Lipscomb Now Spring 2016

Page 1

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends Spring 2016

Vol. 11 No.3

IMAGINE

New event connects donors to world leaders PAGE 24



The Magazine for Alumni and Friends Spring 2016 Vol. 11 No.3

Departments 3........ A Letter from the President 6........ University News & Recognition 12...... Colleges, Institutes & Programs 16....... Athletics 37....... Class Notes

Features A little snow didn’t hold back students in January when classes were canceled due to a storm that dumped 6 to 8 inches of snow in Nashville. On the cover: President George W. Bush came to campus in February as part of the inaugural Imagine event.

Senior Vice President for Communication & Marketing Deby K. Samuels Editor Kim Chaudoin Writers Lacey Klotz Janel Shoun-Smith Jeff Siptak

Designers Zach Bowen Scott Coffey Will Mason Photography Jamie Gilliam Kristi Jones Chris Netterville Web Content Kyle Gregory Josh Shaw

Produced by University Communication & Marketing Lipscomb Now is published three times a year by Lipscomb University®. Go to lipscombnow.com to read more. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Lipscomb Now, Alumni Office Lipscomb University One University Park Drive Nashville, Tennessee 37204-3951 ©2016 Lipscomb University. All Rights Reserved.

04 24 31 34

lead gift kicks off performing arts center

Legendary entertainer and Lipscomb Academy alum Pat Boone and his wife, Shirley, are helping make the university’s dream of a new performing arts center a reality with a $5 million gift toward the project. george w. bush featured in new donor event

Imagine, Lipscomb’s inaugural annual event for associate level donors, highlighted Lipscomb’s and Nashville’s role on the world stage with the visit of George W. Bush.

noted political historian kicks off new college

Lipscomb launches a college destined to impact community building—the College of Leadership & Public Service—with a gala evening featuring an expert on historic political legacies: Doris Kearns Goodwin.

alum returns to lead in new alumni affairs position

Phil Ellenburg (’86), Lipscomb’s new vice president of alumni relations, has deep family history and his own personal journey at Lipscomb.



A Letter from the President

A one-of-a-kind experience It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to sit down with a U.S. President, let alone share that moment with alumni, donors and members of the Lipscomb community. The evening was both electric and profound as former President George W. Bush spoke at the premiere of the university’s Imagine program, Feb. 29, in Allen Arena. Imagine is an annual event established to recognize Lipscomb’s associate level donors and to bring world-renowned leaders to Nashville to address topics of local and global importance. The event was designed to seek understanding of the world through the eyes of someone who has had significant impact on it. Thinking globally, there are very few people who have been “the most powerful person in the world.” Of our past presidents, all of whom we would be pleased to host, two are limited by their health and one is focused on his wife’s run for the office. It was a great honor to have President Bush join us and help launch Imagine. The program was in an interview-style format, with this university president asking questions to the former President of the United States. The weight of the moment hit me when we took our seats on stage, and President Bush looked me in the eye, ready to engage in our hour-long dialogue. I was interviewing a man who had served as the leader of the free world for eight years…and there were more than 2,100 people in the audience watching! It was a dynamic journey in word and thought.

President Bush shared stories from his life, political career, family and his faith. He answered questions about his work fighting AIDS in Africa and the millions of lives saved. He spoke poignantly about functioning as comforter in chief for the nation following 9/11 and for soldiers who were severely injured, or the families of those who lost their lives, in Iraq or Afghanistan, because of his decisions as commander in chief. A few days following the event, I received a letter from President Bush thanking us for hosting him on campus and complimenting the university. And referencing his occasional refusal to answer some questions and a few other quips, he explained, “The needling is a sign of affection.” We were pleased with the success of the premiere Imagine program, which in addition to an evening of stimulating conversation, represented more than $3.6 million for the university. We look forward to continuing the annual program and hosting leaders who will share with us their work in making the world a better place.

L. Randolph Lowry President

­lipscombnow.com

3


Donors

Entertainer Pat Boone gives $5 million to build arts center Legendary entertainer Pat Boone, and his wife, Shirley, gave $5 million to Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts as the lead gift to build a new facility for its performing arts program. “This is a vision for a family whose legacy leaves footprints to follow and Christian values that forge pathways for new generations to foster and inspire excellent entertainment, faithfully presented to glorify God,” said Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry. “This facility provides an opportunity for this family to give ‘place’ to its legacy in a place that is central both to their family tree as well as centered in their spiritual inheritance. With this, the family, in collaboration with the university, will further its commitment to creating believer artists in both the creative and technical aspects of the performing arts.” To be named the Boone Family Center for the Performing Arts, the building will be a state-ofthe-art venue that will create space primarily for

4

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Lipscomb’s College of Entertainment & the Arts, which includes the university’s visual and graphic arts, music, theatre and dance, fashion and design, film and cinematic arts programs. The facility will include a 500-seat theater with adjacent green rooms and dressing rooms as well as scenic design and support spaces, a multi-form event center that will accommodate up to 500 for a seated dinner, public galleries, a sound stage, a cinematic lab, a dance studio and costume shop. The center will also serve Lipscomb Academy, making it one of the best-equipped secondary schools in the region for the development of the arts, both for appreciation as well as the early identification and nurturing of young talent.

President L. Randolph Lowry and his wife Rhonda (seated right) and officials from Lipscomb’s College of Entertainment & the Arts and development office joined Shirley and Pat Boone (seated at left) at the signing of the donation agreement for $5 million.

“Our desire is that God will use this gift and the performing arts center in ways that will inspire all of the students who will use it,” said Boone. “Both Shirley and I are products of Lipscomb, and the Boone Family Center for the Performing Arts will be a reflection of all that we have experienced as a family at this institution and through entertainment, which has been a platform for our message. We want to be able to provide that opportunity for others.” High school sweethearts, the Boones graduated from Lipscomb Academy in 1952 and attended Lipscomb University their freshman years. “Our goal and intent has always been to live within the principles that we learned at Lipscomb and from our families,” said Boone. “We want to inculcate that in others whether it’s in entertainment, in marriage and families or in other professions. The influences they encounter at Lipscomb permeate their lives for years to come.”


Donors

During his career, Boone sold over 45 million albums, had 38 top 40 hits and appeared in more than 12 movies. According to Billboard, Boone was the second-biggest charting artist of the late 1950s, behind only Elvis Presley. Boone still holds the Billboard record for spending 220 consecutive weeks on the charts with one or more songs each week. From 1957-60, Boone hosted a variety show, “The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom,” on ABC and wrote the bestselling “Twixt Twelve and Twenty.” At age 81, Boone continues to perform and speak across the country, known for his Christian values. “The center will be a place where the Boone family can continue its impact and legacy today,” said John Lowry, vice president of development and external affairs. “With the venue’s unique location and the college’s ability to develop believer artists, the Boone family will have a hand in preparing students who want to serve God through their craft.” The Boones and Shirley’s family, the Foleys, are bedrocks in musical history. Shirley’s father, Red Foley, was a popular country music star for more than 20 years, selling more than 25 million records, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry. His 1951 hit, “Peace in the Valley,” was the first million-selling gospel record. Her mother, Judy Martin, was also a

country music singer who was often featured on WLS-AM’s “National Barn Dance” in Chicago. Pat’s brother, Nick, who used the stage name Nick Todd, was a pop singer known for hit records “Plaything” and “At the Hop.” He was also song leader at the Madison Church of Christ in Nashville for years and is retired from the sociology faculty at Lipscomb University. The Boones have four daughters, Cherry, Debby, Lindy and Laury, who formed a

“Our goal and intent has always been to live within the principles that we learned at Lipscomb and from our families.” vocal group in the 1970s known as the Boones. A three-time Grammy Award winner, Debby is best known for her 1977 hit, “You Light Up My Life,” which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “The mission of Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts is to be a Christ-centered, innovative, entrepreneurial arts community committed to rigorous artistic training, creative collaboration and professional growth that seeks to train the next generation of

believer artists to uplift, challenge and entertain culture through their art,” said Mike Fernandez, dean of the college. “The Boone family is a living example of the kind of student we want to prepare who will make a difference in the industry once they leave our campus. We are very grateful for the example they are, for their passion for Lipscomb’s program and for their generosity that will enable us to impact the lives of students for generations to come.” Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts offers undergraduate degrees in film production, fashion merchandising, fashion design, entertainment design, music composition, contemporary music, vocal performance, piano performance, instrumental performance, teaching, music, acting, directing, musical theater, theater ministry, theater teaching, studio art, graphic design, art therapy, visual arts administration, visual arts teaching and animation among other areas of study. Graduate programs include Master of Arts degrees in film and creative media, Master of Fine Arts degrees in film and creative media with writer and director tracks and a Master of Fine Arts/Master of Business Administration blended degree. For more information visit cea.lipscomb.edu

The future performing arts center will be the home of both the university’s and Lipscomb Academy’s arts programs.

­lipscombnow.com

5


University News & Recognition

Commencement begins new journey for graduates commencement signifies the beginning

or start of something. In academic settings, it also marks the completion of an academic journey that leads to another chapter in students’ lives. In December the Lipscomb community celebrated the accomplishments of its students in three special ceremonies. On Dec. 19, the soon-to-be graduates and their families and friends gathered in full regalia to receive bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in Allen Arena. The university awarded 461 degrees to

In December, seven participants in the LIFE program at the Tennessee Prison for Women were awarded Associate of Arts degrees from Lipscomb in a graduation ceremony held in the prison gym.

students graduating in December. “Your lives are filled with stories, and we are proud to have walked with you on your journey,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. “As you graduate today, you join the Bison Herd, made up of 35,000 graduates of Lipscomb University. No matter what happens in life, you will always be part of this community. We are proud of you, and we congratulate you.” On the day before commencement, seven women who are part of the Lipscomb LIFE (Lipscomb Initiative for Education) program at the Tennessee Prison for Women received Associate Degrees in a special commencement ceremony inside the prison. These women worked for seven years to complete their degree, taking one class at a time and meeting just once a week. Each of these nights, Lipscomb professors and traditional students traveled to TPW to join the inmates for class. “We are here to bear witness to you and to our

world that you are intelligent, compassionate, resourceful and intelligent scholars,” said Richard Goode, professor of history who founded the program in 2007. “It means everything in the world to me,” said Michelle Martin, TPW resident and LIFE program graduate. “All of my hope, and dreams I never thought I’d get to have, are realized today. No matter what life throws at you and no matter how far down you are. If you think you are dead in the grave. You can come back up. You can fight and claw and stand with your head held high.” The College of Education awarded its inaugural Certificates in Career Exploration Studies to the first students in the IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) program, designed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, two days prior to the traditional ceremony. After two years of study and experiential internships, A.T. Banks, Matthew Loveland and Rashaad Harrell walked across the stage of Stowe Hall to claim their certificates, which reflect the mastery of career, academic and independent living skills.

Rashaad Harrell, A.T. Banks and Matthew Loveland (l to r) received certificates of completion from the IDEAL program as part of three days of commencement ceremonies in December. 6

lipscomb now | Spring 2016


University News & Recognition

Spring enrollment, retention set record defying declining enrollment trends

across the nation, official enrollment numbers at Lipscomb were up for the spring semester, hitting a new enrollment milestone of 4,319 university students in January and a record-setting 95.2 percent retention rate. Typically, spring semester enrollments are less than fall semester across the nation due to students graduating in December and natural

Nursing education veterans appointed to interim nursing school posts nursing education and health care

veterans Elaine Griffin and Mary Hesselrode have been appointed to interim leadership positions in the School of Nursing, housed in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.

Mary Hesselrode (left) and Elaine Griffin (right)

attrition between fall and spring semesters. At Lipscomb more than 460 students received degrees in December. Despite those factors, spring enrollment increases were recorded in graduate Bible, psychology, D.Min. and Ed.D. programs, among others. “The real story is in our retention rate from fall to spring semester,” said Rick Holaway, vice

president for enrollment management. “There

are many factors that contribute to that. I think a

primary one is that everyone on campus—faculty, staff and students—see that they play a role in making Lipscomb a caring learning community.”

Griffin, vice provost at Lipscomb University, has been appointed interim executive associate dean of the School of Nursing. Hesselrode, a member of Lipscomb’s nursing faculty, has been named interim associate dean in the school. In addition to a nursing degree, Griffin holds a Master of Health Care Administration, a Master of Business Administration and a doctorate in health services and social change. She is also a fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives.

Retention success is also being impacted by the work of the Academic Success Center, led by Brian Mast, associate provost. The first-time freshman retention rate from fall to spring hit a record 95.2 percent. The fall-to-spring retention rate has been in the 90 percent range and increasing over the last decade, but Mast said his goal for this year was to hit the 95 percent mark. And he did. “As I meet with students and ask them about their Lipscomb experience, it almost always comes back to how much they love their faculty. Relationships are important, and students feel a strong sense of community and family on the Lipscomb campus,” Mast said.

She currently directs quality improvement and accreditation activity for Lipscomb, managing the reaffirmation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and acting as the university liaison with that organization and other accrediting bodies. Griffin served as an inaugural board member for Health Care Executive Forum of Middle Tennessee and is a past program chairman for the organization. She served as adjunct clinical professor in the Department of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati and was professor of business at Harding University prior to her work at Lipscomb. Hesselrode joined the Lipscomb faculty in 2010. She was instrumental in designing and implementing Lipscomb’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum, and she has chaired both the school’s curriculum committee and academic progression committee. She received her Doctor of Education from Lipscomb in December. Hesselrode graduated from Harding University’s School of Nursing and earned her master’s as a family nurse practitioner from Texas Women’s University in Dallas. She has also worked in private practice at Baylor University Medical Center.

For more on the School of Nursing, go to lipscomb.edu/nursing.

­lipscombnow.com

7


University News & Recognition

Undergraduate business program ranked among top 100 in nation the college of business’ undergraduate

College of Business, Rutgers UniversityNewark’s business school and the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics.

program has been ranked one of the top 100 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek in its Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2016 ranking released April 19.

Lipscomb is the only Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs-accredited institution included on the list.

The college’s undergraduate business program is 77 out of 114 institutions included in the ranking. Lipscomb is the highest-ranked university in Tennessee ahead of the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business (ranked 83) and Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business (ranked 103).

This is the second national ranking Lipscomb’s College of Business has received in the last six months. In October, the college’s Master of Business Administration program ranked 43 out of the top 74 part-time MBA programs in the nation on the 2015 Bloomberg Businessweek MBA rankings.

Lipscomb also ranked higher than the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner

“This ranking recognizes the quality of our academics, and faculty and staff as well,” said Ray Eldridge, dean of Lipscomb’s College of

Air Force vet appointed director of veteran services a 21-year air force veteran,

Chad Staggs, has been appointed director of Lipscomb’s veteran services program. Staggs brings recruiting, admissions, marketing Chad Staggs, center, is the new director of veteran services at Lipscomb.

and management expertise to the office, which oversees and administers Lipscomb’s Post 9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program and its veteran services programs. In addition to his military career, Staggs was a medical staff auditor at Vanderbilt University and was a member of HCA Healthcare-TriStar Division’s talent acquisition human resources team. “Veteran students are campus leaders at Lipscomb and community leaders in Nashville,”

Business. “Our graduate program is already nationally ranked, so it is gratifying to see that those outside the institution recognize the strength of our undergraduate program. We have always known you could get both a quality business education and a program based on faith principles at Lipscomb. Our undergraduates are mentored and taught by the best who also embrace the values and virtues taught by Jesus.” According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the rankings are composed based on feedback from recruiters who hire recent business graduates, students’ ratings of the campus, career services department, faculty and administrators; starting salaries of graduates and the percentage of a school’s graduates who had at least one internship at any time during college.

said Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life. “When you spend time with Chad you immediately realize that he is a purposeful leader with a passion for our veterans and an enthusiasm for this cause that is contagious.” Staggs began his career with the U.S. Air Force in 1994 as a supply/logistics airman. In 1998, he was appointed space systems engineer in Colorado. Following those assignments, Staggs served in a variety of appointments in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Tennessee that focused on recruiting, marketing, human resources and strategic organization growth. In these roles, Staggs also oversaw university relationships on behalf of the USAF at many campuses all over the country, including three years of special projects at Notre Dame University. “A majority of my career has focused on the development of students,” said Staggs. “It’s very fulfilling to me to blend spiritual formation with student development.”

8

lipscomb now | Spring 2016


University News & Recognition

Lilly Endowment funds program for high school students to instill desire for ministry the college of bible &

Ministry received its first grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to create a theology program specifically designed for high school students. The college will use the $475,000 grant to launch the Lipscomb Institute for Student Theologians in summer 2017, a 10-day summer event for up to 24 high school students. The grants are part of the endowment’s commitment to identify and cultivate theologically minded youth to become leaders in church and society.

Leonard Allen, dean of the College of Bible & Ministry, said the new institute will be based on Biblical texts, hands-on experience, a civil rights tour and exposure to the history of social witness in the Churches of Christ, among other activities. Students preparing to enter their junior or senior year in high school are eligible to apply. “These students will have, for instance, the opportunity to visit places that played key roles in the civil rights movement, to walk where civil rights activists walked and learn more about society at the time,” said Allen. “It is an experience that will have a profound impact on these young students as it brings to life what they’ve read about theology in history books.”

For more details on the College of Bible & Ministry, log on to lipscomb.edu/bible.

College of Education again honored as tops in nation & state for the fifth consecutive

year in a row, data in the Report Card on the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs indicates that Lipscomb’s College of Education is one of the most effective teacher preparation programs in Tennessee, consistently producing educators who outperform other teachers in the state. In addition, data showed Lipscomb to be the largest teacher preparation program among all private universities in the state. At the national level, the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, a national

organization focused on promoting moral dimensions of schooling and education, named Lipscomb a 2016 Model of Excellence in the partnerships category. Among the partnerships the College of Education has forged are professional development programs for Metro Nashville Public Schools literacy coaches, leadership trainings for various county school districts, courses for the Tennessee College Access and Success Network and summer teacher trainings in STEM topics. “Great teaching is both skill and art, and our teachers work hard to translate those into positive outcomes for their students,” said Deborah Boyd, interim dean of the college.

For more on the College of Education go to lipscomb.edu/education.

­lipscombnow.com

9


01

02

03

01 Singarama hit the stage this spring with the theme of Revolution: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. 02 The Lipscomb community commemorated the death and resurrection of Christ during Resurrection Week, March 21-27, concluding with an all-campus communion service Easter evening. 03 The women’s soccer team celebrated four baptisms during their spring break mission trip to El Salvador. Photo by Amber Bledsoe. 04 Carrie Thornthwaite, professor of education, became the 2016 winner of Lipscomb’s Mary Morris Award for Exemplary Service to Society. 05 Lipscomb celebrated Black History Month with several events including Food for the Body and Soul, featuring special guest George Pendergrass, a former member of the vocal group Acappella. 06 Lipscomb’s resident dance company, the Foundation Dance Theatre, presented a dance concert— Elevate—in December, featuring both student and local professional dancers. 07 In April the department of fashion and design displayed Lipscomb’s rarely seen Halston collection in the John C. Hutcheson Gallery. 08 More than 800 students participated in this April’s Service Day, including these two dedicated students cleaning up at Rocketown. 09 The College of Entertainment & the Arts welcomed Liz Cackowski, a former staff writer for “Saturday Night Live,” “Last Man on Earth” and a Second City alum, to work with students in a two-day of workshop in February. 10 Award-winning country music singer Thomas Rhett was greeted by the members of his former social club Tau Phi when he spoke in chapel about balancing his spiritual life and his music career.

04


05

06 08

09

07

10


Colleges, Institutes & Programs

Dr. Kevin Eidson, member of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy and assistant professor at Lipscomb, routinely takes student pharmacists to Board of Pharmacy meetings, showing them firsthand the interpretation of the laws and rules that impact pharmacy

College of Pharmacy among ten in nation with perfect law exam pass rate the national association of boards of

Pharmacy has listed the College of Pharmacy as one of only ten nationwide to obtain a 100 percent pass rate in 2015 on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, a standardized exam created by the NABP to assess competency and knowledge of pharmacy law and ethics. In fact, the College of Pharmacy has achieved a 100 percent first-attempt pass rate on the MPJE for the past four years. The 2015 pass rate reported by the NABP is based on the 44 members of Lipscomb’s Class of 2015 who took the MPJE to practice in Tennessee. For a student pharmacist to become licensed as a pharmacist, he or she must successfully pass two separate examinations administered by the NABP: the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination and the MPJE or equivalent stateadministered jurisprudence exam.

12

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Every Lipscomb College of Pharmacy student is required to take a pharmacy law and ethics course taught by Dr. Kevin Eidson, former executive director of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy, current member of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy and assistant professor at Lipscomb. Eidson routinely takes student pharmacists in the law and ethics course to Board of Pharmacy meetings, showing them firsthand the interpretation of the laws and rules that impact pharmacy and the consequences of not following them. “It’s very exciting to see where the college stands among our peers, especially since our program is still young,” said Dean Roger Davis, Pharm.D., on the accomplishment. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of Dr. (Kevin) Eidson and the college’s top-quality faculty that we rely on to teach our student pharmacists not only the skills they need but the knowledge to apply those skills legally, ethically and effectively.” Lipscomb has also had tremendous success with the second portion of the licensure examination process with a NAPLEX pass-rate of greater than 95 percent.

Pharmacy professor named to 2016 Women of Influence dr. susan morley,

assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, was named a Nashville Business Journal 2016 Woman of Influence in the inspiration/ mentor category. Morley was nominated for the Women of Influence Award for her work with students at Lipscomb as well as for her volunteer service with the Family Advisory Council at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She has served on the Family Advisory Council at the hospital since 2008 and recently assumed the role of chair for the council. Morley was also awarded the 2015 Faculty Member of the Year from the pharmacy Class of 2016 for her teaching excellence and her dedication to student pharmacists.


Colleges, Institutes & Programs

2016 ACM winner Thomas Rhett and wife share challenges with student body in Gathering thomas rhett (akins), a lipscomb

alumnus and successful country music singer, visited Lipscomb’s music production class in February. Wearing a jersey from his former Lipscomb social club, Tau Phi, and accompanied by his wife Lauren, Rhett shared with students his advice on how to stay grounded in a starstudded industry. After visiting with the class, the couple joined Jeff Fincher, assistant dean in the College of Entertainment & the Arts, on stage at The Gathering, Lipscomb’s all-campus weekly chapel session, where they shared their faith journey and how it keeps them grounded. Although he is blessed to be able to pursue his dream for a living, he and his wife truly believe that they have been given this platform for more than just entertaining and writing hit songs, he said.

Boyd attends White House convening on counseling, college advising

Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins spoke at The Gathering, Lipscomb’s weekly chapel service, and to contemporary music students on how his faith keeps him grounded.

“It’s a huge blessing to be creative and to get to sing songs for a living, but at the same time, we know for a fact that we have been put in this position to be on the road and accessible for certain artists. Maybe we’ll only have one conversation with that artist, but that may completely change their life,” Rhett said. “Not by anything that I said or have done, but by something that the Lord completely ordained.” During the visit, three students in the contemporary music program, Delaney, Zackary and Erika Daves, who make up the sibling trio, Daves Highway, performed Rhett’s song, “Tangled Up,” for the couple. Rhett’s second album, “Tangled Up,” features the

underserved students prepared for success in college by strengthening, aligning and expanding resources and the pipeline for those students to attend college, especially through school counselor leadership and collaborative partnerships.

Deborah Boyd was selected to participate in the third White House convening on “Strengthening School Counseling and College Advising.”

Attendees engaged in cross-sector dialogue to share best practices and to brainstorm ideas to overcome the barriers to implementing collaborative college advising models as well as discussions about policy, research, standards credentialing and partnerships.

The purpose of the White House convening was to increase the number of traditionally

Boyd was one of 475 people across the nation selected to represent K-12, higher education,

interim college of education dean

hit single “Die A Happy Man” which tied Taylor Swift’s record to claim the No. 1 spot on the Billboard U.S. Country Airplay chart for six weeks in a row. The song also took the 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards Single Record of the Year. Lipscomb’s contemporary music program officially launched in fall 2015 and since then has recruited 21 majors and counting. “The contemporary music program was designed to have no gap between the classroom and the professional music industry,” said Charlie Peacock, founding director of the program. “One way we do this is through connecting students with artists who are currently in the industry, such as Rhett.”

nonprofit organizations and state and national counseling associations, among other organizations. “It’s great to be a part of significant conversations that are being held at the highest level about how we can work to support and strengthen school counseling and college advising programs and to develop collaborative systems,” said Boyd.

­lipscombnow.com

13


Colleges, Institutes & Programs

National leaders drawn to campus for significant conversations the lipscomb campus was a hub for

significant conversation this semester as a number of national leaders and experts—from a former U.S. President to a heroic pilot—came to share their perspective and insight with Lipscomb and the Nashville community.

Gentry and Flenorl’s talks were sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

United States Ambassador Gentry O. Smith, director of the Office of Foreign Missions, U.S. Department of State, led a discussion on community service and global leadership during a chapel talk and was a part of a panel discussion on how U.S. foreign diplomats work together for common good.

The College of Leadership & Public Service brought three national experts to campus: famed “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger spoke as the Don R. Elliott Distinguished Presidential Lecturer at the Institute for Conflict Management’s Southeast Conference on Conflict Management; Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin spoke at the launch event for the college, held at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium (see page 31 for details), as well as to a group of students on campus; and Joel Makower, chairman and executive editor of GreenBiz Group Inc. and creator of GreenBiz.com, spoke at the Institute for Sustainable Practice’s 2016 Sustainability Summit.

In honor of the legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rose Jackson Flenorl, manager of social responsibility for FedEx Citizenship, an arm of FedEx that develops new strategies for social impact, spoke at the annual MLK Diversity Breakfast, held annually in partnership with the Council on Workforce Innovation and National Organization for Workforce Diversity.

The College of Business sponsored a series of events with best-selling author on servant leadership Ken Jennings. The author spoke on servant leadership methodology for local CEOS at the Serving Leader Summit and the Christian Business Leaders Breakfast. He also spoke with a group of selected student leaders and held a roundtable discussion with Lipscomb’s military veteran students.

The semester kicked off with a visit by President George W. Bush at the inaugural Imagine donor event (see page 24 for details).

01

14

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

02

Lipscomb joined Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association and the Tennessee World Affairs Council to host an international briefing on ISIS and the refugee crisis by Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States. Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, one of the world’s leading researchers in HIV/AIDS and president and CEO of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, spoke to students about his ground-breaking research as part of the biology department’s annual research presentation series. And as part of the McFarland dedication celebration (see page 20 for details), four distiniguished medical school deans held a panel discussion on the challenges of health care education in today’s world. Participants were Dr. David Stern, executive dean of the University of Tennessee’s College of Medicine; Dr. Jeff Balser, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Dr. Frederick C. de Beer, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine; and Robert Means, dean of medicine of the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.


University News &&Recognition Colleges, Institutes Programs 03

01 Ken Jennings, Serving Leader Summit 02 Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, biology seminar series 03 Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, Southeast Conference on Conflict Management 04 Rose Jackson Flenorl, MLK Diversity Breakfast 05 Gentry O. Smith, lecture during Black History Month 06 Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Tennessee World Affairs Council briefing 07 Joel Makower, 2016 Sustainability Summit 08 (From left to right) Dr. David Stern, Dr. Jeff Balser, Dr. Frederick C. de Beer and Robert Means, J.S. Ward Society panel at McFarland Dedication

04

05

07

06

08

­lipscombnow.com

15


Athletics

John Isner (top left) and Sam Querrey (top right) play the Byran Brothers in a doubles match.

Nashville Tennis Classic brings pro tennis stars to campus for the first time in its history,

the floor of Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena was transformed into an indoor tennis court to host the Nashville Tennis Classic, an event that featured members of the U.S. Olympic and Davis Cup teams. John Isner, the No. 1-ranked American singles player, and Sam Querrey, an Association of Tennis Professionals Tour Star, along with Mike and Bob Bryan, otherwise known as the Bryan brothers and billed as the “world’s greatest doubles team,” headlined the event on Saturday, Feb. 6.

an affiliate of the Cancer Support Community which provides support, education and hope to people affected by any type of cancer. “This weekend was a great opportunity to be able to showcase tennis at Lipscomb for our Nashville community,” said Jamie Aid, head coach of the Lipscomb women’s tennis team. “We had around 2,000 community members partake in the Nashville Classic as spectators, and the women’s team was in town and had the privilege to be around great players that were playing tennis to support a wonderful cause with Gilda’s Club.”

The event kicked off with a singles match featuring Isner versus Querrey, and then the two teamed up against the Bryan brothers for a doubles match in the arena.

The women’s tennis team also had a unique opportunity as two of its top players, Lorena Djuknic and Melissa Kromer, teamed up with two members of the Middle Tennessee State University men’s tennis team for a tiebreaker match before the pro’s singles and doubles matches.

The Nashville Tennis Classic was held to benefit Gilda’s Club Nashville,

For the latest news and scores, visit lipscombsports.com.

16

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Basketball programs net post-season honors with the 2015-16 basketball season in the books,

the Atlantic Sun Conference coaches have made their selections for the 2016 A-Sun All-Conference and All-Freshman honors, with a trio of Bisons earning postseason kudos. Junior guard J.C. Hampton leads the way for Lipscomb with a second-team, all-conference selection. The Gainesville, Georgia, native leads the Bisons in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per contest, and earlier in the season became the 46th member of the 1,000-point club at Lipscomb. Freshmen Garrison Mathews and Eli Pepper were selected as two of the honorees on the five-man Atlantic Sun AllFreshman team. The duo finished the season with two A-Sun Newcomer of the Week honors each. Women’s basketball standout senior Ashley Southern was named to the 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic team. The Tuscumbia, Alabama, native has compiled a 3.62 GPA during her three years at Lipscomb. This marks the sixth consecutive season that a women’s basketball student athlete has earned All-Academic honors for women’s basketball. Cam Miller and George Brammeier were also selected to the conference’s all-academic team. Miller, a junior, has a 3.89 GPA; sophomore Brammeier has a 3.43 GPA.


Athletics

Armstrong named to Ben Hogan Award watch list adding to the many accolades

already in his young career, Lipscomb men’s golfer Dawson Armstrong has been named to the 2016 Ben Hogan Award watch list joining 24 other top collegiate golfers around the country. The Ben Hogan Award is presented to the top collegiate golfer for their play over the past year and is the most prestigious award in men’s college golf. The Ben Hogan Award selection committee is comprised of leaders in professional, amateur and collegiate golf. “This honor is definitely merited for what he has done and accomplished over the last year,” said Lipscomb Director of Golf Will Brewer. “When

Orlando Magic exec headlines evening of excellence pat williams, veteran nba executive,

author and speaker, was the featured speaker at the 8th Annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence April 16. Hosted by Lipscomb University Athletics, the event showcased the Orlando Magic senior vice president with more than 50 years of professional sports experience. A 2012 recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the top motivational speakers in the country, Williams has served in his current position since 1996 when he was promoted from general manager. While an NBA general manager for the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago

he plays well, he’s contending to win, and when he plays poorly, he’s still finishing in the top 10. This is a great accomplishment for Dawson and for Lipscomb University.” Ranked No. 14 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking, Armstrong joins 24 other golfers around the nation on the initial watch list. The national winner of the Ben Hogan award will be announced in May.

“If you follow men’s college golf and go down the list, pretty much every name is recognizable,” said Brewer. “All of these guys are competing in the top-level events like the U.S. Amateur or the Western Amateur, and you see these names at the top all of the time.” Armstrong is also the first Lipscomb golfer, and only the fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference, to make the list.

Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic, Williams helped lead teams to 23 NBA playoffs and five NBA finals. In addition to his five decades of experience in the sports world, Williams is the author of more than 70 books on leadership and motivation. He and his wife, Ruth, have 19 children, including 14 adopted from four different nations, and he has completed 54 marathons. The Don Meyer Evening of Excellence is an annual athletic fundraising event that began in 2009 and is named after long-time Lipscomb men’s basketball coach Don Meyer, who retired as the winningest collegiate men’s basketball coach in the history of the sport. Meyer was awarded the “Jimmy V Award for Perseverance” from ESPN at the ESPY Awards in July 2009

following a life-changing car accident and cancer diagnosis. Previous Evening of Excellence speakers include Coach Meyer; Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow; Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens; Phil, Si and Kay Robertson from Duck Dynasty; “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks, and Coach Jim White, subject of the Disney film “McFarland USA.”

­lipscombnow.com

17


Vision

University actively putting concrete foundations to 2020 vision Less than two years after announcing an initiative to invest $250 million in new academic and infrastructure projects by 2020, Lipscomb University is checking off several key projects designed to bring enhanced quality of life, rigorous academics and enhanced access to valuable degrees for students of any age. McFarland Science Center The university launched spring semester 2016 with the opening of the new addition to McFarland Science Center, increasing the almost 50-year-old building’s size by more than a third and adding six new labs as well as updated and enhanced equipment. The 24,000-square–foot addition was celebrated in April with a dedication ceremony honoring Lipscomb’s history of strong science education in the past, present and future (see page 20 for more details).

Spark Downtown In the spring the university completed a lease agreement for a new Spark location on the ground floor of a strategic building at the corner of Fourth and Commerce streets in downtown Nashville. Spark Downtown will not only serve as a nontraditional outlet for graduate programs and professional development for corporations, similar

18

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

to the original Spark established in Cool Springs in 2012, but will also be the downtown location of the newly established College of Leadership & Public Service (see page 31), offering a Master of Arts in leadership and public service this fall. Spark Downtown will offer flexible space and innovative delivery systems for up to 300 people at a time. The facility will be open for corporations and community organizations looking for a meeting venue that encourages innovative thinking as well as learning space for graduate students. After renovation, the space will result in more than 20,000-square-feet of space including meeting areas of varying sizes, two gathering and food service areas, faculty offices and a branch of The Well Coffeehouse with an outdoor patio area. The Well is a nonprofit coffee shop that donates its profits to building wells and other humanitarian projects in impoverished communities around the world.

The new contemporary music house on Granny White Pike, features nearly $100,000 of recording equipment, eliminating the gap between the classroom and the professional music studio.

Johnson Hall renovation Lipscomb continues to use the summer months to do major overhauls of key residence halls. The day after spring commencement on May 7 workers will begin a $4 million renovation of the original portion of Johnson Residence Hall, a 120-bed women’s dormitory. Similar to the High Rise Residence Hall renovation last summer, the Johnson renovation will include a lobby redesign with additional common areas added; upgraded HVAC system; new lighting, finishes and furnishings throughout, including dorm rooms, restrooms, lobbies and corridors. Johnson is the fourth residence hall on campus to receive major renovations since 2011.

Music Row on Granny White The College of Entertainment & the Arts opened new facilities for the contemporary music program this spring in a Granny White Pike home located next door to the Gospel Music Association headquarters, also in Lipscomb office space. The new space features nearly $100,000 of recording equipment that reflects the professional studio environment graduates will walk into. The house was designed to bring more of Nashville’s Music Row atmosphere to Lipscomb and create a space closely resembling a working


Vision production company or music publishing company, said Charlie Peacock, artist-in-residence and founding director of the contemporary music program. “We are a Pro Tools and Logic facility with the most current digital interfaces and plug-ins,” said Peacock. “We also currently have three digital workstations which allow students to actively learn this industry-standard technology.” Aside from the latest technology and software, the new facility also features a professional control room and tracking room, classroom/multi-purpose space, a student lounge, a kitchen and office space. With reclaimed wood finishes and Peacock’s music awards from his own professional music production career hanging on the walls, the new area is a cool and creative environment for students to not only perfect their craft but to also experience a sense of community and belonging, he said.

Local donors came together to provide building materials for the Veterans Resource Center, which now serves more than 240 veteran students.

“The new facilities truly create a sense of camaraderie,” said Peacock. “Students are encouraged to collaborate. For example, a music production student is encouraged to help our singer/ songwriter students in the studio, and that gives them both unique opportunities to grow.”

Donors provide new space for veteran students The university’s investment initiative for 2020 has also attracted many partners who want to help bring the Lipscomb vision to life. That vision includes the new Veterans Resource Center, a gathering area for Lipscomb’s more than 240 military veteran students. Cason Hayes, vice president at Case Restoration Co. in Nashville, coordinated the donated services of six local companies— EnviroWerks, Lee Company, Sherwin Williams Flooring, Harold W. Moore & Sons, Cage Drywall and C.O. Christian & Sons Co.—to build the center, which was sparked by a $25,000 challenge gift from the Sentinels of Freedom organization. The center includes areas for veteran students to study and fellowship, a computer, television, kitchen/eating area, lockers and a place to relax in between classes. “All of our veteran students commute to campus, which presents many challenges,” said Chad Staggs, director of the veterans services program. “The veterans lounge has provided a significant resource for these individuals to study, rest and fellowship with fellow student veterans while increasing overall morale. Our partners recognized this need and graciously contributed to the renovation of this space as well as its many amenities. The veterans are very appreciative of the commitment that Lipscomb and its partners have shown toward the success of the veteran community on campus.”

The older portion of Johnson Hall will become the fourth residence hall on campus to receive major renovations since 2011. Charlie Peacock, songwriter and nationally known producer, leads contemporary music class in the newly refurbished College of Entertainment & the Arts house.


Academics

Four distinguished med school deans help celebrate expansion of Lipscomb science facilities Lipscomb celebrated the opening of the McFarland Science Center addition in April with a dedication celebration that included many physicians who received their undergraduate science training at the university. Also included among the guests were deans of four of the largest medical schools in the region who helped mark the occasion with a discussion of health care education later in the evening. The addition to the almost 50-year-old McFarland Science Center increased its size by more than a third and added six new labs with updated and enhanced equipment to continue growing the school’s highly regarded work in science education. “Tonight is about a building, but it’s also about much more than a building. It’s a place where students will come to pursue their dreams,” said John Lowry, vice president for development and external affairs. The facility’s official ribbon cutting took place on the patio outside the $8.5 million Belmont Boulevard facility, ceremonially opening the

20

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

24,000-square-foot addition which has been in use since the first of the year. “Our faculty, staff and students are excited about this new space,” said Norma B. Burgess, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “It is my hope that all the work that is done in this building and on this campus be done in the spirit of our faith. Not only are we science, we are the liberal arts. But above all else, we are Lipscomb.” “The science faculty have dreamed of this day for a long time,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. “And because of the generosity of so many, many of whom are here today, amazing things can

happen. Today is the culmination of that hard work and generosity.” The ground floor of the addition holds two labs: a microbiology lab and a multi-purpose lab, both with new equipment. More than $100,000 has been invested in new microscopes alone. “We are certainly excited today,” said Kent Gallaher (’91), chair of the department of biology and director of the biomolecular science graduate program. “It’s been a long time in coming. We thank everyone who has helped us realize this dream.” Two anatomy labs, that serve pre-med and pre-nursing majors, are located on the third floor. According to Gallaher, around 200 students a year must take anatom labs. At the dedication ceremony, John Netterville (’51), former chair of Lipscomb’s chemistry department who has one of the six labs named in his honor, shared his gratitude for the new facilities and his


Academics

01

lifetime of memories of the university as a student and longtime faculty member. Netterville was one of the drivers behind building the original McFarland, then called Science Hall in the 1960s.

facilities),” Langford said of the chemistry lab named in his honor. “When you think of the number of doctors, pharmacists, nurses and dentists who will be trained here in the future, it’s mind-boggling.”

Dr. John Little (’88), an otolaryngologist from Knoxville, Tennessee, and a member of the Lipscomb Board of Trustees, shared thoughts on how Lipscomb science education is changing lives in the present.

Two new chemistry labs, a multi-purpose lab and an organic chemistry lab, are located on the fourth floor.

He brought with him Cheyenne Roberts, who, at age two, was his first cochlear implant patient in 1998. She shared the impact that Little had on her life because of performing surgery that restored her hearing.

02

03

04

Student Hannah Stephen, who will graduate in May before heading to the Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Georgia this fall, shared how Lipscomb’s science program prepared her to pursue her career goals, especially by giving her an opportunity to work alongside accomplished faculty participating in research. Five of the new labs have been named for retired Lipscomb science faculty legends: Paul Langford, former chair of chemistry and the pre-medicine committee; the late Oliver Yates, chair of biology; the late David Johnston, distinguished professor of chemistry; the late Ralph Nance, chair of physics; as well as John Netterville, former chair of chemistry. Alumni across the nation made donations to honor these distinguished faculty and help fund the new McFarland labs. Dr. Jimmy Netterville (’76), co-chair of the McFarland Addition Campaign, son of John Netterville and an otolaryngologist and director of head and neck surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said he walked through the halls of this new building and saw labs named for the men “who inspired us to be competent and inspired us to serve God more than anything else. They launched us to create lives that make a difference in the world. These men that we are honoring today in these labs are remarkable people.” “I know (the science program) will be a lot stronger and more helpful to the students (because of the new Five of the new labs in McFarland have been named in honor of legendary science faculty. The families of (01) the late David Johnston; (02) Paul Langford; (03) the late Ralph Nance; (04) John Netterville and (05) the late Oliver Yates gathered in the new labs to honor their patriarchs.

05

“There is a lot more space, and the lighting is fantastic. They really went all-out on it,” said Abby Newby, a junior dietetics major from Washington. “It is definitely more space to work in, and I like the atmosphere. The fact that they put in big windows to let in natural light makes people a lot happier.” Following the ribbon cutting, the J.S. Ward Society, an organization open to alumni who majored in the sciences, hosted a leadership dinner followed by a panel conversation on the changes and challenges of health care education in today’s world. Weighing in on the discussion, moderated by Gallaher, were Dr. Jeff Balser, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Dr. David Stern, executive dean of the University of Tennessee’s College of Medicine; Dr. Frederick C. de Beer, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine; and Robert Means, dean of medicine of the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. The J.S. Ward Society is named for James Samuel Ward, M.D., D.D.S, founding dean of the Lipscomb science department and interim president of Lipscomb in 1905-06 and 1913. He was instrumental in establishing the university’s focus on quality science instruction and an unbroken lineage of medical doctors serving on faculty. The purpose of the Ward Society is to connect science alumni and friends to Lipscomb in meaningful ways while making a Lipscomb pre-professional health science education accessible to current and future students of promise through a scholarship program.

To see details and photos of the new laboratories and science equipment in the McFarland addition go to www.bit.ly/mcfarlandopens.

­lipscombnow.com

21


Athletics

At Lipscomb, athletics is about more than the final score. It’s about faith, character and recognizing one’s place in God’s Kingdom.

Athletics. Service. Faith. Spiritual formation team gives student athletes and coaches a unique opportunity to serve

Each week, Lipscomb Athletics teams work toward those goals by visiting Carter Lawrence, an elementary school located just three miles down the road from Lipscomb’s campus.

Positioned between two of the most up-and-coming areas in Nashville, known as the 12th South neighborhood and the Gulch, Carter Lawrence Elementary Magnet School is locate¬d in a small community known as the Edgehill neighborhood and a part of the Metropolitan Nashville Public School system. For Lipscomb’s athletics spiritual formation team, Carter Lawrence is a place where Bison athletes and coaches come to pour into the next generation. “It’s fun to see the way our kids have responded with great enthusiasm to Lipscomb athletes coming each week,” said Sharon Jacobs, school counselor for Carter Lawrence. “Most of these kids want to be professional athletes when they grow up, and being around teams and seeing athletes in action, it helps our students to see this is something they could do one day too.” Christopher Klotz recently stepped into a new role as director of spiritual formation for Lipscomb Athletics. Through this position, Klotz, along with his team of Shannon O’Brien, director of women’s spiritual formation; and graduate assistants, Aaron Spragg and Alex Newby, are charged to come alongside teams to help student athletes grow in their faith. One way they are able to do this is by providing opportunities to serve locally. “Part of my role and passion is to provide environments for our athletes to grow spiritually,” Klotz explained. “As John Ortberg said, ‘growing spiritually means to live increasingly as Jesus would in our unique place—to perceive what Jesus would perceive if he looked through our eyes, to think what he would think, to feel what he would feel, and, therefore, to do what he would do.’ Without a doubt, serving

22

lipscomb now | Spring 2016


at Carter Lawrence is something Jesus would do, and because of that, we are there.” For the past two years, the spiritual formation team has provided student athletes and coaches the opportunity to volunteer at Carter Lawrence’s after-school program. With nearly 400 students in grades K-4, Carter Lawrence’s school motto is “developing college graduates.” As the partnership has developed, Lipscomb student athletes and coaches have attend Carter Lawrence’s sports fun club every Thursday afternoon to encourage the students to stay focused on their education. Beginning as simply a homework club three years ago, Carter Lawrence’s afterschool program now provides seven clubs for elementary students: sports fun, debate team, Zumba, knitting club, science club, yearbook club and student council. All students meet together in the library for the first 45 minutes of their time to get help with their homework before dispersing to their individual clubs.

“Offering a variety of clubs has benefitted our students in several ways,” said Candice M. Banks, an instructional coach, yearbook advisor and after-school program coordinator at Carter Lawrence Elementary. “They have support to complete their homework assignments, and they get to participate and engage in activities they may not otherwise be exposed to.” Lipscomb student athletes assist nearly 20 third-and fourth-grade students in the sports fun club by helping tutor and complete homework assignments in the library. After, student athletes lead the elementary students in various sporting activities in the gymnasium as well as share wisdom with students about the importance of academics and being a team player. “Having the male student athletes around has been good for the boys who may not have father figures in their lives whom they can depend on, and having the female athletes around has been good for the girls to see that it is okay for girls to play sports just like the boys,” said Jacobs. One team that has benefited especially from the partnership is Lipscomb’s men’s basketball team. Head Coach Casey Alexander shared how valuable it is for him and his team to experience this program; it puts life, academics and the current basketball season into perspective. “Our team is honored to be included in Lipscomb’s partnership with Carter Lawrence,” said Alexander. “Impacting people isn’t always on some grand scale. It’s a real privilege to love on those kids just by making ourselves available to them. “It’s also a great reminder to our players that life is not about us and what we’re doing.

Those life lessons have far greater weight than a scoring average or even a grade-point average.” One player who has learned this lesson is junior basketball player, Charles Smith. “Serving at Carter Lawrence was a tremendous opportunity for my teammates and I to spend time with kids that were extremely excited to see us,” said Smith. “Not only did the kids have fun, but we had fun as well, and I felt that it was good to know that I was able to impact someone’s life just by doing something simple like spending time with them.” This partnership has benefited the students who look forward to spending time with Lipscomb athletes each week, Banks said. “Students in other clubs often forget what days they do or don’t meet, but this is not an issue with ANY of the students in sports fun,” said Banks. “They count down the days and are extremely excited each Thursday when the college students enter. The social skills of the group have improved over all, and they are having experiences and making memories that will hopefully be with them for a lifetime.” Klotz emphasized the growth he has seen in both Lipscomb and Carter Lawrence students alike. “The impact we have seen over the last two years is astounding,” said Klotz. “The elementary school students have grown in confidence and self esteem, and our student athletes have realized their life is defined by something much bigger than themselves.” As busy as student athletes and coaches are known to be, Klotz and the spiritual formation team will continue to bring athletic teams to Carter Lawrence Elementary in spite of crazy schedules. “To see a smile on a kid’s face, hear deep belly laughter and to know that lives are being changed is why we return to Carter Lawrence week-after-week,” he said.

­lipscombnow.com

23


In a special session as part of the Imagine event, President George W. Bush spoke with 600 Lipscomb Academy and University students on the challenges and rewards of his time as President.

24

lipscomb now | Spring 2016


imagine

IMPACT ON THE FUTURE

resident George W. Bush was the featured speaker Feb. 29 as Lipscomb University launched a new program designed to recognize its associate level donors with an annual event bringing leaders from around the world to Nashville to engage the community in topics of local and global importance and to share their stories and unique perspectives. The program, Imagine, annually will bring a key leader to campus and Lipscomb’s donor community. But the event will go a step further by initiating a series of discussions involving the community in the weeks following the event. “Lipscomb University has a reputation for being a neutral convener of significant conversations in our community,” said John Lowry, vice president for development and external affairs at Lipscomb. “Imagine gives us the opportunity to expand that to topics of national and international importance. With this initiative, we are taking what we do well and being more strategic with these ‘deeper-dive’ conversations so that they have greater impact. We want Lipscomb to be a positive, successful force for collaboration and change.”

Imagination is how we think about what is important and what will have impact into the future.

Bush, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry joined Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry for the program which examined this year’s theme—“Nashville: An Emerging City with Global Significance.” The initiative will continue throughout the spring with a series of working group conversations and will culminate with a published report of findings. “We thought about an event like this to talk about how to think more globally,” said President Lowry. “And the word Imagine just kept coming up as the definition: a sense of vision to see beyond what the event alone could be. Imagining is something we do every day at Lipscomb. When we meet students for the first time, we imagine what might transform their lives. We imagine the impact we can have in the community and what impact that will have on the world. So imagination is how we think about what is important and what will have impact into the future.” Lipscomb Associates, donors of $1,000 or more annually, and their guests comprised the 2,100-person crowd for the invitation-only event in Allen Arena to learn more about the Imagine initiative and to hear Bush’s


perspective on leadership, global impact and his presidency. As of Feb. 1, associates have contributed more than $3.6 million to the university this fiscal year. Bush shared stories from his life, political career, family and his faith as well as his leadership philosophy in a question-and-answer session with President Lowry. One of the most memorable moments of the Bush presidency was the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He shared the events of that day and lessons that all leaders can learn in a time of crisis. Bush also answered questions about his work fighting AIDS in Africa, the presidential election, immigration and his newest hobby—painting. His visit was the second time a U.S. President has come to Lipscomb. In November 1985, Gerald Ford spoke to students in a special event in McQuiddy Gym. Michael W. Smith entertained guests with a performance of “A New Hallelujah” and his new release “Sky Spills Over.” Nashville’s Odessa and Calvin Settles began the evening with a rendition of “God Bless America.” Barry welcomed guests and said she believes Lipscomb’s Imagine initiative will continue the university’s significant impact on the city.

I am grateful that President Bush is at Lipscomb to share in the conversation about how Nashville is emerging as a global city. Lipscomb has played an important role in making that happen. Mayor Megan Barry (top left), Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry (lower left), Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (top right), singer Odessa Settles (middle right) and Christian musician Michael W. Smith (bottom left) participated in the Imagine event.

26

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

“I am grateful that President Bush is at Lipscomb to share in the conversation about how Nashville is emerging as a global city,” said Barry. “I am proud that we are a global city, and Lipscomb has played an important role in making that happen. Nashville is lucky to have Lipscomb and the leadership of President Lowry, and I look forward to how the university will continue to make a difference in the community in the future.” Haslam said Lipscomb University also has an impact globally. “I love what Lipscomb has become. A great university is a wonderful thing. It’s a great thing for a city and a state and a country. A great university has a global reach. And that’s what we are here to learn about tonight—Lipscomb University’s global reach,” Haslam told the crowd. “It not only has a global reach, but it is also very comfortable and welcoming in its own community. I see all sorts of different groups who come to Lipscomb and use the university as a way of helping grow this community that we live in and this state that I love. I’m here today because I look forward to hearing the 43rd president of the United States, but also because I love Lipscomb’s vision for being totally a part of our community while also having arms that reach across the globe to expand its influence.” Earlier in the evening, more than 600 Lipscomb Academy and Lipscomb University students participated in a student forum with Bush, at his request. Jordan Beale, Student Government Association president, and Justin Avila, a student veteran, led the question-and-answer session. Through this initiative, the student body raised funds for Lipscomb’s veterans services program, global missions and the IDEAL program.


Imagine

“Hearing President Bush speak was very encouraging, especially as someone very interested in politics, but also as a millennial who remembers his leadership after 9/11 and throughout the war on terror,” said Whitney Smith a junior double majoring in journalism/new media and political science. “Hearing someone so powerful be honest and lighthearted in front of a group of students is not an experience I’ll forget.” “He ran the entire country and yet he was very down-to-earth, which I wasn’t expecting at all,” said Morgan Murphy, a sophomore law, justice and society major. “I liked how real he was.” “I didn’t really know how faith-based he was, so I loved hearing about it,” said Savannah Stewart, sophomore journalism major. “I usually tend to stay away from politics, but this made me very interested in it.”

Lipscomb Associates are a key university donor group that provides significant funding for institutional initiatives and operations. “Lipscomb Associates are the university’s core partners who make scholarships, special initiatives, academic enrichment and more happen,” said John Lowry. “Today, students stretch and work hard to pay a tuition amount that, despite their families’ sacrifices and dedication, covers only about 75 percent of the cost of an education. Associates fill in the essential gap. We are looking to our associates to be key partners in this new initiative to help Lipscomb students imagine a better world, and we need them to help Lipscomb make the world a better place by partnering with us at the highest level.”

To learn more about the Imagine initiative or giving opportunities at Lipscomb University, visit lipscomb.edu/giving/associates.


Alumni

Alumna manages more than illness at West Virginia clinic Preventive care brings her into patients’ lives For Caroline Scherer (’12), nursing is all about family. “When I was in school, I knew I loved relationships, and I loved getting to meet the families of patients,” said Scherer. Her love of family ended up shaping her health care career. Today, Scherer works as a family nurse practitioner at Core Health Care of Mon General Hospital, a Morgantown, West Virginia, clinic located on the outskirts of the city serving an economically diverse patient population that includes low-income patients from the mountains of West Virginia. As one of the few available primary care clinics in the western part of the state, Core provides desperately needed primary care to locals, some of whom travel one to two hours to receive care.

28

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Her patients come from a variety of backgrounds, and some have limited income and education, which has proven challenging at times in regards to treatment and managing diseases. “It’s been rewarding, but challenging,” Scherer said. “They don’t tell you in school what to do when patients can’t pay for their care or when you have only 30 minutes to tell a patient they have diabetes, and they can’t read the treatment instructions.” Scherer works with a seasoned nurse practitioner and a doctor at the clinic who have been positive mentors for her, but when she started at the clinic, in 2014, she definitely had to learn by doing. The closest hospital is about 20 to 30 minutes away from the clinic. “I manage most of my patients independently, and I was really thrown in,” said Scherer, describing her nervousness the first time she had to prescribe medication or treat acute chest pain.

“Referrals can often take a while, and many of my patients feel more comfortable with the entirety of their care being managed in the primary care setting,” said Scherer. “I am fortunate to be part of a team that values holistic medicine. Because of the emphasis on the totality of the patient, I have had the opportunity to be part of more than managing illness. I have had the joy to play a part in one patient going back to college, another becoming free from addiction and another re-establishing a broken relationship with a parent.” Scherer discovered her path to family nursing at Lipscomb’s School of Nursing, housed in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. “When I did my clinical rotations, I couldn’t find a niche in the hospital that I loved, but I loved community nursing and the role of preventive health, wellness and community involvement in health care,” she said.


Alumni

Scherer had the opportunity to complete a couple of community health rotations at Lipscomb as well as other health-related service opportunities. “I helped staff a flu shot clinic in a non-Englishspeaking community and had a home health rotation that took me to poorer, low-income families where sanitation and literacy were issues,” Scherer said. “A procedure as simple as a flu shot helped me learn such things as interpreting the mannerisms and reactions of a patient who doesn’t speak my language. “Family nursing is a different focus (than clinical nursing),” she said of her current career. “A lot of my time is spent knowing the effects of relevant social history. I ask myself, is this treatment feasible given the patient’s literacy level, financial ability and resource availability?

“I have really enjoyed primary care. However, it is difficult because you are expected to know a little bit about everything. When health care advisory reports are distributed, new guidelines are changed or commercials advertise new medications and diets, I have to be aware of it all.” For example, at one point health officials notified the public of an increase of Lyme disease in the area, Scherer said. This led to multiple patients who were adamant they needed testing, despite lacking appropriate symptoms. She had to use her holistic knowledge to discern when testing was actually necessary. Lipscomb’s focus on fundamental skills, selflearning and service-learning were big factors in Scherer’s career path, she said. Scherer was in Lipscomb’s program prior to the completion of the Nursing and Health Sciences building and its cutting-edge Health Simulation

Lab and the electronic records system now available. But even without that technology on campus, the program taught her to be innovative and resourceful, she said. “I learned to be disciplined, a self-learner and an advocate, all of which are vital in my career,” she said. “I was taught to care for the totality of an individual’s well-being through the example of Lipscomb’s nursing faculty. Nursing is a science

I learned to be disciplined, a self-learner and an advocate, all of which are vital to my career. I was taught to care for the totality of an individual’s well-being through the example of Lipscomb’s nursing faculty. and an art, and Lipscomb fused both of those aspects within Christian principles. I am proud this was the cornerstone of my career.” Lipscomb’s focus on Christian servanthood was also a major influence, Scherer said. “Just being in that environment of servicelearning encourages you to look beyond what you are ‘supposed to do,’” she said. “That encouragement influences me today to work through lunch or stay late to help explain a condition to a patient or revamp treatment plans to meet fixed budgets. Lipscomb instills a service attitude.

“Even outside of the nursing program, I had opportunities to volunteer at Youth Encouragement Services, Big Brother Big Sister, homeless ministries and other service organizations, which made me aware of the needs in the community and allowed me to grow my talents in serving others. Not every one has that opportunity in nursing school. That is where I really learned to enjoy community nursing. “I am in a career where you see a lot of brokenness, and I’m so grateful to have had Lipscomb further my Christian foundation in my career. Every day, I am reminded that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. We can only do so much, but nursing is such an opportunity, because strangers are inviting you into their lives to experience their greatest struggles and joys.” Scherer, a native of West Virginia, went to West Virginia University to earn her master’s as a family nurse practitioner. She earned praise from her professors there for her strong fundamental triage skills and resourcefulness, skills she often uses at the Core Clinic. During her master’s training, Scherer worked in a research study as a clinical nurse to manage and set up a home telemonitoring system for lung cancer patients in rural areas to prevent hospital readmission. She also worked in the skills lab to teach nursing students basic skills and provide tutoring. Now back in her hometown, she spends her offhours as a volunteer youth group leader for her congregation, traveling, refurbishing old furniture and spending time with family and friends. Using her well-earned self-learning skills, her next career goal is to become a certified diabetes educator and precept nurse practitioner for students. She also has hopes to do medical mission work long-term.

­lipscombnow.com

29


Academics

New College of Business dean views business as more than a vocation Newly appointed dean of Lipscomb’s College of Business, Ray Eldridge has a clear mission: to instill in his students and faculty a mindset of business as mission.

“The college has earned a top position nationally as a leader in faith-based business education. We’re proud of that. But as a college that is built differently, we’re even more proud as we see our graduates leave us to change the world—in corporate life, in entrepreneurship, in innovative social enterprises that are improving lives globally,” said Eldridge. “They’re all part of the legacy of a college of business that has been built not just to propel the success of its graduates but also to celebrate the success of faithful adherence to eternal principles.” Eldridge, formerly senior associate dean and professor of management in the college, has served as interim dean of the college since May 31, 2014, prior to his appointment as permanent dean in February. He succeeds Turney Stevens, dean emeritus and executive director of the Hilton & Sallie Dean Institute for Corporate Governance & Integrity. “Building on the college’s legacy strength, under Dr. Eldridge’s leadership, the College of Business has become one of the fastestgrowing graduate business schools in Tennessee and has been recognized nationally,” said Provost W. Craig Bledsoe. “Ray possesses an authentic approach to leadership that engenders the best efforts from his faculty and supports innovative programming that has opened our program to new markets.” In the last two years, the college’s enrollment has increased by 17 percent, topping more than 700 students for the first time in university history. It has accrued several significant accomplishments, including a national top 50 ranking in Bloomberg Business week’s best parttime MBA, a top 100 undergraduate business program ranking in Bloomberg Businessweek’s best undergraduate schools 2016 ranking, completing a two-year business accreditation review with no conditions

30

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

noted, and developing a unique Master of Management program that includes an immersive work experience. As associate dean in 2012, Eldridge also led the effort to make Lipscomb the fourth university in the nation to achieve Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs accounting specialization accreditation. “I am excited about the momentum we have created to guide our students to not only reach their educational and professional goals, but to also equip them to embrace business as mission,” said Eldridge. “We are on ‘fast forward’ to becoming an even more significant college of business however you define it— whether it be through innovative and relevant programs, renewed focus on values and virtues, engagement with the business community, quality through accreditation, impressive faculty or unique student experiential opportunities. All of that is working together to make an impact.” Eldridge said his vision for the future includes continuing to grow enrollment in the college, to further build its missional entrepreneurship program, to seek faculty who are tops in their field, to add innovative and relative programs, to increase engagement with the Middle Tennessee business community, to seek additional student experiential opportunities, to pursue Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation and to launch leadership certificate programs in health care and hospitality, among other concentrations. “Being innovative, flexible, nimble, persistent and engaging is key to a college of business that prepares students well for their careers and equips them with skills and a desire to make a difference in the world,” said Eldridge. Prior to joining the Lipscomb faculty in 2008, he completed more than 20 years as a U.S. Army officer. He has also served in professorships at Syracuse University and Freed-Hardeman University, where he was dean of Freed-Hardeman’s School of Business for three years.


Leadership

Finding common ground FOR THE COMMON GOOD

With the backdrop of a presidential election campaign in full throttle, Lipscomb University inaugurated a new college, that will provide a different approach to public service, at a special event February 4 in Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium just steps away from the Tennessee State Capitol. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin, known for her writing about American presidents, was the guest speaker for the evening. Lipscomb’s new College of Leadership & Public Service is not only an important next step in the university’s commitment to community engagement but also in advancing a collaborative leadership approach to society’s complex challenges, said Steve Joiner, dean of the College of Leadership & Public Service. “Alexis de Tocqueville recognized the value in working together for a common good,” said Joiner. “He observed that leaders in and out of government should see their roles in society as service-minded. Lipscomb

has tried to live up to this model with our institutes and programs with the goal of turning the university outward into the community. Lipscomb has become a model for positive, sustainable change.”

Memorial Auditorium tonight with its history; we’re in the right place in Nashville and we’re in the right place in Tennessee to build paths to engagement to make significant public change.”

The College of Leadership & Public The setting for the program’s launch, War Service has been in the making for the last Memorial Auditorium, was fitting as it 10 years, said Joiner. In that time, Lipscomb has welcomed to its stage some of the has built a group of institutes that serve country’s key political figures throughout the common good and support innovative recent history including Lyndon B. solutions. These institutes are now housed Johnson, Richard Nixon and John F. in this new college and include the Institute Kennedy. The evening’s featured speaker, Goodwin, author of six critically acclaimed for Conflict Management, the Institute for Law, Justice & Society, the Institute for and New York Times best-selling Sustainable Practice and the Nelson & Sue books who is known for her writings Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership. on presidents and politics, was apropos in setting the tone for Lipscomb’s new Each offers graduate degree endeavor as she shared her experiences with a “behind-the-curtain” view of politics. programming in addition to other initiatives including certificate programs, mediation training and more. Programs “It’s the right time, it’s the right place to take the next steps of leadership,” Joiner told offered include pre-law, public service, nonprofit management, corporate social the audience of more than 300 leaders from justice, government and sustainability. the Nashville community who gathered for the event. “It’s the right time for civil The college is also home to Lipscomb’s discourse. It’s the right time to prepare signature Leadership Tennessee program. future leaders to collaborate rather than This unique initiative provides collaborative divide. And we’re in the right place at War

­lipscombnow.com

31


Leadership

learning and dialogue spanning the state’s three grand divisions, issue-specific education for demonstrated leaders, diverse representation of participants and opportunities to affect change. The college will launch a School of Public Policy in the coming months and this fall will offer a new Master of Arts in Leadership and Public Service. This past October, leadership and political expert Kristine LaLonde, previously chief innovation officer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, was named associate dean for innovation and community impact in the college. She will help launch the new School of Public Policy. In city government, LaLonde worked to support innovative people and practices in Nashville through the Office of Innovation, which was recognized by Living Cities, a coalition of the nation’s largest foundations and financial institutions, as one of three municipal programs leading the acceleration of innovation in city government. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said LaLonde has had a profound

32

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

impact on the city and will continue to do that in her new role at Lipscomb. “I’ve been incredibly impressed by (LaLonde’s) drive and determination to make a difference in our city,” said Barry. “I’m heartened to know that her new role at Lipscomb will allow her to remain focused on finding new and innovative ways to improve how our government functions and our overall quality of life.” “Innovation is key to a university and its larger community staying relevant and making a profound impact on those who are part of it,” said L. Randolph Lowry, Lipscomb University president. “With Dr. LaLonde’s expertise and vision, we have an opportunity to continue moving the university toward status as a national model for university-community partnership for the public good.” Participating in the evening’s college launch were Barry, former Tennessee first lady Andrea Conte, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and

Lipscomb alumnus Tom Ingram, founder of the Ingram Group and long-time political advisor, in addition to about 300 other community, government and business leaders.

When the right person is in power at the right time, when the public is mobilized behind these leaders, great things have been accomplished. Historic legacies have been left.


Leadership

“I’m so pleased tonight with the announcement of this college,” said Lowry. “I’m pleased to think about how we might train up generations of people in perhaps a little different way to work in the public sector. What can I possibly say 10 years after we gathered here to celebrate the start of our time together? It really would be, simply, how profoundly grateful we are that you have allowed us in the last 10 years to build a university that I believe serves effectively and that is part of this constellation in Nashville, the Athens of the South.” Mayor Barry was on hand to introduce Goodwin. “Congratulations for the reason we are here—to celebrate the opening of the new College of Leadership & Public Service,” said Barry. “I am always grateful for everything Lipscomb University does. You truly bring our Nashville community together. As somebody who serves, I can tell you that you are critical.” Barry quipped that as mayor she “gets to do a lot of things that are cool.” She noted that her husband, Bruce, accompanied her to the dinner, which he doesn’t often do. “He’s here for the same reason I’m here,” she admitted. “Because we get to hear from Doris Kearns Goodwin. It is an honor to be able to stand here tonight and to introduce her. She has given the world an understanding of some of America’s most famous and beloved presidents. In addition to her contribution to political history, she has also broken down a lot of political barriers.” Goodwin’s most recent work is The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and The Golden Age of Journalism. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, and is the author of The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, which was adapted into an awardwinning, five-part miniseries, and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, upon which the Steven Spielberg movie “Lincoln” was partially based.

Doris Kearns Goodwin

At the age of 24, Goodwin became a White House fellow, working directly with President Lyndon B. Johnson. Goodwin served as an assistant to Johnson in his last year in the White House and later assisted him in the preparation of his memoirs.

candidate’s life that are the subject of public discussion, the increasing importance of televised debates, the increasing use of negative television ads, the increasing importance of public opinion polling and the escalating role of money, she said.

At the event, she shared stories from her life including how her passion for baseball blossomed as she took detailed notes about Brooklyn Dodgers games to share with her father when he returned home from work when she was a child. That experience helped shape her love for telling stories. Goodwin also shared insight into the lives of past presidents and her experiences with the presidents for whom she worked.

“My experience of studying political leaders over time persuades me that however broken our modern political culture is, however difficult our political campaign structure has become, however negative our attitudes toward politicians in Washington, I still believe that politics is one of the most honorable vocations,” said Goodwin. “I’m so glad that Lipscomb will be offering courses and training in public service, civic leadership and public policy. For when the right person is in power at the right time, when the public is mobilized behind these leaders, great things have been accomplished. Historic legacies have been left.”

Goodwin’s main focus of the evening was a discussion of the 2016 presidential campaign. She shared her observations of the ways campaigns have changed through the years. Major changes include: the physical way campaigns are conducted, the establishment of presidential primaries, the aspects of a

For more information about Lipscomb’s College of Leadership & Public Service visit leadership.lipscomb.edu.

­lipscombnow.com

33


Alumni

New alumni affairs vice president position filled by alum with deep roots Before Phil Ellenburg was born, his Lipscomb roots were planted. Ellenburg’s mother grew up in Arab, Alabama, in extreme poverty. As a teenager, she heard of then-David Lipscomb College from others at her church. Attending Lipscomb was not an option for Ellenburg’s mother, so she began to pray that her future children one day could. Her dream came true when Ellenburg enrolled in Lipscomb as a freshman in the fall of 1981. “The roots that I have here are deep,” says Ellenburg. “My wife’s family has a similar story of their belief in Lipscomb and the sacrifices they made generations before she was born. All three of our children have had the opportunity to have a Lipscomb education. Lipscomb is our heritage.” Today, Ellenburg serves Lipscomb as vice president of alumni relations, a position created in January. He comes to Lipscomb having previously served as the university’s general counsel for nearly 20 years. In February 2013, Ellenburg was named president of Middle Tennessee Christian School, a preK12 school affiliated with the Churches of Christ located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he served until December 2015. “Alumni development and relationships are essential to a successful university,” said Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life. “Phil’s passion for Lipscomb is great, and his long history with the university will be an asset as we continually work to engage our alumni.” A 1986 graduate of Lipscomb in accounting, Ellenburg will lead a team of alumni professionals serving Lipscomb’s 35,000 living alumni around the world. Currently, alumni relations includes all alumni-related events and services, such as Graduates of the Last Decade, the Golden Circle and senior alumni programs, Lifelong Learning, Summer Hostel and the Associated Women for Lipscomb, among others. Ellenburg works out of the new “alumni house,” a two-story house at the corner of Granny White Pike and Caldwell Lane, across from campus, that now serves as the Office of 34

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Alumni Relations. This new house is a convenient place for alumni to stop by and get questions answered, catch up on the latest Lipscomb activities, work on alumni-related projects or simply visit with the alumni relations staff. “Lipscomb had a profound impact on who I am today,” Ellenburg said. “The lifelong friends I made on campus, the faculty who cared enough to challenge me, the mentors who patiently advised me—all helped shape me into a better version of myself. But, for every great Lipscomb story I have, our alumni have similar stories of their own. That’s why our alumni are at the center of everything we do here at Lipscomb from enrollment to stewardship to career development to building university pride and everything in between.” A native of Merritt Island, Florida, Ellenburg says his parents instilled in him a lifelong love of learning. Desiring the Christian education that was unavailable to him in secondary school, Ellenburg attended then-David Lipscomb College. While a student, he was active on campus, participating in Greek life, Bison Day, Singarama and intramurals. He was chosen Bachelor of Ugliness by his peers in 1985. In 1989, he earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law. Ellenburg practiced law in the Nashville firm of Watkins, McGugin, McNeilly & Rowan until he joined Lipscomb as associate university attorney in January 1994 and was soon promoted to general counsel. As general counsel, he worked closely with the board, administration, faculty and staff of Lipscomb University and Lipscomb Academy, advising them on a host of issues, as well as overseeing the university’s risk management and security programs. Ellenburg and his wife, the former Leigh Dugger (’86), have two daughters, Olivia (’15) and Lillie Grace, a current Lipscomb University senior, and a son, Barr, a high school junior at Middle Tennessee Christian School.

Lipscomb’s new “alumni house” is located across the street from the university on Granny White Pike.


Alumni

­lipscombnow.com

35


Alumni

The real joy of college The community that students are a part of during their highly formative college years makes a difference in their lives and has a continued impact on them after they leave our campus as alumni. At Lipscomb, we understand the importance of guiding and encouraging students in the integration of Christian values in their lives as they work to become who they are meant to be. Lipscomb had a profound impact on my life, as I know it had on the lives of the thousands of alumni who claim this institution as their alma mater. As I have returned to Lipscomb this spring to lead the alumni relations division, I wanted to remind you of the impact this institution continues to have every day in the lives of its students.

A few months ago, President L. Randolph Lowry received this letter from a student who transferred from Lipscomb to another university. His letter is strong testimony as to why we continue to emphasize

Christian love and nurturing as we work to prepare students academically, professionally and spiritually. We reproduce this letter with his permission and our thanks. And we will pray for this young man and hope he will successfully build on what he now appreciates about his brief time spent at Lipscomb, where he had mentors, friends and colleagues walking his journey with him. He is blessed to now understand that the real joy of college is not what you achieve, although that is gratifying; but the real treasure is what you become. I look forward to serving you, our alumni, as together we walk out the impact this institution had on our lives.

Phil Ellenburg Vice President for Alumni Relations LipscombAlumni

Dear Lipscomb,

school this fall, hoping that my had since transferring to another I’ve ions izat real e som ing a short letter express I felt compelled to write you eone who needs to hear it. class experience might speak to som ent body, so I quietly went to rs older than most of the stud yea few a I’m es. box ired that showed up for b just checking all the requ be “that weird dude” in class I spent my short year at Lipscom someone. I just didn’t want to by hed roac app ctly dire was with some sadness it ess so myself unl attending college there, ut abo nts plai and chapel keeping mostly to com no had I hable, and ething ne was very nice and approac new school, I’ve realized som college a few years late. Everyo very first week of classes at this my ing plet com n people Upo . of ons ause ool for family reas class and coughing bec that I transferred to another sch I don’t remember walking to e. plac cial spe very fessors a is er ity srooms. I don’t rememb pro nces: Lipscomb Univers by way of contrasting experie Ma xim on the walls of my clas and y ybo Pla for ads t ses oun g to and from clas with don’t remember student disc I don’t remember people walkin ion. smoking at ever y entrance. I ruct inst of k bloc re enti e after PowerPoint slide for the blandly reading PowerPoint slid no one, never smiling. their heads down, talk ing to ever y sunny ent center and in the square on g out and laughing in the stud gin han ere, ywh izing that ever s real face y remember friendl pel twice a week and Here’s what I do remember. I y class. I remember going to cha ever ost alm re befo us only for not er a professor who professors who would pray I’d rather be doing. I rememb day. I remember a few of my that e wer e ther gs thin t eren for each of her students after e, no matter how many diff had words of encouragement that I felt recharged ever y single tim er pap of es piec e littl t g, but even took the time to prin enjoyed what she was teachin you for granted! tered in tests. Lipscomb, I’m sorr y I took into relationships that really mat GPA and more time pouring fect per a ut abo g ld have ryin wou I h wor e wis have spent less tim ed for them, too. I Looking back, I wish I would really cared about me, and pray and me for ed pray ld, just who cou I ors n e thanked my profess d ever y school functio the long run. I wish I would hav up. I wish I would have attende w sho to d Go for ting wai and Thursday, expectantly gone to chapel ever y Tuesday somebody new. feel welcome and maybe met have on so I could’ve made someone else ht not know the impact that you y moment meaningful; you mig ever ke Ma . did I to this g like nin ted liste gran and Lipscomb for be praying for you... Do me a favor, and don’t take ly matter. Kingdom things. I’ll real that gs thin the er emb Lipscomb—rem someone. Keep your heads up . PowerPoint presentation Thanks for reading,

36

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Casey Chelf


Class Notes

Falling in love at Lipscomb Couple celebrates 70 years since oncampus wedding

1955 Gloria (Brannam) Elliott and James M. Elliott celebrated 60 years of marriage on Dec. 27, 2015. They live in Memphis.

1977 Margaret (Button) Wilson, former

associate dean for student affairs and clinical professor at East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine, was recently appointed vice dean. Wilson lives in Greenville, N.C.

• Cliett Goodpasture preached his

last sermon on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, at the Sycamore Chapel Church of Christ, Ashland City, Tenn. Cliett and wife, Sara (Traughber ’68), have a farm in Cheatham County, Tenn.

1978 Karen (Cowles) and Dale (’79)

Byrum are foreign missionaries. They travel five to six months each year to Kenya, the Philippines, Guam and New Zealand planting churches and working with existing churches. They live in Franklin, Ky.

1967 Ann (Simpkins) Goad has been

Ruth (Wiseman) and Eugene Lamb (’42) grew up as childhood acquaintances but were later reunited as Lipscomb college students on the steps of the university’s Sewell Hall in 1942. What they didn’t know at the time was that four years later they would marry in that very same building. They celebrated the 70th anniversary of their wedding—held in the Sewell Hall lobby— this past Valentine’s Day. Eugene was no stranger to Lipscomb as he grew up across the street on Granny White Pike and attended Lipscomb’s high school for four years. After his college studies at Lipscomb, Eugene answered the call to war and entered the Army Air Corps in January 1943. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands, and for three years Ruth and Eugene grew their relationship long-distance by sending letters. In August 1945, Eugene sent Ruth a marriage proposal by way of a cablegram, and she responded by telegram with a single word: “YES.” Long-term wedding plans began, however, when Eugene returned to Nashville from his tour of duty with only five days before leaving for his next assigned base, he suggested they get married right away.

promoted to patient educator at the Mid-South Chapter Lupus Foundation of America. She lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

1979 Debbie (Gaimari) Crowder has

been appointed co-chairman of the Operation Hope Southeastern board of directors. She is head of branch banking for SunTrust Bank. She lives in Atlanta, Ga.

1968 Gail (Henry) Ackerman is a first grade teacher at the Oak Hill School in Nashville, where she resides.

“We only had a few days to plan the wedding, so I got in touch with the dorm matron to help make arrangements to get married in Sewell Hall,” Ruth explained.

1974 Donna (Bracey) Stacey is an

The couple was married on Feb. 14, 1946, and were joined by other Lipscomb alumni and faculty including Charles R. Brewer (’18), who performed the ceremony, and Bob Neil (’29), who sang at the wedding.

1976 Richard Baxter is the owner of

“We had about 50 people come to the wedding, and it worked out better than we could have hoped,” said Ruth. After finishing his military duty, Eugene decided to continue his education in chemical engineering at Vanderbilt University where he graduated as valedictorian of his class. He accepted a job at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and continued to work there for 37 years before retiring as the manager of the radioisotopes department. Ruth and Eugene raised two children, Jeanne and John David. Jeanne (Lamb) Unger, also attended Lipscomb for a year and a half (1970-1972) before transferring to the University of Tennessee.

admissions assistant in the advancement office at the Oak Hill School in Nashville, where she resides.

1975 Keith Ray was named the 2015

USATF – Kentucky Masters Track and Field Athlete of the Year. He lives in Louisville, Ky.

Baxter Grant Writing Consultants. Baxter lives in Waverly, Tenn.

• Alan B. Clements is coaching

• Philip Irwin has been named chief

appointed acting chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. He lives in Hendersonville, Tenn.

1983 Philip Irwin has been named chief

manager of Neal & Harwell PLC. He lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

1984 Sharalyn (Roberts) Heinly is a

finalist for Teacher of the Year 2016 in the Hartford County (Maryland) Public School System. She lives in Pylesville, Md.

In Memoriam 1931 Jimmie (Harvey) Vaughan died Sept.

5, Nashville. She is survived by her children, John Leland Dugger (’60), Bradley Dugger (’63) and William Dugger (’72).

1939 Annette (Robertson) Johnson

died Sept. 24, 2015, Nashville. She is survived by daughters, Leriel (Robertson ’75) Davis and Sara (Robertson) Farnsworth.

• Larry Shatzer has joined

Washington, D.C. law firm, Strain PLLC, which focuses on strategic intellectual property litigation and

Kenneth D. Holland, Luanne Holland and John A. Holland; and siblings, Bob Holland and Peggy (Holland ’61) Gross.

14, 2015, Lebanon, Tenn. She is survived by her son, John R. Vaughan (’59).

1933 Nan (Bridgewater) Dugger died Jan.

Associates as director of state and local tax. He lives in Spring Hill, Tenn.

1980 David Gregory was recently

girls’ volleyball for Saint Mary High School in New Jersey. He lives in Fair Lawn, N.J.

manager of Neal & Harwell PLC. He lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Mark Loftis has joined Crosslin &

1944 Jean (Deal) Hanlin died Jan. 14,

Signal Mountain, Ga. She is survived by sons, Chris and Tim Hanlin.

• Veria M. (Foy) Poling died Aug. 28,

• Westelle (St. Clair) Wiseman died

1940 Wilda (Tidwell) Newman died Sept. 15, 2015, Madison. Tenn.

2015, Manassas, Va. She is survived by daughters, Joyce Fletcher and Linda Moyers. Dec. 27, 2015, Murfreesboro, Tenn. She is survived by her daughter, Patricia Munro.

1941 Edwin C. White died Oct. 13, 2015,

1949 Elizabeth (Owens) Mathews died

1942 Nancy (Porch) Shields died Oct.

1950 Haldon L. Arnold died Aug. 12, 2015,

Pleasant Hill, Tenn.

10, 2015, Nashville. She is survived by daughters, (Bonnie Shields ’68) Barker, Rachel (Shields ’71) Austin and Jennie Shields (’79) Slowey.

1943 Harold E. Holland died May 5,

2015, Tulsa, Okla. He is survived by children, Robert E. Holland,

March 3, 2015, Carrollton, Ga.

Springfield, Va. Survivors include his son, Philip, and daughter, Rose Lane Booth.

• Paul William “Bill” Hosse died Oct.

1, 2015, Nashville. He is survived by his wife, Doris (Harmon ’54) Hosse; children, Paul Daniel Hosse,

­lipscombnow.com

37


Class Notes

counseling. Prior to this, he spent 19 months traveling around the United States and Europe. He lives in Bristow, Va.

1985 Mark Joseph is a business systems

consultant with LBMC Technology Solutions in Brentwood, Tenn. He lives in Franklin, Tenn.

treasurer, was named 2015 Citizen of the Year by the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Oklahoma City.

1990 Douglas Allen was recently inducted

into the Allen-Rogowicz Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He coaches junior high school girls’ basketball at Blue Mountain and lives in Orwigsburg, Pa.

1986 Mike Hudson is chief financial officer at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He lives in Warren, R.I.

1987 Maria (Stinson) Holland, a realtor

with Re/Max Elite, has been recognized by the American Institute of Real Estate Professionals as being among the 10 Best Real Estate Professionals for Client Satisfaction in 2015. She lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Lynne (Mangrum) McAlister is event coordinator at Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, Tenn.

• Jeff Smiley is a principal at North

Highland in Brentwood, Tenn., and he lives in Nashville.

• Anna Jaap has been elected to a

• Paul Beavers is dean of instruction for Nashville’s Hillsboro Comprehensive High School, working with teachers to develop best practices. He is in his 24th year in the Metro Nashville Public School system.

• Kristin Mailen is director of audit and

• Glenn McGehee, principal

1988 Meleia (Dyer) Bell was named

Woman of Wilson by the Wilson Post newspaper in November 2015. She is an interior designer and lives in Lebanon, Tenn.

promoted to partner with J. P. Kane & Co. LLC. She has been with the firm since December 2003, and lives in Noblesville, Ind.

1989 Kenneth A. Miller, Oklahoma state

• John “Jay” White is director for IT

business solutions at defenders in Indianapolis. He lives in Fisher, Ind.

• Linda (Keen) Radaker was recently

three-year term on the Watkins College of Art, Design and Film board. She lives in Nashville.

The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences dedicated a tree on campus to Jared Eubanks, a nursing major from Hendersonville, Tennessee, who passed away in September.

1992 James Tony Wilkins is the director

1995 Cheryl Smith is the head coach for

1993

1996 Mitchell Edgeworth was recently

of golf instruction at Lake Spanaway Golf Club in Renton, Wash. He lives in Renton.

investigations–Asia Pacific and Japan for IBM. She lives in Danbury, Conn. and president with SouthStar Development, has been named to the board of the TMA Group, which works with transportation solutions for Middle Tennessee. He lives in Franklin, Tenn.

John Landregan McCarley, born Nov. 15, 2015, to Laura (Klapheke ’04, M.Ed. ’06) and John Patrick “J. P.” McCarley. They live in Nashville.

1994 Mark Campbell, head coach for the

Union University women’s basketball team for the past 17 seasons, became the winningest coach (511-70) in Union history with the first win of the season. He lives in Humboldt, Tenn.

• Kevin J. Youngblood combines teaching Bible classes at Harding University during the day and kung fu in the evenings through Impact 360 in Searcy, where he resides.

the Riverside Christian Academy girls’ basketball team. She lives in Fayetteville, Tenn.

appointed CEO of Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics. He lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Carol (Huffman) Skinner is a business office assistant at the Oak Hill School. She lives in Nashville.

1998 Emily (Pleasant) High has joined

Lipscomb Academy as assistant to the athletic director. Husband Brent (’96, MA ’12) is with Life Transformation

In Memoriam

Rebekah (Hosse ’81) Clark, and Rachel Goehring.

1951 Ralph Foster died Dec. 16, 2015,

Tuscumbia, Ala. He is survived by his wife, Lisabeth (Morris ’53); children, Douglas A. Foster (’74), Denise (Foster ’77) Willingham, Dale Sherrod Foster (’80) and Diann (Foster ’88) Durdunji.

Franklin, Tenn. She is survived by son, Randall.

• Ann (Moss) Marsh died Jan. 12,

Nashville. She is survived by her husband Lee Marsh Jr. (’50); daughters, Gwendolyn (Marsh ’79) Doak and Cynthia (Marsh ’79) Bickel.

2016, Hendersonville, Tenn. She is survived by her children, Jim Sowell,

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

Nashville. He is survived by his wife, Lola D. Newman, and children, James Newman Jr., Daniel Newman, Thomas Newman and Patsy Jenkins. 2015, Nashville. She is survived by children, Vickie Young, James Poole, Martin Poole and Carla Poole.

1955 C. Myron Keith died Nov. 13, 2015,

1957 Nila (Garmon) Sherrill died Jan. 7,

Madison, Tenn. She is survived by husband, Jerry, and son, Lin Sherrill (’92).

1956 Janis (McDowell) Foster died May

8, 2015, Franklin, Tenn. Her spouse of 60 years, retired Lt. Col. Robert Lee Foster (’59) died Sept. 29, 2015, Franklin, Tenn. They are survived by daughter, Margaret “Sissy” Serfass.

• Glen Mayfield died Dec. 2, 2015,

Columbia, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Sammie Grimes, and children, Jana Robson, Brian

Goodlettsville, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Donna Stephens, and daughters, Lisa (Stephens ’78) Moore, Leslie Crump and Linde Waller.

1960 Justine (Malone) Clegg died Dec. 8, 2015, Nashville. She is survived by daughter, Dana Clegg, and son, Chris Clegg.

• Thomas Peary King died Jan. 12,

• Will T. Vance (’61) died Nov. 3, 2015,

Murfreesboro, Tenn. He is survived by wife, Bernice, and three children, Sharon Harris, Mark King and Sandra Burlington. Nashville. He is survived by his wife, Carol (Derrick ’66) Vance, and son, William Benson Vance (’91).

1962 Dan Madison Denny died Sept. 21,

2015, Jackson, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons, Sean Denny and Chad Denny; and three daughters, Eva Shelton, Faye Commodario and Laura McCarley.

• Robert W. Gwynne Jr. died Oct. 7,

2015, Smyrna, Tenn. Survivors include his wife, Jannette; daughters, Gwen Baker, Geri Carter and Gina Gwynne (’84); and son, Robert W. Gwynne III.

July 28, 2015, Louisville, Ky. She is survived by daughters, Carol Turner, Julie Bowie and Karen Gunn. 2015, Smyrna, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Janis (Bays ’63), and son, Greg.

• Barbara (Walker) Underwood died

Nov. 28, 2015, Brentwood, Tenn. She is survived by her husband, Robert Underwood, and children; Kevin Stinson (’87), Maria (Stinson ’87) Holland and Amy Swinea.

• Phyllis (Murray) Trevathan died

1961 Frank T. Callaway Jr. died Oct. 6,

1958 Jack H. Stephens died Jan. 6,

Franklin, Tenn. Survivors include his wife, Lois (McGill ’53) Keith, and daughter Karen (Keith ’78) Baxter.

• Billy Hugh Smith died June 10, 2015, Nashville. He is survived by his wife, Charlie Smith, and children, Billy H. Smith Jr., Danny Smith and Steven Smith.

• James P. Newman died Sept. 6, 2015,

Mayfield and Jill Mayfield.

1953 Mattie (Lewis) Poole died Oct. 26,

• Milbrey (Green) Mahan died Jan. 7,

1952 Anne (Cato) Sowell died Jan.

38

Drew Sowell, Alan Sowell and Evelyn Bonds.

• Darlene (Adams) Krueger died Dec. 23, 2015, Acworth, Ga.


Class Notes

360 as COO. They live in Nashville.

1999 John Matthew Kroplin has been

promoted to partner with Burr & Forman LLP. He is a member of the firm’s commercial litigation and health care practice groups. He lives in Nashville.

2000 Caroline Grace Harper, born Dec.

14, 2015, to Leslie (Woods) and Keith Harper. Her big sister is Molly. They live in Smyrna, Tenn.

• James C. Perry Jr. died Jan. 10,

2015, to Jodie (McCauley) and Eric Gambill. They live in Mount Juliet, Tenn.

• Patricia (Hagan) Craig died Jan. 19,

Franklin, Tenn. She is survived by her husband, John Craig Jr. (’64); and sons, John (’90) and Philip (’92).

• Linda (Taylor) Menefee died Nov. 18, 2015, Dickson, Tenn. Her son, Paul Menefee and daughter, Jana (Menefee) Curcio survive her.

• Joyce (Cornette) Palmer died

• Tristan Wood, born Sept. 27, 2015, to

• Jessica A. (Webb) Ayer is the new compliance officer for Crichton Group, a Middle Tennessee independent insurance agency. She lives in Nashville.

Nov. 8, 2015, Denton, Texas. She is survived by son, David Palmer; daughter, Rachel Shelton; and twin sister, Joan Stone.

Lebanon, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Beverly Perry, and daughter, Melissa Steinhart.

2015, Nashville. Survivors include his sisters Darlene Douglas, Melody Eschtruth and Trudy Cairns.

• Elin Grace Simmons, born Oct. 15,

2004

Rebecca (Gantt ’05, MBA ’14) and Stephen Wood. They live in Franklin, Tenn.

Asa James Cantrell, born Feb. 6 to Whitney (Hudson) and Michael Cantrell. He joins siblings, Cole and Bray. They live in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Elea Elisabeth Guajardo, born Nov.

• Reagan Marie Hale, born Nov. 29,

4, 2015, to Elisabeth (Hammond) and Victor Guajardo. She joins her big brother Nathan. They live in Farmers Branch, Texas.

2015, to Sarah and Adam Simmons (MBA ’04). They live in Brentwood, Tenn.

“During his more than 40 years on the Lipscomb board, this man of humble and quiet spirit was on the front line of seeing this institution grow into the university of nearly 5,000 college students that it is today,” said Lowry. “He faithfully served on the board, providing

with APL Logistics. He lives in Gilbert, Ariz.

1963 Gary Nyle Benmark died Dec. 29,

10, 2015, to Jessica (Church ’05) and David C. Rosenblum. Older siblings are Sam and Lilly. They live in Nashville.

Crisman served on Lipscomb’s board from November 1969 until he stepped down in 2013, having served for 44 years. His tenure was second only to A.M. Burton’s 46 years of service on the board. Crisman served under eight board chairmen and five university presidents: Athens Clay Pullias, Willard Collins, Harold Hazelip, Steve Flatt and current president L. Randolph Lowry.

2015, to Melissa “Missy” (Rachel ’07) and William Taylor Brownlee. She joins big brother Bennett. They live in Nashville.

• Daisy Ruth Rosenblum, born Dec.

University Board of Trustees and friend of the university Bryan Crisman passed away April 10, at the age of 97, in Memphis.

• Kate Cassetty Brownlee, born Oct. 3,

• Ben Hall is a transportation specialist

2015, to Blewett and Seth Martin McInteer. Big sister is Elizabeth Grace. They live in Nashville.

2015, to Caroline (Vester ’07) and Matthew Hale. They live in Nashville.

longtime member of the lipscomb

Hazel Bingman, born May 18, 2015, to Anne and Austin Bingman. They live in Powell, Ohio.

to a shareholder at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel PC. He lives in Ooltewah, Tenn.

Lipscomb loses long-time board member Crisman

Miles Richard Ware, born Nov. 4, 2015, to Leslie (Poole ’03) and Sidney Jackson Ware III. He joins big brother Sidney. They live in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Madeline Jane Gambill, born Dec. 8,

Holt Samuel Akin, born Feb. 17, to Brooke (Standefer ’03, ’06 M.Ed.) and Johnathan Akin (MBA ’07). She joins big brother Hudson and sister,Emerson. They live in Nashville.

• Adah Beth McInteer, born Dec. 14,

2015, to Emily (Lile) and Scott Duvall. They live in Bowling Green, Ky.

2003

• Oliver Scott Duvall, born Oct. 20,

2002

• Jeffrey Maddux has been promoted

• Wells Ray Roberts, born June 6, 2014, to Sarah (Hilliard ’08) and Alan Roberts. They live in Brentwood, Tenn.

2001

• Robert E. Teasley Jr. died June 5,

2015, Tulsa, Okla. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Teasley, and daughters, Cheryl Wilkerson, Christina Lugo, Amanda Seiboldt and Molly Meyer.

1967 Lewis B. McMillan died Sept.

27, 2014, Franklin, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Susan (Brewer) McMillan, and children, Mark McMillan and Melinda George.

1968 Rooney Noel Wilson died Aug. 3,

2015, Lexington, Ga. He is survived by his wife, Ruth (Sellers) Wilson,

Marie and Bryan Crisman

much wisdom and leadership to the university during that time. I am grateful for his devotion to Lipscomb, to Christian education and to his faith.” The Crisman family has supported Lipscomb for generations. Crisman’s father, B.A., pledged the lead gift in 1946 to help build a new library as part of the “Lipscomb Expansion Program.” Crisman is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Marie, and was preceded in death by son, Al, and daughter, D’Etta.

and children, Andrea Ash, Alana Jarrett, Erick Wilson (’98), Evan Wilson, and Adam Wilson.

1969 Linda (Puckett) Kelso died Sept.

6, 2015. Her husband of 42 years, Douglass R. Kelso (’68), died Dec. 5, 2015, Nashville. They are survived by sons, Warren Kelso and Steven Kelso.

• David Patrick Orr died Dec. 31, 2015, Lewisburg, Tenn.

1970 Geraldine Carey died Oct. 22, 2015, Nashville.

1971 Diane Elizabeth Bohannon died Jan. 20, Knoxville, Tenn. She is survived by her sister, Patricia Fuller, and two nephews, Adam Fuller and Nathan Fuller.

1972 Mary (Tidwell) Fowlkes died Jan. 13,

Dickson, Tenn. Survivors include her sons, James (’67) and Roy.

• Joan (Blevins) Shetler died Sept. 2,

• Harold “Lee” Simons died Oct. 18,

2015, Goshen, Ind. She is survived by her husband, Ellis D. Shetler and sons, Steven C. Love and Chris Shetler.

2015, Smyrna, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Penelope Simons, and daughter, MarieLynn (Simons ’99) Moore.

1973 Carol (Glenn ’73) Barrett died Dec.

19, 2015, McMinnville, Tenn. She is survived by her husband, Dwight; daughters, Lindsey Bouldin and Courtney Crook; and stepson, Jason Barrett.

­lipscombnow.com

39


Class Notes

service specializing in personal chef service, dinner parties and events in the Knoxville, Tenn., area. He lives in Maryville, Tenn.

The College of Business hosted an alumni reception in the Swang Business Center after President George W. Bush spoke at Imagine

• Keegan Reed Hillis, born Oct. 11, 2015, to Keri (Cunningham ’05) and John Hillis. Big sister is Khloe. John is project manager with Don Kennedy Roofing. They live in Spring Hill, Tenn.

2005

• Vanessa (Fabiola) Lazon has

been named to the Office of New Americans by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. She will direct community inclusion in the Office of Neighborhoods and Community Engagement. She lives in Nashville.

• Melissa (Hunter) Smith is a member

of Stites & Harbison PLLC in Nashville. Her practice is primarily focused on patent litigation within the intellectual property and technology service group. Her practice also includes trademark and copyright litigation and prosecution matters. She lives in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Miles Lawson Holmes, born Oct. 12,

• Scott Mason (’08 MALT) teaches

• Liam “Beckett” Mitchell was born Oct. 1, 2015, to Megan and William Ryan Mitchell. They live in Mobile, Ala.

2015, to Kate and Benjamin Holmes. He has two big brothers, Turner and Benton. They live in Nashville. sixth grade science at Oak Hill School. He lives in Nashville.

2007 Alcy “A. J.” Baggott IV has been

named the chief financial officer for RJ Young, Nashville. A.J. lives in Hendersonville, Tenn.

James Ryan Kohl, born Feb. 1 to Virginia Ruth (Baldwin) and Ryan Kohl. His big brother is Max Edwin Kohl. Virginia is a physical therapist assistant for Performance Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Lafayette Ga. They live in Chattanooga, Tenn.

• Luke Barrett Dalton, born Nov. 12,

• Jackson Pierce Fleshman, born Feb. 3 to Kira (Grasham MBA ’13) and Andrew Fleshman. Big sister is Alana, and they live in Brentwood, Tenn.

• Shawn W. Cannon and Lauren Peck were married Sept. 25, 2015. Lauren recently joined Metropolitan Bank. They live in Brentwood, Tenn.

• James Benjamin Williams, born

Oct. 21, 2015, to Elizabeth (Kittrell) and Douglas K. Williams (MTS ’08, Ed.D. ’15). His big sister is Caroline. They live in Nashville.

2006

2015, to Lindsey (Townsend) and Neil Dalton. They live in Spring Hill, Tenn.

• Kevin Green owns and operates

Chef Kevin, a multi-faceted culinary

• Everett Mason Stevens, born Feb. 17,

• Austin Thomas has been named

2015, to Rachel (Jones ’10, M.Ed. ’14) and Paul C. Stevens. They live in Nashville. 2015 Player Personnel Director of the year. He has been a member of the Louisiana State University football staff since 2013. Austin lives in Baton Rouge, La.

2009

• Patrick Murphy and Megan Hamar

• Garrett Michael McClurg, born

• Kane Shepard Mitchell, born Oct.

• Joe Varnau and Nuria E. Rosa were

• Harrison David Walker, born

were married Aug. 22, 2015. They live in Lake City, Fla.

April 8, 2015. to Allison (Fonfara) and Brandon Michael McClurg (’10). He joins big sister Macklynn Joy. They live in Fate, Texas. 1, 2015 to Madalyn (Chaffin ’12) and Matthew Mitchell. They live in Nashville.

married Aug. 3, 2015. She graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and is currently in her last year of internal medicine residency. They live in Fishers, Ind.

Katie (Ryavec) and Matt Olson. They live in Nashville.

Ariel Shae Fink, born July 29, 2015, to Julie (Hodge) and Adam Fink. They live in North Canton, Ohio.

• Bradley A. Gill and Christine

(Smith) were married July 11, 2015. Christine is senior marketing coordinator for Financial Managers Society. The couple lives in Chicago, Ill.

Marianna Avis Ford, born Oct. 14, 2015, to Martha (M.Ed. ’12) Johnson and Stewart Ford. They live in Spring Hill, Tenn.

• Olivia Kate Olson, born July 1, 2015, to

2008

Alora S. Angus, born Dec. 7, 2015, to Melody and James Angus Jr. (’10 M.Div.). They live in Nashville.

2010

Oct. 16, 2015, to Leah and Jeremy Walker. They live in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Brooks Lincoln Bearce, born Nov. 28, 2015, to Laura (O’Donnell) and Jason Bearce. They live in Indianapolis, Ind.

In Memoriam

children, David (’98, MA ’05), Mark, Matthew and Emma Grace.

• Cynthia “Cissy” (Hill) Gooch died Oct.

13, 2015, Troy, Tenn. Survivors include her husband Allen Christopher “Chris” Gooch (’73); children, Rebecca Gooch, Katherine (Gooch ’11 MED) Flatt and Daniel Gooch.

• Andrew “Andy” Jones III, died Nov.

1, 2015, Nashville. He is survived by daughter, Ellen Abbott, and mother, Margaret Jones.

1978 Ashlee (Greer) Brown died Oct.

30, 2015, Nashville. She is survived by husband, Homer, and children, Laura Hill, Amy Brown and Ed Brown.

• Eva (Hillmon) Redmon died Oct. 22, 2015, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

1975 Michael L. Miller died Jan. 31,

Columbus, Ohio. He is survived by wife, Mary (McVey ’76). Other survivors include daughters, Kathleen Aspiranti and Kristie Finley.

40

• Bruce T. Wagner died Jan. 9, 2016,

North Bethesda, Md. He is survived by his wife, Lisa Wagner, and

lipscomb now | Spring 2016

is survived by his wife, Marcia (Stutzman ’79) Roberts; son, Andrew Roberts; and daughters, Jaclyn Dana and Lauren Taylor.

• Martha (Temple) Todd died Oct.

24, 2015, Pensacola, Fla. She is survived by husband, Glenn Todd (’71); daughters, Mandy (Todd ’02) King, Kiera Keen and Brittany Parker; and her mother, Roberta (Bell ’52) Temple.

1980 Peggy (Crittenden) Grant died

Aug. 27, 2015, Chattanooga, Tenn. She is survived by her husband, Terry L. Grant.

• Steven D. Roberts died Jan. 4, 2014, Tampa Bay, Fla. He

• Shelia (Medders) Sims died Nov.

1, 2015, Mesquite, Texas. She is survived by her husband, Charles Sims, and children, Samantha Sims and Cameron Sims.

1989 Anthony “Tony” Clanton died

Nov. 3, 2015, Cumming, Ga. He is survived by his wife, Michele, and children, Mackenzie and Micaden Clanton; and parents, James and Linda Clanton.

1990 Joe M. Brandon Jr. died Dec. 10, 2015, Murfreesboro, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Laurie; children, Ashlee and Zachery; stepchildren, Cy, Eli and Wyatt Young; parents, Joe and Carolyn

Brandon; and sister Melanie Maxwell.

1992 Nancy L. Davidson died June

15, 2015, Murfreesboro, Tenn. Survivors include her parents, Don and Grace Davidson.

2005 Jennifer Kingsley Rowan died

Nov. 11, 2015, Nashville. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Ben H. Rowan II. Other survivors include her children, Cathy East, Trisha MacIntyre, Ben Rowan III and Debbie Rowan (’91).

2013 Casey Ryan Campana died Sept.

7, 2015, Nashville. He is survived by his mother, Vonda Higgins; father, Dennis Campana; and stepsister, Whitney Danse.


Class Notes

coverage, and medical malpractice. She lives in Nashville.

• Lucy Belle Howell, born Feb. 15 to

Emily (Davidson ’12 MAT) and Seth Howell (MBA). They live in Franklin, Tenn.

• Elizabeth Hooper teaches fifth grade

• Brittney Kay Jerkins (’14 MBA)

• Judah Andrew Keller, born Oct. 13,

• Callie Shanks (’13 MHR) is a recruiter

2011 Rex Brothers has been added as a

left-handed reliever to the Chicago Cubs roster. He lives in Franklin, Tenn.

• Ellen (Staggs) Joiner is founder,

• Stephen Moss is the resident lighting

owner and instructor at Beatboxfit in Brentwood, Tenn. designer for Studio Tenn Theatre Company in Nashville and a freelance lighting designer and concert lighting technician. He is winner of the USITT’s 2016 Rising Star Award.

• Jacob Street is an engineer with

FedEx Express. He lives in Lakeland, Tenn.

2012 Beth (Rouse) Cavanaugh works

for the Tennessee State Library and Archives as an archival assistant. She lives in Franklin, Tenn.

• Rachel (Carden) Hogan is an

associate with Ortale, Kelley, Herbert & Crawford, where she focuses on civil litigation, insurance defense and

in the Rutherford County School System. She lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

is an administrative assistant for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands with its Volunteer Lawyers Program. She lives in Nashville.

2015, to Drs. Kelly (Radford PharmD) and Andrew Keller (’13 PharmD). They live in Nolensville, Tenn.

The College of Entertainment & the Arts celebrated the Imagine event with a reception in the new contemporary music house.

for Aerotek in Brentwood, Tenn.

2013 Thomas Cantrell and Alexandrea

2014 Austin Beavers and Mary Beth

• Jeff Snyder and Anne Clarke (Pirkle)

• Bryce Hunter Davidson and

• Ashley (Riggs) Yates is the owner

• Charles Dechira has joined Carlex

(Shumate ’14) were married Nov. 15, 2014, and live in Nashville.

Kathryn Blair (Callis ’11) were married June 27, 2015. They live in Chattanooga, Tenn.

(Adams) were married Oct. 3, 2015. They live in Nashville.

• Amy Annelise Kitching sang “God

Bless America” for the opening ceremony of the Veteran’s Day Parade in New York City. She resides in New York City.

Glass of Nashville as a corporate recruiter. He lives in Smyrna, Tenn.

Make a lasting impact with the resources God has given you. To learn about incredible opportunities for perpetuating your influence through students with thoughtful planned giving, contact Paul Stovall, director of the Center for Estate and Gift Planning, at 615.966.5251 or paul.stovall@lipscomb.edu.

giftplanning.lipscomb.edu

were married Oct. 10, 2015. They live in Nashville.

of Joelle’s Bakery & Café. She lives in Hopkinsville, Ky.


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.lipscombnow.com

Registration is now open for Summer Celebration

Join us for a look at David’s wild ride on life’s roller coaster, and discover for yourself a greater heart for God.

June 29 - July 1, 2016

summercelebration.lipscomb.edu


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.