Lipscomb University Report on Diversity, Belonging & Unity 2023-2024

Report on Diversity, Belonging & Unity

More about Lipscomb's community, highlighting racial & ethnic diversity

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Each year, the Office of Intercultural Development coordinates campus-wide cultural events during Hispanic Heritage Month, including the Fall Fiesta held in Bison Square, featuring authentic food, music and dance.

Hope compels us toward positive change and a brighter future

In January, Lipscomb University was blessed to begin the year and the spring semester with special remembrances of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lipscomb’s 2024 celebrations focused on words of Dr. King that may be more meaningful today than at any time in this generation’s lifetime.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

Spoken in Washington, D.C. in 1968, just two months before his assassination, I believe these words of Dr. King were among the most positive messages he ever spoke. He was positive about the change that could come, even amidst the challenges that he was facing.

He lived those words every day, and his life is an example to us today that we must not be passive in seeking that hope ourselves. Hope is an active force. It actually compels us toward positive change and urges us as individuals to be architects of a brighter future.

At Lipscomb, we honor Dr. King's Legacy as a community that is actively devoted to building a culture of diversity, belonging and unity on campus as seen in Impact 360, our strategic plan.

As part of our plan, we are working to support students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups on campus; we are building connections with surrounding communities of color; we are focusing on hiring and retention for the future; and striving to focus policy development and actions on the theology of reconciliation displayed in the life of Jesus.

In this 2023-24 report, you can see how Lipscomb has taken on a spirit of hope, and proactively determined concrete actions that uplift the spirit of Dr. King’s words.

Through acts of kindness, understanding, compassion and strategic work, we can collectively build a future that rejects the principles of this world that today is so often disappointing. Dr. King's Legacy, I believe, is not confined to history. It is lived out today in those of us who continue his work.

This, I believe, was the infinite hope that Martin Luther King talked about.

Together, we are creating a stronger Lipscomb where every individual feels valued and has the opportunity to flourish

As we enter the second year of our Impact 360 Strategic Plan, it is with great excitement and pride that we share the incredible progress and successes we have achieved in pursuing Goal 4: Diversity and Belonging. This goal is central to our mission of creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community, and we are pleased to report on the remarkable strides we have made.

Here are some of the notable accomplishments and initiatives that highlight our commitment to diversity and belonging:

• Next Generation Faculty Fellowship: We are thrilled to announce the selection of two alumnae as the first two recipients of the Next Generation Faculty Fellowship: Thabile Brown (BA ’19, MBA ’20) and Shawna Mann (BA ’23). This fellowship identifies and supports future faculty members who come from groups underrepresented at Lipscomb. (see page 5)

• Faculty of Color Fellowship and Mentoring Luncheons: The establishment and implementation of these monthly luncheons have proven to be both successful and wellattended, fostering valuable connections and support within our faculty community (see page 14)

• University Statement: We proudly unveiled a university statement reaffirming our commitment to Diversity and Belonging. This statement serves as a powerful testament to our dedication to these principles (see page 3)

• Historical Marker Collaboration: In partnership with the City of Nashville, we worked on the creation of a historical marker commemorating the Nashville Christian Institute, a Nashville high school for African Americans associated with the churches of Christ. This marker will be placed at the original site of the school, preserving an essential part of our shared history.

• Lipscomb Black Alumni Council: We have collaborated with the Office of Development to rejuvenate the Lipscomb Black Alumni Council, further strengthening the bond among our alumni community (see page 25).

• Honoring Civil Rights Icons: We hosted an event in September 2023 to honor civil rights pioneer and legend, Fred D. Gray J.D., recipient of the National Medal of Freedom, and partnered with the Carroll B. Ellis Symposium to honor the legacy of the legendary preacher Marshall Keeble (see page 23).

These accomplishments, alongside the ongoing dedication of the Goal 4 Task Force and Respect Leads: Lipscomb's Diversity and Belonging Council, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where diversity and belonging are celebrated and cherished.

We are excited about the progress we have made and the successes we are celebrating. Together, we are creating a stronger, more inclusive Lipscomb University where every individual feels valued and has the opportunity to flourish.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement in this vital journey toward diversity and belonging at Lipscomb.

Dr. William Lofton Turner

Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Public Policy and Special Counsel to the President for Equity, Diversity and Belonging

Impact 360 Goal 4:

Build a culture of diversity, equity and belonging where people thrive as image-bearers of God.

A statement of our commitment to diversity, belonging and unity

As a Christ-centered university, we are committed to treating all individuals as equal image bearers of God.

We affirm racial and ethnic diversity as God’s eternal design for humanity and are committed to diversity, inclusion, belonging, justice and unity as central to fulfilling our Lipscomb mission, the Great Commission and Jesus Christ’s commandments to love God and our neighbors.

We strive to cultivate a grace-filled, Christ-centered academic community and to foster a culture of belonging where all individuals are loved and their contributions are valued.

We fully commit to living out this vision at Lipscomb.

Racial and Gender Composition of Leadership in Fall 2023

Percentages of those from underrepresented racial groups

Percentages

22

TRUSTEES FROM UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL GROUPS OR WOMEN HAVE SERVED ON THE BOARD SINCE 1993.

*Represents Executive, Senior and Academic Leadership Teams for 2022-2023.

We affirm racial and ethnic diversity as God’s eternal design for humanity.

Office of Intercultural Development

Each year, the Office of Intercultural Development (OID) nurtures Lipscomb students to discover the benefit of ethnic and cultural diversity, serves as an advocate for underrepresented students and fosters an inclusive environment within the student body.

OID works toward building community on-campus through culture in various ways including:

• Offering convenient and accessible gathering areas for students such as the commuter and OID lounge and OID study rooms;

• Nurturing student affinity and cultural organizations;

• Hosting intercultural events, programs and activities;

• Awarding of grants to students through the OID fund designated for enhanced extracurricular experiences;

• Coordination of an intercultural breakout chapel option; and

• Support for international students.

With the addition of the Middle Eastern Student Association in 2023, the majority of the ethnic backgrounds represented within Lipscomb's student body are now represented by student affinity/ cultural organizations.

Each year, OID coordinates three campus-wide cultural events, and in the past few years there has been increased academic collaboration during the Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month and WOW (Welcome to Our Worlds Week) events including related guest lecturers and film showings.

In addition, OID’s student internship program has led to greater student empowerment in planning and promoting such events over the last few years.

MLK Joint Day of Service: In January, 20 students, faculty and staff joined more than 500 citywide to participate in the annual MLK Joint Day of Service. The 13-year-old event, gathers students from nine Nashville colleges to carry out volunteer service together at various locations around the city. Nonprofits such as the Nashville Food Project, ThriftSmart, The Land Trust of Tennessee and the Nashville Zoo benefit from the work of hundreds of students each year on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Office of Student Life

Throughout the course of the school year, the Office of Student Life continuously works to prepare students to connect, grow and flourish.

Advancements in the past two years have included establishing a first-generation student pinning ceremony as one of the annual commencement festivities, adding a commuter student services coordinator position and taking on the coordination of a pre-orientation seminar for first-generation and international students rebranded as College KickStart.

In January, the office kicked off 2024 with the promotion of Candace Williams (MA ’20), formerly Lipscomb’s director of community life, to the role of dean of student engagement.

Williams’ previous role included the Office of Intercultural Development and student organizations. As dean, she will add to her duties student activities and events, campus recreation and intramurals, social clubs, student productions, commuter student services and international student services among other areas.

Williams graduated from Abilene Christian University with a BS in social work and from Lipscomb University with an MA in conflict management. Her background in social work, event planning and conflict management led to a successful tenure in Lipscomb’s community life office, creating memorable experiences for students to learn and grow in cultural competency.

year are (l to r) Daniel Harvey (treasurer), Kate Muller (vice president) and Cindy Duong (secretary).

DIVERSITYFOCUSED STUDENT AFFINITY/CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS*

• ABLE (Disability Awareness)

• A-Con (Asian Connection)

• African Student Association

• Black Student Association

• Middle Eastern Student Association

• Raíces (Latinos)

• Society of Women Engineers

• Talk to the Hand (American Sign Language)

• W.E.B. Dubois International Honor Society

• Women in Stem

• Women in Animation

* These university-sponsored organizations do not limit membership by sex, race or ethnicity and are open to all students regardless of sex, race or ethnicity.

Student Government Association: In the 2023-24 school year, Lipscomb’s SGA is led by the university’s first female African American President, Janeyah Anderson (second from left). The rest of the SGA executive board members from this school

A growing student body

UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENT GROWTH AT LIPSCOMB FROM 2013 TO 2023

*Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, for private nonprofit four-year institutions (https://nscresearchcenter.org/persistence-retention/)

2023 FRESHMAN CLASS RACIAL AND ETHNIC BREAKDOWN

Learning in Unity

Fashion and Design Students

Students selected to display designs alongside Dolly Parton fashion highlights

Thousands of Dolly Parton fans flocked to Lipscomb’s campus in fall 2023 to see the one-of-a-kind “Dolly Parton and the Makers” exhibition, but before they even entered the John C. Hutcheson Gallery, they got a glimpse of the work of five top fashion students through outfits inspired by the global superstar.

Fashion designs by Lipscomb students Youssef Nagib, senior; Annabel Brown, junior; Ashley Izquierdo Renteral, senior; Kalissa Finn, junior; and Blossom Omeje, senior, were prominently positioned at the entrance to the exhibit.

The exhibit provided a unique opportunity to research the evolution of Dolly's fashion, create a budget and list of materials needed and work one-on-one with their professor and Parton’s former seamstress Iisha Lemming, who served as an artist in residence for fall 2023.

The project resulted in a white satin dress with a rhinestone western motif neckline, a jacket and skirt with a print of a young Dolly Parton

Student designers: (l to r) Blossom Omeje, Annabel Brown, Ashley Izquierdo Renteral, Sissy Simmons (assistant professor of fashion and design), Youssef Nagib and Kalissa Finn.

and her mother running through a field of lavender, a pink dress with a butterfly incorporated into the bodice, one piece inspired by a guitar strap with a rhinestone cowgirl look and a pink cape embroidered with Parton’s own words, among other creations.

Lipscomb University

†

refers to the increase of underrepresented students as a portion of the whole student body.

* Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Fall Enrollment Survey 2012 & 2022.

** Numbers do not include U.S. non-residents.

Fred D. Gray Scholarship Program

Each year, the Fred D. Gray Scholarship is awarded to as many as four Lipscomb junior or senior students who major in law, justice and society offered through the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society.

Scholarships are awarded in honor of Fred D. Gray, one of the nation’s leading civil rights attorneys during the civil rights movement, to students who have the passion, creativity, empathy and determination to join the next generation of civic leaders. Recipients have gone on to attend University of Mississippi, Marquette University, Vanderbilt University and University of Akron law schools.

The 2023 Fred D. Gray Scholars were:

• Janeyah Anderson, junior from Hendersonville, who aspires to be a part of a legislative body to create a sustainable difference in the future;

• Carson Coward, senior from Mt. Juliet, who strives to have a positive impact in social justice fields such as addiction recovery and reintegration of the previously incarcerated; and

• Shythaly Herrera, junior from Nashville, who is focusing on criminal defense.

Since its establishment in 2017, the Fred D. Gray Scholarship has provided $75,000 in financial assistance to 11 Lipscomb students with a demonstrated financial need to pursue their education in the world of law.

The Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society, is housed in the College of Leadership & Public Service.

For application information on the Fred D. Gray Scholarship, contact Kimberly McCall at kimberly.mccall@lipscomb.edu.

Pionero Scholars Program

Lipscomb’s Pionero Scholars is a privately funded scholarship program working to create a local pipeline of diverse teachers by recruiting students who reflect the diversity of Nashville to go into the teaching field. The program welcomed its eighth cohort this past fall, bringing the total enrolled in Lipscomb’s teacher preparation program at this time to 19 students.

The scholarship expanded to welcome students from surrounding counties, and in fall 2023 saw students from Rutherford County Schools, Sumner County Schools and Williamson County Schools enroll at Lipscomb as Pionero Scholars.

Of the 19 alumni, 15 are currently employed as classroom teachers, with 12 of those teaching in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and four of those working in the elementary or high school they themselves attended. One alumnus, Alondra Piña (BA ’20, GC ’21), has returned to Lipscomb to serve as the program recruiter, recruiting new high school students into the scholarship program.

For more information on applying for the Pionero Scholars program, contact Laura Delgado at laura.delgado@lipscomb.edu.

Fred Gray Scholars: (l to r) Carson Coward, Shythaly Herrera, Janeyah Anderson

Pionero Scholars graduate Karen De Leon (BA ’23) is teaching at the Nashville elementary school where she grew up.

J.S. Ward Society, LaVelle Scholars and Langford-Yates Fellows

In recognition of the strong racial diversity reflected among students in Lipscomb’s science majors, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences has been working over the past few years to establish programs that smooth the path to medical school for all Lipscomb students.

Working through members of the J.S. Ward Society, a group of health science alumni, the college has provided students with one-on-one mentoring, inspiration and professional guidance through various programs.

The Physician-in-Residence Program has brought eight alumni over the past two years to campus for formal lectures and small group discussions with students. Seven students last year and at least four students in 2024 have benefited from Bison Docs, a oneon-one mentoring program that matches students with Lipscomb alumni physicians.

30.2% OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY OR BIOCHEMISTRY ARE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS.

The Ward Research Fellowship provides selected students the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research off-campus, including at Meharry Medical School and Vanderbilt University. The Ward Scholarships provide financial support for up to four students each year who are planning to pursue a career in health sciences.

In addition, the LaVelle Scholars program provides financial assistance for the Princeton MCAT Review course, and the Langford-Yates Summer Fellowship provides students the opportunity to conduct research on-campus side-be-side with Lipscomb health science faculty.

For more information on applying for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences health science assistance and research programs, contact Florah Mhlanga at florah.mhlanga@lipscomb.edu.

MNPS Lift Off to Lipscomb

The MNPS Lift Off to Lipscomb Scholarship was founded in 2022 with the goal of encouraging bright graduates from Metro Nashville’s zoned public schools to become teachers and return to teach in their home communities.

Each year Lipscomb’s College of Education offers ten full-tuition scholarships to talented students who intend to become teachers. This scholarship is for students graduating from Antioch, Cane Ridge, Overton, Glencliff, McGavock, Hunter’s Lane, Pearl-Cohn, James Lawson, Hillsboro, Maplewood, Stratford and White’s Creek High Schools in Nashville.

They may major in any degree leading to licensure, which includes early childhood and elementary education; middle grades; special education; foreign languages and the arts; as well as high school content areas (biology, chemistry, physics, math and English).

In the 2023-24 school year, Lift Off now has six students in the pipeline to work in Metro Nashville classrooms and has the capacity for up to 40 students a year enrolled in the program.

For more information on applying for the MNPS Lift Off to Lipscomb program, email educatorscholars@lipscomb.edu.

Educator Scholars: (l to r) Jillian Utley, Laurencia Austrie, Kayla Darden, Jacob Rutherford and Ana Carcamo-Bejerano.

2023 Ward Research Fellows: (l to r) Ellie Kowitz, Timothy Khalil (BA ’23), Carolyn Tran, Joseph Helmy (BS ’23), Abby Powell and Eric Schall.

We are committed to treating all individuals as equal image bearers of God.

Every part of the body plays a crucial role in meaningful success for the whole body. Lipscomb strives each day to eliminate obstacles and clear a path to success for every student, no matter their individual traits, background or challenges. Nothing evidences the outcome of this goal better than individual Lipscomb students, succeeding and thriving in today’s world.

Julia Carvalho Correa (BBA ’23) Programs Talent Coordinator at GEODIS

“In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others,”

- Romans 12:2

Tyrese Spicer

Junior, men's soccer forward Spicer, 23, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Soccer (MLS) 2024 SuperDraft in December. He made history as Lipscomb’s first ever MLS selection and the ASUN Conference’s first No. 1 draft pick to the MLS. His drafting was widely reported in international media including CBS Sports, ESPN, USAToday and MSN, among many others. Spicer was named a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, ASUN Player of the Year and a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. He finished his college career with 29 goals and 18 assists over 57 matches.

An international business major, Correra was selected by the College of Business to be counted among the Poets&Quants 100 Best & Brightest Undergraduate Business Majors of 2023. A native of São José dos Campos, Brazil, Correa was part of an exchange program and completed her senior year of high school in Indiana. During her senior year at Lipscomb, Correa completed two internships at GEODIS in Nashville working in the executive office and in the IT project management office. She was a member of the inaugural President’s Student Advisory Council, treasurer for the RAICES Hispanic/Latino heritage club, a Quest Team leader, a member of the W.E.B. DuBois Intercultural Honor Society and executive treasurer of Pi Delta social club.

Keisha Munson (MS ’23)

Clinical Therapist at Works Counseling Center

In fall 2022, Munson, a master’s student in the Marriage and Family Therapy program, became the first Lipscomb student to be accepted into the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). The MFP is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) premier mental health workforce development training program focused on reducing mental health disparities faced by underserved and minority communities. To be selected, students must demonstrate commitment to advancing the health and well-being of underserved minority populations through their research and service.

Carolyn Tran

Junior, molecular biology major

Tran, of Nashville, was selected as a 2023 Ward Research Fellow, allowing her to research the characteristics of a parasite known to cause African sleeping sickness with Meharry Medical College faculty Dr. Jermaine Davis. In addition, she serves as a research assistant for Lipscomb’s Dr. Josh Owens working to understand a fatty acid in the gut that could play a role in allowing cancer to grow. In addition to her research, Tran is the president of the Med Club (for pre-med students), co-founded Beyond the Basics (a student outreach to provide STEAM education to youth), is the secretary of Asian Connection (for Asian students) and serves as a mentor for students in Lipscomb’ program for those with intellectual disabilities.

David Green

Senior, Assistant Director of the Gospel Choir

Green, a worship arts major from Arlington, Virginia, has made a mark on campus as a member of the Sanctuary worship ensemble and the assistant director of the Gospel Choir. He is a recipient of a Trustee Scholarship and the 2022 Amy Grant Endowment Music Scholarship, given to one student chosen each year for their ability to make a difference in the world. As the assistant director, Green has had the opportunity to teach, provide musical accompaniment, run rehearsals and lead ministry opportunities, all skills that will help in his career goal to become a full-time musician, worship leader, church music director, producer, songwriter and artist.

2023-2024 Respect Leads Diversity Council

Dr. William Lofton Turner (Chair) Distinguished Professor and Special Counsel to the President for Diversity, Equity and Belonging

Beki Baker Chair of the Theatre Department

Bethy Butler Adjunct Faculty in English (MA ’08, Ed.S ’16)

Rebecca Clark Chair of the Social Work Program

Dr. Kirsten Dodson Assistant Professor of Engineering (BS ’12)

Dr. Claire Davidson Frederick Program Director of the ENGAGE Youth Theology Initiative (MDiv ’16)

Dr. Chris Gonzalez Director of Marriage and Family Therapy

Julie Harston Director of Library Services (BA ’75)

Dr. David Holmes Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Special Counsel to the Provost on Liberal Arts

Dr. Richard Hughes Scholar-in-Residence

Dr. Florah Mhlanga Associate Provost of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Dr. Kam Nola Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Pharmacy

Dr. Douglas Ribeiro Director of Graduate Counseling and Chair of Psychology

Julie Simone Instructor of Education

Candace Williams Dean of Student Engagement (MA ’20)

Dr. DeAndrea Witherspoon Nash Director of Mental Health Counseling

Impact 360 Goal 4 Task Force

Dr. Candice McQueen (Chair) President (BS ’96)

Dr. William Lofton Turner (Chair) Distinguished Professor and Special Counsel to the President for Diversity, Equity and Belonging

Dr. Leonard Allen Dean of the College of Bible and Ministry

Dr. Craig Bledsoe Distinguished Professor and Provost Emeritus (BA ’75)

Dr. David Holmes Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Special Counsel to the Provost on Liberal Arts

Dr. Richard Hughes Scholar-in-Residence in the Center for Christianity & Scholarship

Dr. Florah Mhlanga Associate Provost of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Dr. Scott Sager Vice President for Spiritual Life & Church Services

Dr. Jennifer Shewmaker Provost

David Wilson (ex officio) General Counsel

Leading in Unity

Since the 2022-2023 school year, four new board members joined the Lipscomb Board of Trustees, including one African American member. The current makeup of the board includes five members who are women, and maintains the number of members from underrepresented racial groups at three.

Jeffery McGruder II

McGruder (A ’98), of Brentwood, is the chief relationship officer for Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Company, the oldest continuously operating, minority-owned and operated bank in the U.S.

The East Nashville native works at Citizens to develop corporate and community relationships across the state, drawing on his career experience in financial services at Wells Fargo Financial, Regions Bank, BB&T and Pinnacle Financial Partners.

In 2019 he was one of three awarded Lipscomb Honors, recognizing the ways he is impacting the world as a Lipscomb alumnus.

McGruder’s community involvement has included Kipp Academy, the C.E. McGruder Family Resource Center, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Franklin, Boy Scouts of America, Nashville ProAm Basketball League and the Hustlestrong Foundation.

During his years at Lipscomb he was a student assistant coach/ walk-on for the basketball team, then coached by Don Meyer. Later he became a recruiting assistant/walk-on at the University of Tennessee under head coaches Jerry Green and Buzz Peterson.

Next Generation Faculty Fellowship

In furtherance of Lipscomb’s Impact 360 strategic goal to build a culture of diversity, equity and belonging on campus, the university has established The Next Generation Faculty Fellowship, a scholarship program aimed at fostering a more robust representation of faculty and administration from underrepresented groups at Lipscomb.

The Next Generation program is targeted to Lipscomb students, alumni and employees from underrepresented racial groups who aspire to become university faculty, particularly Lipscomb students of color who are from the Church of Christ faith heritage. Those chosen to participate will receive full tuition paid to complete their doctoral studies at Lipscomb or another institution in an area of academic need at the university. In turn, students will commit to return to Lipscomb upon the successful completion of their doctorate to serve in a faculty role for five years.

In 2023, the first Next Generation recipient was selected: Thabile Tshatedi Bown (BA ’19, MBA ’20), a former tennis team captain and graduate of the College of Business from Zimbabwe. Brown currently works as an IT project coordinator at Specialty Dental Brands in Nashville and plans to apply to hybrid doctorate programs in the area of information systems or health care informatics.

In 2024, the second Next Generation recipient was selected: Shawna Mann (BA ’23), an award-winning journalism and new media major from Deltona, Florida, who now works as communications coordinator and video content creator at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.

Mann plans to pursue a doctoral degree in communications, film and media studies, or culture and performance.

Lipscomb alumni, undergraduate juniors and seniors, students currently enrolled in a graduate program at Lipscomb, and faculty and staff who have worked at Lipscomb for one or more years are eligible to apply for this program. Preference will be given to applicants who are among the first generation in their family to attend college, are underrepresented in their major field of study at Lipscomb, have financial need and will attend graduate school on a full-time basis.

For information on the application cycle for the Next Generation Faculty Fellowship, contact William Turner at william.turner@lipscomb.edu.

Academic Leadership Team

Upon her arrival at Lipscomb in September 2022, Dr. Jennifer Shewmaker, Lipscomb provost, oversaw a re-structuring of the Provost’s Office, completed in 2023 and resulting in a 10-person office better aligned with the current academic needs of the university.

Among those elevated to the Academic Leadership Team were Dr. Florah Mhlanga, associate provost of undergraduate academic affairs, and Dr. David Holmes, special counsel to the provost on liberal arts.

Holmes is also dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and is leading Lipscomb’s Impact 360 academic task force to move from a general education curriculum to a superseding liberal arts core curriculum. As such he is leading the efforts to develop student outcomes, re-imagine first-year seminars and ensure the study of and exposure to diverse perspectives in the liberal arts core.

Mhlanga also serves as the director of Lipscomb’s annual Student Scholars Symposium, institutional liaison to the Council of Undergraduate Research and the coordinator of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ J.S. Ward Society, a group of alumni supportive of health science study.

Alumnae Thabile Brown and Shawna Mann inaugural recipients

Thabile Brown

Shawna Mann

We strive to cultivate a grace-filled, Christ-centered academic community.

Faculty of Color Mentoring and Fellowship Luncheons

The Faculty of Color Mentoring and Fellowship luncheons, spearheaded by Dr. William Turner, distinguished professor of leadership and public policy and special counsel to the president for diversity, equity and belonging, serve as a cornerstone for faculty of color to convene, collaborate and cultivate success in navigating the academic landscape.

Held on the first Tuesday of each month, these gatherings bring together professors of color from various disciplines across the university. With an average attendance of 15 to 20 participants, the luncheons provide a nurturing environment for meaningful dialogue and camaraderie.

Supported by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President, these luncheons transcend mere professional development sessions. They serve as catalysts for intellectual exchange, mentorship opportunities and personal growth.

Discussions span a spectrum of topics, ranging from strategies for tenure-track success to navigating institutional challenges unique to faculty of color.

They foster genuine connections and friendships. In the nurturing ambiance of these gatherings, participants find solace in shared experiences, celebrate accomplishments and offer support during times of adversity.

HRSA $1.65 grant awarded to mental health chair

In 2023, Dr. DeAndrea N. Witherspoon Nash, director of Lipscomb’s clinical mental health counseling program and lead faculty for the addiction specialization, was awarded a $1.65 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant funded Witherspoon Nash’s proposal to improve mental health services in Middle Tennessee by training the behavioral health and health care workforce through a new Healthcare Professionals Certificate Training program, providing full tuition for a total of 50 students to complete a graduate certificate in substance use disorder treatment.

The training program will prepare trainees to address the unmet mental health and substance use disorder needs of underserved and vulnerable individuals in comprehensive health centers, with a focus on children, adolescents and the emerging adult population in Middle Tennessee.

Witherspoon Nash became director of the counseling program in January 2023. She also coordinates Lipscomb’s Collegiate Recovery Initiative and facilitates the monthly first-time drug offender program parent education class in Nashville’s public schools. She coordinated the first on-campus Collegiate Recovery Academy in 2021 and established the Bisons in Recovery support program.

Witherspoon Nash received the Partner of Hope Award from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) in March for her “ability to inspire others through her leadership and servanthood.”

For more information on applying for the program, contact DeAndrea Witherspoon Nash at deandrea.nash@lipscomb.edu.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: MLK’s own words served as the inspiration for Lipscomb’s 2024 celebration of MLK Day with two on-campus spiritual services, one for faculty and staff and one for students, focused on the King quote: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Dr. Orpheus Heyward, Lipscomb’s faculty affiliate of preaching and Christian leadership and senior minister of the Renaissance Church of Christ in Fulton, Georgia. was the guest lecturer for the faculty service. Others who shared included Janeyah Anderson, a junior who became Lipscomb’s first female African American student body president this past fall, and Pam Scretchen, instructor in Applied Behavior Analysis, who shared how she met Coretta Scott King in 1991 after winning first place in the Living the Dream Essay and Speech Contest in her hometown.

A selection of new faces in the faculty ranks in 2023

Dr. Orpheus J. Heyward

Affiliate Professor for Expository Preaching and Christian Leadership

Heyward is a noted expert in biblical exposition and senior minister of the Renaissance Church of Christ in Fulton, Georgia. He has been involved with pastoral work for 18 years, and under his ministry Renaissance has become one of the fastest-growing African American Churches of Christ in the nation. Heyward teaches Christian leadership courses, including the expository preaching course for undergraduates and a new first-of-its-kind preaching course at the graduate level. Heyward also conducts academic events for students and faculty.

Dr. Juan L. Rojas

Assi stant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Rojas, a native of Mexico City, earned his bachelor’s, master's and doctorate in engineering from Vanderbilt University while also playing full-back for the Commodores. His doctoral research was sponsored by NASA, and he went on to a fellowship at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. He taught and researched in China in the area of intelligent robotics for 14 years. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and serves as associate editor of leading journals in his field.

Development of liberal arts core

In August 2022, Lipscomb University debuted a strategic plan, Impact 360, which includes a goal to implement a rigorous Christian liberal arts education through a strategy to inaugurate a new “Lipscomb Core,” a rigorous Christian liberal arts curriculum to supersede the current general education curriculum.

The Lipscomb Core is intended to provide undergraduates with a well-rounded basis for living well and pursuing further study in their chosen majors.

Recognizing that a Christian liberal arts education should include the virtues of intellectual charity and cultural humility, the Liberal

Ashley Jackson (MBA ’22)

Assi stant Program Director, ABSN Program

Jackson is a doctoral candidate in nursing practice at Vanderbilt University after earning an MBA from Lipscomb and a nursing bachelor’s from Belmont University. She previously worked as a registered nurse at Nashville’s St. Thomas Midtown Hospital and Heritage Medical Associates before becoming Lipscomb’s nursing admissions recruiter from 2020 to 2022 and then an instructor of nursing at Belmont. She has presented scholarship on nursing simulation at the International Nursing Association of Clinical and Simulation Learning Conference.

Dr. Wlamir Xavier Professor of Finance

Xavier was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, where he served as brand manager for IBM before starting his own company to train leadership and support the creation of start-ups. He has served at universities in Brazil, France, Denmark, Colombia, China and the U.S., including positions at the Wharton School and Copenhagen Business School. He also holds the 2023 Bill Pollard Faith & Business Research Fellowship. His 30 peer-reviewed publications focus on nonmarketing strategies, corporate governance, faith-oriented firms and Christian Higher Education.

Arts Task Force, led by Dr. David Holmes, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Special Counsel to the Provost on Liberal Arts, commissioned a Diverse Perspectives Committee. This committee consists of 10 faculty members representing eight of Lipscomb's colleges. Fueled by the goal that students will be broadened by diverse perspectives, the committee is currently working to 1. draft student learning outcomes for the variety of courses that will be designated as Diverse Perspectives courses, and 2. to draft the criteria by which courses across the colleges and disciplines might be designated as a Diverse Perspective course.

AILACTE Community Partnerships Award

College of Education faculty Dr. Vanessa Garcia and Dr. Ally Hauptman were honored in 2022 with Lipscomb’s second recognition from the Association for Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE) for quality community partnerships.

Garcia, senior program director, and Hauptman, associate professor and Garcia’s lead faculty, were awarded for their significant effort to establish and implement partnerships with Tennessee K-12 school districts to establish Grow Your Own programs to create a funnel for local school employees and community members to become classroom teachers in their home districts.

The AILACTE Partnership Award recognizes quality partnerships where each partner has structures and resources to support the work of the collaboration. Garcia and Hauptman’s efforts have led to a no-cost education leading to licensure for more than 350 educators in Clarksville, Nashville and Hamilton, Rutherford and Williamson counties.

For more information on applying for the Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship program through Lipscomb, contact Vanessa Garcia at vanessa.garcia@lipscomb.edu.

2023 Institutional Summer Research Grant

Each year, Lipscomb University awards up to six grants to allow faculty to focus on research and scholarship during the summer. In 2023, grants were awarded to five faculty including Dr. Max David Collao (BS ’09), assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Collao’s project was “Wind Tunnel Wall Forming Using Information from CFD Simulation and Experimental Data,” with the goal to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to predict air flow behavior in Lipscomb’s wind tunnel instead of solely relying on analog gauge measurements.

Collao is originally from Lima, Peru, and came to Lipscomb for his mechanical engineering undergraduate degree in 2004. After graduating from Lipscomb, he earned his master’s in 2011 and a Ph.D. in 2017, both in computational engineering and both from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.

Analyzing the immigrant’s journey

In spring 2023, Dr. Jeanne Fain, professor and director for literacy and multilingual learning in the College of Education, worked with a group of three undergraduate students on the study: “Examining Key Aspects of the Environment in Immigration Stories through Visual Analysis in Picture Books.”

The group’s analysis of eight children’s books was presented at the 2023 International Research Society for Children's Literature (IRSCL) Congress, Ecologies of Childhood, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in collaboration with Stanford University. The aim of the study was to assist teachers in providing inclusivity within book selection in an elementary language arts curriculum.

In 2024, Fain and Dr. Sarah Duncan, edTPA coordinator and associate professor, worked with five additional undergraduate students to critically examine global literature currently used in elementary reading curriculum and analyze additional global literature that supplements the current reading curriculum. This work was accepted for presentation at the Georgia Conference on Children's Literature in March.

Groundbreaking work in the Lanier Center for Archaeology

Radiocarbon dating results from the Tel Gezer Excavation Project published by Dr. Steven Ortiz, director of the Lanier Center for Archaeology, and Marcella Barbosa, collections manager and educational coordinator of the center, in the prestigious, peer reviewed scientific journal PLOS One in 2023.

The results showed that the excavation site’s chronology corresponds to historical events from written sources—including the Bible. These results allow researchers for the first time to independently determine the site’s chronology, test proposed historical correlations and contribute to debates on Israelite, Philistine and Iron Age chronology.

The findings rippled through scholarly circles, sparking responses and scholarly conversation. Several more academic journals as well as popular newspapers and periodicals took note of the PLOS One article, including Haaretz, Phys.org, ScienceDaily, Newsweek, the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology and others, as well as The Jerusalem Post, Israel’s English news website.

Mentoring in Unity

Asa Bailey

Johnson Hall director selected for prestigious Semester at Sea

Director of Johnson Residence Hall, Asa Bailey (MHA ’23), usually spends her semester guiding and caring for students as they live out their college adventure. In fall 2023, however, Bailey had a whole new college adventure, as a residence hall director for Semester at Sea (SaS), traveling on the MV World Odyssey from Antwerp, Belgium, to Bangkok, Thailand, over the course of 56 days. Semester at Sea is a study-abroad program founded in 1963 and managed by the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) through

current academic sponsor Colorado State University. Throughout the years, nearly 73,000 undergraduate students from over 1,500 colleges and universities have participated in Semester at Sea.

Bailey, associate director of residential life, is believed to be the first Lipscomb Bison to join a SaS voyage. She served 550 students as one of six residence hall directors and a co-teacher for a seminar for first-year college students on the ship.

Faculty and staff, as well as many of the students, hail from locales all over the world, said Bailey, a Houston native who has worked at Lipscomb for more than three years.

Bailey uses her bachelor’s degree in psychology every day, she said, working with Lipscomb’s Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation Team (CARE) to address the needs of students who need extra support or are suffering a personal crisis. These experiences have made her attuned to students’ well-being and comfortable and calm in a crisis.

That flexibility and adaptability came in handy on a floating university impacted by potential weather, mechanical problems, limited space and resources and maritime legal issues, she said.

Faculty and Staff Racial/Ethnic and Gender Composition in Fall 2023*

Percentages of those from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups

10.45%

14.59% Full-time Teaching Faculty

Full-time Staff

Percentages of women

50.87%

58.14% Full-time Teaching Faculty

Full-time Staff

21.73% OF NEW FACULTY HIRES IN FALL 2023 WERE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS AT LIPSCOMB.

*For full-time faculty, 2.44% did not specify a race or ethnicity. For full-time staff, 12.9% did not specify a race or ethnicity.

We strive to foster a culture of belonging where all individuals are loved and their contributions are valued.

Incoming new students

For the past three years, approximately one-third of the incoming new students in the freshman class each fall represent ethnically or racially diverse groups.

Interacting within a student body made up of a diverse set of races, life experiences, cultural backgrounds, ages and worldviews has become a crucial component of preparing for today’s global workplace, said Byron Lewis, vice president of enrollment management.

Lewis oversees undergraduate and graduate admissions and says that the record numbers achieved this fall were the result of focused outreach over the past few years. Admissions counselors have worked hard to help all potential students understand how a Christian, private education can be affordable and how the Lipscomb community offers points of connection for all students of any background, he said.

The institution, as a whole, has been focused on financial policies that make a Lipscomb education more affordable, Lewis said, and admissions recruiters have broadened their efforts to reach out statewide and in Metro Nashville.

“By recruiting students at high schools that may have a higher percentage of Hispanic/Latino students, reaching out into the community to communicate effectively about the value that a Lipscomb educational experience provides, and working to make a Lipscomb educational experience affordable, we have been able to help students see themselves here,” said Lewis.

First Generation Pinning Ceremonies:

As part of commencement ceremonies in the 2022-23 school year, the university debuted a First Generation Pinning Ceremony for students who are the first in their families to graduate from college. The ceremony is a more intimate and family-friendly affair, with students dressing in their robes and mortarboards but proceeding into the auditorium to the tunes of fun rock music and the cheers of friends and family members. Students choose a role model who supported them throughout their college career to walk with them into the auditorium and to pin them during the ceremony. Lipscomb president Dr. Candice McQueen spoke to the graduates as well as Lipscomb faculty who were themselves first generation college students.

Office of Accessibility and Learning Supports

The spring 2023 semester brought the debut of a restructured office for student academic support as well as new academic support leaders and a new program designed to meet the needs of a previously underserved student group.

The new Office of Accessibility and Learning Supports launched in January 2023 with Dr. Misty Parsley, professor and director of special education programs, named as executive director. Also joining the team were Dr. Abigail Davis as director of the ACCESS program and Paige Reece (BS ’20), as director of the new BEST Program (Bisons Excelling and Succeeding Together).

The re-structured office is a more coordinated approach to supporting and retaining students with disabilities and offering whole-person learning experiences

that meet student needs. It provides a coordinated, cohesive approach to current and future programming and helps build an inclusive environment at Lipscomb from pre-K through college.

In 2023, the office created the BEST program to expand current services for students who need more one-on-one or small group support. Over the past five years, Lipscomb has seen a significant increase in the number of students with disabilities enrolling at the university. Through the strategic planning process in 2021, the Lipscomb community began to notice a gap in service between students enrolled in ACCESS and students enrolled in IDEAL.

The BEST program fills that gap and has 10 students enrolled.

Tennessee Believes Grant for Advance IDEAL

The IDEAL program received a three-year, $300,000 Tennessee Believes Grant from the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in 2023.

The grant allowed Lipscomb to create a two-year Advanced IDEAL certificate program for those who have completed the Certificate of Career Exploration. In the advanced program, students continue to attend classes, have the choice to live on or off campus and work paid jobs. In the fourth year, students are primarily working off campus, but are still provided learning supports.

For more information on services of the Office of Accessibility and Learning Supports, contact Misty Parsley at misty.parsley@lipscomb.edu.

PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY AND LEARNING SUPPORTS

ACCESS (Accessing the College Community and Enabling Student Success)

Provides academic accommodations to approximately 250 students as prescribed by the Americans with Disabilities Act in all aspects of campus life—academics, housing, meal plans and chapel, among others.

IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb)

Provides whole-person education and workplace training to approximately 20 non-degree-seeking students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in a two-year program.

Advanced IDEAL

Provides additional supports for six graduates of the IDEAL program to make independent living and off-campus work possible during a two-year program.

BEST (Bisons Excelling and Succeeding Together)

Provides individual support for the social demands of college, including peer tutoring, support groups and networking, for approximately 10 degree-seeking students who do not need fundamental changes to coursework curriculum.

Solly School

Lipscomb Academy’s special needs program that provides approximately 12 students with special needs an exceptional education in an inclusive, integrated Christian community.

Office of Veteran Services

The office saw its third consecutive year of increased enrollment with the number of veterans and their dependents enrolled at Lipscomb numbering 409 in fall 2023.

The fall also brought an analysis of the office’s efficacy, especially in regards to four Veterans Reconnect Grants awarded to Lipscomb from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission over the past few years.

The grants have funded, at various times, an outreach coordinator position for student recruitment; a program coordinator position to help students with internships, professional development and career placement; a veterans transcript specialists in the registrar’s office; and a project coordinator position to build relationships with local organizations.

The study, conducted by doctoral students in the College of Education, found that veteran students frequently mentioned the services of and the people in these grant-funded positions as positive reasons why they came to Lipscomb and enjoyed their educational experience at the university.

Through surveys, the researchers found that the veterans office got strong marks in five designated “keys to veteran success in higher education”: creating a culture of trust, ensuring consistent support, implementing an early alert system for challenges, having a centralized space for veterans and collaborating with community organizations. They also recommended that the office renew previous efforts to provide professional development for faculty and staff on the working with veteran students.

For more information on the services of the veterans office, log on to lipscomb.edu/veteran-services.

ENGAGE Youth Theology Initiative

For eight years, the College of Bible and Ministry has offered ENGAGE, a pre-college, summer program for high school students from racially diverse backgrounds and churches to explore Christian theology and the contemporary call to racial justice and reconciliation.

Funded by grants from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the program began offering college credit in 2021. It explored both the histories of the church and the U.S. civil rights movement, and what it means to live a life today of Christian leadership and service.

The most transformative activity for the participants was a three-day tour of Alabama’s sites and memorials of the U.S. civil rights movement.

This particular model of learning helped participants to consider their own responses to racial injustice and to allow history to inform their actions for the future. The field trips prompted students to ask thoughtful, theological questions concerning the mistreatment of all oppressed peoples.

From 2017-2023, the ENGAGE program enrolled 107 participants, 22 of which chose to enroll at Lipscomb as undergraduates. These participants have come from 82 Christian congregations and 24 states. Two-thirds of ENGAGE participants were members of churches of Christ.

Cultivating a diverse community

Each year Lipscomb’s graduating seniors speak out through the Student Satisfaction Survey (SSI) and the Graduating Senior Survey (GSS). In 2022, traditional undergraduate students gave the university its highest marks in eight years on SSI indicators including feeling welcome, easy involvement and commitment to racial harmony. Seniors also provided positive feedback on the GSS over the past four years, as seen below.

GRADUATING STUDENTS WHO AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT LIPSCOMB PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE AND PARTICIPATE WITH DIVERSE COMMUNITIES LOCALLY, INTERCULTURALLY AND/OR GLOBALLY.*

86%

ALL STUDENTS

83%

GRADUATING STUDENTS WHO AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT LIPSCOMB PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION FOR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES LOCALLY, INTERCULTURALLY AND/OR GLOBALLY.*

86% STUDENTS OF COLOR

*Average over the last four years of surveys.

409

VETERANS AND DEPENDENTS ENROLLED IN FALL 2023

International STUDENTS ON CAMPUS

2,428

ALUMNI FROM UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL GROUPS*

*Known living

ALL STUDENTS

81%

STUDENTS OF COLOR

129

U.S. NON-RESIDENTS ENROLLED IN 2023-2024

66

STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE IDEAL PROGRAM

49%

OF U.S. NON-RESIDENTS ARE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED RACIAL GROUPS

We believe diversity, inclusion, belonging, justice and unity, are central to fulfilling Jesus Christ’s commandments to love God and our neighbors.

Educational Leadership Program

A five-year Educational Leadership Program, funded by a $2.49 million Kern Family Foundation grant in 2018, came to a conclusion in 2023 having produced 89 holistically prepared, home-grown leaders for Tennessee’s rural and high-need urban schools.

The innovative leadership development program for aspiring school leaders focused on developing character, academic excellence, conflict management skills and business acumen in rising leaders from areas projected to have educational leadership vacancies and limited resources to develop their own leadership programs.

Of the participants in three cohorts since 2019, about 52% of them are now serving in leadership positions in the partner districts, said Dr. Lance Forman, director of educational leadership in Lipscomb’s College of Education.

“This is significant because in Tennessee, there is, usually, a gap of about eight years between completion of a leadership preparation program and employment as a school leader,” said Forman. “To have so many from the cohorts already leading speaks to the quality of the candidates and the partnership with the districts to tap strong, aspiring leaders from within their district.”

The educators came together from 21 Tennessee school districts across all three Grand Divisions, from primarily rural areas of the state while also supporting educators from larger, urban school districts, to earn a master’s or education specialist degree in educational leadership and the Tennessee Instructional Leader License.

Twenty-one percent of the students in the three cohorts came for underrepresented racial groups at Lipscomb, Forman said.

Establishing a model for others to follow, the program provided opportunities for candidates to engage with school leaders in authentic ways through a leadership mentorship program. It also provided a refreshed graduate curriculum with performance-based assessments.

“The grant allowed us to reimagine our leadership program to better equip educators to manage real-world demands they face as school leaders,” said Forman. “We’re driving high quality academic outcomes and strong character development in these areas through preparing leaders at the highest levels.”

By having rural, suburban and urban educators all together in one cohort, they were able to see how they all faced many of the same challenges and that sometimes a slightly different perspective could lead to sustainable solutions, said Forman.

As of fall 2023, the College of Education's pipelines have...

Ellis Lectures examined the life of Marshall Keeble

The 2023 Carroll B. Ellis Symposium, hosted by the College of Bible & Ministry and the College of Leadership & Public Service in September, examined the ministry of Marshall Keeble and honored trailblazers he inspired.

With the theme, “An Inspiring Voice, A Forward Call: Marshall Keeble Reconsidered,” the symposium brought together Bible scholars, students, ministers, community members and “grandsons” of Keeble on campus to explore the life and ministry of the premier evangelist.

The symposium began with a worship service, attended by members of congregations throughout Nashville and featuring Dr. Orpheus Heyward, Lipscomb’s affiliate professor for expository preaching and Christian leadership and senior minister of the Renaissance Church of Christ in Fulton, Georgia. Heyward is considered a spiritual “grandson” of Keeble as his mentor and father-in-law is Dr. W. F. Washington, who was a key proponent of the restoration movement in African American churches and a student of Marshall Keeble.

Following the worship service, several individuals who have made an impact on the Lipscomb community were recognized. They were Bob Jackson, the first Black faculty member at Lipscomb who was a professor in business; founding members of the Lipscomb Black Alumni Council (LBAC); and alumna Pat Bethel (BA ’72), who retired as LBAC chair after tremendous service in that role.

The program concluded with an inspiring performance by the Gospel Choir, directed by Dr. Aaron Howard, choir director and assistant professor of ethics and reconciliation.

Thursday’s day-long lecture series featured a series of nine lectures outlining some of Keeble’s most noteworthy endeavors. Presenters included Edward J. Robinson, author, scholar and pulpit minister for the North Tenneha Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas; Fred D. Gray, American civil rights attorney, preacher, activist and former state legislator from Alabama and a 2022 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Dr. Leonard Allen, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Bible & Ministry; Dr. David Holmes, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; and Heyward.

At the Thursday evening reception, there was an unveiling of the portrait of Gray, painted by internationally renowned portrait artist Michael Shane Neal (BA ’91) and commissioned by a group of Lipscomb alumni and friends. Following that special event, the life and impact of Gray was celebrated through a special edition of No Small Endeavor (formerly The Tokens Show), hosted by Dr. Lee Camp (BA ’89), professor of Bible and ethics, that featured a special musical tribute to Gray.

Bob Jackson, the first Black faculty member at Lipscomb University, was recognized at the symposium.

Lipscomb President Candice McQueen (left) with Gwendolyn Cummings (right), Marshall Keeble's granddaughter, at the Ellis Symposium's worship service.

This portrait of Gray was painted by internationally renowned portrait artist Michael Shane Neal (BA ’91) and commissioned by a group of Lipscomb alumni and friends.

LIFE Program: In December 2022, LIFE marked its 15th year by awarding 13 Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degrees to students who are residents of the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center. For more information on participating in or supporting the LIFE program, contact Robbie Spivey (BA ’97) at robbie.spivey@lipscomb.edu.

Master’s of Arts in Leadership for TN National Guardsmen

Lipscomb’s first cohort of Tennessee National Guardsmen graduated this December from the Master of Arts in Leadership and Public Service program in the College of Leadership and Public Service.

Aimed at enhancing leadership skills among seasoned professionals in the Tennessee Army or Air National Guard, this practitioner-oriented degree program was first offered in a special cohort for only Tennessee Guard members in 2022. This innovative partnership received the 2023 Army Community Partnership Award.

Through the leadership of Lipscomb and Guard officials, Tennessee’s STRONG ACT, which provides Guardsmen tuition assistance for higher education, was extended to apply to master’s degrees as well as bachelor’s degrees. That change allows eligible Guardsmen to receive an essentially cost-free master’s degree.

Lipscomb’s first cohort attended classes one evening a week for six semesters at the Tennessee National Guard Base in Nashville. This past fall the program extended to East Tennessee and more than doubled in size, welcoming 27 National Guard members in both Nashville and Knoxville.

For application information for the Master of Arts in Leadership and Public Service through the Tennessee National Guard program, contact Laura Encalade at laura.encalade@lipscomb.edu.

Global Voices Conference

More than 265 K-12 educators gathered on April 9, 2023, to celebrate the “Power of Story” at the College of Education’s 7th annual Global Voices conference. The mission of the free conference is to equip and empower local educators as they strive to become informed advocates for all learners, including multilingual learners, says Dr. Jeanne Gilliam Fain, professor and lead faculty for multilingual learners in the College of Education.

Session topics included resilience in the classroom, serving global K-12 students, exploring linguistic support and mathematical strategies for multilingual learners, behavior strategies for students who are struggling, trauma-informed instruction through an ABA lens, teaching acceptance of disabilities through literature and social-emotional learning among others.

The Book Browsing Room provides educators the chance to browse several newly released and award-winning books, including current global titles for children and young adults. Participants received a professional development certificate, research-based strategies and best practices, books and other resources. For information on attending the next Global Voices conference for educators, contact Jeanne Fain at jeanne.fain@lipscomb.edu.

AERO program

The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering’s AERO Program (Accelerated Engineering Readiness Opportunity) is a math bridge program for recent high school graduates interested in engineering who need to boost their math skills to enter the academic major.

Held since 2021, the program is funded by the NISSAN Foundation and targets the growing number of students who enter college with a desire to obtain a degree in engineering without the math background necessary, increasing their degree plan by a year or more. The burden of an additional year puts them at a high risk of leaving the program of study or never completing a college degree.

AERO has been boosting the math skills of Nashville students for the past three years through intensive instruction in trigonometry, pre-calculus and algebra. Many AERO graduates continue to collegiate engineering programs across the nation. Of the AERO participants who needed math remediation, a majority have been able to advance one course in math at the university where they enrolled, a benefit than can mean graduating in four years instead of five in an accredited program, resulting in an estimated savings of $39,000 in tuition dollars.

The program also serves as professional development for local teachers. According to evaluations, these educators left the program feeling more confident in incorporating hands-on engineering into their classrooms.

By selecting participants through their ACT scores as well as their stated interest in engineering, the AERO program is able to serve many students from underrepresented racial groups, first generation college students and military veterans.

For more information on applying for the AERO math bridge program, contact Stephanie Weeden Wright at stephanie. weedenwright@lipscomb.edu.

Building Community in Unity

April Terry (BA, ’15, MM ’16)

Lipscomb Black Alumni Council Chair

Nashville alumna and former track and field athlete April Terry (BA, ’15, MM ’16) was installed as the new chair of the Board of Directors of the Lipscomb Black Alumni Council this November.

Terry has been a member of LBAC’s inaugural Board of Directors and co-chair of its Activities Committee and also was a member of Lipscomb’s Impact 360 Strategic Vision Steering Committee.

She came to Lipscomb in 2011 as a track and field athlete from Arkansas looking for a NCAA D1 university that also cared about academics. During her college career, she set new records on the track and field team, was a member of the inaugural President’s Ambassador’s Council, served as student staff for the Imagine event featuring former President George Bush and helped Athletics found the Lippy Awards, a program that continues to honor excellent student-athletes today.

She graduated with her undergraduate degree in elementary education and continued on at Lipscomb to earn a Master of Management while competing in her final year of eligibility. Today Terry is a training manager for ActiveCampaign, an email marketing software, and holds customer training workshops all over the nation.

LBAC, established in November 2018, connects black alumni, students, faculty, staff and others committed to diversity, inclusion and participation in the life of Lipscomb University. The council focuses on programming that supports black students and alumni in developing a robust network, and supports students in acquiring life skills to successfully transition from college to post-college life.

If you are interested in becoming involved with LBAC, contact the Lipscomb University Alumni Relations office at alumni@lipscomb.edu.

Contacts

Giving FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BECOME INVOLVED IN PROMOTING DIVERSITY THROUGH LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY, CONTACT US AT DIVERSITY@LIPSCOMB.EDU

FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY'S ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OR STUDENT BODY POPULATION:

Lipscomb Opportunity Scholarship Fund

The Office of Intercultural Development

Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society Scholarship

Marshall Keeble Scholarship Fund

Pionero Scholars Program

Cultural Diversity Teacher Training Scholarship community.lipscomb.edu/diversity-report