullard II of Hendersonville, N.C., died Nov. 19, 2019.

Wanza C. Johnson Jr. of Gresham, Ore., died Jan. 11.

BISON NOTES

Patricia Turner Pendergrass of Fairfield, Ohio, died April 16.

Margaret Palmer Price of Hendersonville,

N.C., died April 18.

We live in difficult times.

Robert Rodgers Robertson of Paducah, Ky.,

died Nov. 12, 2019.

George Franklin Ryan of Nashville died March 25. Edward Eugene Shake of Ocala, Fla., died Oct. 12, 2019.

1967 Ann Lofty Bible of South Pittsburg, Tenn., died Jan. 9.

Wayne Alan Wright of Sterling, Ill., died Feb. 23.

1968 Curtis Wayne McMahan of Eclectic, Ala., died June 17.

1969 David L. Francis of Chattanooga, Tenn., died July 14.

David Dan Ottinger of Knoxville, Tenn., died Nov. 20, 2019.

1970 Carolyn Ann Duckworth Adams of Vandalia, Ohio, died Nov. 29, 2019.

1971

Peggy Lynn Garner of Brentwood, Tenn., died Nov. 6, 2019.

1972 Sharon Brumit Farmer of Nashville died Nov. 3, 2019.

Kenneth Rhea Grandstaff of Lebanon, Tenn., died March 22.

1973 Okon Eﬁong Mkpong of Ete-Ikot Abasi, Nigeria, died June 6.

1974 Steven Earl Lasater of Somerville, Ala., died Oct. 15, 2019.

Gail Todd Schrand of Cincinnati, Ohio, died

Nov. 27, 2019.

1976 Jerry Lynn Griﬃth of Brentwood, Tenn., died June 13.

1979 Larry Wayne Womack of McMinnville, Tenn., died Feb. 11.

1982 Philip Brent Trevathan of Franklin, Tenn., died Dec. 14, 2019.

1987 Philip Earl Autry of Nashville died Feb. 20. Johnna Emily Givens of Centerville, Tenn., died Jan. 22.

Ty Osman ’87 of Brentwood, Tenn., died July 11. He is survived by his wife, Nancy (Lewis) Osman (’87), and daughters: Adair Osman McNeil and her husband Brennan (’14), and Kendall Osman (’20). His son, Ty II, passed away in 2012. He built the Osman Fountain in Bison Square in his son’s memory in 2013.

Now more than ever we need leaders with competence and character to guide people and organizations through these extraordinary times. With your investment in the Lipscomb Fund, together we can raise the next generation of Christian leaders.

1988 Lee Loveless of Centerville, Tenn., died April 6. 1990 Timothy Shawn Kelley of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died May 24.

1997 Elisa N. Alexander of Nashville died Nov. 9, 2019. 2006 Wilma Lee Reasor of Nashville died June 29. 2015. Austin Mitchell Shivers of Ashland City, Tenn., died June 11.

2017 Eli G. Hayes of Nashville died May 23.

give.lipscomb.edu

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

NASHVILLE, TN PERMIT NO. 921

One University Park Drive Nashville, TN 37204-3951 Address Service Requested

View this issue and more at www.lipscomb.edu/news

PASS YOUR FAITH AND VALUES ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION. THE A. M. BURTON SOCIETY

The A. M. Burton Society is an influential community of donors using gift planning to ensure Christian education opportunities are available to students at Lipscomb for years to come. To learn more about the gift planning options available at Lipscomb, contact Paul Stovall, director of the Center for Estate and Gift Planning, at 615.966.5251 or paul.stovall@lipscomb.edu.

lipscomb.edu/planmyestate

2021 Lipscomb Now Winter

Articles inside

Respect leads the journey

Bridging the classroom culture gap

Bisons ready to compete in a COVID world

The pandemic descended upon us

Responding with Resilience

Tennessee’s captains navigating a storm of crisis