Lipscomb Now Winter 2023

FROM PAST TO PRESENT:

Student Hangouts

Above: The decor and the menu has changed over the years, but the retail spaces across Granny White Pike from the Lipscomb campus still remain a go-to spot for today’s students to hang out, just as it has been for decades. These days the row of shops is dominated by The Well Coffeehouse, a social enterprise that sells coffee to fund the construction of wells around the globe. The coffeehouse boasts a stage to host student ensembles and performers throughout the year.

Right: In the 1940s, Hutcherson’s Pharmacy, a burger joint, was the popular spot for students to meet and greet outside of class.

Post your favorite story about your favorite college hangout on the Lipscomb Alumni Association Facebook page and @LipscombAlumni on Twitter.

On The Cover: The animation wonder twins

This custom drawn, one-of-a-kind cover features Disney animation alums and twin brothers Tom and Tony Bancroft who are bringing twice the power to Lipscomb’s animation program. With Tony as program director and Tom as artist-in-residence, Lipscomb became the only school in the world to have three former Disney supervising animators and a former Disney director teaching classes. Page 16

Editor Kim Chaudoin

Senior Managing Editor

Janel Shoun-Smith

Writers

Kim Chaudoin

Janel Shoun-Smith

Keely Hagan

Photography

Kristi Jones

Sean Worth

Lipscomb Athletics

Design

Zach Bowen

Taryn Foster

Will Mason

Produced by the Office of Public Relations & Communications.

LipscombNow is published by Lipscomb University®. Go to lipscomb.edu/now to read more.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to LipscombNow, Alumni Relations Lipscomb University

One University Park Drive Nashville, Tennessee 37204-3951

©2023 Lipscomb University. All Rights Reserved.

12

Impact 360: A Strategic Vision for a Brighter Future

In August, the campus heralded the rollout of a new strategic vision and plan to lead the university into the future.

20

Bringing LIFE to unreachable places

The Lipscomb Initiative For Education (LIFE) Program marks 15 years of impact by awarding 13 master’s degrees.

24 Students are our why

Doctoral graduates bring strategic leadership to education’s top posts in the region.

30 Keeping her eye on the horizon

Features We Are Lipscomb

Alumna Traci Holton oversees expansion of the Nashville airport, matching the pace of the rapidly growing metropolis.

2022 FULBRIGHT AWARD STUDENTS

Danny Kotula (’22), public relations and Spanish major, will carry out a research assistantship using his public relations background to encourage the development of microbusinesses among the indigenous populations of Peru and Bolivia

STUDENTS ARE TELLING TALES IN THE ‘IT CITY’

It’s been 10 years since the New York Times declared Nashville an “it” city, but the city still has plenty of stories left to tell, and Lipscomb has many students excited to use their creative and professional talents to tell those stories in compelling ways.

What began as a thesis film project for Tiffani Alexander (MFA ’22) during her master’s studies has now been applauded at two film festivals and will soon be released to the public as episode one of a series. The Tale of 2 Music Cities is a documentary about Nashville’s music history, with a focus on the role of Black music and Black musicians.

Also this past summer, a studentproduced documentary, The Grand Ole Guitar, about the Nashville Sounds’ iconic guitar-shaped scoreboard was presented at the 33rd Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. About a dozen students produced the film under the guidance of veteran Nashville news anchor Demetria Kalodimos, now a professional-in-residence in the School of Communication.

In the seven-episode true-crime podcast Mysteries of Music City, Lipscomb communication students presented little-

Schyler Jones (’22), Spanish, international affairs and history major, is teaching English to adults in Colombia and working with Alianza IMP (Alliance of Colombian Women for Peace), which works with women who have been abused and experienced gender violence. Her work promotes gender equality in Colombia, to bring women to the negotiation table and to promote inclusion in all arenas.

known and quirky crimes from Nashville’s history. Students researched, scripted and recorded each episode.

Watch or listen to these Lipscomb students’ creative take on Nashville at lipscomb.edu/creativework.

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

– Danny Kotula (’22) Spanish and Public Relations Major

Innovative partnership with Nashville removes barriers to teaching and fills local shortage

Lipscomb University and Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) launched LIFT Off to Lipscomb in April to create a pipeline of teacher candidates to return to the district to teach. The program will prepare MNPS students who aspire to be teachers to enter the profession.

Director of Schools Adrienne

Battle and President Candice McQueen announced the Leading and Innovating for Future Teachers (LIFT) program at a press conference that was also attended by Nashville Mayor John Cooper.

The program will provide full tuition and fees for a cohort of 10 MNPS students every year to enter Lipscomb’s teacher preparation program beginning in fall 2023, meaning a total of 40 students will receive full tuition through the program during any given school year once the program is fully populated.

The mission of LIFT Off to Lipscomb is to recruit and retain teachers in the areas most needed by MNPS recruitment, scholarships, early teaching contracts, personalized degree programs, experience with high-quality faculty, content and field experiences.

teachers funneled into Middle Tennessee classrooms by Lipscomb’s four existing pipeline programs over the past 5 years.

Missions celebrates 20 years of spreading God’s love

2022 was a hallmark year for Lipscomb Missions, which not only celebrated the re-launch of global mission travel with 23 teams who served around the globe, but also celebrated the 20th anniversary of missions becoming a formal program within the College of Bible & Ministry.

The foundation of the current program was laid by Batsell Barrett Baxter, longtime Lipscomb faculty member and minister, who established Project Good News in 1973 to train missionaries. During the late Harold Hazelip’s

administration, the mission program was restructured to incorporate more service days and short-term mission trips.

Jeff Fincher, the modern program’s first full-time director, came aboard in 2002, after having led Lipscomb’s first mission team sent to the City of Children orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico, while still a student. Mark Jent was hired in 2003, and the two coordinated around 45 trips each year to locales both domestic and international.

Since Lipscomb Missions was officially launched, more than 10,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends have partnered with longterm ministries and nonprofits across the U.S. and around the globe, said current director Tyler Kemmerer.

IN THE now

PASSING THE TORCH TO LIPSCOMB’S SECOND PROVOST IN 25 YEARS

In September, the person who has served as the leader of that foundational component for the last 25 years, Provost W. Craig Bledsoe, passed the torch on to Dr. Jennifer Shewmaker, formerly the dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Abilene Christian University (ACU). Shewmaker is only the second person in Lipscomb’s history to fill the role of chief academic officer under the title of provost.

As one Lipscomb legend passes the mantle of leadership onto a new provost, take a moment to get to know Lipscomb’s newest Bison and learn how she will surely mark her own legacy over the next few years.

The lifeblood of every institution of higher education is an academic program that inspires, instills knowledge and prepares students for successful futures.

Q: You managed a wide range of academic areas at ACU. Drawing on your broad experience, what advice would you give Lipscomb students to make it through to graduation in any chosen field?

A: Academic success is often about motivation, persistence and organization. My advice to all students is to remind themselves regularly about why they are getting their degree. Do you want to help others? Are you passionate about making a difference in the world? Do you love to make new discoveries that will help advance knowledge in your field? When we remember the why, it helps us stay motivated.

Persistence can help you get through the little difficulties and hard steps you have to take to get to the end goal of obtaining your degree. Organization is key to success. Go to the Academic Success Center for coaching, sign up for tutoring, keep a calendar and plan out a schedule for projects. Breaking big projects into smaller steps will help you move toward your goal.

Q: With most of your childhood spent in Texas, and most of your career spent in psychology, what adaptation methods are you using during your transition from Texas to Tennessee?

A: My husband and I spent five years living in Central Europe, so Middle Tennessee is much more familiar than that! The strategies we used there and that I often share with those who are making a big change are pretty simple: Plan your day to be sure that you get sleep, healthy food and exercise.

Q: You’ve had some great global experiences, including consulting with the Peace Corps in Warsaw, Poland, and working on the psychology staff at the American Clinics International in Budapest, Hungary. Where else in the world is on your travel bucket list?

A: I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to experience a lot of different cultures and places through travel. This past summer I spent some time with our oldest daughter, Rylan, who lives in Belgium and got to meet her roommate who is from Morocco. That is one place that I’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t been to.

For students, I think all international travel provides fantastic opportunities for learning and connecting with those who have different backgrounds from ourselves. Getting out of your comfort zone and being in a place where you don’t speak the language presents an incredible opportunity for growth, particularly in learning to empathize with newcomers to the United States who may be struggling with learning English.

Q: As only the second person to inhabit the provost position at Lipscomb, you have a great opportunity to make a real mark on the next stage of Lipscomb’s future. What personal heroes will you be looking to as you lead Lipscomb academics?

A: My dad, Harold Wade, was a long time administrator for K-12 Church of Christ schools. His passion for Christian education has really inspired me in my career. As a first generation college graduate, he showed me firsthand that higher education has the power to transform individuals, families and communities for generations to come. I bring that belief and inspiration into my work every single day.

One of the authors who has really shaped my thinking in the area of leadership is Brené Brown, especially her book Dare to Lead. She says, “We desperately need more leaders who are committed to courageous, wholehearted leadership.” I strive to be a leader who creates an atmosphere of universal flourishing. I foster a warm, supportive environment offering formative, honest

feedback, with a focus on promoting the thriving of each individual unit and the institution as a whole.

Q: You have written several books and published multiple chapters and articles in the areas of media and child development and teaching and learning. As a scholar and as the parent of three college-age students, what advice would you give parents to help their students succeed academically in college and to find their vocation?

A: I’m a big reader, and one of my favorite writers is Parker Palmer. In his book, Let your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, he says: “Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic selfhood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks—we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.”

When I met with our first-year students at Quest Week, I told them that our goal at Lipscomb is to help them find how God is calling them to use their strengths and passions to love and serve our neighbors, locally and globally.

As parents, we can help our students find their vocation by encouraging them to take opportunities to explore their strengths and passions through things like taking courses in different academic areas, studying abroad or going on mission trips, serving in the community or doing research with faculty. All of these activities give students the chance to understand themselves better and to begin to find their path to authentic service in the world.

Read more of Shewmaker’s comments about coming to Lipscomb at lipscomb.edu/provost.

Raising the Bar from Day One

In fall 2022, the offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Information Technology and Business came together as one unit to serve the student body through the registration period and beyond at Bison One Stop. An outgrowth of the Impact 360 strategic plan, One Stop is a centralized and convenient location in Crisman Administration Building providing in-person, high quality customer service in a single location.

In the first weeks of the fall semester:

800+

6 inquiries fielded and fulfilled

100+ bills paid

329 class schedule changes

192 financial aid and tuition questions answered All through stop! 1

J.S. Ward Dinner: Lipscomb legacy named 2022 Hero of Science

For nearly half a century, Dr Paul B. Langford inspired and mentored Lipscomb University students who dreamed of entering medical professions or pursuing careers in chemistry.

In honor of his impact on generations of students, Langford was named the 2022 Ward Society Hero of Science and was recognized at the annual J.S. Ward Dinner in April. At the dinner, the establishment of the Paul B. Langford Endowed Professorship in Chemistry was also announced.

New Ph.D., undergraduate and graduate certificate programs to launch in 2023

Less than a year after graduating its first Ph.D. graduate in archaeology this past May, Lipscomb is working to launch another Ph.D. program this coming fall.

The Ph.D. in leadership and policy studies is an interdisciplinary studies degree preparing students for high-level careers in leadership and service across a range of professional sectors. The colleges of education, business, leadership and public service, and health sciences will come together to produce graduates with exceptional ability to organize information,

Dr. Steve Opoku-Duah, a leading scientist in water purification, was selected as the first Langford Professor of Chemistry earlier this year.

Langford joined the Lipscomb faculty in 1962 and taught at Lipscomb for 33 years, rising to the rank of full professor and serving as chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1980 until he retired from teaching in 1994.

The Langford endowed professorship was established by former students for the purpose of recognizing Langford’s scholarship, spiritual leadership, friendship and profound influence in the lives of students.

research subjects, manage projects and change environments.

In addition, the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts is working to launch a pair of stackable graduate certificates in UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) web design this summer. Centered around digital entertainment, these 18-hour graduate certificates can be completed in three semesters, providing students with greater reach at less cost.

The School of Data Analytics is planning to launch two new bachelor’s degrees: one in data analytics for students hoping to take on an analytics role in an organization, and one in data science for those who want to solve complex problems in organizations using advanced statistics and algorithms.

Hodzic to be inducted into asun Hall of Fame

A Lipscomb basketball icon has been selected for induction into the asun Conference Hall of Fame. Adnan Hodzic (’11), who played for the men’s basketball team from 2007-2011, will be inducted with the Class of 2022 at a ceremony this spring.

Hodzic is one of the best basketball players in Lipscomb history, averaging 16.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and shooting 58.6 percent from the floor during his four seasons with the Bisons. Hodzic started 105 of his 121 games played racking up 2,002 points and 840 rebounds for his career to rank 9th all-time in the asun in scoring and 12th in rebounding. He stands as the second-leading scorer and rebounder in Lipscomb’s Division I era.

One of only 11 players in league history to earn three All-Conference First Team selections, Hodzic claimed asun Player of the Year honors in 2009 along with Honorable Mention Associated Press AllAmerica and NABC All-District 3 first team after leading Lipscomb to its first-ever asun Regular Season Championship. He averaged 22.7 points and 9.1 rebounds that season while also being named Second Team Mid-Major All-American by CollegeHoops and the asun MVP by CollegeInsider.

Former Bison, major leaguer Caleb Joseph returns to Bison bench

Caleb Joseph (’08) has been added to the baseball coaching staff as the director of player development. A Lipscomb baseball alumnus, Joseph returns to Lipscomb to offer experience from his storied collegiate career and his time playing in the pros.

Following his standout performance for Lipscomb, Joseph was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 7th round (No. 206)—the highest drafted catcher in program history. Joseph has spent time with the Baltimore Orioles, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Toronto Blue Jays.

While in the majors, Joseph logged 1,263 at-bats over 425 games across seven seasons. He had four seasons with 20+

bisons

runs and four seasons with 50+ hits. He has totaled 58 home runs with 16 in 2015 at the plate for Baltimore.

During his time at Lipscomb, Joseph put together an incredible career both behind the plate and at bat for the Bisons. The Franklin, Tennessee, native holds six single-season program records as well as the program record for career slugging percentage at .537. Career-wise, Joseph ranks among the top five in these program records— slugging (1st – .537), total bases (3rd – 329), batting average (4th – .323) and rbi (4th – 131).

For his efforts on the field for the Bisons, Joseph was the first Lipscomb player to be selected to abca/Rawlings

South Region First Team (2008). He is a two-time selection for the asun AllConference First Team (2007 and 2008), a 2008 selection to the asun All-Tournament team and the 2008 asun Tournament mvp

Men’s soccer achieves a season of firsts

The men’s soccer team had a stellar season this past fall, winning the asun Conference by defeating Central Arkansas in November, earning them a return trip to the ncaa national tournament. They spent 11 weeks in the top 25 rankings of the United Soccer Coaches National Poll, reaching a high of No. 10 in October and marking the highest-ever ranking by a Lipscomb team.

The Bisons swept the postseason asun All-Conference superlative awards and landed at 11 on All-Conference teams. Congratulations to Jelldrik Dallman, asun Player of the Year; Noah Gulden, asun Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year; Michael Sibley, asun Goalkeeper of the Year; Nick Dang, asun Freshman of the Year; and Charles Morrow, who earned asun Coach of the Year honors for the third time in his career.

Thanks to the team’s outstanding performance this season, Lipscomb earned the No. 9 seed in the ncaa tournament and a first-round bye. The Bisons hosted the winner of the Louisville-Western Michigan match in the second round of the ncaa tournament on Nov. 20. This is the first time in university history that Lipscomb has hosted an ncaa tournament round in any sport.

Lipscomb wins seventh ASUN Academic Trophy

Lipscomb Athletics has ascended to the top of the class again as the Bisons claimed the 2021-22 asun Conference Academic Trophy. This is the seventh time in program history the Bisons have earned this recognition.

Lipscomb achieved the honor with 89.97 percent of its student athletes earning a 3.0 grade point average or better during the 2021-22 academic year. It marks the highest percentage by any school in conference history. The Bisons had 242 of its more than 270 student athletes eclipse the 3.0 gpa mark, while seven different programs put 100% of their athletes on the Honor Roll.

In addition to this achievement, several Bison teams have been recognized individually for their academic performances.

• The women’s basketball team earned the No. 4 spot in the wbca 2021-22 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll.

• Men’s golf was named an AllAcademic Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

• The volleyball program was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the United States Marine Corps with a Team Academic Award.

• The women’s soccer team was honored with a Team Academic Award, given by the United Soccer Coaches.

Above: The women’s basketball team earned one of five major academic honors for student athletes in 2022.

Left: The men’s soccer team won the ASUN Conference by defeating Central Arkansas in November.

TODAY’S BISONS

FINISHING STRONG

Jonathan Schwind (MBA ’22), of Suwanee, Georgia, cemented himself as one of the greatest ever to don a Lipscomb uniform when he capped off one of the most storied track and field careers for the Bisons with a spectacular 2021-2022 season.

For the second consecutive year, the graduate student found himself in Eugene, Oregon, competing at the highest level at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Schwind finished as the eighth best runner in the nation in the 800m.

During the 2021-2022 season, Schwind earned a spot on all three All-Conference Teams, the asun All-Academic Team and a title at the asun Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At the NCAA championships, Schwind earned his first trip to the championship round with a personal record time of 1:46.40.

In the finals, he competed against top-tier competitors from Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Schwind earned a first team All-American nod when he finished in eighth place with a time of 1:47.12. Schwind’s All-American honor is the second for the Lipscomb track and field team in the 800m event.

Read more about Schwind at lipscomb.edu/stellarseason.

01 Students enjoyed the 2022 Fashion Week on campus, including an exhibit of garments designed by Manuel, Mexican fashion designer best known for the garments he created for prominent rock and roll and country music acts.

02 The campus marked the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 with a brief ceremony and a community effort to plant flags in memory of those who died in the attack.

03 Allen Arena was packed with family and friends of the nearly 500 students participating in commencement on Dec. 17 to celebrate their academic achievements.

04 WOW Week (Welcome to our Worlds) is an annual event that introduces students to cultures around the world through food, dance, fashion and other fun activities.

05 The second annual LipSync, a freshman-only production held in the fall, was a big hit.

06 The first annual Faculty Research Day was held in October. Students and faculty turned out in force to see posters and hear explanations of faculty research projects.

07 Hundreds of new students participated in the Running of the Bison, racing and cheering as they ran around campus with Lipscomb pride. The finish line brought students to the soccer field to watch a men’s soccer game.

08 President McQueen dines with the 2022 recipients of the Trustee Scholarships, full-tuition scholarships awarded to freshmen based on academic merit.

09 Sparked by a longtime partnership between Lipscomb Health, the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering and Blessings Hospital in Malawi, the Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera (pictured) visited campus this fall to learn more about Lipscomb’s mission work in his nation. He spoke with nursing students and Dr. Chelsia Harris (pictured), executive director of the School of Nursing.

10 The annual Initium ceremony marks the beginning of a new academic life for the newest students on campus each year. It includes a devotional and a symbolic passing of the torch from upperclassmen to freshmen.

CHARTING A PATH TO A BRIGHT FUTURE

In August, the Lipscomb University community heralded the beginning of its first complete fall semester under a new presidential administration with the rollout of a new strategic vision and plan. A year in the making, Lipscomb Impact 360 is designed to set a bold course, keep the institution on-track and ensure realization of the vision to lead as a top-tier, nationally recognized university.

During the years of the Apollo missions when scientists were working to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s famous charge to send an American to the moon, the president regularly toured NASA facilities. One of these visits was famously captured.

He noticed a janitor diligently doing his work and stopped to introduce himself. “Tell me what you’re doing,” he said to the man, who stopped his work, looked up at him and proudly said, “Mr. President, I’m helping to get a man to the moon.”

This story, told by Lipscomb President Candice McQueen to kick off the rollout of the university’s new strategic plan, Lipscomb Impact 360, represents how a clear and compelling focus can engage every level of a community.

“In the past year, my first year as Lipscomb’s president, we have focused on uplifting and leaning into our own compelling mission and vision,” said McQueen at the August event. “Our focus is and has always been one that points to our larger purpose within God’s Kingdom. Our work today, as we share Lipscomb Impact 360, is to intentionally align to this purpose and work relentlessly to achieve results.”

Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, the Lipscomb community embarked on a process to develop a clear and unifying mission, vision and plan for the future grounded in common institutional priorities.

The listening phase included 1,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors surveyed; 200 one-on-one and small group listening sessions; 11 Be A Light Tour meetings with alumni across the region; roundtable discussions with more than 400 faculty and staff and 125 alumni as well as 100 individuals who served on ad hoc and steering committees.

This feedback was collected and analyzed over about a six-month period and structured around a SOAR analysis—an examination of the strengths upon which we could build, the opportunities inherent in those strengths, what the institution should aspire to accomplish and the results those efforts might yield. This provided a foundation upon which key elements of the plan were built.

“The Lipscomb community rolled up its sleeves and worked diligently and with great care for this institution and all those who claim it while developing the plan,” said McQueen.

OUR VISION

Anchored in our Christ-centered mission, Lipscomb University will lead as a top-tier, nationally recognized institution. We will excel in teaching, learning and research; be ambitious in our service to others; and be driven by continuous improvement.

The Impact 360 framework provides the entire Lipscomb community what scholars say are the best ingredients for making an impact: clarity around your purpose, focus on outcomes and fuel for action, she said.

In April 2022, the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees unanimously approved the outcomes of the Impact 360 development process: a vision statement, a mission statement, eight core values, core tenets and six goals.

The vision statement serves as a “destination postcard” on Lipscomb’s journey into the future, said McQueen.

OUR MISSION

We are a Christ-centered community preparing learners for purposeful lives through rigorous academics and transformative experiences.

“The signposts—top-tier, nationally recognized university; excellence in teaching, learning and research; service; and continuous improvement—will help us determine if we are on track. Our vision sets the metrics for us to see if we are going in the right direction,” she said.

The mission statement defines “who we are,” said McQueen. “As such, the statement declares that our mission is Christ-centered and describes what we ultimately do: provide rigorous academics and transformative experiences.

“Students come here because they are desiring something bigger than themselves,”

OUR VALUES

Love God | MATTHEW 22:37B-38

Serve others | GALATIANS 5:13B

Respect all | MATTHEW 22:39B

Pursue joy | PSALM 68:3

she said. “What that is, is not quite clear to them. Which means we have an amazing opportunity to help them clarify who they are, who they can become, what they can do and where they can do it.”

How we do that work is just as important as the work itself, said McQueen.

“How we interact with students, how we act with peers and certainly how we act with our larger community, are the stories people will tell about us in 10 years,” she said. “That ‘how’ is defined by our values: how we act with one another.”

Seek to learn | PROVERBS 1:5A

Embrace collaboration | GALATIANS 5:22-23A

Deliver our best | COLOSSIANS 3:23A

Create solutions | JEREMIAH 33:3

OUR GOALS

Goal 1: Provide a premier, learner-focused Christian education

Goal 2: Promote and develop spiritual growth and transformation across our community

Goal 3: Recruit, support, retain and graduate students with the tools for a purposeful life

Goal 4: Build a culture of diversity, equity and belonging where people thrive as imagebearers of God

Goal 5: Expand our engagement, influence and impact by forging deep connections with communities, organizations a nd alumni

Goal 6: Empower and sustain a culture of effectiveness, efficiency, collaboration and financial strength across our community

The Lipscomb Impact 360 goals, including 23 strategies and 109 tactics within them, are a blueprint for the university’s actions over the next three to five years, said McQueen. “These six goals will not only help us allocate funds and resources, but will also provide transparency throughout the process, showing our priorities and how we plan to move forward.”

The development of the Impact 360 framework is not the end of the process; it is actually just the beginning. Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, the Lipscomb team is working toward embedding vision, mission and values into its culture and the strategic goals into its daily operations.

Among the first Impact 360 actions this school year are:

• Beginning discussions of redefining the general education curriculum, now called the Lipscomb Core;

• Establishment of the Center for Vocational Discovery, a four-year transformative experience designed to help all students discover their life’s purpose;

• Collaboration of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Information Technology and Business Office to create Bison One Stop, a single student services location for in-person customer support;

• Development of a Lipscomb Academy strategic plan, using the same yearlong process that took place throughout the university campus;

• Working to enhance the reach and value of alumni programming and services through different stages of alumni’s lives;

• Implementing a common framework, tied to the strategic goals, to manage employee performance; and

• Positioning ourselves in an extremely competitive educational marketplace to offer robust scholarship packages that include immediate financial assistance.

In November, the board of trustees reviewed an initial funding model for the

entire Lipscomb Impact 360 plan. The next step is to set priorities for funding which will help focus efforts over the next few months.

With the Impact 360 plan now in place, what will the Lipscomb University of the future look like?

“If we plan, and then we work our plan and we align our actions to these goals, then by 2030 student retention and graduation rates will have dramatically improved our U.S. News and World Report ranking,” envisioned McQueen. “We hope to enroll 1,000 more students to then serve 7,000 throughout the university and the academy.

“From a financial standpoint, our goal is to greatly enhance the number of endowed scholarships we offer to students, allowing us to lower our discount rate, and ensure long-term financial success for the institution.

“We will have grown in research capacity and presence, particularly research that engages our students, because at its heart, our research should be about improving our communities and engaging our students in that improvement, helping them to become questioners about the future.

“We will not be a ‘best kept secret’ but instead be known as a leading Christcentered university, and we’ll be known as that because of our spiritual life and student engagement. We want other universities, parents and alums to say, ‘That’s the place that you want to send your children, because it’s thriving.’”

Lipscomb has set a course this year that engages the entire community in the right work at the right time. Every person has a role in uplifting our mission, reaching our vision and defining our culture. That is how Lipscomb will have the greatest impact, today and in the future.

New Center for Vocational Discovery established for undergraduates

As an outgrowth of the mission and goals of the Impact 360 strategic plan, this past fall Lipscomb officially launched the Center for Vocational Discovery (CVD), a university-wide, four-year transformative experience designed to help all students discover their life’s purpose.

Beginning with this fall’s freshman class, students embarked on a four-year journey that continues through to graduation. Each year will have a specific focus and will be integrated into a students’ experience through academics, student life and spiritual formation programs.

The first year centers on identity, giftedness and the outcomes of the Clifton Strengths assessment. Students had the opportunity to attend a spiritual gifts workshop, Career Center exploration workshops and the newly established Freshman Chapel. Throughout the 10-week chapel, freshmen built relationships and learned about the 34 strengths outlined in the strengths assessment.

The CVD also integrated vocation-focused programming into the required Lipscomb Experience and Bible courses and selected its first student cohort of Strengths Champions.

In the spring semester, the CVD is holding workshops on resilience, gifts, strengths and genograms and a listening retreat to help students discern the voice of God in their lives.

Along with year-specific programming, students will create a series of reflections through assignments that will be collected in an electronic portfolio when they graduate. See

THE ANIMATION WONDER TWINS

THE BANCROFT BROTHERS—TWIN BROTHERS AND DISNEY ANIMATORS—ARE DRAWING A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR LIPSCOMB’S ANIMATION PROGRAM.

Since 2014, former full-time Disney and Big Idea animator Tom Bancroft has brought his artistic expertise and creativity to Lipscomb, pioneering its animation program. In fall 2022, he felt it was time to bring a little more of that Disney magic to Lipscomb by recruiting—not just any Disney animator—but his own twin brother Tony Bancroft, also a former full-time Disney animator and co-director of Disney’s Mulan.

So as of this fall, Lipscomb’s animation students are enjoying twice the magic with Tony Bancroft as program director and Tom Bancroft serving as artist-in-residence. With the addition of Tony, Lipscomb became the only university in the world to have three former Disney supervising animators and a former Disney director teaching classes.

Tom recruited his brother Tony to join the Department of Cinematic Arts, not only for his unmatched credentials but also for the vision they share for bringing up the next generation of Christian game changers in the entertainment industry. They want to grow and mold students to serve in the mission field of entertainment and tell stories that inspire others and impact the world.

“As iron sharpens iron, I credit a lot of my success to the dynamic that Tom and I share,” said Tony.

“Growing up, we were competitive with drawing. We have grown in our talent level and abilities because we work so closely together.”

They studied together at CalArts, worked together at Disney and have hosted over 200 episodes of the animation industry go-to podcast: The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast.

“The podcast was born out of our passion for animation and that feeling of wanting to give back. We learned from giants in the industry, and we wanted to be able to give back in our own small way,” said Tony. “So we started the podcast as a way of reaching the next generation of animators, to teach them by talking about animation and its history, to share our experiences and also to interview all the top people in the industry.”

The Bancroft brothers each have over 30 years of experience in the animation industry and have been creatively involved in almost every aspect of making animated films, videos, commercials and short films. Although mainly living and working in different states, they have worked on six films together: The Rescuers Down Under, Roller Coaster Rabbit, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan

“There was this one moment with The Lion King ,” said Tom, “when Tony was animating Pumbaa and I was animating young Simba. I flew to California to work with Tony at the Disney Studio there for about a week on a mini sequence we were doing together.

“We animated the sequence very quickly and showed the rough

to the directors, and it was a success. It’s all in the movie. That was the first time we felt like, OK, we’ve made it. We are Disney animators.”

Tony honed his animation and directing skills while working at Walt Disney Feature Animation in California for 12 years. He has also shared his talents with Sony Pictures; his own animation company, Toonacious Family Entertainment; and currently as an independent contractor working with Disney, Warner Brothers and others.

For Mulan, he received the Annie Award for Director of the Year from ASIFA-International, and he received the Visual Effects Society’s top award for character animation for his work as animation supervisor of Sony’s Stuart Little 2.

Tom worked as an animator for Walt Disney Feature Animation in Florida for 11 years, where he contributed his talents to 10 animated feature films, five animated shorts and numerous special projects and commercials.

He has been nominated for Annie and Rueben awards, spoken at the Kennedy Center and was awarded an entry into the Chicago Children’s Film Festival. He was also a

Lipscomb is the only school to have three former Disney supervising animators and a former Disney director teaching classes. Tom Bancroft (left), built the animation program in its early years, and Tony Bancroft (right), now serves as program director.

makers of the family-friendly VeggieTales® video series.

Tom has authored two best-selling art instruction books, including Creating Characters with Personality which is the most recognized book on designing characters for animation, video games, comic books and cartooning, and is a required textbook at many art schools around the world.

Tom says that although these wonder twins were dedicated to reaching the next generation, they did not pursue teaching at first. “I think God pursued us to do this, separately at first, and now jointly,” he said. “Unlike most art schools that are degree leaning, Lipscomb brings its students to the forefront by having them taught by industry professionals,” he said. “ I could see the college’s appreciation for practitioner instructors with (producer/filmmaker/ recording artist) Steve Taylor and with (music producer) Brown Bannister in the music department too.”

Aspiring to take the school to a higher echelon of animation production, Tom has assembled over the years an all-star faculty with plenty of credentials from the house that Mickey Mouse built: Disney legend John Pomeroy (Winnie The Pooh and Tigger Too, Pete’s Dragon, Pocahontas, and

The Simpsons Movie); Victoria Thornberry (Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two, Justice Society: World War II, and LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Super-villain High); Diana Coco Russell (Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Aladdin and Hercules); and Mike Nawrocki, (co-founder of Big Idea Entertainment, co-creator of VeggieTales, voice of Larry the Cucumber, and creator of Dead Sea Squirrels).

“Very quickly, within the first few years of my arrival in Nashville, my sub-goal was to help develop the animation industry of Nashville,” said Tom, who launched the crowd-invested Pencilish Animation Studios.

“We’ve always had a few small Nashville studios, but now we’re adding to that. About three or four more studios have popped up just in this last year—all with major projects. We have students working in every single one of those places right now.”

With the growing number of animation projects in the city, Lipscomb instructors are frequently approached with jobs, and they often suggest a student who could do it, bringing their students into professional industry jobs. Students are also offered opportunities to work with their professors on outside projects.

Two students had the rare opportunity to work on the Warner Brothers Space Jam: A New Legacy movie. In 2019, the nfl’s

Tennessee Titans hired Tom to illustrate cartoons for its social media and the project grew to involve alumni and students in animation as well as other arts programs.

In October, Tom and Tony took students to participate in the 2022 Lightbox Animation Expo in California. The Bancroft brothers spoke on various director and animator panels and the 22 Lipscomb students had the opportunity to pitch to studios, visit with recruiters, peruse the exhibits and network.

“Thinking about animation in entertainment in general, it’s definitely here to stay,” said Tony. “Coming out of the pandemic, there’s a real need and urgency for more faith-based storytelling and animation is a magical way of telling those stories. Netflix and the different studios streaming content have a sharp eye out for anything animation because of the positive message that it usually has with it.”

“It always comes down to the story,” said Tom. “We don’t lose track of that. We don’t just teach students how to use a computer and say now you’ll get a job. It’s the instructors who make the difference. Not only do we teach the technology, with software that we are currently using in the industry, but we also train them how to put it to use in the art of telling a story.”

ONE ALUM WITH A BIG IDEA BRINGS NEW MEANING TO VEGETABLES WE

In 1993, Mike Nawrocki (MFA ’19) was one-half of a team that came up with a really big idea: teaching children Biblical values…through talking vegetables.

And thus a generation of youngsters grew up learning moral behavior and Christian tenets through the goofy and gregarious VeggieTales®, produced by Big Idea Entertainment. Nawrocki was not only the co-creator, writer and director for VeggieTales, but he also created the voice of the beloved Larry the Cucumber.

The seed of the VeggieTales idea came to Nawrocki and co-creator Phil Vischer from puppetry, a creative art Nawrocki was involved in during his undergraduate years at Crown College, where he was involved in student ministry with his friend.

“We wanted to take what we did in puppetry and put it into video,” said Nawrocki. “Phil was a little more serious and driven, and Larry was a little more goofy like me. We related to each other as friends the same way Bob and Larry relate to each other.”

Nawrocki brought his famous voice and prestigious writing and directing talents to Lipscomb’s faculty in 2017. He wanted to improve his live-action film and educator skills, so he decided to also enroll in Lipscomb’s Master of Fine Arts program.

Today Nawrocki is still teaching future generations, but now he’s teaching Lipscomb students the art of animated film…through squirrels. Dead Sea Squirrels to be exact. He is working one-on-one with upper-level animation students to produce his latest animated series: The Dead Sea Squirrels, based on his series of books for early readers.

Read more about Nawrocki at lipscomb.edu/bigidea

BRINGING LIFE TO UNREACHABLE PLACES

Fifteen years after the first Lipscomb professor entered what was then called the Tennessee Prison for Women through security gates and strong sealed doors to teach a group of “inside” and “outside” students, it was clear this December what the outcome has been: family.

Over and over as the 2022 graduates of the Lipscomb Initiative For Education (life) Program stepped to the podium at their Dec. 15 graduation ceremony held in the gym of the prison, the family theme was mentioned time and again.

From women who wheeled in their fellow graduate in a wheelchair to the cheers of the graduates’ relatives and the cries of infants who attended the momentous event, from the faculty’s hugs and tears to the loving comments of five “outside” students who received their degrees at the ceremony along with the “inside” students, it was an afternoon all about family.

The fifth life commencement ceremony, held in the prison gym but equivalent to the university’s larger Allen Arena ceremony, marked the 15th year of the highly successful program by awarding the program’s first masters degrees to eight inside students, four of whom began with the program on its first day in January 2007. Those four women now hold Lipscomb associate, bachelor’s and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (macm) degrees.

“People asked me today, ‘Is your family here?’” one graduate said from the podium after she received her degree, and then gesturing to the audience full of Lipscomb faculty and staff, said, “There is my family, right there.”

The life Program provides Lipscomb University students an academic and service-learning experience like few others.

Up to 20 traditional students each semester enroll in a course held onsite at the prison, now called the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center (djrc), and study alongside residents of the prison. The course content for these women is essentially the same as the courses offered on campus, but the classroom context and diversity of students provide a rich, life-changing educational experience.

LIFE PROGRAM MARKS 15 YEARS BY AWARDING 13 MASTER’S DEGREES.

With the awarding of 13 Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degrees, Lipscomb becomes the only university in the nation to offer a seminary degree in a women’s prison.

It’s an experience that the women of the prison have come to “hunger for” even before they became part of the classes themselves.

ReAsha Frazier (aa ’15, ba ’19, macm ’22), age 45, who began taking courses in 2009, said when she saw the enrolled women head off to class every Wednesday evening she would say to herself, “I want to be a part of that.”

“It was a hunger inside of me,” said Frazier, who has been at djrc since she was 19 years old. “There was always something within me that wanted to do something different…to expand my mind, to move forward. I wanted to be like them.”

She applied to become part of the life Program three times before she was accepted, she said. life participants must have a two-year record of good behavior and a high school diploma or ged in order to participate in the program.

“This program has such an impact once our residents are released, but it also has such an impact while they are here,” said Rachel Riley-Coe, assistant commissioner of rehabilitative services

for the Tennessee Department of Correction. “People see them as leaders, and they become peers. If you lock people up with no rehabilitation and no education, you are not fixing the problem, you are just deferring it.”

The women’s innate desire to “move forward” was one of the factors that fueled the life coordinators’ idea to offer the Master of Christian Ministry program, which began in 2018.

According to Dr. Kate Watkins (ba ’89, mdiv ’08, dmin ’14), life consultant and executive director from 2016-2020: “The idea for the macm solidified one Wednesday night when an officer came to get one of our students who was called to go to the chaplain’s office because her mother had died. I wondered what it would be like if we equipped our graduate students to be ‘ministers of presence’ in a place that the university will never be able to fully enter?

“So what it looks like now is, literally scattered throughout the prison, are these new macm graduates who have been trained in theology, psychology, conflict management

and spiritual direction,” she said. “We equipped them with each of these skills on a graduate level, so that they are prepared with really good theological tools to help the rest of the residents whom we could never reach.”

According to Watkins’ research, Lipscomb is the only university in the nation to offer a seminary degree in a women’s prison.

Ministering to those women on the inside as well as impacting the world for the better on the outside is a calling that emerged early in the life Program. At the first graduation ceremony in December 2013, one graduate told news media that, “now I have the tools to help them,” referring to other women who would be released from the prison. One original student was dubbed “the saint who walks the halls of the prison” by one of the Lipscomb faculty.

“Because of the Lipscomb program, I am a different person,” said Evetta McGee, who received her associate degree at the ceremony and who was inspired to apply for the program by seeing the lives of the women already

Both Evetta McGee (left, with Lipscomb President Candice McQueen ), and ReAsha Frazier (right, at podium), were inspired to apply for the program by seeing the lives of the women already enrolled.

The fifth LIFE commencement ceremony, held in the prison gym, was a smaller but equivalent version of the university’s oncampus ceremony, complete with a speech by President Candice McQueen , a procession with bagpipes and a celebratory reception.

enrolled. “I found my purpose. The professors have shown me each day what the love of Christ is about. My life is truly changed and in nine months I get to go home and use it all.”

Five outside students— Randi Baxter, Leslie Larkins, Mary Anne Locke, Beth Mangrum and Terra Tucker—who have studied alongside the inside students for four years, received their degrees along with their incarcerated classmates at the djrc ceremony. These women could have completed the macm degree in 12 months had they chosen the traditional on-campus offering.

“I learned to drop my assumptions at the door,” Mangrum told her classmates at the ceremony. “I found warmth of friendship in an unexpected place. There has been healing, debate,

growth and transformation in this place…each of you has brought me closer to God.”

To date, 13 bachelor’s degrees, 22 associate degrees and eight master’s degrees have been awarded to djrc offenders enrolled through life

Several djrc inside students have been paroled or released and have gone on to take additional courses on the Lipscomb campus, said Dr. Robbie Spivey, current director of the life Program. None of the life graduates who have been released have returned to prison, she said.

To build on that success, in 2021, the program established the Dr. Richard C. Goode life scholarship for inside students who wish to pursue a Lipscomb degree after release from prison. In the first year

of the scholarship, recipients included two graduate students and two undergraduates, said Spivey.

In true life fashion, the scholarship is named after a crucial member of the life family. Goode, Lipscomb professor of history, created the program and has taught the students many times over since 2007.

He certainly considers everyone involved in the program as part of his family, as he stated in his opening prayer at the Dec. 15 commencement ceremony: “God, you have built here a family… Ready these graduates for every good work of justice, equity and peace…so that they may be ministers of reconciliation.”

Learn more about LIFE and how to get involved at lipscomb.edu/lifeprog.

STUDENTS ARE OUR WHY

LIPSCOMB’S DOCTORATE OF EDUCATION GRADUATES BRING STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND GENUINE CARING TO THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS THROUGH LOCAL EDUCATION’S TOP POSITIONS.

When Lipscomb College of Education leaders established a Doctorate of Education to be focused on learning organizations and strategic change eleven years ago, little did they know that “change” would come to define the education world in 2020 throughout and after a pandemic.

Graduates of the program—especially those who have risen to the highest office in local school governance—say the strategic change focus of the program has been among the most useful skills carried away from their doctoral studies at Lipscomb.

Since the historic year of 2020, at least four Lipscomb Ed.D. alumni have moved into the top spots in their respective school districts: Montgomery and Rutherford counties and the city of Tullahoma in Tennessee, and Osceola County in Arkansas.

On March 31, 2020, when Dr. Catherine Stephens (’12) came to Tullahoma to sign her contract to become superintendent, she couldn’t even sit side-by-side in the same room with the school board chair to go over the paperwork. In the commemorative photograph, the two leaders sat six feet apart.

Thus began her first post as a school superintendent. Having been selected in the same month that Covid-19 took over in the U.S., Stephens, then associate director of schools for teaching and learning in the Franklin (Tennessee) Special School District, had to immediately help her current schools transition to all-remote learning while also preparing to carry the schools in Tullahoma through a pandemic that looked like it might never end.

“It was so odd to end one role and start another in the midst of this,” said Stephens. “We weren’t even sure on a worldwide scale what was happening yet.”

Stephens wanted to meet with every central office team member, school board member and school leader to hear their hopes and dreams for the district, but she had to do it one-on-one due to Covid restrictions, so it took a month to achieve that goal. Those she asked for advice said to “get all your stakeholders together,” but that couldn’t be done in large groups, so she spent a great deal of time on the phone, sent out emails and videos, and posted on social media to communicate effectively.

“That was an unbelievable experience—trying to build trust with people when you can’t have them all in the same room at the same time,” said Stephens. “My leadership style is one of relationships and service, but when you

Dr. Catherine Stephens (’12), became superintendent of Tullahoma City School District in July 2020. The 2020-2021 school year, held partially virtual and partially in-person, “was like building the plane while flying it,” she said.

Photo Credit Tullahoma City School District

can’t bring people together—it was hard. I was stretched in what I thought I could be. It required innovative thinking about how to gather and build a team.”

Holding the 2020-2021 school year partially virtual and partially in-person “was like building the plane while flying it,” said Stephens. “There was not a position that was not stressed— teachers, bus drivers, custodians, nutritionists, everyone!”

Tackling challenges strategically

All four new directors of schools said the lessons they learned in strategic planning and managing change to achieve positive outcomes have served them well in their careers, and especially in the past few years.

Dr. Toriano Green (’14) took on his duties as the new superintendent of the Osceola School District in July 2021, but he had worked as assistant superintendent in the small school district near his hometown since July 2018.

Using the SWOT approach (analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) he learned through Lipscomb’s program, Green recognized that in post-pandemic education, Osceola County’s digital

platforms needed to allow students to access everything they needed on just one password. He revamped the district’s digital platforms and put emphasis on making sure teachers had the professional development training they needed to maximize the technology for students.

Dr. James Sullivan (’14), was appointed director of schools for Rutherford County, one of the fastestgrowing districts in Tennessee, on July 1. He served as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction during the worst of the pandemic. Now as director of schools, he manages the district’s 6,000 employees serving over 50,000 students at 50 schools.

By October, he had already used some of his strategic planning training at the district’s school board retreat that His former professor, Dr. Candice McQueen (now Lipscomb president) “talked a lot about our circle of concern and the influences that take control and draw energy and focus away from what really makes an impact,” he said. Covid brought a lot of negative noise, he said, and he sees his job as re-centering everyone on the No. 1 priority: students.

Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder (’17) was also selected as a director of schools this past July, for Clarksville Montgomery

County School System, the seventh largest school system in the state with 39,000 students and 5,400 employees.

The most important piece of her doctoral training, she said, was learning about collaboration. Unlike most Ed.D. programs, Lipscomb’s program groups students together to work on a clientbased dissertation research project. That collaborative model prepares students to engage in high performance teams, which mirrors how educational leaders actually operate in real educational environments and while conducting research, said Dr. Trace Hebert, the founding director of Lipscomb’s Ed.D. program.

Luna-Vedder worked at both the district and state level after earning her Ed.D. That focus on collaboration “forced me to build upon the strength of others and to analyze my own strengths and weaknesses. It allowed me to think more about different personality types and how we all bring different perspectives.” She’s bringing that insight to Montgomery County schools post-pandemic where it will help her break down silos in the system, strive to make sure everyone is seen and heard and to appreciate the value of surrounding herself with leaders who balance her own strengths, she said.

Dr. Toriano Green (’14) (at left) vowed to spend at least 60% of every day in the classrooms of his small district in Osceola County Arkansas.

Photo Credit Osceola School District

Dr. Jean LunaVedder (’17) (at right) is using her doctorate training to help bring down silos in the education system in Clarksville.

Photo Credit ClarksvilleMontgomery County School System James Sullivan (’14) was appointed director of schools for one of the fastestgrowing districts in Tennessee, Rutherford County.

Photo Credit Rutherford County School District

Building relationships

Coming off of two years of isolation to varying degrees, all four alumni put a special emphasis on getting to know the people of their schools face-to-face.

Luna-Vedder held a Back-toSchool Road Show this past fall where she visited every high school campus for a pep rally attended by the high schoolers and students from each of the feeder schools to lay out the vision for the 2022-2023 school year. She made a point of attending every community event she could, networking with anyone and everyone who would be important to decisionmaking in the county.

“Our theme throughout this year is: We are better together. If there are issues, then bring them to our attention and let’s work together to solve them, instead of being negative. If we work on this collectively, we can solve shortcomings as a community,” she said.

Green started his role in Arkansas vowing to be hands-on, to spend at least 60% of every day in the classrooms of the district

and riding all 10 bus routes to get the student and driver experience firsthand. He continues to do meet-and-greet sessions and moonlights as a Little League coach to be involved with parents and the community.

Such in-person activity means he has to work some late nights, but it is crucial to have on-the-ground knowledge to make good decisions and it builds the trust of his teachers, he said.

Sullivan also personally visited all 50 of his schools, striving to combat burnout by delivering the message that “you have permission to be a person, before you are a teacher,” he said. “If you aren’t well, then you can’t be a good teacher.”

In her efforts to build relationships with students, Stephens set up high school and middle school student advisory committees, established a gallery for student art to be displayed and sends birthday cards designed by students each year to her employees.

“It is important for us at the district office to remember why we are here,” she said. “Students are our why.”

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, Tennessee, Director of Schools

Like many members of the Clarksville community, Luna-Vedder came to Clarksville in 2007 via the military, as a spouse. She had been teaching in Iowa, Washington and North Carolina since 1997. Three years after relocating to Montgomery County, she became an assistant principal and then a principal.

Through this journey, she began to see the greater impact on what happens in the classroom that a district level education official can have through policies and influences. She began relishing the opportunity to address issues in education on a district or statewide level.

She first worked as director of high schools for Clarksville Montgomery County, then moved to the Tennessee Department of Education as chief of programs, but she knew she would likely work again at the district level for the school system where all four of her children graduated.

“I remained deeply invested in this community and its education and what was going on in the school system,” she said.

Toriano Green (’14)

Osceola School District, Arkansas, Superintendent

Green, a West Memphis native came to Nashville for college at Tennessee State University and became a longtime teacher, coach and assistant principal in Metro Nashville Public Schools. “When it comes to leadership, someone believed in me more than I believed in myself,” he said of an administrator who made him a dean in his second year in education.

Earning his doctorate helped him climb the ladder to assistant principal in Nashville’s Whites Creek High school with 1,400 students. But when Osceola County, Arkansas, called, the siren song of returning to his home state drew him back. He served as an assistant superintendent for an entire county with 1,100 students from 2018 to 2021. Now as superintendent he works 45 minutes from where he grew up.

Before moving, Green honed his doctorate-level skills as assistant principal at Nashville’s Jere Baxter Middle School, where he contributed to the school’s rise from the below expectations category to the above expectations category on the state’s teacher evaluation system.

Jean Luna-Vedder (’17)

James Sullivan (’14)

Rutherford County School District, Tennessee, Director of Schools

On July 1, Sullivan was appointed director of schools for Rutherford County, one of the fastestgrowing districts in Tennessee and the one where he was educated while growing up.

While studying for his doctorate, he served as the principal of Harris Middle School in Bedford County, and was able to immediately use what he was learning. He led the school from the brink of takeover status by the state and boosted it to a Level 5 status, the highest rank available in the state, an experience he views as his own personal mission field. Sullivan has also served as an adjunct professor at Lipscomb.

While very busy serving in these leadership roles and balancing pandemic life, Sullivan’s young son, Declan, was diagnosed with leukemia. While Declan went through extensive procedures, Sullivan continued to maintain his commitment to all of the students he was serving in the district while also supporting his son by, among other things, shaving his head in support of Declan during his chemotherapy treatments.

Catherine Stephens (’12)

Tullahoma City School District, Tennessee, Superintendent

Stephens, whose first name is pronounced Katreen, was born in Sweden and spoke four languages by the time her family moved back to the United States.

Virginia Beach was her first teaching post, and in her first year of teaching, Stephens’ principal recognized her leadership potential. “You are brand new to this school and the teachers on your team are already leaning on you,” he told her. He ignited a spark of interest in leadership with that feedback.

After earning her master’s at Sam Houston State University, she became a principal in Murfreesboro and had the opportunity to open a new school: Scales Elementary. She moved from a principal position to an associate director position for Franklin Special School District in Tennessee while finishing her doctorate, and she has walked out the best practices she learned at Lipscomb over the past 10 years, she said.

Stephens also taught as a Lipscomb University adjunct for a time, and her daughter, Kelsea Woolfolk (’20), graduated from the Lipscomb College of Pharmacy.

College of Education welcomes new dean

In August, the Lipscomb College of Education welcomed a new dean: K-12 and higher education veteran Dr. Leslie Cowell, former professor and dean of the College of Education at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.

From 2011 to 2022, Cowell served at Faulkner in several administrative roles as well as a faculty member and as dean of the education college for six years.

Cowell’s accomplishments while at Faulkner include leading a successful accreditation process, launching a partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), engaging in grow your own partnerships and transitioning academic programs to online delivery methods. In addition, she has also secured and managed nearly $2 million in grants.

In addition to her work at Faulkner, Cowell volunteered her time and expertise as director of the preK program at

Innovation in learning institute celebrates 10th anniversary

The Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation celebrated 10 years on the front lines of Tennessee’s education system in November. It was established in 2012 by then-College of Education Dean Candice McQueen and lead donors Jim and Janet Ayers, founders of the Ayers Foundation. Partners, supporters and leaders gathered at a celebratory breakfast on campus to recall and honor the founding of the institute.

The institute is designed to support teachers and leaders in improving student outcomes through proven professional learning, to incubate innovative instructional ideas and resources, and to serve as a bridge between policy and practice, as well as between educators in preK-12 and higher

Common Ground Montgomery, a nonprofit organization that focuses on youth development and leadership. She also served on the board of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, was a Women’s Foundation of Alabama fellow, region four director of the Alabama Afterschool Network Hub and was a member of the Alabama Association for Colleges of Teacher Education executive committee.

Cowell’s reputation as a collaborative leader, relationship builder and connector positions her well to further the vision and goals of the College of Education.

education in rural and urban, public and private school settings. Through its programming and digital resources, the Ayers Institute has reached educators in every county in Tennessee, every state in the nation and more than 135 countries around the world. Ayers resources include: customized partnerships, coaching academies, online resource-sharing portals, online courses and resource libraries, podcasts and webinars.

Jim and Janet Ayers have helped more than 6,000 high school students go to college through scholarships provided through their foundation. They have proven to be a valuable partner for the institute, which established the Ayers Leadership Fellows program providing scholarships for aspiring school leaders throughout the region to earn a master’s or Ed.S. with administrative licensure from Lipscomb.

Lipscomb’s fashion design comes ready to wear in mobile boutique

Since 2021, Lipscomb’s Department of Fashion and Design has operated a unique boutique shop on campus, housed in a mobile van and filled with students’ fashions, gifts, one-of-a-kind objects and more.

Last school year, the 1891 Lipscomb Fashion Retail Concept van participated in eight special events, including Nashville Fashion Week and the university’s presidential inauguration.

The fashion van enhances the curriculum of multiple merchandising classes, providing students the chance to apply their skills and innovation in a real-world setting. To operate the van, students work in teams for buying, planning, set-up, sales and inventory.

Sissy Simmons, assistant professor and department chair of fashion and design, and Charlotte Poling, fashion executive-in-residence, developed the idea for a retail shop on campus and discovered a friend of the university who had a former SWAT van available to donate.

Simmons and Poling liked the sustainability aspect of repurposing the van and found that it would fit their retail space and mobility needs, as well as providing good publicity when parked near Belmont Boulevard or in various spots on campus.

Students from other departments, such as the business as mission program, sell their goods in the van as well.

KEEPING HER EYE ON THE HORIZON

ALUMNA TRACI HOLTON ENSURES CLEAR

SKIES FOR NASHVILLE’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AS CHIEF ENGINEER OF $2.8 BILLION IN EXPANSION IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH 2028.

Like all Nashvillians, Traci Holton (MS ’15) has seen a lot of growth in the city since she moved to the thriving metropolis from Kentucky 22 years ago.

Unlike most Nashvillians, though, she is playing a pivotal role in that growth, today and into the future, as the chief engineer for the Nashville International Airport’s (bna®) $1.4 billion bna Vision expansion plan, ending in 2023, and the new $1.4 billion bna® Horizon expansion plan, expected to be complete in 2028.

From signage to a pet park, from trusses large enough to span the new expanded “great hall” to airfield pavement reconstruction, Holton oversees not only the construction of the new facility, but also the engineering work needed to keep one of the nation’s busiest airports, with more than 18.4 million passengers passing through in 2021, operating without a hitch.

Holton, who earned her master’s degree in engineering management from Lipscomb, has been working at bna since 2003 and now holds the title of vice president of engineering and deputy chief operating officer.

bna was one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation pre-Covid-19, with rare double-digit percentage growth, said Holton. In 2022, it was already back to pre-pandemic growth levels, and by 2040 is expected to serve more than 30 million passengers. “The airport is a direct reflection of the growth of Nashville. It has grown as fast as the city, which has created a lot of exciting projects for me and my group,” she said.

By fall 2023, projects completed under the Vision plan will include a larger central terminal, a state-of-the-art international arrivals facility, a ninestory on-airport hotel, a fourth major concourse, a

variety of new dining (including many of the most iconic eateries through the city), retail and service amenities and a massive terminal parking garage complex.

“Some of the projects we are doing now, no other airport has ever even done. Especially with the timing sequence and the schedules. Today’s projects are the most exciting work I have ever done,” Holton said.

The airport began operating with one completely renovated terminal again in January.

The biggest logistics project the engineers had to carry out involved setting large spine trusses weighing 330,000 pounds across the roadways in front of the terminal. In May 2021, the airport shut down access to the arrivals and departures level for six nights, meaning passengers had to be rerouted to the two terminal garages for both passenger drop-off and pick-up while the trusses were set into place. It took months of planning, Holton said.

Holton got into engineering because her machinist father suggested it. She earned her bachelor’s in engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 1997, but always knew she wanted to earn a master’s degree. As she climbed the management ladder, she took on more responsibilities such as managing people, negotiating contracts and working with consultants.

“When I became chief engineer, I became responsible for the day-to-day operations, the planning side and strategies. I was heavily involved in the procurement of the vendors, the design and the money side of it.”

Any airport is a complex environment for travelers, especially for those who haven’t been there before, Holton said. As an airport engineer, you must think through the best design at each

Traci Holton (’15) who earned her master’s degree in engineering management from Lipscomb, has been working at BNA, one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, since 2003.

and every decision point a passenger must make as they traverse the facility as well as consider changes in society and demographics.

Her team evaluates signage constantly, especially in the midst of an expansion. On the roadways, they consider how much time a road design allows for a traveler to make a decision while driving. What new amenities are needed to accommodate new technologies, such as where to locate a cell phone waiting lot or how to fit ride-share pick-ups within existing infrastructure?

Do walking distances need to change or be supplemented with moving walkways as America’s population ages? The Vision plan has resulted in 55 new concessions and new performance venues to help alleviate passenger stress, but each new retail outlet and restaurant means new water and electrical demands on the system.

“Once you get the airport bug, though, you never want to leave. It is really exciting and dynamic to be a part of, and you are contributing to your community in this job,” she said.

Holton started at the airport as a project manager in the design group. She oversaw design and construction of the consolidated rental car facility. The $70 million facility was one of the largest projects the airport had taken on at the time. Throughout her career, she was promoted up the ranks, and in 2020, Holton was named the Government Engineer of the Year by the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers’ Nashville Chapter.

The new Horizon expansion program, which began in August, includes concourse A and D improvements (including some of those needed moving walkways), a new air freight building, baggage handling system improvements and terminal roadway improvements (including a new interchange for Donelson Pike and I-40).

With Nashville’s prominence and growth continuing to rise, Holton has every intention of making sure bna grows right along with it, maintaining its status as a world-class transit hub no matter what comes over the horizon.

“I LEAD BY EXAMPLE. I WORK HARD AND WORK A LOT OF HOURS, WHICH IS A GOOD INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE.”

— TRACI HOLTON , CHIEF ENGINEER, NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BNA®)

Greetings to the Bison Herd,

I think many will agree that when it comes to community, it’s all about connections. Connection is exactly what we in the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement will focus on over the next few years.

If you haven’t read it already, be sure to read about Lipscomb’s Impact 360 strategic plan, on pages 12-15, and you’ll understand exactly what I mean. Connections with communities, organizations and alumni are so important to Lipscomb’s future, that it has its own Impact 360 goal: to expand our engagement, influence and impact by forging deep connections with communities, organizations and most importantly you—our alumni.

In the next few years, we will expand the reach and enhance our alumni programs to become an even stronger connector between you and Lipscomb and you and your fellow alumni.

One of the first steps we are taking to make that happen is to expand our reach of the Lifelong Learning program. Lifelong Learning’s accessible, non-credit academic courses have proven to be a successful “front-door” to the university for cultivating

Reach out to the Herd

and strengthening relationships beyond the alumni audience and have broadened the university’s presence in the Greater Nashville area. We are excited to continue to diversify our class offerings, increase our special opportunities, and continue to offer exciting travel opportunities.

Other ways that Lipscomb plans to deepen its community and alumni connections is to leverage the power of technology, expand career services offerings, create affinity groups for alumni and elevate important university traditions and events. Make sure to be on the lookout for information from our office this year regarding “Lipscomb Connect.” This new technology platform will make it easier than ever to connect with previous classmates and current students and provide an online community for career support.

Lifelong Learning

MBA graduate joins St. Jude to accelerate children’s health care globally

Just a few weeks after earning his MBA with a concentration in health care administration at Lipscomb in May, Dr. Sergio Licona (’22), an MD, began making a difference in the world at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as coordinator of the infectious disease transversal program for the department of Global Pediatric Medicine.

Before coming to Lipscomb, Licona practiced medicine in Honduras for several years, and then went to work for Predisan-USA Inc., a Christian health care organization. He traveled to 37 clinics to care for people in the mountains of Honduras.

During the five years he worked for Predisan, Licona continued his practice while advancing into managerial roles, including becoming the associate executive director. In that role, he realized that he needed to have more tools, credentials and knowledge for a career in health care management. Learning about the graduate business program at Lipscomb through one of his mentors, Ken Shumard, a former Lipscomb board member, Licona decided to enroll.

At St. Jude, Licona is responsible for the design, coordination, implementation and oversight of infectious disease initiatives in eight regions around the world including Mexico, Central and South America, Eurasia, Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Pacific as well as South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The mission of St. Jude Global is to improve the survival rates of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases worldwide through the sharing of knowledge, technology and organizational skills.

“Our goal is to accelerate global improvements in the clinical care of children no matter where they live,” said Licona. “It’s such a great opportunity.”

Read more about Sergio at lipscomb.edu/licona.

Class Notes

At lipscomb.edu/classnotes you can post an update, share a photo, especially if it is your reunion year. For Bisons who have joined Golden Circle—that’s 50+ years since graduation—every year is a reunion year.

Submitted Bison Notes are edited for length, clarity, cultural sensitivity or for any reason at the discretion of the editors of Lipscomb Now. Images that do not meet the quality standards necessary for printing cannot be included.

1966 Judy Burleson (BA) of Brownsburg, Ind., is a retired teacher from Valparaiso, Indiana.

1971 John Burton (BS) of Brentwood, Tenn., is senior vice president of commercial banking lending for Lineage Bank.

William Crump (BA) of Madison, Tenn., published Encyclopedia of Easter Celebrations Worldwide in 2021.

1972 Pat Bethel (BA) was named the 2022 Alumna of the Year by Lipscomb University. Bethel serves on the regional leadership council of the Lupus Foundation of America Southeast Region, as Tennessee peer leader on the Deep South Health Equity Lupus Education Project.

1976 Thomas H. Marcrom (BS) of Manchester, Tenn., received the 2021 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.

Kevin Rachel (BA) of Nashville published his second book A Surprising Savior: How Jesus Defied the World’s Expectations in early 2022.

1977 Steve Flatt (BA), CEO of National Healthcare Corporation and Lipscomb University president from 1997 to 2005, has been inducted into the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association Hall of Fame.

1979

Mark McGee (BS, MA ’17), of Shelbyville, Tenn., was inducted to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in July 2022.

1980 Lori L. Barr, M.D. (BA) of Austin, Texas, has been named division Director of the Panhandle Division of Radiology Associates of Florida, a subsidiary of Radiology Partners Inc.

1983 Guy Fogle (BA) of Kettering, Ohio, is the new program director for Preble Shawnee Hoopsters Youth Basketball.

1985 Troy Haley (BA) of Nashville was appointed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to serve as administrator of the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation within the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, effective Sept. 1.

1988 Gregory Anderson (BA, MA ’03) of Bryan, Texas, has been named president of Midland Christian School and began the new role on Nov. 1.

Angela Coltharp Sadler (BS) of Gallatin, Tenn., is a program supervisor for post release services with Bethany Christian Services.

1989 Peggy Brandon (BS) of Chattanooga, Tenn., is a supervisor with HHM Certified Public Accountants.

1991 Kent Gallaher (BS) of Antioch, Tenn., began his new role as provost at Lubbock Christian University on July 1.

James Parker (BA) of Sedona, Ariz., is the group medical officer and senior vice president of SCP-Health.

1993 Brady Hayden (BS) of Alexandria, Va., is principal accounting officer and vice president of finance and accounting for Cyren Ltd.

1995 Karen Baskin (BA) of Mount Juliet, Tenn., is a claim manager for Davies Claims Solutions.

Jim Black (BA, MA ’01, MDiv ’06) of Fayetteville, Tennessee, is the regional director at Eastern European Mission. The organization publishes, prints and distributes Bibles and Bible-based materials in Eastern Europe and beyond at no charge.

BISON WINS

The John Templeton Foundation, the premier funder of work in religion and science as well as of research in virtues and character formation, has awarded a grant for Tokens Media to expand its programming and content and to develop a strategic marketing campaign. Tokens was founded in 2008 by Lee Camp (BS ’89), professor of theology and ethics. The media company produces a philosophical and theological variety show hosted throughout the Nashville area, along with a podcast and online shows. Tokens plans to expand syndication of the show nationally in 2023. Read more about Lee at lipscomb.edu/johntempleton.

CDC SNAPS UP 2022 GRAD WITH IMPRESSIVE CODING SKILLS AND PHARMACY KNOWLEDGE

The past few years have made it plain that when it comes to good health, data analysis and nationwide communication can be the difference between life and death for so many people.

Lipscomb alumna Sena Seged (’19, Pharm.D./MHCI ’22) was on the case for our nation even before she graduated, bringing her number-crunching skills and pharmacy credentials to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a month-long rotation in November 2021 and now as a full-time employee of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

In her rotation during her fourth-year in the Lipscomb College of Pharmacy, Seged worked with the PROTECT Initiative (Prevention of Overdoses and Treatment Errors in Children Task Force) on national-scale efforts to prevent overdoses of overthe-counter medications.

She also organized and analyzed 60 million rows of data on over-the-counter overdoses from 2014 until 2021 to discover the most commonly abused OTC medications reported on during that period. That information helped CDC officials create guidelines for medical professionals to help treat and prevent such overdoses nationwide, she said.

Before she arrived, her CDC mentors expected that project to take a year just to analyze the data. Using her informatics knowledge and coding skills, she was able to synthesize all the data during her one-month rotation.

No surprise that CDC officials scooped her up for a fulltime job as soon as she graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Science in healthcare informatics in May 2022.

Read more about Seged at lipscomb.edu/gradmhci.

Thanks for the Memories

1995 Estoria Powell (BS) of Nashville is a business executive at Zander Insurance.

1996 Jason Havens (BA) of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and a partner of Holland & Knight LLP, an AmLaw 50 firm, was appointed chair of the firm’s nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations team.

Wendy Howard (BS) of Plano, Texas, is a tax manager for Snyder Simeons LLP.

Pat Martin (BS) of Nashville and owner of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, recently released Life of Fire, a book that illustrates his lifelong passion for live-fire cooking.

Last spring, the May 2022 senior class decided to leave its mark by erecting a new decorative arch on campus.

Led by Grace Davis, senior class president, and Grant Hitchcock, 2021-22 SGA president, the senior class decided to commission an arch for students and visitors alike to enjoy. It is the first time since 2012 that a physical gift has been given by a graduating class.

The steel arch serves as an iconic entryway to the southern corner of campus, located over the sidewalk at Granny White Pike and Shackleford Road. It was designed and built by students in the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering and was funded with gifts from members of the senior class.

The 2022 senior class gift got us to reminiscing about class gifts of the past:

Perhaps the most recognizable senior gift was the Brewer Bell Tower, still standing today just outside Bennett Campus Center. The David Lipscomb College class of 1935 decided to donate funds toward the construction of a bell tower to call future students to both class and worship. Total cost of construction was $450.

While not sizable or visible today, certainly one of the most remembered student gifts was the $5.13 in pennies that students dropped into the hands of a surprised Willard Collins during the June 1978 commencement ceremony, his first as Lipscomb president. The money went into the Student Loyalty Fund and the graduation stunt was copied by other graduating classes through the years.

Today’s metal arch is apparently not the first senior-donated arch the Lipscomb campus has hosted. An entry arch with a sign stating, “From the Class of 1930,” was once located on the south end of Lipscomb’s semicircular driveway on the Granny White Pike side.

Peter Sullivan (BA) of Cane Ridge, Tenn., is the human resources manager for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.

1998 Andy Blackston (BS) of Huntsville, Ala., has been named head varsity boys basketball coach at Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee

1999 Karen Bacigalupo (BA, EdD ’14) of Nolensville, Tenn., is principal of FallHamilton Elementary School.

2000 Chad Johnson (BA, MMFT ’22), of Nashville has joined Nashville Therapy Group as a marriage and family therapist and works with children, teens, adults and couples.

Landon Stubblefield (BA), of Nashville, and Katherine Klockenkemper announce the Aug. 10 birth of their son George Locksley Stubblefield.

2001 John Goldasich (BA) of Birmingham, Ala., has joined Lazard Ltd. as a managing director of financial advisory’s consumer and retail group, in Charlotte, N.C.

Seth Portis (BS) of Brentwood, Tenn., opened his dental practice Portis Family Dental in Franklin, Tenn.

2003 Fount Lynch (BS) of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., is the new senior vice president of publicity at Warner Music Nashville.

2005 Ryan Myers (BS) of Franklin, Tenn., is a senior assurance manager for Aprio LLP and was recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as a member of its “40 Under 40” honorees.

Matt Patterson (BS) of Murfreesboro, Tenn., is director of national accounts for A.O. Smith Corporation, a leader in water heating and water treatment.

2007 Tiffany Summers (MBA) of Nashville is the director of financial aid at Volunteer State Community College.

YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI

ALUMNUS RETURNS ‘HOME’ TO CHANGE LIPSCOMB LIVES FOR THE BETTER

Keith Hinkle (’90) has already spent a lifetime in higher education, but after 28 years in Southern California, he brings his extensive advancement and fundraising experience to benefit the students of Lipscomb University.

With an accounting degree from Lipscomb and a law degree from Pepperdine University, Hinkle spent more than 20 years transforming lives at Pepperdine University through key leadership roles including SVP for advancement and public affairs and as senior vice chancellor.

Now the Wisconsin and Nebraska resident (who still counts himself among the fans of the Green Bay Packers but no longer for the Huskers), has returned to Tennessee to join Lipscomb’s leadership as the senior vice president for advancement, returning to the campus where he was a member of Gamma Xi, met his wife and was a cheering fan at the Bison basketball games just after the 1986 NAIA national championship run.

At Pepperdine, Hinkle led a significant fundraising campaign, The Campaign for Pepperdine: Changing Lives, which raised more than $471 million. He also led successful efforts to build a vibrant annual giving program; a culture of giving; regional, international and alumni chapter programs and significant improvements in alumni engagement.

As the husband of the former Elizabeth McMahan (’89), parent of three current Lipscomb students and a board member for frequent Lipscomb missions partner City of Children in Ensenada, Mexico, Hinkle has a strong bond with the Bison Herd. He hopes to build on Lipscomb traditions to create a place alumni call “home” and to advance the university’s goal to establish a $100 million endowment for student scholarships.

Read more about Hinkle at lipscomb.edu/hinkle

In the inimitable words of Yankees legend Yogi Berra, “This is like deja vu all over again.”

When Will Dugan laces up his cleats and dons a No. 20 Lipscomb baseball jersey this spring, those words will no doubt be on the minds of the Bison faithful. You see, the Dugan name is synonymous with Bison baseball and now that number is worn by a third Dugan generation. So, Lipscomb fans have been here before.

Will’s grandfather, legend Ken Dugan (’57), who coached the Bisons to two naia national championships, and compiled a record of 1137-450 over his 37-year career, was the first to wear the No. 20 Lipscomb jersey. Will’s father, Mike, a catcher for the Bisons was coached by his father on the team from 1986-1989. Will’s uncle, Kurt, was an outfielder for his father from 1991-1996.

In April 1991, Lipscomb opened its newest baseball facility, naming it Dugan Field in honor of Ken Dugan. At that time the number was officially “permanently assigned” to Coach Dugan for him to wear as long as he coached at Lipscomb, but no one else would have

the honor of wearing number 20. That is, until Will came along.

Baseball Coach Jeff Forehand approached the family this year to see if grandson Will could carry on the family tradition as the latest Dugan to wear No. 20. He joins this year’s team as a pitcher.

Will attended Lipscomb Academy from kindergarten through high school, and was a standout for the Mustang baseball team.

Although Will proudly wears the number of his grandfather, he never had an opportunity to meet him. Coach Dugan retired in 1996 due to health problems and died in February 2000 at the age of 64 of complications related to Parkinson’s disease.

“I am definitely looking forward to being on the field playing,” Will says. “Everyday we go out for practice and I see his name out on the wall, and it is a great reminder of his legacy and what this university means to my family.”

The Bisons open the 2023 season at Dugan Field in February.

Read more about Will Dugan at lipscomb.edu/dugan.

2008 Bethy Butler (MEd, EdS ’16) and her husband Mark (LA ’06) of Nashville announce the Nov. 15, 2021, birth of their daughter Emmaline Ruth. Bethy is an adjunct faculty member in Lipscomb University’s Department of English and Modern Languages.

Spencer and Amber (Hanks) Allen (BA) of Wells, Minn., announce the Jan. 9 birth of son Stetson Allen. Adam Fink (BBA) of North Canton, Ohio, has been recognized as a Greater Akron Chamber “30 for the Future” winner.

2009 Perry F. Louden (BA) of Bradyville, Tenn., recently released Daniel 11: A Message for God’s End-time People.

2010 Seth King (BA) of Memphis, Tenn., is the new athletic director at Harding Academy.

2011 Matt Brewer (BBA) of GruetliLaager, Tenn., is the chief financial officer for Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative.

Audrey Chamberlain (MA) of Fairview, Tenn., is the coordinator for special education with Dickson County Schools.

Davidson (BA) and Millie Goodwin Lentz (BS, MEd ’14) of Nashville announced the Feb. 20, 2021, birth of daughter Frances Caroline Lentz. Hunter (BA), and Rebecca Eaton Moss (MEd, ’16) of Nashville announce the May 3 birth of daughter Madeline.

Justin Richardson (BBA) of White House, Tenn., is a mortgage loan originator for AnnieMac Home Mortgage.

2012 Kara Andrew (MS) of Carthage, Ill., has joined the Memorial Hospital team as a dietitian.

Katie Batson (BS, MEd ’14) and her husband Blake of Nashville announce the March 29 birth of their daughter Brantley Kate Batson. Katie is a sixth grade science teacher at Lipscomb Academy.

Sydney Ball (BBA, MBA ’14), vice president of business development for NFP Executive Benefits, was named the 2022 Young Alumna of the Year by Lipscomb University. She was also a 2022 finalist for the Nashville Emerging Leader Awards in the financial services category, a 2021 Nashville Business Journal 40 Under 40 winner and was awarded a 2019 Sterling Award for being one of the “20 Most Influential Women in West Tennessee.”

Freshman pitcher represents third generation of legendary Lipscomb baseball family

TODAY’S BISONS BISON SPORTS REPORTER MAKES A TOUCHDOWN WITH SELECTION FOR ESPN’S NEXT PROGRAM

This past May, Erika Plunkett (’22) graduated as a Lipscomb legacy student in mechanical engineering, but she’s kick-starting her professional career not as an engineer, but as one of 25 people nationwide selected as content producers for ESPN’s NEXT program.

In July, she moved to Bristol, Connecticut, home of ESPN’s headquarters, and become a production assistant in the 18-month leadership development program that trains college graduates in two of seven areas—Sports Center, events, International Deportes, storytelling, college sports, NFL and daytime entertainment.

For Plunkett, who even as a young girl would give her father a college football recap “show” when he missed the games on Saturdays, sports reporting was nothing new. As a senior at Lipscomb Academy in 2018, she volunteered in the university Athletics office and helped with social media when the men’s basketball team went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history in March 2018.

She worked in various roles for Lipscomb’s ESPN+ productions, including student video producer, broadcast booth replay, directing audio, producing graphics and sideline reporter. She also served as editor of Lipscomb’s student news service, Herd Media, her sophomore and junior years. In addition, she assisted with broadcast and video production for Lipscomb Academy football games for several years.

At the end of the 18 months, participants can be promoted to content associate or other roles at ESPN. Plunkett has already made the first down; let’s cheer her on to the touchdown! Read

YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI LIPSCOMB ALUMNUS ADDS TO HIS KNOWLEDGE BY 10 DEGREES

This past May, Dr. Daniel Pigg (’81), University of Tennessee at Martin professor of English, walked across the stage in that university’s arena, but it wasn’t his second or third trip across a stage to receive a degree. It was his 10th.

His newly earned UT-Martin master’s degree in higher education leadership is his seventh master’s degree, and 10th degree overall in a streak of educational accomplishment that began with a bachelor’s degree in English from Lipscomb.

After graduating from Lipscomb, he went on to earn a master’s and then a doctorate in English at the University of TennesseeKnoxville as well as a master’s degree in medieval studies at the University of York in England on a Fulbright Scholarship.

In 1989 he began his career teaching in UT Martin’s Department of English, but he knew he wanted to teach in multiple disciplines. To that end, he earned a Master of Education from Middle Tennessee State University and a doctorate in curriculum studies at the University of Memphis.

After the death of his father in 2005, he delved into the study of religion, earning a Master of Arts in Religion at Memphis Theological Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology in Biblical Studies from the University of the South in Sewanee and a Master of Theological Studies from Phillips Theological Seminary.

This story was compiled from a report by Antonia Steele at the UT Martin Office of University Relations.

Read more about Pigg at lipscomb.edu/10degrees

Alé Dalton (BA), associate at Bradley in Nashville, received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award in the legal services category from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville.

2013 Natilan Crutcher (BA) of Arkadelphia, Ark., is a visiting professor of music at Ouachita Baptist University. She released Awakening, an album of original instrumental compositions, in November.

Watechia Lawless Mitchell (EdD) of Nashville has been named the MidTown Community superintendent for Hamilton County Schools.

Daniel Peck (MEd) of Rockvale, Tenn., is head baseball coach at Brentwood High School.

2014 Virginia Ezell Briley (BA, MEd ’18) of Brentwood, Tenn., is a legislative government relations coordinator at Jigsaw. She recently was recognized as one of Nashville’s “Top 30 Under 30” by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Kelsey Cartwright (BS, ’15 MEd) of Gallatin, Tenn., has been named head softball coach for Liberty Creek and began her new role in August.

Damaris Luna (EdS) of Clarksville, Tenn., is executive director with the Schools of Innovation for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

James Sullivan (EdD) of Christiana, Tenn., is director of schools for Rutherford County.

2015 Matt Brown (BBA, MAcc ’15), audit manager at Deloitte LLP in Nashville, received a 2022 Emerging Leader Award in the financial services category from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville.

Jenna Hagen (MEd, EdD ’20) of Nashville is principal at Ruby Major Elementary School.

Brian Marshall (MA) of Nashville recently received the Equality Award from Human Rights Campaign.

2016 Tate Burns (BS) of Argyle, Texas, is a software engineer II at Microsoft in Dallas.

Erin Duvall (MFA) of Nashville is director of digital marketing and streaming strategy at Black River Entertainment.

Joshua Weber (MEd) of Nashville is the training and education broker for Bradford Real Estate and leads the Bradford Academy training program for new real estate agents.

Jennifer Zepparelli (BBA, MA ’20) of Nashville is manager of DSP Services for Amazon.

Bisons Share

Bud Stumbaugh (BS ’62) of Dahlonega, Ga., recently released the book Do the Best You Can’t, sharing wisdom and principles to help people conquer their fears and challenges and achieve what they thought was impossible. Stumbaugh was abandoned by his father and raised by a mother who supported four children on minimum wage. He overcame poverty and became a state senator and successful entrepreneur.

2017

Charles Hamm (BA ’73) of Magnolia, Texas, is the author of Ponder on It, Pilgrims: The Bucolic Mark Twain on Critter Councils, Cookie Bandits and Texas Grit, which reached the No. 1 spot on Amazon.com’s Best Seller List in the Cultural, Ethnic & Regional Humor, Grandparenting and Men’s Christian Living category on April 20.

Davis (BBA, MA ’20) and Thabile Brown (’19, MBA ’20) of Nashville were married July 15 in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Thabile is an application analyst II for HCA Healthcare and Davis is assistant director of marketing and communications at the Lipscomb University College of Business.

Ricki Gibbs (EdD) of Mount Juliet, Tenn., is principal at Warner Arts Magnet School and also serves as innovation lead for the Schools of Innovation for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Christian (BM) of Burns, Tennessee, and Deanna Ang Johnson (BM, ’20) of Singapore announce the June 20 birth of son Benjamin Daniel.

Jacky Gomez (BBA), recruiting programs lead for Asurion Apprenticeships in Nashville, received a 2022 Emerging Leader Award in the human resources category from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville.

BISON WINS

Tyler Russell (BFA ’15), is the co-writer and director of the film adaptation of Someone Like You, the 2020 instant bestseller authored by his mother, Karen Kingsbury. Filming took place in the Greater Nashville area at the Franklin Public Square, Percy Priest Lake and the Nashville Zoo. The film is tentatively scheduled for release in fall 2023. In addition, a television series the pair co-wrote, and Russell directed, A Thousand Tomorrows, is now streaming on the Sony faith-based subscription video service Pure Flix.

Read more about Russell at lipscomb.edu/kingsbury.

Jane Gillen Garrett (BS ’78) of Franklin, Tenn., has released A Fractured Life: A Memoir of God’s Provision and Protection, a memoir of loss, faith and God’s redemption. With an alcoholic father and a mother who tragically died young, Garrett had to navigate her childhood and youth virtually on her own, but looking back she can see the lifelines God provided.

Heather Burwell (BA ’96) of Nashville is an author and recording artist who recently released Grief Doesn’t Do Math, a book about her unexpected life journey coping with grief. Filled with journal entries, poems and reflections, the work envisions a wider lens for grievers beyond the renowned five stages.

Theresa Benner McCullough (BS ’17) of Springboro, Ohio, recently published I Volunteered for This: A Woman’s Perspective of Serving in the U.S. Army. The work gives insight into a young female soldier’s daily life living in a war-torn combat zone and hope to any woman who has experienced sexual trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

lipscomb.edu/now

FAVORITE MEMORY OF JONATHAN SEAMON (’77), THE VOICE OF THE BISONS

A weekend of fun and memories

The 2022 Bisons Weekend provided plenty of nostalgic fun on Nov. 11-12 with volleyball and basketball games, a student parade, the fall musical, open houses, parent activities and more.

The Bison Square Fair was especially fun with reunion groups coordinated for alums from particular groups such as the QuestWeek staff, social clubs and residence hall RAs, games and fire pits (much-needed on a chilly weekend).

A special treat was to hear from Dr. Carl McKelvey (’53), who has been a part of the Lipscomb community for more than 65 years, as he shared an inspirational Bisons Weekend chapel message.

“AS PART OF THETA PSI, WE USED TO DO CAPTURE THE FLAG MATCHES RIGHT HERE IN THIS VERY SQUARE. ONE TIME I WAS ON THIS STAIRCASE, AND I LEAPED OVER THE GATE ONTO THE FLOOR AND DID A ROLLING JUMP IN ORDER TO SECURE A VICTORY FOR MY SIDE. SO PROBABLY THAT’S THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE, NOT JUST MY TIME HERE.”

FAVORITE MEMORY FOR MATT SAMEK (’15), ATTENDING THE SOCIAL CLUB REUNION IN BISON SQUARE

“ON HOMECOMING DAYS LIKE THIS, WE WOULD GET UP AND SET UP A RADIO STATION, RUN WIRES TO ALL THE DORMS (BECAUSE WE DIDN’T HAVE A BROADCAST STATION) AND WE WOULD BROADCAST RADIO… THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN”

2022 Alumna of the Year Pat Bethel

2022 Young Alumna of the Year Sydney Ball

2017 Hansie (BS, MS ’19) and Elizabeth (LA ’02 BA ’06) Rivera announce the July 5 birth of their son Luca Santiago. Luca was welcomed by his brother Carter and sister Alicia. Elizabeth is university archivist at Baylor University.

2018 Nathan Moran (BBA) of Franklin, Tenn., is the varsity boys basketball coach at Copley-Fairlawn City Schools. Andrea Pewitt (EdD) of Ashland City, Tenn., has been named director of academic innovation and strategy for Clarksville Christian School.

Whittney Polley (MEd, EdD ’21) of Logansport, La., is an assistant principal at Minden High School.

Shining Light Award Winners

Lipscomb President Candice McQueen’s focus on becoming a shining light in this earthly world has continued with the Shining Light Award presented to members of the Lipscomb community throughout 2022.

These recipients whose life—and light—shine brightly through service to others were honored during Be A Light tour stops throughout the spring and fall.

Monét C. Shell (MMFT) of Nashville is the new director of clinical services with Insight Counseling Centers.

2019 Russell Vannozzi (BBA) of Nashville is the sports editor at Main Street Media of Tennessee. He received three awards from the Texas Sports Writers Association in July 2022.

Kegan (BS, MS ’21) and his wife Hannah (BSN ’20) York of Nashville announce the Sept. 19 birth of their daughter Caroline Collins. Kegan is Lipscomb University’s director of campus recreation and wellness.

2020 Donovan Brackett (BSN) and his wife Kristen of Nashville announce the Aug. 12 birth of their daughter Emma Joyce.

Stefen Jordan (LA ’10, MBA) and his wife Asia of Nashville announce the Jan. 15 birth of their son Jru Aubrey.

Stefen is Lipscomb University’s manager of finance and administration in health sciences.

Benjamin Nadolsky (MEd) of Knoxville, Tenn., has been appointed a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board by President Joe Biden. Nadolsky is the principal of Nadolsky Consulting Group LLC, a firm specialized in education, accessibility and disability rights.

2021 Ann Toy (EdD) and her husband Corey of Nashville announce the Aug. 8 birth of their son Elijah Allen. Anne is an assistant professor in dietetics at Lipscomb University. Elijah was welcomed by older sisters Emerson and Evan.

2022 Preston (MA) and Tiffani (BSN, ’21) Campbell of Nashville announce the Jan. 16 birth of their daughter Oaklee Grace. Preston is director of football operations for Lipscomb Academy.

Dr. Larry (‘63) and Florrye Grant (’64) Chattanooga, Tennessee

Dr. Randy Huffines (’79) Knoxville, Tennessee

Dr. Keith Ray (’75) Louisville, Kentucky

Dr. Jimmy Sullivan (Ed.D. ’14) Murfreesboro, Tennessee

John Friend (’57) Chicago, Illinois

Ben Page (’08) Charlotte, North Carolina

Jim (’68) and Linda Allen (’67) Franklin, Tennessee

Jason Wamack (’97) Chattanooga, Tennessee

Lipscomb icon Harold Hazelip, a man of gentle spirit and deep faith, is called home

Harold Hazelip (’50), 92, who served as Lipscomb’s president from September 1986 to May 1997, passed away on Sept. 21. He will long be remembered for his gentle spirit, deep faith and tremendous influence. From the earliest days of his ministry career that began in 1949 and a career in education that spanned three decades, Hazelip had a profound impact on the lives of thousands.

He became president of Lipscomb after serving 14 years as dean of the Harding Graduate School of Religion in Memphis. He retired from the presidency in 1997 and assumed the role of chancellor. He also served a three-month stint as interim president in summer 2005 and most recently served as president emeritus.

“We mourn the loss of someone who has had a tremendous impact on the Lipscomb community—from starting our study abroad program to adding academic accreditations to leading our first master’s degrees at Lipscomb. And, personally, Dr. Hazelip will always be ‘my president’ as I was blessed to be a Lipscomb student under his outstanding leadership,” said Lipscomb President Candice McQueen

“He led with quiet confidence and a strong vision for an academically advancing university. In my first year serving as Lipscomb president, he was a friend, a supporter and encourager. His wise words—whether speaking as a leader, a Bible teacher, a minister or a mentor—will forever be with me.”

As president, Hazelip was known for strengthening Lipscomb’s identity as a leading academic institution. He remained committed to the Christian values of the founders, and through his example, encouraged students, faculty and staff to deepen their involvement in service and mission.

During Hazelip’s tenure:

• David Lipscomb College became Lipscomb University and began offering master’s degrees for the first time in university history.

• The first semester-abroad program, Lipscomb in Vienna, was launched.

• Enrollment topped 2,500 for the first time in university history.

• Campus construction and renovation, totaling more than $20 million, included a campus-wide beautification program, a new library, the Student Activities Center, an addition to Swang Center, a new baseball/ tennis complex; an addition to Lipscomb Academy; and major renovations of Crisman Memorial Library, Burton Administration Building and McQuiddy Gym.

• A new emphasis was placed on service and mission opportunities. Short-term mission trips were added, and the missions program grew quickly.

• Minority enrollment more than doubled.

• Lipscomb was named one of the top ten liberal arts universities in the South by U.S. News & World Report, and as one of the top ten “best values” in the same region.

In the late 1940s Hazelip became one of the first people from his rural Kentucky hometown to attend a Christian college. He earned his junior college diploma from Freed-Hardeman University in 1948 and his bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb in 1950. He earned the bachelor of divinity, a postgraduate degree, from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958 and the Ph.D. in religion from the University of Iowa in 1967.

He preached for Churches of Christ in Kentucky, Iowa and Tennessee from 1949-1986 and preached by appointment while president at Lipscomb and in his retirement. He served as speaker for the Herald of Truth television series from 1971 through 1992. He is also the author of several books.

Hazelip is survived by his wife, Helen; two children; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

The family has asked that memorial donations be made to: Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson Street, Nashville, TN 37203; Christian Community Services, P.O. Box 40741, Nashville, TN 37204; and Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204.

We want your notes!

Please send news of weddings, births, deaths; new jobs and promotions; academic and professional degrees; church and community service activities; awards and achievements; and changes of address to Class Notes Editor, Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204.

Email : classnotes@lipscomb.edu Online : lipscomb.edu/classnotes

In Memoriam

1933 Andrew Lynch of Fort Collins, Colorado, died Feb. 25.

1940 Herman Hall Stubblefield (Associate Degree) of Birmingham, Ala., died April 4.

1950 Marceline Haver (BS) of Atlanta, Ga., died Feb. 9.

1951 Nancy A Scruggs (BA) of Ooltewah, Tenn., died March 15.

1952 Mary Plummer (BS) of Antioch, Tenn., died March 20.

Sue Clark Stout (BS) of Franklin, Tenn., died April 15.

1954 Emma Brown (BA) died on Nov. 23. Brown was a retiree from the Lipscomb payroll office. Her son Larry Brown is a professor in the departments of theater, film and Bible.

Catherine G. Halsey (BA) of Hendersonville, Tenn., died Jan. 24.

Marion Rodgers Ogilvie (BS) of Franklin, Tenn., died June 8.

1956 Lytle Jones (BA) of Tampa, Fla., died June 1.

James Robert Sweeney (BA) of Gallatin, Tenn., died March 20.

1957 Walter Ray Glass (BS) of Malibu, Calif., died Jan. 22.

1958 Orene Brooks Breeden (BS), of Franklin, Tenn., died March 26.

Dr. Constance

“Connie” Marie Fulmer (BA) of Malibu, Calif., died March 17.

Jacqueline Hester (BS) of Cumming, Ga., died Aug. 19.

Jackie Lee Wagnon Roberts (BS) of Tuscumbia, Ala., died May 26.

1960 John Hollingsworth (BA) of San Antonio, Texas, died Jan. 31.

Loy Walston Martin (BA), of Hendersonville, Tenn., died March 12.

Dot Lacroix Thompson (BA) of Marysville, Ohio, died Nov. 27, 2020.

1961 Kenneth Brent Snow (BA) of Ormond Beach, Fla., died March 21.

1962 Michael D. Anglin (BA) of Falls Church, Va., died Dec. 19, 2021.

Philip Coleman (BS) of Nashville died April 4.

Cora Hager Porter (BA) of Duluth, Ga., died Feb. 2.

William K. Toungette (BS) of Spring Hill, Tenn., died Sept. 3.

James Welch (BS) of McMinnville, Tenn., died July 30.

1963 Grady Edward “Eddie” Hendrix (BA) of Richmond, Va., died July 3.

Susan Russell Lassiter (BA) of Brentwood, Tennessee, died July 1.

1964 Ralph Guthrie (BS) of Jacksonville, Fla., died July 16.

1965 James Shannon Lawrence (BA) of LaVergne, Tenn., died April 19.

1966 Sarah “Sally” Hogan (BS) of Chattanooga, Tenn., died Feb. 4.

1967 Robert Paul Pigott (BA), of Marietta, Ga., died in April.

1968 Ben Farrell (BA) of Nashville died Aug. 10. Gary Headrick (BA), of Cleveland, Miss., died Feb. 7.

Ralph Mabry (BA) of Franklin, Tenn., died Aug. 10.

Michael Dean Slate (BA) of Hermitage, Tenn., died July 24.

1969 Marsha Annette Tullis (BS) of Chattanooga, Tenn., died May 25.

1971 Robert L. “Bob” Weaver (BS) of Johnson City, Tenn., died May 23.

Joe Widick (BA) of Lebanon, Tenn., died May 27.

University mourns the loss of Lipscomb community members

Kevin Clauson, professor of pharmacy practice in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, died Sept. 15 following a brief battle with cancer.

A thought leader and nationally recognized expert in health care informatics and digital health, Clauson joined the Lipscomb faculty in 2014. In addition to leading the health care informatics courses in the College of Pharmacy, he also played a key role in launching Lipscomb’s Master of Science in health care informatics program.

He was published extensively in biomedical literature, which generated coverage by media outlets around the worl. He also consulted for the World Health Organization and served as a reviewer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Public Health Informatics.

Shelia Demonbreun, student accounts clerk, passed away on Sept. 24 following several prolonged health issues. Demonbreun worked in the Business Office for the last 21 years. She was known by her colleagues for her quiet demeanor, hard work ethic and ever-present smile.

“Shelia knew how to work hard, and she also knew how to leave work at work and focus on her life and family. She loved her family and would take great care of their needs,” said Darrell Duncan, vice president of finance. “She truly lived in God’s kingdom on this earth, she did not wait to start her journey only in heaven. She got a big head start as I witnessed during her time at Lipscomb.”

Former Lipscomb trustee Raymond B. Jones, 87, passed away on July 15 as a result of an ATV accident. Jones, of Huntsville, Alabama, was a significant supporter of Lipscomb for decades, serving on the Board of Trustees from 19832007. Jones and his wife, Libby, led the charge in 2002 to first establish a school of engineering that grew into the college that bears his name.

Just as faith was an integral part of every aspect of his life, Jones had a particular passion for the integration of faith into engineering education. As such, the Joneses have been strong supporters of Lipscomb’s Peugeot Center for Engineering Service in Developing Communities and have continued to support that work year after year.

Lipscomb through your estate.

By unleashing the power of estate planning, you can find financial peace of mind for you and your family while also leaving a legacy that supports students who dream of achieving a Lipscomb degree.

Learn more about different gift-planning options available that benefit scholarships such as the Lipscomb Opportunity Scholarship Fund, an investment that provides immediate assistance to those who need extra financial aid to help clear the path for their Lipscomb education.

Leave a legacy at

1972 Marianna Anderson (BA) of Atlanta, Ga., died March 14.

1973 Belinda Bee Buckley (BS) of Parkersburg, W.Va., died June 28.

1974 Travis Dewey Irwin (BA) of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, died June 1.

Deborah Kay Suggs (BS) of Lima, Ohio, died June 7.

Paul Samuel Warren (BS) of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, died Feb. 26.

Charles Kenneth Wiles (BS) died July 31.

1975 John E. Baldwin Sr. (BA) of Nashville died May 24.

1975 Kathryn Clark (BS) of Benton, Ky., died March 7.

Andrew Porter (BS) of Benton, Ky., died March 8.

1976 James Larry Snow (BS) of Dickson, Tenn., died Feb. 12.

1977 Joseph Carson Spivey (BS) of Nashville died March 21.

1982 Melody Capshaw (BS) of Jasper, Tenn., died June 6.

Gerry Thomas Parker (BA) of Columbia, Tenn., died Aug. 29

1985 James A. Miller (BS) of Mentor, Ohio, died Feb. 5.

1987 Ray Burch (BS) of Nashville died Aug. 10.

1988 Ronald Kyle Wood (BA) of Nashville died Dec. 19, 2021.

1993 Melanie Gentry (BA) of Montgomery, Ala., died July 30.

2009 James Ferguson (MA) of Nashville died Feb. 20.

2018 Emily Meinerding McLean (BA) of Cincinnati, Ohio, died Oct. 22.

2019 Joshua Taylor (BS) of Nashville died May 5.

2020 Rebeca Anderson (BA) of Morristown, Tenn., died March 12.

Hunter York (BPS) of Nashville, an assistant coach in the Lipscomb Academy high school boys’ basketball program, died Nov. 6. Hunter is the son of Greg York, who teaches at Lipscomb Academy, and Michelle York, who served as athletic director at the academy from 2019-2022, and brother of Kegan York, director of Campus Recreation and Wellness at Lipscomb University, and of Kaelan York, a senior at the university.

2022 Faculty Retirements

With the passing of each year, Lipscomb University not only sends out a new group of students to begin their adult lives as lights in the world, but also sends out a new group of faculty retirees to also bring light and wisdom to the world as they enjoy their senior years to the fullest.

Dr. Craig Bledsoe (’75) served 25 years as Lipscomb’s provost and chief academic officer, casting the academic vision for Lipscomb through the previous two administrations.

Under his leadership, the university expanded to ten colleges offering more than 200 undergraduate programs of study, more than 30 master’s degree programs and four doctoral degrees. Because of the expansion, in 2015 the institution was reclassified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral/professional university, which moved Lipscomb to national status in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Dr. Terry Briley (’78, MA ’12), professor of Bible, retired from teaching and administrative leadership after 37 years of service.

With his warm manner and gentle wit, both his undergraduate and graduate level classes were popular with students, whether it was a class in Hebrew, Bible or general education. He served as dean of the College of Bible & Ministry and was leading the college at the time it gained Association of Theological Schools accreditation for its graduate program. He served as sponsor of the Kappa Chi social club for the entirety of his time at Lipscomb and served three terms as president of the Faculty Senate.

Dr. Phil Choate (’69), professor of biology, retired after 46 years of giving future doctors the only real piece of medical information he said they would need: “When in doubt, Cut it out! Liver, heart, lungs and brain— Only these must remain!” Students enjoyed Choate for his humor and wit, in the course that most agree is the foundational course for all doctors—Anatomy & Physiology I and 2.

Our mission statement boldly states that Lipscomb University is a Christ-centered community, just as our Bison alumni community is as well.

In the act of serving, Lipscomb and its community of alumni can have the greatest impact

Over the past school year, my first as president of Lipscomb, I have discovered a lot about who we are. Through 11 visits with alumni across the country in the Be A Light Tour , I met people at every stop who made it clear to me that Lipscomb is a community of shining lights reflecting the glory of God in their communities around the globe.

The Lipscomb community of more than 40,000 alumni is engaged in almost every field of work across the country and the world. We are educators, accountants, entrepreneurs, artists, engineers, public servants, health care providers, counselors, church leaders and much more. While our professions, talents and physical locations are diversified, we are united and identified by our values and impact.

So it was such a joy to meet alumni through the Be A Light Tour, and at the same time work with the entire campus community on the university’s Impact 360 Strategic Plan: a vision, mission statement, list of values and plan that begins by identifying who we are. (See details on pages 12-15). You can learn more about how this strategic plan impacted the 2021-2022 school year, in the 2022 President’s Report available at lipscomb.edu/prez22

Our mission statement boldly states that Lipscomb University is a Christ-centered community, just as our Bison alumni community is as well. Over the next seven years, we will work together on a focused plan and take both immediate and long-term action in order to move closer to our personal, and our institutional, impact. As one of the six main priorities of that work, we will expand our engagement, influence and impact by forging deep connections with communities, organizations and alumni.

There is tremendous power in collaboration. Every person, including our alumni, has a role in uplifting our mission, reaching our vision and defining our culture.

Throughout the past year, the university has honored alumni who demonstrate Lipscomb values by exemplifying lives of service and character, and living their faith in action. As I traveled along the Be A Light Tour, we presented Shining Light Awards (see page 43) to recognize those whose lives—and lights—shine brightly in their communities and in their service to others. Among this year’s recipients were:

• Dr. Larry (’63) and Florrye Grant (’64), who have overseen the marriage ministry, teaching classes and activities to nurture strong marriages for nearly 20 years at Clear Creek Church of Christ in Chattanooga.

• Dr. Keith Ray (’75), a pediatric dentist, who has served in free local dental clinics for adults and children and participated in medical mission work in Guatemala.

• Ben Page (’08), a former professional soccer player for the Charlotte Eagles who founded the Urban Eagles ministry and later the I AM 24/7 ministry, both nonprofit organizations that use the vehicle of sport to disciple youth to become leaders of the next generation.

The pages of this piece include other inspiring stories of alumni whose values led them to vocations that are making a difference in the lives of those they serve. There are reports about the significant impact made over the past year, from welcoming new leadership and academic programs to developing partnerships and academic and spiritual milestones, while also focusing on delivering our best through customer service.

There is no one way to have an impact. It requires using a personal sphere of influence, the gifts and talents God provides, and time and energy to make a difference in the lives of others. In the act of serving, Lipscomb alumni have the greatest impact.

The beauty is that we have only just begun the work that will define our future. I hope you are encouraged by where we are and where we are going, and that you want to further your engagement with the Lipscomb community as we continue to move forward.

Please stay connected by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Follow us on LinkedIn and be sure your education profile includes Lipscomb University. Sign up for our monthly Lipscomb Now e-newsletter at lipscomb.edu/ newsletter-signup, if you are not currently receiving it. For more alumni information, visit lipscomb.edu/alumni.

Blessings,

Dr. Candice McQueen (’96) President, Lipscomb University