HIGHEST LEVEL. HIGHER CALLING.
Athletics’ Spiritual Formation reveals big picture of sport to students Page 22
FROM PAST TO PRESENT: Commencement
With the continued growth of academic programs and the number of graduates, Lipscomb’s spring commencement ceremony has seen a lot of changes over the years.
For decades the spring ceremony was held outdoors, weather-permitting, with attendees sitting on chairs or leaning on trees in the Quad (and in the heat!) and graduates accepted their diplomas on the steps of the Burton Administration Building (now the A.M. Burton Health Sciences Center). In inclement weather, graduates and their families packed into McQuiddy Gym for commencement.
Today the continued growth of the student body requires two ceremonies in May, one for undergraduates and one for graduate students, held inside the more comfortable Allen Arena.
In addition to the growth in numbers, the passage of time has required changes to the tradition of the bell toll, which did ring once for each year of Lipscomb’s existence but now rings once for each decade. New technology has made it possible to livestream the ceremony for loved ones who cannot attend in person.
Graduates since 2005 fondly remember the bagpipe band leading the procession, celebrating with friends in the tunnels of the arena before entering and the wooden mace carved from a tree dating back to the days of David Lipscomb’s farm.
Historic Photo: Graduates proceeding into the commencement ceremony in 1988, when the ceremony was held outdoors in front of the Burton Administration Building.
Above: Today with almost 1,000 students graduating each spring, the May ceremony has been moved into Allen Arena and split into two ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate.
Editor
Kim Chaudoin
Senior
Janel Shoun-Smith
Writers
Kim Chaudoin
Janel Shoun-Smith
Keely Hagan
Photography
Kristi Jones
Sean Worth
Lipscomb Athletics
Madisyn Rentz
Design
Hailey Speciale
Will Mason
Lipscomb Athletics’ spiritual formation program reveals the big picture of sport, showing students who they can become with trophies and God.
Cover Photo: Lipscomb student athletes worship on the beach during a mission trip in 2023 to Baja, Mexico. Photo taken by Chris Klotz.
Lipscomb’s strategic plan Impact 360 continues with renewed emphasis on six key areas that are the difference-makers in the lives of Lipscomb students.
generation of Bison physicians are treating more than the body through day-to-day clinic care, research, global missions and reach into low-resource areas.
Exploring God’s Handiwork
Lipscomb launched the career of James Savage (BS ’04), aerospace engineer, now working to send explorers to Mars and beyond.
Lipscomb grows students with big ideas to make a big difference.
Members of the Lipscomb Bison Herd sure have some big ideas.
James Savage (BS 2’04) has the big idea that we can send people through deep space to Mars (see page 26).
Christopher Klotz, Lipscomb’s director of Athletics’ spiritual formation and winner of Lipscomb’s 2024 Barnabas Award, has the big idea that he can show young athletes the “big picture” that sport is about more than themselves (see page 22).
Dr. Eric Grogan (BS ’95) believes he can make a big difference in the health of future patients through a biobank of lung tissue and a heart for mentoring the next generation (see page 16).
New students arrive on Lipscomb’s campus each year with plenty of big ideas, but any of these successful Bisons would tell you that it takes a lot of nurturing and growth to bring a big idea to reality throughout a successful career.
That’s what Lipscomb is in the business to do: to help its students, and its community, grow luxuriantly or flourish.
That is certainly a big goal, but it’s one that Lipscomb has been focused on achieving for the past two years and will be focused on for the next four years.
On pages 30-33 you can read more about six areas we see as key to all Lipscomb’s undergraduate students flourishing during their time with Lipscomb: spiritually, purposefully, relationally, holistically, academically and within a welcoming community.
Cultivating growth within our students’ lives involves even more than these areas, but these are the difference-makers that make a Lipscomb Bison lead a flourishing life both during college and into their careers.
This past year, we have surveyed students’ on their interest in and what they see as gaps in spiritual formation at Lipscomb, established a framework for future improvements and created a dean’s position for spiritual formation.
In the Student Life area, new partnerships and alignments have resulted in the soft launch of a holistic, comprehensive First Year Experience for our first-time freshmen students this fall. The Provost’s Office and faculty are moving into the third year of development of the Lipscomb Core, a curriculum to supersede the current general education curriculum in fall 2025.
In a move that has already shown positive outcomes this fall, a group of new academic success coaches have been hired to focus on degree-planning with the Class of 2028 throughout their college career. This structure will allow faculty to serve as true mentors to our students, focusing on spiritual, emotional and professional connection.
Lipscomb’s commitment to nurturing growth does not limit itself to students only. Several new programs targeted to market needs debuted in fall 2024 to help the surrounding community and marketplace grow and flourish (see page 49).
We have brought valuable undergraduate degrees to the residents of the Riverbend Maximum Security Institute (see page 3) and graduate degrees in leadership to the members of the Tennessee National Guard (see page 5).
You can read on page 10 about how our student-athletes are performing at the highest level, sweeping all three of the ASUN’s All-Sports trophies, but how they are also answering a higher calling to faith on page 22.
At Lipscomb, we know that God’s Kingdom is big, and we want Lipscomb Bisons to play a significant part in it. So we are daily putting in the work, delivering our best and visioning the future to make Lipscomb a place that nourishes growth toward big ideas and big dreams.
Blessings,
Dr. Candice McQueen (’96) President, Lipscomb University
Lipscomb President Candice McQueen met with alumni in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center during the Be A Light Tour in 2022. The center is full of big ideas come to life, including a model of a rocket designed in part by Lipscomb alumnus James Savage
The LIFE program is about making sure that education provides hope to all. Hope that is experienced and learned together, built on character, compassion and certainly competence for what they can achieve.
–Dr. Candice McQueen
First graduates at Riverbend Maximum Security Institute honored at May commencement
Four students participating in the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) Program at Riverbend Maximum Security Institute (RMSI) in Nashville received Associate of Arts degrees in a graduation ceremony in May. This was the first time that college degrees have been awarded to students at Riverbend through the LIFE program.
The graduation ceremony was a traditional commencement with faculty and students wearing regalia and processing into the ceremony. As part of the program, these inside
students earned college credit for courses taught face-to-face at the prison by university professors one night a week. The graduation was the culmination of nearly a decade of study and work for these graduates.
“Education opens doors to opportunity, and it does so no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. You’ve shown that no matter where you are, you can redefine your future,” said President Candice McQueen (BS ’96) during the ceremony.
The graduates, who started their studies in 2013, will now be the first at RMSI to work toward Lipscomb’s Bachelor of Professional Studies.
The LIFE program began in 2007 at Nashville’s Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center (DJRC) before expanding to offer classes at
IN THE now
Riverbend in 2013. Since the LIFE program was established, 46 degrees have been conferred at the two facilities: 25 Associate of Arts degrees including the graduates at Riverbend, 13 Bachelor of Professional Studies degrees and eight Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degrees.
On average, it takes about 10 years for a student to complete the academic requirements for a bachelor’s degree, which in a traditional college setting would take four to five years; about seven years to complete an associate degree, which in a traditional college setting takes approximately two years to complete; and about four years to complete a master’s degree, which in a traditional college setting takes approximately one year.
School of Communication students are producing a documentary on Gen. Robert Neyland of UT football fame.
In the Fields Engineering Center, computer science students build software for teachers nationwide in support of an NSF-funded project.
Students are on the front lines of industry in the Lipscomb-Inotiv lab in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center.
In McFarland’s classrooms, students gained the knowledge needed to participate in a U.S. Fish & Wildlife birdbanding project.
Students collected data for a new book on faith and foreign aid in the Ezell Center.
MHA becomes first in Nashville to earn CAHME accreditation
The College of Business’ Master of Health Administration (MHA) program has achieved initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), making it the first and only program in Nashville to receive this prestigious recognition.
“Having a CAHME-accredited program provides more professional opportunities for our students as many health care organizations only hire those with degrees from accredited programs,” said Ray Eldridge, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Business. “This recognition further solidifies our position as a leader in preparing the next generation of health care administrators and leaders.”
Lipscomb joins an elite group of only 95 universities in the nation with CAHMEaccredited MHA programs. Lipscomb’s program is one of only two accredited programs in Tennessee and the only one in the state with both AACSB and CAHME accreditations.
The CAHME-accreditation process is rigorous and comprehensive, focusing on program quality, curriculum content and faculty expertise.
The Lipscomb MHA may be completed in two years and is designed for early to midcareer professionals with up to six years of experience in health care and an interest in management as well as clinical professionals with any level of experience who desire an administrative role.
Master’s program receives national recognition from Department of the Army
In February, the Department of the Army announced the College of Leadership & Public Service as a national 2023 winner of the Army Community Partnership Award for its innovative partnership to provide graduate-level education to leaders in the Tennessee National Guard.
The award recognizes Army installations and their community partners for initiatives that improve soldier and family quality of life, enhance readiness, contribute to modernization, improve cost efficiencies, expand capabilities, support Army priorities and strengthen local community relationships.
The honored installations and community partners were recognized at an awards ceremony in April at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.
In a close partnership with the Tennessee National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters, Lipscomb began offering its Master of Arts in Leadership and Public Service in a specialized, on-site cohort for Tennessee National Guard service members in 2022. The inaugural Tennessee National Guard cohort of 13 students graduated in December.
Aimed at enhancing leadership skills among full- or part-time seasoned professionals, this practitioner-oriented degree program has now expanded statewide with 25 students in the current cohort with a second location in Knoxville.
Nearly 10% above the national average BISON WINS
90.91% Pharmacy Class of 2024 residency match rate
From 30 submissions, six awards were selected and given nationally highlighting partnerships formed between fiscal years 2020 and 2023 that involved garrisons, reserve centers and armories.
While some positions within the National Guard require a master’s degree for promotion, educating actively serving soldiers also equips them for the transition into civilian life.
President Candice McQueen and officials from the TN National Guard and Lipscomb’s College of Leadership and Public Service traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to accept the award from the U.S. Army.
LIPSCOMB
Men’s and women’s golf succeed in ASUN Championships, send players to NCAA competitions
For the first time in program history, the Lipscomb men’s golf team won the 2024 ASUN Championship in April. The team advanced to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional in May, where they finished with an overall score of 888 (+24), which was good for 10th place.
The women’s golf team finished as runners-up at the 2024 ASUN Championship in April, with senior Lauren Thompson earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Auburn Regional as an individual medalist, finishing (-11), for a sevenstroke margin of victory.
At the men’s ASUN Championship tournament, Lipscomb was in control all week and finished as the only team under par. The Bisons finished with a score of 848 (-16), defeating the field by an impressive 17 strokes. Lipscomb led the field in par 3 scoring (3.13), par 5 scoring (4.63) and birdies (59).
Will Holan (BBA ’24) earned the 2024 Individual Championship after reigning victorious on the first hole of a playoff. His win marked the first individual champion for the Bisons since Dawson Armstrong (BBA ’20) in 2018. Holan was consistent all week, never dropping below even to par at the ASUN tournament. All told, Holan had 30 pars and 15 birdies over the tournament.
Ford Goldasich (BBA ’24) had another stellar performance for the Bisons, finishing as runner-up
in a play-off with teammate Holan and a third golfer from Florida Gulf Coast University.
“A total start-to-finish effort from the entire team,” said men’s golf Head Coach Will Brewer (BS ’77), who was named 2024 ASUN Coach of the Year. “Coach [Stoney] Crouch and I saw it coming starting in mid-February… The stats were indicating growth and that skills were improving. With confidence at a season high, we discussed that our good was good enough to win the conference championship if and when we got off to a strong start. The men bought into the focus and the rest is Lipscomb history.”
At the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional in May, the team finished round three with an overall score of 888 (+24) which was good for 10th place. During the third round, Holan and graduate student Jaron Leasure led the way, each with an even 72 on the day. Leasure had his best round of the tournament, going even on both the front and back nine.
At the ASUN Championship for the women’s team, Thompson was steady throughout the entire competition. Her score of 64 in the first two rounds set an ASUN Championship record for the lowest 18-hole score and lowest 18-hole score vs par. All told, Thompson finished with a 205 (-11), which matched an ASUN Championship record for lowest 54-hole score and 54-hole score vs par. She completed the team’s season competing as an individual at the NCAA Auburn Regional in April. She finished tied for 38th in a field of 66 competitors. All told, she connected on 31 pars and five birdies over the 54-holes.
During the 2023-2024 season, Thompson was named an ASUN Scholar Athlete of the Year, a First Team All ASUN member and member of the ASUN All-Academic Team. She was a two-time ASUN Golfer of the Week and finished in the top 23 in all 10 tournaments played.
“Lauren fought hard and each day represented Lipscomb and the ASUN very well,” said women’s golf Head Coach Shannon O’Brien (MDiv ’20). “Capping off two back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances, we look forward to building off this opportunity for next season.”
Senior Lauren Thompson earned a bid to the NCAA Regional.
Will Holan (BBA ’24) earned the ASUN 2024 Individual Championship. lipscomb
For the first time in program history, the men’s golf team won the 2024 ASUN Championship in April.
Women’s Tennis Sweeps ASUN All-Conference Superlatives
The women’s tennis team had a historic season as the squad earned a clean sweep of the 2024 ASUN Conference superlative postseason awards.
In the 2024 season, the team, as a whole, earned its first national ranking, its highest seed ever going into the ASUN tournament, its second-highest win total under the current head coach (15), the highest total of regular season conference wins under the current head coach (7). They also advanced to the semifinals of the ASUN conference tournament.
Jamie Aid, (BS ’06), Head Coach
2024 ASUN Coach of the Year
The squad opened the 2024 season with Aid’s 100th career win as the Bisons’ head coach. Aid went on to lead the Bisons to an 8-2 start in their first 10 games and to earn an overall 15-5 record—the second-
Lennie Acuff named finalist for Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award
Lipscomb Head Men’s Basketball Coach Lennie Acuff was named a finalist for the 2023-2024 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, honoring those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity on and off the court as well.
Acuff completed his fifth and best season at Lipscomb in the spring, with the Bisons recording their second straight 20-win season, finishing 20-12 (11-5 in the ASUN), and reaching the ASUN tournament quarterfinals. Throughout his tenure, he has guided the Bisons to an 85-72 record in five seasons.
“I am humbled to be among the finalists for this honor,” said Acuff. “Coach Prosser was highly respected by everyone in college basketball because of the way he went about
highest number of wins in the regular season for the program in the Aid era.
Sasha Dobranos
2024 ASUN Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference
Dobranos (BBA ’24) was the Herd’s top player in 2024. She has collected a 16-4 singles record, including a 9-1 mark in singles play against conference opponents, as well as a 10-2 record in doubles play with a 5-1 mark in doubles play against conference opponents.
Mariya “Masha” Dolzhenko
2024 ASUN Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-Conference, All-Freshman Team (Unanimous Selection)
Dolzhenko, sophomore, collected an overall record of 29-8 this season with a harrowing 17-3 mark in singles play along with a staggering 12-5 record in doubles alongside junior Sofiia Paladi. She earned 16 straight-set wins, and stands at 8-2 against conference opponents.
Sasha Dobranos and Rut Galindo
2024 Doubles Pair of the Year
Dobranos and Galindo, senior, earned an overall 10-1 record together.
In addition, Paladi was named to the First Team All-Conference, and Anja Trbeznik (MBA ’24) was named to the AllAcademic Team.
his job and how he treated others. It’s an honor to be mentioned with some of the best coaches in the country.”
Acuff was one of 20 coaches named as a finalist, in a group including North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, Stetson’s Donnie Jones, Western Kentucky’s Steve Lutz and Duke’s Jon Scheyer, among others.
Prior to arriving in Nashville, Acuff spent the previous 22 years as the head coach at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he built the Chargers into a national NCAA DII power with a 437-214 overall record.
Read more about Acuff’s award to lipscomb.edu/prosser
Two qualify for nationals as Bisons compete at NCAA East Prelims
Lipscomb men’s and women’s track and field sent a record number of athletes to the 2024 NCAA East Preliminary in May. Graduate student Kiara Carter (BS ’24), and Leonie Saurer, sophomore, highlighted the meet, both qualifying for NCAA Nationals in Eugene, Oregon in their respective events.
Carter competed in the 1500m run. In her quarterfinal run, she once again bested her previous program record, crossing the finish line with a time of 4:09.95. She finished 11th in the field of 24 runners to earn a trip to NCAA Nationals. In the 3000m steeplechase, Saurer ran a personal best time of 10:08.00 to finish fifth in her heat. Saurer finished 12th overall between the three heats to grab the final nationals qualifying spot.
Braeden Ofosu-Kwarteng, sophomore, competed in the 400m as a true freshman, finishing fourth in his heat and just narrowly missing advancement to the finals, finishing 25th in the first round. Aislinn McElhaney (MBA ’24), competed in the long jump, posting a jump of 6.12m to finish 18th in the field.
Competing for the men were graduate student AJ Goecker, Brady Yingst, junior, and Bing Hudson, senior, in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase; Braedon Palmer (BBA ’24), competed in the 5,000m run; James Schmidt, senior, competed in the men’s 1500m.
Also competing for the women were Bella Jackson, senior, in the high jump and graduate student Colbi Borland (BS ’24), in the 10,000m and the 5,000m runs.
McElhaney competes at U.S. Olympic Trials in long jump
Aislinn McElhaney of the women’s track & field team ended her junior year on a high note as she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump.
She competed on June 27 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, in an effort to earn a spot on the U.S. team heading to Paris after an impressive collegiate season in the event where she qualified for the NCAA Nationals.
McElhaney is the third Lipscomb track & field athlete in university history to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials. She joins the likes of Madi Talbert, who qualified in 2016, and Shane Streich, who qualified in 2021.
McElhaney was also honored as the ASUN Women’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete in indoor track and field this past spring.
McElhaney was previously named to the ASUN Outdoor First Team AllConference in long jump and the ASUN Outdoor and Indoor All-Academic Team.
Above: Aislinn McElhaney, senior, qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump.
Left: Graduate student Kiara Carter qualified in the 1500m run for the track and field NCAA Nationals.
The spotlight was on the University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in 2024 as she broke the NCAADivision I scoring record in the spring and went on to set new records in the WNBA this summer. However, decades earlier, former Bison basketball players Philip Hutcheson (LA ’86, BA ’90) (left) and John Pierce (BA ’94 (right) secured their legacy as the top scorers in college basketball history.
Hutcheson, who has served as Lipscomb’s athletic director since 2008, played the post for the Bisons 1986-1990. On March 16, 1990, during the NAIA national tournament, he scored his
record-breaking 4,046th point. He finished his career with 4,106 points, earning numerous accolades including being named an AllAmerican four times.
Pierce, Hutcheson’s teammate and college roommate, followed in his footsteps. From 1990-1994, Pierce quickly established himself as a scoring powerhouse. On Feb. 24, 1994, in Lipscomb’s McQuiddy Gym, he broke Hutcheson’s record with his 4,108th point. Pierce concluded his collegiate career with 4,230 points, achieving numerous awards and honors, including All-American status each season he played.
Today, Pierce, a coach and teacher at Nashville Christian School, remains the alltime leading scorer in college basketball, with Hutcheson holding the second spot. Their remarkable achievements continue to be a proud part of the annals of Lipscomb Athletics’ basketball history.
Read more on Hutcheson and Pierce at lipscomb.edu/alltimescorers.
Lipscomb sweeps ASUN All-Sports Awards for first time in university history
For the first time in its history, Lipscomb Athletics swept all three of the ASUN Conference All-Sports Awards, the Bill Bibb All-Sports Trophy, the Jesse C. Fletcher Men’s All-Sports Trophy and the Sherman Day Women’s All-Sports Trophy, putting an exclamation mark on a tremendous 20232024 season.
The All-Sports trophies are awarded to the ASUN institution with the top overall athletic program within the current academic year. Eighteen of the league’s 22 championships determine the ASUN AllSports standings.
Lipscomb Athletics earned the three All-Sports trophies through:
The men’s golf, women’s cross country, women’s soccer and men’s soccer each winning their 2023-2024 ASUN Championship; Volleyball, women’s indoor track & field and women’s golf earning conference tournament runners-up status; Men’s basketball tying for second place in the ASUN regular season and women’s basketball closing the regular season in fourth place; and Men’s indoor track & field recording a fourth-place team finish.
The ASUN allots points to each university based on their championship performances. In the 2023-2024 season,
Lipscomb earned 77.62% of the available points overall, 76.88% of the available points in men’s competitions and 78.22% of the available points for women’s competitions.
In addition, throughout the past season, Lipscomb also was honored with five ASUN Coach of the Year Awards: Jamie Aid (BS ’06), women’s women’s tennis; Will Brewer (BS ’77), men’s golf; Charles Morrow (BS ’97), men’s soccer; Kevin O’Brien, women’s soccer; and Nick Polk (MBA ’23), women’s cross country.
“This is a testament not only to the exceptional skill and determination of our student athletes but also to our unwavering commitment to excellence in every arena,”
The men’s soccer team won its third consecutive ASUN Championship in 2023-2024 after ending its season 6-1 in the ASUN regular season.
said Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson (LA ’86, BA ’90). “These honors reflect our department’s mission statement — ‘Highest Level, Higher Calling.’ It underscores our dual dedication to achieving top athletic performance while focusing on a spirit of a deeper purpose— our faith.”
As many universities focus on excellence in a few areas, sweeping all three ASUN trophies is not a common occurrence, said Hutcheson. The honor “shows that we are not going to sacrifice one area for another. We’re going to try and be excellent in everything we do, and that is unusual.”
The department’s holistic approach is an outgrowth of Lipscomb’s faithbased mission, he said. “We understand athletics is one part of the overall student experience and that student athletes are learning lessons far beyond the field. We
emphasize that when we have talents and abilities, we want to use them and be the best at what we do, but not by sacrificing the overall value of the school experience.”
The All-Sports awards was a fitting conclusion to the 20th year since Lipscomb began competing in the NCAA D1. “We’ve gone from just starting out to now we have multiple teams going to ASUN championships each year,” said Hutcheson. “It speaks to growth and expectation of excellence across the board.”
Since the first year of eligibility, Lipscomb has sent teams or individuals to 45 NCAA national tournaments.
“When one program sees another program be successful, that encourages them to also be the same. It helps them to see they have that same potential and to reach higher than they have before,” said Hutcheson. “Our programs do a really good job of cheering each other on.”
The women’s basketball team closed the ASUN regular season in fourth place and played Eastern Kentucky in the 2024 ASUN Quarterfinal.
Women’s soccer won its 2023-2024 ASUN Championship after setting a new program high for wins in the regular season with 14.
The volleyball team earned ASUN Conference tournament runner-up status after boasting a 14-2 ASUN record.
The women’s cross country team won the 2023-2024 ASUN Championship and competed at the NCAA Nationals for the first time.
Bisons in the Big Leagues
You don’t have to go any further than your TV, computer or phone to keep up with your fellow Bisons. Nine former Lipscomb student athletes are currently on the roster of major- or minor-league teams in soccer, baseball and basketball. Tune in to follow the careers of these talented members of The Herd.
Major League Soccer:
Toronto and New York
After their 2024 top 10 first draft selections to the Toronto FC and the New York FC, soccer players Tyrese Spicer, junior, (pictured below) and Malachi Jones, junior, (at right) respectively, have made an immediate impact at the next level.
Even as a rookie, Spicer quickly became a mainstay in the Toronto lineup. He has played in 13 games with 10 starts, seeing the pitch for 846 minutes. The winger has two goals and two assists on the season, scoring his first professional goal in his first career MLS start.
Spicer played with Toronto against Nashville SC in May 2024, starting in
the game and playing 76 minutes. As an homage to his alma mater, he wore his 2023 ASUN Championship ring and carried a commemorative soccer ball with his Lipscomb accomplishments engraved on it while walking into Nashville’s Geodis Park.
Jones has similarly made an impact for NYCFC in his first year as a professional.
The 20-year-old has played in 14 games with four starts and has contributed a goal and three assists during his 483 minutes on the field. Jones also scored his first career MLS goal in his first start.
Both Spicer and Jones are currently sidelined due to injury, but promise to be back soon, making huge impacts. The MLS regular season goes through Oct. 19 with the postseason concluding on Dec. 7 at the MLS Cup.
Photo by John Wilkinson III/Nine12
Photo by Lucas Kschischang_Toronto FC.
National Basketball Association:
Atlanta Hawks
Another former Bison who is making a name for himself in the professional ranks is former men’s basketball player Garrison Mathews (BA ’19). Mathews currently plays for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks where he just finished his fifth season in the league. He started his professional career in 2019 when he signed with the Washington Wizards before a brief stop with the Houston Rockets.
During the 2023-24 season, Mathews played in 66 games, averaging 4.9 points per game and 1.4 rebounds per game. The sharpshooter connected at a 44-percent clip from three-point range last season, which led the NBA Eastern Conference. The mark was the fourth-best in the entire NBA.
Mathews’ team option was recently picked up, so Bisons fans can watch him in Atlanta for at least one more season. The 2024-25 regular season is set to begin in October and will continue to April 2025 with the postseason concluding in June 2025 with the NBA Finals.
The Latest Bison
Baseball Draftee:
Hayden Frank, junior, 2024 draft, Chicago Cubs
Drafted in the 15th round, Frank will soon be entering into the minor league ranks joining several other fellow Bisons. Frank played only five games in the 2024 season
as he was shut down for injury, but in the 2023 season, Frank earned a spot on the 2023 ASUN Second-Team honors list after an outstanding season. He served as the Bisons’ shutdown closer with the lowest ERA on the squad (1.23) over 22 appearances for a total of 36.2 innings pitched. He had three wins and four saves during the season.
Minor League Baseball
Lipscomb fans can also keep up with multiple former Bisons playing in the MiLB. The Bisons currently have five athletes competing:
Ike Buxton (BBA ’22), 2022 draft, Miami Marlins
Buxton is currently with the Beloit Sky Carp, the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Buxton was taken in the 2022 draft in the 15th round by the Miami Marlins.
Maddux Houghton (BS ’21), 2023 free agent, Minnesota Twins
He is currently assigned to the Single-A affiliate of the Twins, but has also spent time with the Triple-A affiliate, St. Paul Saints this season.
Caleb Ketchup (A ’23), 2023 draft, Los Angeles Angels
Ketchup was selected in the 15th round and is currently with the Tri-City Dust Devils, the High-A affiliate of the Angels.
Braydon Tucker (A ’23), 2023 free agent, Philadelphia Phillies Tucker spent time at the Single-A level, but was recently promoted to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate of the Phillies.
Logan Van Treeck, senior, 2023 draft, Cincinnati Reds
Van Treeck was drafted in the ninth round, and is currently with the Reds rookie affiliate, but is on the injured list.
In 2024 Lipscomb students enjoyed a school year packed full of tried and true traditions as well as new events—some renewed from years past—but all destined to become the beloved traditions of the future. Over the past few months, students enjoyed the April 8 Great North American Eclipse (01), collaborative art for Holy Week (02), Sigma Iota Delta’s annual GoatFest festival (03), the debut of the on-campus Wild Bison Fest arts festival (04), the rejuvenated Brickyard Basketball tournament in Bison Square (05), the SGA’s revived pre-ballgame event The Tailgate (06), on-campus carnival rides on Beautiful Day (07), Christian music group For King and Country in The Gathering (08), the second annual Spring Formal (09), a concert of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem (10) and Singarama 2024 (11), which paid homage to milestone moments in Lipscomb’s history (see page 44)
HEALING THE BODY. HEALING THE SOUL.
Today’s generation of Bison physicians are treating more than the body as they bring their skills to heal patients through research, global missions and reach into low-resource areas.
Lipscomb has long been known as a place that prepares students to go to medical school. The names of many a physician who graduated from Lipscomb may spring to mind: Roy Ezell, Burton Elrod, Gary Jerkins, J.D. Netterville, and Steve Staggs to name a few.
Today, a new generation of Lipscomb alumni are practicing—and teaching future physicians—the lessons learned at Lipscomb and in their practice: that medicine is about healing the body, but it’s also about healing the soul.
“I don’t know of another place where I could have Jesus sitting next to me all day,” said Johnetta Blakely (BA ’94), a Nashville oncologist, speaking both metaphorically and literally. She has a small Jesus figurine bobbling on a spring on her desk at Tennessee Oncology. For her, it is more than a cute knick-knack.
“I don’t know how I tell patients the things I have to tell them, but the words always come to me, and I think that is because of Jesus,” said Blakely, who sees about 15 new patients each week dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
Blakely is not alone in calling on her Christian faith to treat and comfort patients on a day-to-day basis. Whether it is through longterm research, bringing quality care to rural areas of Tennessee, supporting parents through a difficult birth or simply going the extra mile for patients in need, Lipscomb alumni physicians are caring for bodies and souls throughout the region in Christian love.
“You have to have compassion,” Dr. Luvell Glanton Jr., a pain management provider and anesthesiologist in Hannibal, Missouri,
Dr. James C Loden (BS ’87) is an eye surgeon who owns five clinics around Nashville and in Paris, Tennessee. Photo submitted by Loden Vision Centers.
told Lipscomb students in 2023 when he was on campus as part of the J.S. Ward Society’s physician-in-residence program.
“I feel compassion for all of my patients, but for those who have yet to get the pain relief that they seek, I significantly feel for those patients. They face roadblocks created by the opioid epidemic, insurance and others not believing that their pain is real. It is important for their pain to be taken seriously,” he said, relating a story about one patient who was referred to him for a pain treatment.
Glanton took the time to not only look deeper into the patient’s medical history, but to also recruit a fellow physician to give the patient an MRI when insurance declined to cover the test. The MRI revealed a mass pressing onto the patients’ spine. Fortunately for the patient, the mass was still operable.
Glanton also holds a jurisprudence from Saint Louis University and splits his time between managing a hospital interventional pain management practice in St. Louis and practicing law alongside his father at the Law Offices of Luvell L. Glanton in Nashville.
Blakely attended medical school at the University of Tennessee at Memphis and planned to specialize in surgery or geriatric care until she volunteered to work with cancer patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As she saw the hope in the patients, she realized her calling.
Just five years after graduating from Lipscomb, she was one of the leading clinical researchers at The West Clinic, a center for oncology, hematology, radiology and other advanced medical care in West Tennessee. She focused on treating sarcoma (tumors of the bone and muscles) in adults.
In 2011, she and her family moved back to Nashville and Blakely joined Tennessee Oncology, the largest private practice oncology group in Tennessee, caring for more than 85% of the cancer patients in the Nashville area and more than 50% of the patients across the state. She worked in Nashville, Clarksville and Springfield before becoming the executive vice president of quality and clinic operations and opening a clinic site in Cookeville, where she practices three days a week.
Dr. Scott Guthrie (BA ’95) works with the Institute for Child Healthcare Africa in Tanzania to improve neonatal care in low-resource areas globally. Photo submitted by Guthrie.
Dr. Eric Grogan (BS ’95) works with Lipscomb senior Carolyn Tran on a database of medical histories, one piece of a puzzle that one day may lead to an earlier detection method for lung cancer.
Dr. Johnetta Blakely (BA ’94) is the executive vice president of quality and clinic operations at Tennessee Oncology, which cares for more than 50% of the patients across the state.
She works mostly with breast and lung cancer, but in the more rural area of Cookeville, she is seeing patients with all types of cancer. Local providers told the practice that some patients in the Cookeville area were waiting up to six weeks to be seen locally prior to the Tennessee Oncology clinic, said Blakely. She sees an outpouring of gratitude from patients who appreciate her providing such crucial care locally.
“I work hard there, but when I drive home that night I feel like I have done something good that day,” she said, especially because not everyone is willing to make the drive to provide care in the areas where it is most needed.
“For someone in a leadership position, it is important to see what it is like in a single doctor clinic and the challenges it brings,” she said.
As a specialist in neonatal-perinatal medicine, Dr. Scott Guthrie, spends a lot of time in prenatal consultations, working with the parents of a baby expected to be born
with health problems and to explain what medicine can or cannot do for their child’s particular situation.
His study at Lipscomb, especially in bioethics within the philosophy program, has helped him to be able to sit down with a family and process the unexpected outcomes and help them make decisions in a compassionate way, he said.
“Because I may have to deal with the death of a newborn, one of the most tragic times in someone’s life, the opportunity for spiritual discussions frequently arises. Being able to address the entire family and not to be afraid to talk about faith is very valuable,” said Guthrie, a professor in pediatrics at Vanderbilt and chair of the pediatric department at Ayers Children’s Medical Center at JacksonMadison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee.
“I’ve been asked to pray with families. I’ve been asked to baptize a child. Those things are central to people’s faith, and it’s important to be able to walk with them through those
Dr. Johnetta Blakely (BA ’94)
Nashville
Medical Oncologist and Executive Vice President of Quality and Clinic Operations at Tennessee Oncology
periods and feel confident doing that,” he said. “Lipscomb prepared me to be able to do that and do that well.”
Guthrie walked away from Lipscomb with an additional passion for mission work and global health. As a physician, he discovered that he enjoys finding creative solutions to the challenges of health care in low-resource environments.
The desire to help and save infant lives has led him to Latin America, the Middle East and to Central and South Asia. Recently, he began working with the Institute for Child Healthcare Africa in Tanzania where he helps lead what has become the largest neonatal medicine conference on the African continent.
Guthrie also conducts research intended to improve neonatal care both in the U.S. and globally. He has worked to develop a way for infants to receive an aerosolized version of a lung medicine and to prevent a serious intestinal disease in newborns. He has active projects in Jordan, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Malawi and Ethiopia.
Dr. Eric Grogan (BS ’95)
Nashville
Spouse: Alumna Melanie Martin (LA ’92, MACM ’21)
Associate Professor of Thoracic Surgery, Medicine, Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vice Chair of Research, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; CoDirector MASLAB, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
(left) Dr. Luvell Glanton Jr. (BS ’97) spoke to Lipscomb students in 2023 and (above) Drs. Grogan and Loden were on-campus in 2024, each as part of Lipscomb’s physician-in-residence program.
Dr. Luvell Glanton (BS ’97)
St. Louis, Missouri, and Nashville Anesthesiology and Pain Management Specialist, Hannibal Regional Healthcare System Lawyer, Law Offices of Luvell L. Glanton
In 2022, Guthrie traveled to India to prepare doctors in five hospitals for a clinical trial of a new technique to treat respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. Lipscomb Ward Fellow Kaylee Wu (BS ’23), now at Wake Forest Medical School, was selected to serve as a clinical research assistant for the trip to train providers on how to perform the technique.
Other Lipscomb alumni bring their faith to health care in ways that go beyond daily clinical care. Dr. Eric Grogan, associate professor of surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Thoracic Surgery, not only conducts surgery on lung and esophageal cancer patients, but he is also constantly looking toward the health of future cancer patients as well.
Grogan coordinates the MASLAB at the VanderbiltIngram Cancer Center, a biobank storing blood and tissue specimens and clinical histories that one day may lead to earlier and less invasive detection of the most common cancer in the world: lung cancer.
“Even if I don’t solve any major problems in my lifetime, if I can just help the next generation of major scientists to be able to solve them, for me, that is worth it,” said Grogan, who oversees the MASLAB team along with Steven Deppen and Dr. Fabien Maldonado at Vanderbilt.
The true heroes are his team, he says, including several Lipscomb students and alumni in the last few years who carry out the work of obtaining patient consents; collecting, cataloging and storing blood and tissue specimens; and conducting the analysis needed to use all the data to develop a “clinical calculator.”
Lung cancer is the only form of cancer that does not have a routinely used blood, or biomarker, test to confirm its presence in the body, said Grogan. Lung cancer can be caused by multiple cell types, and it is difficult to find one blood test to recognize all those biomarkers, he said. Therefore, today’s doctors can only choose to watch the patient’s progress with imaging or send them for invasive procedures to biopsy the lesion in the lung.
Someday, physicians of the future could use the MASLAB model to determine the percentage chance of a patient having lung cancer to make a more informed decision about whether to recommend a surgery or not.
“When I was at Lipscomb, I planned to go back to Paducah, Kentucky, and practice with my father,” said Grogan, “but, I just kept praying that God would use all the skills and
Dr. Scott Guthrie (BA ’95)
Jackson, Tennessee Spouse: Alumna Shannon Emery (BS ’93) Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Chair of Pediatrics, Ayers Children’s Medical Center, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital
Guthrie (in gray shirt) with alumna Kaylee Wu (BS ’23) and other health scientists during a global research project conducted in India. Photo submitted by Guthrie.
Grogan working with Timothy Khalil (BS ’23) in the MASLAB at VanderbiltIngram Cancer Center. Khalil is working in the lab during a gap year before attending medical school.
talents He gave me, and He brought me this job that involves patient care, research and educating others.
“My role to give back,” said Grogan, “is to improve the lives of patients in the clinic, to lead research teams and to help those in training improve their surgical skills and help their future patients.”
Dr. James C. Loden, an ophthalmological surgeon and the owner of Loden Vision Centers with five locations, also takes a community approach when infusing his faith into his medical care.
“From my perspective faith is about how I treat my employees, and how I treat my patients,” said Loden, who has facilities not only in Nashville and its suburbs but in the more rural Paris, Tennessee, as well.
Loden entered Lipscomb, a university with a reputation of getting students into medical
school, knowing that he wanted to be an eye surgeon, and Lipscomb did not disappoint. Loden mentions Oliver Yates (BA ’56) and Paul Langford as influences on his path.
Loden’s father, Dr. James P. Loden (BS ’52) was also a nationally recognized ophthalmologist in Nashville and at one time a member of the Lipscomb Board of Trustees. Loden grew up watching his family both provide medical care and operate the business side of the practice.
He knew better than most that for a doctor, work/life balance is tough. “The doctor’s mentality must be that I’m here for my patients, and I’m going to see them whether it’s convenient or not,” he said.
During his medical studies, he intended to take over his father’s practice, but due to his father’s untimely death, he ended up starting his own practice seven years later.
He draws on biblical scriptures, such as the book of James, to craft his company’s employee-centric culture and emphasis on empowering patients to have informed agency over their medical decisions, he said.
“It has been very important in our company culture to make sure that our doctors are making recommendations that are in the best interest of the patients, and that we allow patients to be part of the decision-making process,” explained Loden. “We try to review their options with them, but we try to let them have the autonomy to make the final decision in their own personal health care.”
Read more about each of these alumni at lipscomb.edu/bisondoctors
Nashville
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology President, Loden Vision Centers
Dr. James Loden (BS ’87)
Guthrie mentored Wu to prepare a presentation at the 2023 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Washington D.C., attended by more than 8,000 pediatricians from around the world. Photo submitted by Guthrie.
“From my perspective faith is about how I treat my employees, and how I treat my patients,” said ophthalmologist Loden
Photo submitted by Loden Vision Centers.
SENIOR’S MEDICAL FUTURE GETS A BOOSTER SHOT FROM LOCAL ALUMNI
Few undergraduate students targeting medical school in their future get the opportunity to work hands-on with scientific research before earning their bachelor’s degree. Even fewer have the opportunity to work on both bench research and clinical research at three different universities.
On top of that, Carolyn Tran, a senior molecular biology major from Nashville, has also had the opportunity to be mentored by local radiation oncologist Dr. Daniel Wakefield (BS ’12), in addition to shadowing other physicians; volunteering at a free clinic and working alongside Vanderbilt University medical students; and presenting three academic presentations at Lipscomb’s Student Scholars Symposium (so far).
Thanks to Lipscomb’s J.S. Ward Society programs for future medical students and the Department of Biology, Tran will graduate in May 2025 having carried out research that hopefully leads to less toxic chemotherapy drugs (with Lipscomb’s Josh Owens (BS ’16), assistant professor of biology), a better understanding of the causes of African sleeping sickness (with Dr. Minu Chaudhuri at Meharry Medical School) and a better way to diagnose lung cancer (with Dr. Eric Grogan (BS ’95) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center).
Tran is also using her time at Lipscomb to pass on her love of science to the next generation. Inspired by her own lifechanging experience as a third-grader at a STEM summer camp called Camp Invention, Tran and a group of her fellow science majors established a school club, Beyond the Basics, devoted to holding STEM-focused fun events for schools in the Metro Nashville district.
Read more about how alumni are paying it forward to today’s science students through the J.S. Ward Society at lipscomb.edu/wardnow
HIGHEST LEVEL. HIGHER CALLING.
LIPSCOMB ATHLETICS’ SPIRITUAL FORMATION
PROGRAM REVEALS THE BIG PICTURE OF SPORT FOR STUDENTS, SHOWING THEM WHO THEY CAN BECOME WITH TROPHIES AND GOD.
In the past 20 years, since moving to NCAA D1, Lipscomb Athletics has been on a steady rise, achieving what most would expect: ASUN championships, NCAA postseason appearances and students with trophy walls full of honors.
But what many may not expect, is that the department has accomplished all this while also bringing more than 150 student athletes to Christ through baptism, bringing Christian love and service to 12 nations on mission trips around the globe and providing spiritual encouragement to hundreds of local elementary school students for 10 years.
While Lipscomb Athletics molds student athletes to perform at their highest level on the field, it also is intentionally devoted to exposing student athletes to a higher calling, one that encourages them to lay those trophies down in life and focus on God.
Established in 2012, the athletics spiritual formation program continuously works to grow student athletes in faith through 25 programs from mentoring to chapel services, from a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter to service opportunities both near and on foreign soil.
“There are a lot of NCAA D1 schools in the country and a lot of Christian schools in the country, but there are not a lot of universities that have invested in nurturing the spirituality of their student athletes, leveraging that opportunity to help them grow as people and followers of Jesus,” said Chris Klotz, athletics’ director of spiritual formation.
Klotz credits Brent High (BA ’96, MS ’11), former associate athletic director for spiritual formation, for establishing the foundation of the program in 2011 and 2012, and Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson (LA ’86, BA ’90) for going all in to prioritize spiritual formation for student athletes.
High started Lipscomb’s first Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter in 1997, led the first athletics mission trip to Honduras and in that same year recruited Klotz and Shannon O’Brien (MDiv ’20), then-women’s director of spiritual formation and now women’s golf coach, to carry on building the program.
Athletics Director of Spiritual
Formation Chris Klotz, or “Klotzy,” on a mission trip to El Salvador.
“I think the world of athletics has its own culture. It speaks its own language,” said Klotz. “There is so much you can experience in sport that is so biblical. When you think about servanthood, excellence, denying yourself, sacrifice—these are pillars that are common within athletics.”
Klotz, called “Klotzy” by the campus community, knows that truth from firsthand experience. He played college soccer in his home state, at the University of California at Irvine, where a friend, Todd Elkins, introduced him to the amateur team Southern California Seahorses, owned by Missionary Athletes International (MAI).
Elkins asked Klotz the question that changed his life: “Why do you play soccer?” And when Klotz’s answer was largely about himself, his friend challenged him to think about what his life could be “if soccer wasn’t just about you. Todd put his arm around me and walked me toward God,” said Klotz. After college, he joined the Charlotte Eagles, a United Soccer League team also owned by MAI Soccer.
During his time on the team, Klotz played in games on many international tours, which instilled in him a love for Africa. He began carrying out church-centered sports ministry in Africa, teaching churches how to use a soccer ball to bring people to the Lord.
Upon taking on full-time spiritual formation at Lipscomb in 2015, the first thing Klotz established was a local opportunity for students to serve consistently: CarterLawrence Elementary School, located just a couple of miles from campus.
Every Thursday, a different athletic team coordinates the after-school Sports Fun Club to help students with homework, encourage them and build personal relationships while playing sports. Many student athletes continue to serve at Sports Fun Club even after their team visit, said Klotz.
“We always outnumber the kids because the college kids come alive in that setting,” said Klotz.
In the first few years, the student athletes focused on connecting and building
Since 2012, more than 150 student athletes have been brought to Christ through baptism.
Various athletic teams and groups of student athletes have brought Christian love to 12 nations around the globe since the department’s first mission trip to Honduras.
Each week an athletic team coordinates the Sports Fun Club at Carter-Lawrence Elementary School in Nashville to help students with homework, encourage them and build personal relationships.
relationships through play, but the Sports Fun Club was so successful that later the school began placing the most at-risk students in the after-school program for tutoring and to see strong role models.
“Literacy has become the number one goal of Fun Club, followed by 30 minutes of play, sports and fun. As a result of these elementary students feeling seen, known and loved, there is data showing that the test scores of these atrisk students have gone up,” said Klotz.
“Serving at Sports Fun Club each week has allowed me to invest deeply in the Nashville community and has taught me about leadership,” said former cross country and track runner Pari Manoogian Heronimus (BS ’20).
“I have learned that loving people is my mission and everything else will benefit from posturing my heart this way.”
Another pillar of the spiritual formation program is the 555 prayer program, where supporters in multiple states spend five minutes a day, five days a week praying for five
Lipscomb student athletes. In the first year of the 555 program, Klotz found one prayer partner for every five students (around 300 students each year). In 2023-2024, he was up to four prayer partners per five students.
“On the field, on the court, on campus, my favorite part is seeing lives radically transformed.”
- Chris Klotz
“Every time we have an athlete ask to be baptized in the (Bison Square) fountain, I go to their prayer partners and ask them to attend,” said Klotz. “It is a reminder that it is so much bigger than one person.”
That reminder of the big picture of life is also a guiding force behind the international missions portion of the spiritual formation program, called “global church visits.” Since 2012, nearly 900 people have participated in 58 Athletics-sponsored international mission
trips to countries such as Uganda, Malawi, El Salvador, Scotland, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras and Mexico.
Athletics’ mission trips are an international relational ministry, said Klotz, always involving some type of sports-related activities (in line with the gifts God has bestowed on these young adults, he says) as well as children’s programs, home visits and manual labor.
Over the years, a multitude of projects have included a basketball court built by the women’s basketball team, a baseball field built by the baseball team and a playground built by the men’s basketball team all in the same community in the Dominican Republic. In Mexico, several teams a year work with host partner Baja Missions to provide physical, emotional, medical and spiritual relief to consistent communities. In El Salvador, women’s soccer works alongside Sports Outreach staff to run soccer clinics, teach English class and serve at a special needs orphanage.
Athletics’ international missions trips always involve some type of sports-related activities.
Here Lipscomb students pray with locals in Kampala, Uganda, after completing a soccer clinic for a team created by Sports Outreach.
“Many of these students have never been on a mission trip, gone to church or served in a church. Their sport has always been about them,” said Klotz. “But what if, for the first time, sport is about something bigger than themselves? The international piece helps them stand outside of themselves and recognize that God ‘has given me a gift, but this gift is not just for me.’”
“My first semester of college, I became very intrigued in my faith. I was questioning a lot about Jesus, and I was hesitant to fully pursue a life with Him,” said Olivia Doak (BS ’19), former forward and captain on the women’s soccer team. “I was able to serve on a mission trip to El Salvador. A simple yes to go on that trip led to my life being forever changed. I was able to serve on four more athletic mission trips during my time at Lipscomb.
“I truly experienced a joy, peace, redemption and love that solidified my curiosity, which led me to fully surrender my life to Jesus in baptism,” she said.
The program maximizes the perspective shift experienced through international missions by providing pre-mission prep sessions, devotional guides and intentional follow-up after the trips.
“The athletics mission trips become a spiritual culmination for our student athletes,” said Tyler Kemmerer, director of Lipscomb Missions. “After months of genuine conversation, love and study of God’s Word, these students go and experience God in a way they were never expecting.”
Beyond these tentpole programs, spiritual formation offers a busload of intentional opportunities for student athletes to grow their faith. Bible studies are held by team or for women only or men only, including the Sunrise Slayers, a group of male athletes who wake up early to meet, study the Bible and memorize scriptures. A coaches’ Bible study is held with former Lipscomb women’s basketball coach and associate athletic director Frank Bennett (LA ’69, BA ’73) leading the reflections.
Students coordinate activities for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, and Klotz leads the Athletic Leadership Summit, made up of one representative from every team, meeting once a month to explore corporate leadership strategies and scriptural leadership models.
“The Leadership Summit has not only taught me about leadership and the facets of being a good leader, but about myself and how I can lead in all the positions I am in,” said Mason Nam (BS ’22), former men’s golf team captain. “The biggest thing I learned revolved around servant leadership and making an impact in the world.”
“Serving with spiritual formation has grown passions and interests in me that will guide how I live my life, how I love my friends and family, and the career I will pursue,” said Addi Pelham, a senior volleyball athlete. “I truly believe that serving with spiritual formation has made me more like Christ and reminded me that the desires of God should be on my heart as they are on His. And that the call on my life is to drop everything and follow Him!”
“I’m constantly asking God, how do we continue to grow,” said Klotz of the program’s future. “I want to keep building this program in a way that far outlasts us. The majority of our athletes are not here because of faith, but God brings them here and then literally changes their lives.
“On the field, on the court, on campus, my favorite part is seeing lives radically transformed.”
Interested in becoming a 555 prayer partner, missions participant, mentor or supporting the Athletics Spiritual Formation program in any way?
Contact “Klotzy” at cpklotz@lipscomb.edu.
TODAY’S BISONS WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
More than 150 Lipscomb student athletes have devoted their lives to God in baptism since 2012. Many have gone on to continue spreading the love of God through sports or other careers throughout the nation.
Brent Leber (BS ’20, MPS ’22)
Cross Country/Track and Field
Baptized: June 21, 2022
Assistant Coach for Cross Country/Track & Field at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
“The most meaningful part of my job is having the opportunity to mentor young student athletes. Not long ago I was in their shoes, and now I get to coach and encourage the next generation to give their best and honor God in everything they do. Walking alongside them through the ups and downs of their college life is a blessing.”
Megan Sullivan (BS ’20, MA ’24)
Volleyball
Baptized: Sept. 7, 2020
Assistant Athletic Director at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville
“I have the opportunity to serve in a high school athletic department where I intentionally partner with our spiritual life team and academic team to bridge the gap academically and spiritually. Sports have provided an incredible vehicle to partner with God in the world around me.”
Malik Shaheed (BS ’20)
Men’s Soccer
Baptized: June 28, 2020
Assistant Coach at the University of Mary HardinBaylor in Belton, Texas
“My faith that was developed at Lipscomb has helped me focus on what is most important. As a professional soccer player it gave me a purpose way beyond being a pro. Now as a college soccer coach, my faith allows me to understand that this is not just a career but this is eternal work. When I realized I am living out the Lord’s purpose for my life is when I really came alive!”
EXPLORING GOD’S HANDIWORK
Engineering graduate James Savage has designed rockets that have gone into orbit and traveled to the moon.
LIPSCOMB LAUNCHED THE CAREER OF JAMES SAVAGE, AEROSPACE ENGINEER NOW WORKING TO SEND EXPLORERS TO MARS AND BEYOND.
uter space has long fascinated humankind. James Savage (BS ’04) is no exception. When he tilts his head to the sky, he sees more than clouds and stars. He sees men and women exploring deep space for science not yet dreamed of. He sees the four men and women expected to orbit the moon in 2025 and the first people to travel to Mars in the following decades.
When he looks to the sky, Savage sees the future … and a glimpse of God.
“God gave us the universe. He gave us inquisitive minds, and He told us to manage the world for Him,” said Savage, the chief engineer for Boeing’s Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), a portion of a future rocket for NASA intended to carry astronauts to the moon and later to Mars. “It’s fascinating to combine all those things in space exploration in a way that no previous generation has been able to do.”
Savage has been designing rockets since he graduated in 2004 with his engineering mechanics degree from Lipscomb, but in today’s space landscape, with dozens of companies involved in the
spaceflight industry, where “space tourism” is an actual thing and NASA is focused on deep space exploration, it is truly a more exciting time than ever before to be in spaceflight design, he said.
“I love solving problems and this is a target-rich environment,” he said. “It is amazing when you realize that you are working on something that has never crossed someone’s desk before.”
Savage’s job is part of NASA’s Artemis program, named after the Greek goddess of the moon. Artemis is focused on launching deep space exploration to the moon. The Artemis I mission involved an unmanned vehicle called Orion that was launched in November 2022 by Boeing’s Space Launch System (SLS) super heavy-lift rocket.
Savage had a hand in developing both SLS and Orion, which traveled to the moon, lapped it and returned to earth on a 25-day mission, “flying farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown,” according to Space News
Artemis II, in 2025, will be the program’s first manned mission to fly about 6,400 miles beyond the moon on a 10-day mission. NASA announced in
2023 that the Artemis II crew will include the first woman and first person of color on a lunar mission.
Artemis III will also be a manned mission to the moon, said Savage. Artemis I and II both use the SLS Block 1 rocket that he has worked on since 2012. Later this decade, Artemis IV will launch using the next generation of the SLS rocket, called Block 1B, and the EUS, Savage’s current project and the portion of the rocket that the crew and payload will take to the moon and beyond in the decades to come.
The EUS is critical to future space travel as the Artemis program is just the first step of NASA’s larger goal—the Moon to Mars program.
“Humans have a built-in urge to explore and push boundaries,” said Savage. “Every time we push boundaries, those accomplishments become more and more reasonable and commonplace. Understanding the moon, Mars and the rest of our solar system and gaining experience in those types of environments allows us to better use the unique situation that space gives us to do additional STEM work.”
James Savage had a hand in developing both the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule (pictured here) which traveled to the moon, lapped it and returned to earth on a 25-day mission in November 2022.
A SPACECRAFT
LIKE NOTHING SEEN BEFORE
“The EUS brought with it all-new sets of challenges and opportunities, because it lives most of its life as a spacecraft and has a much more complicated mission profile than anything I have worked on previously,” Savage told Space News
As the chief engineer, he is responsible for design, development, production, verification, delivery and supporting NASA for the rocket launch. Savage ensures that the engineering teams are completing their technical work, meeting requirements and fully understanding the risks involved, and supports the management team to make decisions about design and advises them on technical risks.
His job keeps him traveling a lot, especially from his home base at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to the manufacturing facility
for the SLS in New Orleans and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“The Block 1B SLS, with the addition of the EUS will enable deep space exploration on a scale that is truly unique. It is like nothing else the United States or any other country has ever had available to it,” said Savage.
Due to larger propellant tanks and engines, the EUS will allow NASA to send astronauts and larger payloads, such as small lunar habitats or scientific experiments, to the moon on a single mission.
“The performance of the EUSenabled SLS offers a lot of flexibility for exploration that can also translate into cost savings and accelerated science,” said Savage.
Looking to Mars and beyond, its capability for carrying higher masses and higher velocity can shorten travel times, thus reducing many of the concerns for exploration, both human and robotic.
“Crews will spend less time in transit, and for robotic trips to the outer solar system, ground crews will spend less time and money waiting on their payloads to arrive at their target destination. These savings are measured in weeks and months for the inner solar system and years for the outer solar system.”
In addition, the EUS is being designed with a layout, materials, fault tolerance and redundancy to make it resilient to radiation, space weather, micrometeoroids and orbital debris, safeguarding the crew and hardware against these space environments.
“When you meet the crews, you realize you have to be on your game,” said Savage. “We keep photos of the Artemis II crew up in our office. We have them posted all over the factory to remind us all that we are doing something amazing but there are people relying on us to do it at the highest level of quality and professionalism. We’ve got their safety and their jobs in our hands.”
The SLS rocket is in production at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, Louisiana, just one of the spots nationwide James Savage travels to as he oversees work on the EUS upper stages.
FROM DRAWING ROCKETS TO
DESIGNING ROCKETS
Even as a child he had been interested in space, collecting patches from all the Space Shuttle missions, drawing rockets and visiting make it aerospace museums and sites with his family. But even upon entering Lipscomb to become an engineer, he assumed that working on spacecraft would be out of reach for an average guy from Montgomery, Alabama.
A class project to design the cross-section of an airplane wing gave him confidence that perhaps aerospace was something he had the skills to do, and when Lipscomb alumnus Dane Richardson (BS ’83) came from Boeing in Huntsville, Alabama, to speak at Lipscomb, he was further convinced and took the opportunity to meet Richardson and make a valuable connection.
He started to apply for jobs at Boeing and landed several interviews. For one interview, he drove to Decatur, Alabama, and they gave him a tour of the rocket factory.
“I was surrounded by rockets for the first time, and I was really drawn to the manufacturing environment where I got to see and touch hardware on a daily basis. I was sold first thing,” he said.
Immediately upon graduation, Savage began work in Decatur for Boeing, a job which not only allowed him to work on the Delta II heavy rocket, but also kept him close enough to Nashville to spend time with his then-fiance Dana Woods Savage (BS ’05), and to work in a blue jeans-friendly environment, a big plus for Savage. His first mission was the inaugural launch of the Delta IV Heavy.
Although the company went through various changes during his career, Savage has continued to remain based in Decatur while still jumping on new opportunities to grow in his career. He worked on Delta
II, Delta IV and Atlas V rockets and moved beyond design and production to other areas including launch operations, allowing him to travel to launch sites on both the East and West Coasts.
Joining SLS allowed him to apply his skills to a new design for deep space human exploration and for the first time, to build a team of his own, which has grown from 10 to 500 people.
Lipscomb’s liberal arts education has served him well in a job that requires not only technical problem-solving, but also navigating politics, building relationships and constant communication.
“Having a nice broad liberal arts education, especially one focused on faith and through the church, is something that is very special about Lipscomb. It has allowed me to do my job better and to be a better leader and a better employee,” he said.
Savage was a member of Lipscomb’s first engineering missions team to Honduras in 2004, where he learned flexibility, how to turn challenges into opportunities and a recognition that “God’s world is a big place and I am just a little piece of it,” he said.
He feels that same humbling awe of God’s creation in his job today, especially when the photos from the moon-bound Orion capsule in 2022 were transmitted back to earth, including a “selfie” of the capsule with the earth and moon in the background.
“It was such a cool moment. When I saw the earth floating just off a platform I had helped design, on a mission I helped to work on, it really makes you realize just how small you are,” said Savage.
“You read in the Bible about God putting the moon and stars in their places. We sing songs about how ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands.’ It really brings those words into perspective, that God allows us to have a place in his handiwork.
“You can overcome a lot of hard days with those kinds of thoughts.”
THE LIPSCOMB DIFFERENCE.
The implementation of Lipscomb’s Impact 360 strategic vision and plan continues on campus with a new framework and renewed emphasis on six key areas that have been identified as the differencemakers in the lives of Lipscomb students.
This fall, Lipscomb will begin a four-year framework for student flourishing and doubledown on the implementation of strategic efforts in six key areas: what President Candice McQueen has branded the Lipscomb Difference . These six difference-makers are:
Spiritual Formation
Vocational Direction
Relational Advising and Professional Connection
Holistic Well-being and Care
Engaged Learning
Mentoring and Community Belonging
“Graduating with a degree is different from graduating equipped for a lifelong journey of learning, adapting and seeking truth,” said McQueen. “At Lipscomb, we are not content to shape adults who simply hold credentials. We are working to shape adults who flourish, both during their college days and into their future, starting on the first day they arrive on campus.”
That’s really the Lipscomb Difference : a community committed to creating a new generation of students who cultivate deep roots with an understanding that that depth comes from the Lord, not from themselves. From these roots, growth occurs as students are nurtured and watered. These efforts ultimately contribute to a flourishing life.
There is no shortage of research on nurturing a flourishing life. Psychologists have noted that meeting goals, pursuing personal passions and relishing accomplishments are all essential elements of flourishing. Some point to lives filled with positive emotions, engagement, relationships and meaning as the definition of a flourishing life.
“While these are qualities that make a difference in an individual’s life, flourishing is so much more as you consider what it can mean on a Christian campus,” said Dannie Woods , dean of student success and well-being.
Lipscomb’s team considered just that.
development and student success worked with President McQueen to explore how Lipscomb could ensure that student flourishing was one of the university’s highest priorities and to determine which elements should be part of Lipscomb’s four-year framework for student flourishing.
The answers boiled down to six areas that we believe every Lipscomb student must engage with to flourish both today and to develop the deep roots needed to flourish tomorrow. This fall, Lipscomb will begin implementing strategic work in these six areas called the Lipscomb Difference .
Spiritual Formation
At Lipscomb, spiritual formation is not kept in a silo, it is woven throughout the college experience. We know spiritual formation to be a unique-value difference maker for our students and our community. In order for it to continue as a key distinctive, Lipscomb will focus intentional investment over the next four years on providing both deep and wide opportunities for students, said Brent Roe-Hall, dean of spiritual formation.
First the university will work to develop a wide variety of ways to expose students to spiritual life, such as The Gathering, frequent worship opportunities, service projects and breakout chapels offering a bevy of focus areas, among other programs.
At the same time, spiritual formation staff will work to develop ways for students to deepen their faith beyond simply attending such events and to develop a rooted faith through spiritual disciplines, Bible study with Christian role models and others with similar interests, pastoral counseling, enhancing their prayer life and nurturing relationships with Bible faculty.
Using Mark 12: 30-31, the university will work to spiritually form students’ through their relationships with God (heart), spiritual formation (soul), faith development (mind), vocation and purpose (strength), and service and community (love for their neighbor).
“I felt seen and known each time I went to chapel, and I am grateful. I’m glad I was able to rest in God’s presence in the midst of the chaos of school.”
Vocational Direction
For every college student, there is a personal process of uncovering who they are meant to be and what they are meant to do. The Lipscomb Difference is that from a student’s earliest days on campus there is a university-wide coordinated effort to provide resources, guidance and encouragement for students to discover their God-given identity, unique strengths, purpose and vocation.
Lipscomb’s Center for Vocational Discovery (CVD) leads students to consider their future careers as a source of purpose, to engage in work as a holistic vocational calling encompassing all of life. This kind of discovery places students on a trajectory toward flourishing, not only for themselves, but through their contribution to the flourishing of others.
Already the CVD offers structured programs such as seminars, retreats and oneon-one coaching to guide students to explore a wide variety of vocational themes and to discover the intersection of faith and work. These programs are reinforced with vocation-themed assignments in five of their required courses. Workshops are led by a combination of carefully curated seasoned professionals.
“Having a program that focuses on students graduating from here with a purpose is so much more fulfilling to me than walking away with a paycheck or prestige.”
Over the next four years, the CVD’s work will be deepened with fellowships, experiential learning opportunities, service learning and discipline-specific programs that align with colleges and academic majors.
Relational Advising and Professional Connection
Time and again, alumni name “relationships” as one of the university’s greatest strengths. Beginning this fall, Lipscomb’s is maximizing that Lipscomb Difference by enhancing the relational aspect of academic advising.
Lipscomb’s incoming freshman class is now being advised by a team of centralized academic success coaches, implementing an enhanced level of relational advising to guide students not just through their academic course choices but also connecting them to academic supports on campus, the various academic departments and student life options.
Moving the degree-planning function to the academic success coaches opens up faculty’s time to act as true mentors to students, building a solid relationship where they can discuss professional connections, internships, shadowing or additional mentor options.
The academic success coaches are under the umbrella of the Coggin Family Academic Success Center (CASC) (see page 37), along with traditional tutoring and academic support services and the Career Development Center, which will work in the coming years to bolster career fairs, shadowing and networking opportunities, particularly with alumni.
Today’s students say the top two reasons they will recommend a university is because they felt part of a community there and that it offered a pathway to their first job. The CASC and its partners will open up time, personnel and opportunities for both these aspects to be strengthened over the coming years.
Holistic Well-Being and Care
At Lipscomb, our goal is not just to get a student to the graduation stage; our goal is that when they get to graduation, they are the healthiest version of themselves, because that is what a Lipscomb graduate really is.
In fall 2025, the university will launch the First Year Experience, an effort to align and centralize many of the first-year programs that are currently occurring on campus in silos. The
goal is that all new Lipscomb Bisons should be walking the same path, by getting consistent messaging and encouragement from faculty and staff throughout their first year of college.
The Provost’s Office, Academic Success Center and Student Services are working to connect various freshman experiences— summer’s New Student Orientation, the onboarding period called Quest Week for new students, the Lipscomb Experience freshman seminar courses, freshman chapel, CVD offerings and more—through consistent language and aligned themes.
Student Services is also taking the lead on organizing collaboration among various student care programs and support, such as retention activities; the Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation Team (C.A.R.E.); the Mental Health Task Force; and student leader training. This office is striving to better ensure that students are engaged with the right information at the right time with the right resources.
Engaged Learning
At Lipscomb, engaged learning is defined as acquisition of the knowledge and skills that promote curiosity, excitement, problemsolving, critical thinking and discovery through experience, study and teaching in community with others.
The Lipscomb Core, a liberal arts core curriculum scheduled to supercede the existing general education curriculum in fall 2025, includes engaged learning in a number of ways.
Ongoing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) provide inclassroom research making exposure to research accessible to all students.
A first-year seminar called Compass will be launched in 2025. The course is designed to lay a foundation for students to be able to think critically, reason ethically, communicate effectively and deliberate responsibly throughout their college career and into adult life.
Other engaged learning, such as facultymentored summer research, global learning opportunities, service-learning opportunities and internships will continue to be offered and enhanced in the coming years.
Mentoring and Community Belonging
A sense of belonging in a community is crucial to produce flourishing. Two aspects of building a sense of belonging is that an individual must have an affinity for the community and be engaged in that community.
“I have learned so much, not only about early detection of lung cancer, but about what it takes to be a good physician scientist, treating both patients in-clinic and also working with the science in the lab.”
An important way to develop affinity for Lipscomb among today’s Bisons is through mentorship, ushering students into the campus with valuable advice and wisdom. Plans are in the works to enhance the mentorship that has already been ongoing on campus, such as the Bison Docs and the Lipscomb Mentoring Network, through establishment of a proposed Mentoring Resource Center, intended to support and track existing mentor relationships and facilitate new such programs.
To address community engagement, the university is working to streamline accessible engagement opportunities by establishing strategic goals for programs such as social clubs, reinforcing the valuable traditions on campus and determining the best way to build on them, and making engagement for all students an easy-to-access, seamless experience that is also fun and appealing.
As part of the plan for the next four years, Lipscomb will distribute an annual belonging survey to students to track progress.
The Lipscomb Difference is a striving to do more for our students than prepare them for a successful career. We strive to teach them how to fit a successful career into the matrix of a flourishing life, where Lipscomb Bisons will grow, engage, contribute, build strong relationships and find security and fulfillment throughout a lifetime.
See the complete Impact 360 strategic plan at lipscomb.edu/mission.
Future registered dietitians check out farm-to-table firsthand
Twelve dietetic students in the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship Program experienced firsthand in June what it’s like to manage a Beef Qualified Assurance-certified farm, including both crops and cattle on 1,500 acres.
The students along with faculty from the College of Health Sciences embarked on a tour of Mark Barker’s family farm in Readyville, Tennessee, nestled in the rolling hills of Cannon County. The Barker farm has operated continuously since 1914 through five generations of the family. Barker and his family reside on the farm, overseeing more than 200 head of Angus and Charolais bred cattle in addition to acres of corn, soybeans and hay.
Throughout the farm tour, students heard about Barker’s dedication to sustainable agricultural
practices, including 100% no-till farming, two-year crop rotation and herd management practices, such as specific macro- and micro-nutrients supplemented in their feed.
In the days preceding the farm tour, Carol McDonald, assistant commissioner for policy and legislation at the state Department of Agriculture, addressed the class about the significance of farming in Tennessee and the current challenges confronting Tennessee farmers and ranchers, including farmland conservation. Almost 500,000 acres of farmland have been lost in the state since 2017, she told the group.
The Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship (MSDI) combined program graduated its first cohort of 12 students in May. The inaugural class
came from 11 different universities across the nation to complete a rigorous five-semester curriculum that blended academic coursework with extensive hands-on experience in the field of dietetics.
Each student completed over 1,000 experiential hours in dietetics rotations across Middle Tennessee. Their studies culminated in a capstone nutrition research project that included a professional poster presentation to their colleagues about their findings.
See more photos of the students at the Barker farm at lipscomb.edu/MSNDI
Since returning to my alma mater two years ago, I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with so many individuals and celebrating this community that continues to shape cherished memories. Like many of you, my time as a Lipscomb student was marked by friendships, challenges and triumphs that contribute to who I am today. As part of my current role, helping fellow alumni, parents, donors and friends maintain a relationship with Lipscomb is an exciting and wonderful way to honor those similar experiences and ensure they continue to inspire future generations.
Bisons Weekend is coming up Nov. 7-9, and it is my sincere hope that you will join us this year. Come back and bring your classmates! The weekend is more than just a celebration; it’s a heartfelt reunion of our vibrant Lipscomb community. As you stroll through campus across familiar pathways and see the faces of students, faculty and fellow alumni—you’ll be reminded of the lasting impact Lipscomb has had on your life and the vibrancy of what Lipscomb is becoming.
Your presence at Bisons Weekend is more than just a trip down memory lane; it serves as a powerful inspiration to our current students. When they see successful alumni like you returning
to campus, it reinforces the value of their Lipscomb education and the lifelong network they are building. Students see your excitement and wonder at the improvements the Lipscomb campus showcases. Your return to campus demonstrates the possibilities that lie ahead, instilling a sense of pride and motivation in the next generation. You illustrate the definition of legacy and a bond that connects all who have stepped foot on campus, participated in legendary traditions and developed lifelong friendships. We are all what makes Lipscomb… well, uniquely Lipscomb.
Join us for one, two or even all three days of exciting events, reunions and opportunities to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Your involvement enriches our Lipscomb community and helps create a vibrant and supportive environment for all.
I look forward to celebrating the enduring spirit of Lipscomb University together!
Warmest regards,
Reach out to the Herd
You can reach out to and get involved with your fellow Bisons by contacting our office at alumni@lipscomb.edu
Send us your Bison Notes through email at classnotes@lipscomb.edu or submit them online at lipscomb.edu/classnotes .
Lifelong Learning
Broaden your mind and your relationships through this non-credit academic program. lipscomb.edu/lifelonglearning
Lipscomb Legacy Luncheon: A new family tradition
About 20 legacy families, representing more than 100 alumni, returned to campus in April to attend the Lipscomb Legacy Luncheon. The event recognized families with four or more generations who have attended Lipscomb University and Lipscomb Academy, with some families reaching as many as six and seven generations back.
Among the legacy families attending were 17 members of the extended Ward/Brewer/Hale family, which includes three-term Lipscomb board member Neika Brewer Stephens (LA ’52). Recent graduates from a seven-generation family, Caleb Rogers (BS ’22) and Will Welch (BS ’23), attended with their grandparents Fletcher Srygley (LA ’62, A ’65),, retired mathematics and physics professor, and Gail Gregory Srygley (LA ’62, A ’65), former Lipscomb Academy elementary principal.
Jane Dennison Kittrell (LA ’72, BS ’77), accompanied by her husband, Marty (BS ’77), and members of their family, shared the significance of Lipscomb to her family over multiple generations.
“My grandparents, great aunts and uncles went to Lipscomb at a time when college education was not the norm,” she said. “It was something no one ever talked to me about or pushed me to do, it was more of an attitude toward education. There was an understanding that Christian education is something of value.”
During the luncheon, alumni enjoyed viewing a curated exhibit of photographs and archival objects, a performance by the university’s premier a cappella ensemble, Sanctuary, and a special retelling of the Lipscomb story through the eyes of David and Margaret Lipscomb, portrayed by Henry “Chip” Arnold, son of former Lipscomb faculty Buddy Arnold (BA ’48), and alumna Wesley Paine (BA ’70).
Read more at lipscomb.edu/legacylunch24.
Class Notes
We want to hear from you! At lipscomb.edu/ classnotes you can post a career update or accomplishment, a marriage, birth, or passing, and share a special photo as well. We always have our ear to the ground to hear what’s going on in the Bison Herd.
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.
Degree abbreviations follow standard academic abbreviations except for: (LA), alumni of Lipscomb Academy; (GC), alumni who have completed a graduate certificate; and (A) nondegreed alumni or those whose degree is unknown.
1965 Dixon Settle (BA) of Wilmington, North Carolina, is retired.
1972 Pat Bethel (BA) of Opelika, Alabama, is a contract insurance agent with Symmetry Financial Group.
1976 Dr. Terri W. Jerkins (BS) of Franklin is supervising physician for the health clinic and assistant professor in the School of Physician Assistant Studies at Lipscomb University.
1979 Cathy Roberts (BS) of Edenton, North Carolina, is a professional coach with Peak Impact Living LLC.
1980 Tamara Williams Retchless (BS) of Clarksville is a retired teacher from Ashland City Elementary.
1981 Lisa Harless (BA) of Nashville retired from her role as senior vice president/wealth advisor in the entertainment and sports division for Regions Bank. She spent more than 38 years with the company.
1982 Vic Alexander (BS) of Brentwood serves as chief manager of KraftCPAs and was chosen in May 2024 by Forbes as a member of its inaugural America’s Top 200 CPAs list. He was one of two Tennessee residents selected and the only one from Middle Tennessee.
Barry Neil Shrum (BA, MA ’87) of Franklin and business partner Dennis Disney have formed Shrum Disney & Associates, a boutique law firm on Music Row.
1983 Lisa Snider (BA) of Brentwood is principal of Stewartsboro Elementary School.
1984 Nancy B. Sullivan (BS) of Nashville was elected chair of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners as of July 1.
1986 Tim Smith (BA) of Nolensville is a registered nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
1988 Jeffrey Dale (BS) of Brentwood was appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee as director of the Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Training Academy in Nashville as of July 1.
1989 Randall Hamm (BA) of Paoli, Indiana, is program director for Willtronics Broadcasting WFLQ.
1991 David French (BA) of Franklin has been appointed the inaugural Turner Family Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Lipscomb University’s College of Leadership & Public Service.
1993 Shannon Wagner (MA) of Joelton was named executive director of the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center.
1995 Chad Estep (BS) of Miami, Florida, is a chief compliance officer with Corient.
1996 Cicely Simpson (BA) of Manchester has been appointed to the Board of Regents at Pepperdine University. She received a juris doctor in 2001 from the Caruso School of Law at Pepperdine.
Peter Sullivan (BA) of Cane Ridge is director of human resources in the Tennessee Attorney General Office.
1997 Angela V. Poag (BS, EdS ’15) of Columbia is principal of Battle Creek Middle School with Maury County Public Schools.
2001 Samuel Smith ( BA, MA ’05) of York, Nebraska, has been named president of Mount Dora Christian Academy in Mount Dora, Florida.
2003 James McBride (BA) of Nashville is the new president and chief executive officer for Connects Federal Credit Union.
2004 Denise Carothers (MEd) of Thompson’s Station is director of events and community engagement for Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee.
The Marty Kittrell (BS ’77) legacy family.
GERALD & JOANNE COGGIN
Why we give
“One of the greatest advantages of our experience at Lipscomb was the relationships between the staff and faculty, and students.”
Board of Trustees member Gerald Coggin (BA ’73) and his wife, Joanne Adams Coggin (BS ’73) have a lot of Lipscomb experience to draw from.
Gerald has served on Lipscomb’s board for 21 years and Joanne is a long-time champion of the Associated Women for Lipscomb chapter in Rutherford County. Their sons, Adam (BA ’98, MBA ’21) and David (BS ’96), are Lipscomb alumni, and their son, Robert, is married to Lipscomb alumna, Betsy Joseph Coggin (BA ’99). Grandson, Carl, received his undergraduate business administration degree from Lipscomb in 2022 and graduated in May with a Master of Accountancy degree.
What they know from all that experience is that it is relationships that can make the defining difference in a young person’s life.
“Based on our experience at Lipscomb, and our children and grandchildren’s experience at Lipscomb, we felt one of the greatest advantages is the relationship between the staff and faculty, and students. Anything we can do to boost that staff-student relationship, to give students whatever help they might need, whether it’s to make a passing grade or excelling in their field or endeavors, we feel good about being a part of that,” said Gerald.
So this spring, the Coggins, through the Coggin Family Foundation, provided financial support for
Lipscomb’s Academic Success Center in Beaman Library, a hub that combines academic support and enrichment functions from across campus in one location designed to enhance learning and collaboration.
In May, the Lipscomb community gathered in the center to celebrate its naming as the Coggin Family Academic Success Center and its continued focus on providing robust academic support services for all students today and into the future.
“This is a place where students will find support and encouragement,” said Tim Ehrhart, director of the center, “where dedicated mentors and tutors will empower them to overcome challenges, explore their intellectual curiosity and achieve their academic goals. It is a place that serves to deepen and enrich the academic experience and a place that will ultimately help our students succeed and truly flourish.”
When he was a student, Coggin said he benefited from close relationships with professors such as Dennis Loyd, Mack Wayne Craig, Willard Collins and Morris Landiss. He graduated from Lipscomb with a liberal arts degree and earned a master’s in public health administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Joanne earned her Lipscomb degree in home economics.
The couple lived in Knoxville for 16 years while Gerald worked for National Healthcare Corporation, and then moved to Murfreesboro.
“This gift is not about us, but is a way we can contribute because God has given us so much. This is a way that we can give back,” said Coggin. “We are just so blessed to be a part of His plan and a part of what He allows us to do in a collective fashion for His good. I can’t think of any better way to show His love than through the opportunity to serve students.”
In August 2012, the Academic Success Center opened its doors in Beaman Library and began connecting students with a robust offering of academic resources including the writing studio, tutoring and group studies among others. Since its founding, the center has had well over 50,000 student visits.
Read more about the Coggin Family Academic Success Center at lipscomb.edu/coggin.
IDEAL graduate wins national leadership award
Jason Rogers, a 2018 graduate of Lipscomb’s IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access) program, was awarded the Laura Lee Leadership Award this past fall for his zeal, excellent work ethic and leadership skills in advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Rogers is a paraprofessional at Chattanooga Christian School and the coordinator of workplace readiness and inclusion at Special Olympics International. The award is a national honor presented to “a trailblazing self-advocate” at the annual State of the Art Conference (SOTA), devoted to the current state of research and practice in the field of inclusive postsecondary education.
At Lipscomb he became the first individual with an intellectual disability to secure an internship in the Tennessee Governor’s Office during Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration. At Special Olympics International, Rogers works to educate corporate partners to grow their inclusive mindsets and to build workplace readiness skills in youth with IDD.
He serves as the first member of the board with Down syndrome for the Down Syndrome Community of Greater Chattanooga and travels the nation as an expert speaker on IDD issues.
Read more about Rogers at lipscomb.edu/rogers.
Jessica Taylor Sexton (BA, MED ’05) of Nashville received the 2023 Joyce Ward Teacher of the Year award from the Tennessee World Language Teaching Association. Jessica began teaching in Metro-Nashville Public Schools in 2004. She has been a French teacher at Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School since 2007.
2006 Craig “Dusty” Katzenmiller (BA, MTS ’09) of Knoxville completed certification as a CPE educator with the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education.
Amy Dalton Kenney (BA) of Columbia is an art teacher at Columbia Academy at the Spring Hill campus.
Beth Quarles (MA ’13) of Little Rock, Arkansas, is the owner of Paper Hearts Bookstore and a second-grade teacher at Chicot Elementary School.
2007 Rachel Donegan (BA) of Cookeville is an assistant professor of English at Tennessee Tech.
Dustin Summers (MEd) of Paris has joined The Ingram Group in its Nashville office.
2008 Lindsey Mooney Fox (BS) of Rome, Georgia, is a school counselor at Model Middle School.
Shacora Moore (MA) of Meridian, Mississippi, is assistant principal at Northeast High School.
Sam Young (BBA) of Richmond, Virginia, is a partner with Holland & Knight’s Real Estate Capital Markets Group.
2009 Perry Louden (MA) of Bradyville released a book, Kings and Captives: The Narratives in the Book of Daniel from an Apologetics Perspective.
Melissa Swann (BA, MS ’12) of Williamsburg, Virginia, is the new director of Pepperdine University’s Heidelberg Program.
2010 Tiffany Uram James (BSN) of Katy, Texas, and Justin James announce the Aug. 1, 2023, birth of daughter Tenley Maru.
Justin McClain (BS) of Nashville earned the Certified AMS Teacher designation from the American Meteorological Society.
2011 Danielle Holdren (MEd, EdD ’14) of White House is the executive principal of Hillsboro High School.
2013 Watechia E. Lawless (EdD) of Nashville serves as the director of child and youth initiatives on Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s administrative staff.
Sterdivante Tolliver (BBA/MACC) of Nashville is an employment services coordinator for the Urban League of Middle Tennessee Advancing Workforce Equity team.
2014 Andrew Holt (MEd, EdS ’19) of Hendersonville is principal of DuPont Elementary.
Felicia Ybanez (AA) of Collierville is the salon manager for Supercuts.
2015 Heather Stephens (BBA) of Florence, Alabama, is an environmental attorney with Joey James Law.
2016 Brittany Ford Beck (GC) of White House was named assistant principal at Coopertown Middle School.
Kate Finn (MEd, EdD ’19) of Antioch is interim executive principal of Andrew Jackson Elementary.
2017 Elizabeth Fulton (BS) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a senior software systems engineer for Allegion.
Watson Hughston (MBA) of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, is the chief operating officer for Shelby Baptist Medical Center.
Dr. Kiara Jamison (MS) of Norcross, Georgia, is one of five physicians in the Graduate Medical Education program at Northside Hospital Gwinnett chosen as chief residents for 2024-25.
2018 Stephanie Armitstead (BPS) of Clarksville is director of business development for Hometown Profit.
David Donald (MACC) of Brentwood is an associate controller with Schneider Electric USA.
Colin Hunt (MEd, EdD ’22) of Nashville is executive principal of Lockeland Elementary. Keri Koster (BA) of Freeport, Michigan, is the equestrian manager for YMCA Camp ManitouLin in Middleville.
William D. Rawls (BA) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who for his dedication to public service and funeral services.
2019 Thabile Tshatedi Brown (BA, MBA ’20) of Nashville was selected as the first recipient of Lipscomb University’s Next Generation Fellowship, a scholarship program to fund completion of doctoral studies in order to return to Lipscomb as faculty in an area of academic need.
Jason Rogers and his boss at Special Olympics International Natalie Campbell Newell
YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI ALUMNA WALKS THE TALK AS NASHVILLE WALKING AND BIKING MANAGER
Each day Anna Dearman (BA ’13) strives to walk a mile in other peoples’ shoes. It’s not just a metaphor, though, it’s actually her job.
As the walking and biking manager at Nashville Department of Transportation, Dearman is thinking about (and often actually walking) Nashville’s sidewalks and bikeways every day, planning for a future with fewer pedestrian fatalities and more footprints on the pavement.
As Nashville’s only multi-modal walking and biking planner, Dearman oversees plans for the 100+ bikeway projects in development, representing over 150 miles of bikeways. Add to that Nashville’s sidewalk projects in development, and Dearman is shaping a future where Nashville’s roads are used, in her words, “more efficiently, joyfully and safely.”
Dearman’s most high-profile Nashville project to date is the protected bikeway on 12 Avenue South from Ashwood Avenue to Division Street. The bikeway is protected from the street by concrete or sod barriers, and bioswales or engineered planters that manage stormwater. The project, completed in April 2023, was the first of its kind for Nashville, a sort of proof-of-concept project for a city that has struggled with rapid, exponential growth, said Dearman.
With some of the busiest sidewalks in the world in its downtown, Nashville is a city that many other urban giants are watching to see how it deals with the crowds, said Dearman. Historic buildings, commercial deliveries, tourist traffic and ride-sharing services are all factors to consider in planning sidewalks in the urban core.
Read more about Dearman at lipscomb.edu/dearman.
The legacy of longtime Lipscomb English professor, the late Morris P. Landiss (A ’31), is still felt on campus today in a way one might not expect: through his neckties.
Landiss, a former chair of the English department, faculty in the Bible department and advisor for The Tower literary magazine, had a great affinity for neckties. And while Landiss passed away in 1984, his treasure trove of 150 or so neckties was donated to Lipscomb’s costume department in 2024 by his family.
That was just in time to inspire the university’s resident costume designer, June Kingsbury, for an on-campus spring production of Hamlet, a play that Landiss surely taught to thousands of students over the years.
“As Shakespeare writes in As You Like It, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’ My dad was fortunate to have been one of the players in the English department at Lipscomb, and I am sure that he would be delighted that his ties are gracing the Lipscomb stage for this production of Hamlet,” said Shipley Landiss (LA ’78), Morris’ son.
“Most of the ties are from the ’70s, which I know only because they’re so wide,” Kingsbury chuckles as she describes the colorful array of neckties. “It’s wonderful for me to have that much material and fortunately, a lot of the ties are in the same color family.”
Transformed into vests for the famous duo Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, these vintage ties added a vibrant flair to the production, staged in partnership with the Nashville Shakespeare Festival in April.
Read more about Landiss’ neckties in Hamlet at lipscomb.edu/landissties.
Taylor Hackney (BS) of Dallas, Texas, is in her fourth year as an educator.
Maria Hassel (BBA) of Nashville is head of brand insights for Marqeta in Oakland, California.
Lebron Hill (BA) of Lynchburg is a columnist and editorial writer for the Sacramento Bee editorial board.
Hubbell King (EdD) of Clarksville was appointed assistant principal at Jo Byrns High School.
Russell Vannozzi (BBA) of Nashville is the audience development manager for Main Street Media of Tennessee.
2020 Peyton Porter (BA) of Gainesville, Georgia, is a singer/songwriter and was recently featured in Billboard’s March Country Rookie of the Month online series at billboard.com.
Christin Warren (MS) of Nashville is a psychotherapist with Cumberland Heights.
2021 James Harper (MS) of Mount Juliet has been named director of faith-based initiatives by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Kameryn King (BFA) of Franklin is a graphic designer with MD Publishing.
Hayley Mullins (BFA) of Erlanger, Kentucky, is a photographer for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Inc. in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
In Memoriam
LIPSCOMB COMMUNITY
George E. O’Connor Jr. of Nashville, a former professor in the College of Engineering, died March 14.
1936 D. Thomas Stanton Jr. (A) of Colma, California, died Feb. 1.
1940 Raymond Norton Key (A) of Katy, Texas, died Feb. 20.
1942 Ruth Scott Bradford (A) of Glasgow, Kentucky, died Dec. 29, 2023.
1946 Cora Beal Hardison Shields (A) of Oxford, Mississippi, died Dec. 20, 2023.
Brenleigh Loiselle Oswanski (EdS) of Nashville is executive principal of Shayne Elementary School.
Savannah Royston (BM) of Kingston, New Jersey, is a teaching fellow at the New School for Music Study in Kingston.
2022 Shavon Davis Louis (EdD) of Murfreesboro is the head of middle school for the University School of Nashville.
Antonina Lucido (BS) of Nashville is a member of the Class of 2025 Tennessee Governor’s Management Fellowship program. The two-year fellowship attracts the nation’s best and brightest graduates and aims to cultivate the next generation of public sector leaders.
2023 Lauren Kells (BA) of Brentwood is an anime writer for ScreenRant.
Shawna Mann (BA) of Nashville was selected as the second recipient of Lipscomb University’s Next Generation Fellowship, a scholarship program to fund completion of doctoral studies in order to return to Lipscomb as faculty in an area of academic need.
2024 Traci Austin (BA) of Gallatin is a youth minister at College Hills Church of Christ. Abigail Brust (BSN) of Nashville is a nurse with HCA.
Kathryn Byrd (BPS) of Lebanon is a staff sergeant and Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic.
Gretchen Link (BS) of Nashville is a mechanical engineer with PAE Consulting Engineers Inc.
Catherine Marshall (BBA) of Nashville is an admissions counselor at Lipscomb University.
Leighton McBryde (BBA) of Nashville is sales development representative with Oracle.
Julia Szymankowski (BBA) of Madison, Alabama, is a wedding photographer and owner of Julia & Sean Photography.
1950 Fred L. Casmir (BA) of Flagstaff, Arizona, died June 23.
1951 Harold L. Scott (BA) of Nashville died June 15.
Marilyn McWilliams Welch (BA) of Urbana, Illinois, died March 5.
1954 Geraldine “Gerry” Carpenter (BS) of Morgantown, Indiana, died Jan. 20.
Frank Ted Kell (BA) of Garland, Texas, died May 6.
GREEN of the LIGHTING 20 th ANNIVERSARY
AMY GRANT
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Celebrate 20 years of Lighting of the Green as we light up the night with Christmas cheer! Relive the magic of Christmas and enjoy festive fun, like our Merry Marketplace, photos with Santa and a Christmas concert. Festivities at 4 p.m. • Christmas Concert at 6 p.m.
Illuminate: Living With Purpose
Featuring David Kinnaman, CEO, Barna Group; Jordan Raynor, author, The SacrednessofSecularWork ; Amy Sherman, director, Center on Faith in Communities at the Sagamore Institute
October 10, 2024
Fashion Week with Lipscomb’s Halston Collection
October 21-25, 2024
Don R. Elliott Distinguished Presidential Lecture
Featuring Dan Heath, author, Switch, ThePowerofMoments
November 7, 2024
McClure Lecture on Faith and Science
Featuring Dwayne Simmons, Cornelia Marschall Smith Endowed Professor, Baylor University
January 30, 2025
Featuring Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author February 25, 2025
Gray Lectureship
April 1, 2025
Landiss Lecture
Fred
Featuring David French, New York Times columnist and Turner Family Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Lipscomb, and Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today
LIPSCOMB FAMILY TREE
Team Bledsoe co-teaches new Ph.D. class with trip to D.C.
Generations of alumni can recall Craig Bledsoe (BA ’75), as a political science professor and chair of the now-Department of History, Politics and Philosophy before he became provost in 1997.
Lipscomb students are getting the same experience today, but with a special twist: Craig Bledsoe is co-teaching a class with his son Scott Bledsoe (BA ’14), now an assistant professor in the College of Leadership & Public Service.
The pair co-taught the Global Perspective and Policy course in Lipscomb’s new Ph.D. program in leadership and policy during the 2024 summer session, including a five-day trip to Washington, D.C., led by Team Bledsoe.
While the two men’s academic paths haven’t been parallel, ironically they both came to Lipscomb to teach political science and statistics.
In his graduate studies, Scott specialized in religion and politics at New York University and American government at George Mason University, trained through a quantitative approach to political science. Craig has an interest in the American presidency and received more theoretical and qualitative graduate training at the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University.
“I think Dad brings wisdom to the classroom, in the sense of really knowing where the students are and what they need to be doing and thinking about. He knows what they need to get out of the class experience itself and how to get them there,” Scott said of his father.
Craig said that teaching with his own son is “a little surreal,” but it’s also “an amazing moment.”
“What I have enjoyed watching in Scott’s time here is his love for doing what he is doing. He loves academics; he loves inspiring students to learn. That is a freshness that I wish every faculty member had,” Craig said. “In the classroom, he doesn’t want them to just get a grade, he wants them to learn.”
Scott joined Lipscomb’s School of Public Policy in 2022 and has already received praise for his teaching chops, receiving one of Lipscomb’s three 2023-2024 Outstanding Teacher Awards.
1955
1956
Grace Walker Albright (BS) of Ashland City died May 20.
Charlene Howard (BS) of Lewiston, Idaho, died May 30.
1957
Carl Harper (BA) of Franklin died Feb. 27.
William Henry Rogers (BA) of Winchester died Feb. 8.
Mary Cornelia Brazil (BA) of Brentwood died March 26.
Ronald Morrell (BA) of Brentwood died Jan. 30.
John David Thomas (BA) of Henderson died April 11.
1958 Patricia J. Hightower (BS) of Grenada, Mississippi, died Feb. 1.
Marianne Gates Richter (BA) of Lewisburg died April 29.
1959 Delores M. Edwards (BS) of Abilene, Texas, died March 1.
Martha Sue McCain (BS) of Winchester died Feb. 3.
1960 Dorothy “Gene” Adler (BS) of Collierville died Jan. 12.
Alex Clayton Brown Jr. (BS) of Durham, North Carolina, died Feb. 5.
1961
Larry Casbon (BS) of Valparaiso, Indiana, died June 22.
1962
Barbara Sue Hofferbert (BS) of Nolensville died April 16.
Ronald R. Dixon (BA) of Franklin died March 12.
1963 Dixie Lynn Harvey (BA) of Jackson died Dec. 13, 2023.
1964 Suzanne Moore Chappin (BA, LA ’60) of Murfreesboro died Dec. 22, 2023.
Billy Conn Hamlett (BA) of Joelton died Jan. 28.
James Terrence “Terry” Spencer (BS) of Nashville died April 7.
1965 Gary Lee Oliver (BS) of Columbia died in June.
1966 Janet Andrews (BA) of Miami, Florida, died April 24.
Mary “Kate” Bell Gerbitz (BA) of Chattanooga died Jan. 3.
Bill B. Kinzer Jr. (BA) of Springfield, Illinois, died Jan. 11.
Jamie Whiteside Langham (BA) of Daphne, Alabama, died March 17.
John Ashley McLeod (BA) of Moultrie, Georgia, died Dec. 5, 2023.
1967 Lynn Edward Dupoy (BS) of Lakeside Marblehead, Ohio, died June 22.
1968 Phillip E. Casey (BA) of Union City died Jan. 22.
Marjorie Joyce Charlton (BS) of Hermitage died March 12.
1969 Kenny Dale Barfield (BA) of Florence, Alabama, died March 28.
(Continued on page 46.)
YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI
MBA ALUMNUS BUILDS
STUDENTS’ SUPER SKILLS THROUGH SUPER MONEY KIDS CO.
Courtney Hale (MBA ’10) likes to tell people: “I’m the most accidental entrepreneur you’ll ever meet!”
But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have skills. In fact, he’s passing on to today’s youngsters all over the nation the finance skills that carried him beyond his family’s humble roots in Nashville through his social enterprise: Super Money Kids Co.
Students from elementary school to universitylevel are learning personal finance skills through the company’s age-specific curriculums including the Super Money Kid Bank, three bright, colorful boxes adorned with the cartoon Super Money Kids (seen here) and designed to collect, designate and keep records of small change allocations for saving, spending and sharing.
Nashville-based Super Money has taken off since 2020, with a core group of 10 people responsible for bringing its programs to more than 25,000 students nationally who have saved more than $300,000, said Hale. In 2021, the nonprofit was featured nationally on the Ellen Show, and Hale received the Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award, which recognizes the faces that will shape Nashville in the years to come.
After four years of working, networking and fundraising, Super Money now has a grant funding the provision of Super Money Teens programs to all high schools across Tennessee.
“I saw kids entering adulthood unprepared. The statistics facing young people weren’t favorable in terms of job stability and the affordability of housing,” he said. “We need to be a little more sophisticated in how we are preparing young people to become adults. That was an issue I wanted to tackle.
Read more about Hale at lipscomb.edu/hale.
Plan to attend Illuminate and learn more about discovering purpose at the intersection of faith and work. This one-day conference will take place October 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Shinn Center on Lipscomb University’s campus. Cost is $45 per person. Mark your calendar today!
This event includes keynote sessions delivered by bestselling authors and ministry leaders:
Additionally, there will be discipline-specific breakout sessions, and the conference will feature a lunchtime No Small Endeavor show led by Dr. Lee
David Kinnaman CEOofBarnaGroup
Jordan Raynor Author of The Sacredness of Secular Work
Amy Sherman
University mourns the loss of community members
Kristopher
Charles Hatchell (BS ’06) passed away on March 22, 2024, at the age of 40 after a battle with cancer.
An engineering graduate, Hatchell was a driving force in the early years of Lipscomb’s engineering missions program, beginning with his participation in the first such mission trip in 2004.
Soon after graduating, Hatchell returned in the role of mission coordinator for what would become the Peugeot Center for Engineering Service in Developing Communities. Later he moved his family to Guatemala’s Ulpan Valley for a period of two years where he served the native Mayan population through engineering projects.
Upon returning to the states, Hatchell continued to lead mission trips and was also known professionally for his excellence and passion for water resource engineering through his work at Barge Design Solutions.
He is survived by his wife, DeeDee Dunnavant Hatchell (BA ’08),and his three sons: Noah, Nehemiah, and Nathaniel.
Read more about Hatchell at lipscomb.edu/hatchell.
Longtime
English faculty, dean of students and friend of Lipscomb
Dennis Loyd (LA ’54, BA ’58) passed away on May 26 at age 87. While at the high school and college, Loyd served as editor of both the student newspaper and yearbook. After completing a master’s at George
Peabody College, he returned to Lipscomb high school to teach English and journalism and serve as student publication advisor.
In 1969 he began teaching English and literature at the university. During his tenure he served as chair of the English Department, dean of students, faculty coordinator of Singarama and faculty advisor of the Babbler student newspaper.
Loyd was known for his love for literature—particularly the works of Wilder, for bringing words to life through his special way of reading passages aloud and for his distinctive tenor voice singing hymns in chapel and worship services.
Read more about Loyd at lipscomb.edu/loyd.
John Parker (BA ’68), English professor from 1982 until his retirement in 2013, died April 29 at age 78.
In addition to teaching Shakespeare, British and American Literature, English composition and Bible, Parker served as faculty in the study abroad programs in Vienna and London and served as advisor for the Backlog and Babbler.
He was known for his keen interest in Shakespeare and his love for hymns and the stories behind them, which became the foci of his research, including sabbaticals to England to attend Shakespeare Summer School at Cambridge University.
In addition, Parker preached in West and Middle Tennessee and served as an elder for nearly two decades at thenGranny White Church of Christ.
Read more about Parker at lipscomb.edu/parker.
1970
George Franklin “Frank” Dedmon (BA) of Milan died April 17.
James “Jim” W. Parnell Jr. (BA) of Franklin died Nov. 29, 2023.
Carolyn Creswell Williams (BS) of Goodlettsville died Dec. 18, 2023.
1971 Jacky Randal Burton (BA) of Franklinville, North Carolina, died Feb. 25.
George P. Stricklin (BA) of Nashville died Feb. 28.
1972 Janith Johnston Dixon (BA) of Franklin died Dec. 24, 2023.
1973 Mary Lee Fowler Coats (BS) of Nashville died in January.
David Bruce McCuiston (BS) of Nashville died Dec. 18, 2023.
1975 Keith Randall Earle (BS) of Greenfield, Massachusetts, died Jan. 29.
1977 Harold W. Donaldson Jr. (BS) of Nashville and Winchester died Jan. 5.
Gail Miller Heavrin (BS) of Louisville, Kentucky, died July 2.
1980
Patricia Joyce Binkley (BS) of Brentwood died April 1.
Caty Sellers Cullum (BS) of Columbia died June 24.
1981 Jeanette Butler Gutzman (BS) of Hendersonville died Dec. 22, 2023.
Chris Snoddy (BS), of Nashville who died Jan. 20, is one of eight inductees to the 2024 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Snoddy spent 14 years as an athletic trainer at Lipscomb University and was a leading pioneer in the development of the sports medicine program.
1982 Vernal Keith Britton (BA) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, died Feb. 19.
1985 Kenneth Grizzell (BA) of Bowling Green, Kentucky, died Jan. 28.
James Patrick “Jim” McMurtry (BS) of Grayson, Georgia, died Dec. 14, 2023.
1988 Michael Scott Turner (BS) of Columbia died Dec. 10, 2023.
1990 Anna Woodhouse Summers (BS) of Jacksonville, Florida, died April 6.
1993
Barbara Lydia Burton (BS) of Nashville died April 13.
1994 Jon F. Geibel (BS) of Greenville, Kentucky, died June 10.
1998 Aaron Michael “Ray” Sharpe (BS) of Nashville died Nov. 19, 2023.
2011 Victoria Lynn Fowler Anderson (BBA) of Kingwood, Texas, died Sept. 24, 2023.
2014 Charmaine Ocay Stiglet (BS) of Lebanon died Dec. 1, 2023.
2018 John Richardson Thompson (MTS) of Nashville died Dec. 23, 2023.
2021 Kathryn Lynette Payne (MA) of Nashville died April 22.
2022 Christian Jeffrey Baughn (BS) of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, died June 12.
Springing into Summer Fun with fellow alumni
From alumni breakfast gatherings and Lipscomb nights with the Nashville Sounds and Predators to events for graduating seniors and Summer Send-Off gatherings to welcome new Bisons—the Lipscomb community has had plenty of opportunities to connect and celebrate these last few months.
In February, the Lipscomb community joined other Smashville fans at Bridgestone Arena to cheer on the Nashville Predators during the Preds’ “rivalry night” between Lipscomb and Belmont University. With 200plus Bisons in attendance, Lipscomb smashed Belmont in the number of fans at Bridgestone.
Several social club alumni groups held gettogethers in the President’s Suite during men’s basketball games in Allen Arena. The alumni office hosted 15 breakfasts in Nashville-area schools for education alumni throughout the past school year. Delta Nu also hosted a dinner for the original members of the Delta NaNaNa band, in conjunction with this year’s Singarama, which included an homage to the ’50s-style rock band (see page 44). A special Legacy Luncheon on April 6 celebrated families with four-plus generations of Lipscomb students (see page 36)
Graduating seniors from the Class of 2024 enjoyed the annual Senior Send-Off celebration that featured food, fun and free T-shirts. The Summer Send-Off events welcomed incoming freshman Bisons and their families in nine cities spanning Tennessee, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois and Indiana.
More than 550 Lipscomb alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends descended on First Horizon Park to catch the Nashville Sounds in action. Lipscomb alumni also attended the Huntsville City FC match in Huntsville, Alabama, in July.
The annual Bisons Weekend is coming up Nov. 7-9 at Lipscomb. It’s your chance to gather with the Lipscomb community, stroll through favorite campus spots, worship together, cheer on Bison teams, hug old friends while making new ones and strengthen your Bison network!
Like any family gathering, it will not be the same without YOU. Mark Nov. 7-9 on your calendar and make plans to celebrate the Lipscomb community! Watch for event info updates at lipscomb.edu/bisonsweekend.
lipscomb now
Lipscomb Night at the Nashville Sounds Game.
Summer Send-Off in Brentwood
Delta NaNaNa Dinner
Lipscomb Night at the Huntsville Football Club
Lipscomb Night at the Nashville Sounds Game.
Summer Send-Off in California
On-campus Senior Send-Off
New academic programs offer alumni the opportunity to build on their Lipscomb degrees in high-demand skill areas.
This spring, Lipscomb announced three new graduate-level programs and one accelerated undergraduate program, all designed to enhance graduates’ value in the ever-changing marketplace. All four are offered in flexible formats or are among the first such programs in the city or state. Each program began courses in August.
Master of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence
This 18-month program is designed to meet the growing demand across industries for AI expertise among those without a computer science background. Students will learn the fundamental concepts of AI, its capabilities and limitations, and the ethics involved. The focus is on practical application in studentselected specific fields: engineering, health care, entertainment and the arts, literature, education, environmental and sustainability science, business, finance and analysis. A graduate certificate is also available.
If you are interested in this program, email schoolofcomputing@lipscomb.edu.
Master of Science in Sport Analytics
This program will train students for analytical positions in professional and collegiate sports as well as other entertainment and sportsrelated careers. The collection and analysis of data is crucial for many careers in sports,
including e-sports, finance, media and sports marketing agencies. The comprehensive program offers courses in applied statistics, legal and ethical considerations in sports, consumer behavior analytics, predictive modeling, intellectual property and management of student athletes’ name, image and likeness. The program includes built-in capstone opportunities, expert faculty mentorship and extensive networking. If you are interested in this program, email brendan.fernandez@lipscomb.edu.
Entertainment, Design and Creative Enterprise
Stackable Graduate Certificates
These post-baccalaureate certificates offer a short-term path for artists and entertainment professionals to advance their careers in a rapidly evolving industry. Students may complete one certificate at a time in a specific area of interest—screenwriting, television writing, animation foundations and 2D advanced animation—then combine certificates for a custom MFA in entertainment, design and creative enterprise if desired. The graduate certificates include
unique opportunities like the Writers Room Intensive and opportunities to engage with industry leaders through guest lectures, workshops, travel study opportunities and networking events.
If you are interested in this program, email barrett.wortz@lipscomb.edu.
Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing
This program is designed to address the growing demand for highly qualified nurses in the health care industry, allowing students with a bachelor’s degree or higher in another field to earn a BSN in just 16 months through a hybrid format, combining online and in-person learning components. Lipscomb’s nursing program is known for its high first-time NCLEX pass rates, consistently exceeding state and national standards. This new program upholds these standards, ensuring that graduates are well-equipped to meet the critical thinking, clinical skills and compassionate care required in the profession. If you are interested in this program, email drew.whittaker@lipscomb.edu.
