Lipscomb Now Summer 2018

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends summer 2018

LIPSCOMB BISONS

MAKE FIRST TRIP TO THE NCAA NATIONALS

Vol. 13 No.2

Cover: Garrison Mathews (24) looks for an open teammate as George Brammeier (55) plays the post against the North Carolina Tar Heels during Lipscomb’s first appearance in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in school history.

Above: Lipscomb students portrayed Parisian mimes in this surprisingly noisy performance during Singarama 2018, themed “It Takes Two.” This number is from the show “Name and Address.”

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends summer 2018 Vol. 13 No.2

Departments 3........ A Letter from the President 8........ Lipscomb News 46...... Class Notes

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Making it to the Big Dance The Lipscomb men’s basketball team made school history

during the 2017-18 season by earning its first bid to the NCAA tournament.

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Solomon installed as new board chair David Solomon says his life has been greatly impacted by Lipscomb University. Now, as the university’s new board chair Solomon is set to make an impact on his alma mater.

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Fighting cancer one byte at a time Associate Professor Qingguo Wang is blending his passion for data science with the quest to find new ways to fight cancer.

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Getting to the core Since 2016, Lipscomb has rejuvenated its focus on two crucial areas

of the campus culture and heritage: core faith beliefs and respect for each other’s differences.

Senior Vice President of Strategy Susan Galbreath Editor Kim Chaudoin Senior Managing Editor Janel Shoun-Smith Writers Kim Chaudoin Janel Shoun-Smith Kasie Corley Photography Kristi Jones Ansley Gwin Erin Turner Lipscomb Athletics

Produced by the Office of Public Relations & Communications.

Lipscomb Now is published two times a year by Lipscomb University®. Go to lipscombnow.com to read more.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to Lipscomb Now, Alumni Office Lipscomb University One University Park Drive Nashville, Tennessee 37204-3951 ©2018 Lipscomb University.

All Rights Reserved.

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Student Spotlight Every student has a unique journey to achieve their academic

dreams. Lebron Hill has not only found a new career direction, but a new home, within Lipscomb University.

Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry (left), outgoing Chair of the Board of Trustees David Scobey (center) and incoming Chair of the Board David Solomon (right).

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A Letter from the President

INCREASING THE VALUE OF YOUR DEGREE With the celebration of another commencement season in May, more than 800 graduates left this campus armed with Lipscomb University degrees and equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to pursue careers, additional education or other goals and dreams.

They join the nearly 33 percent of adults in the nation age 25 and older who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Those who completed their master’s or doctoral degrees this spring joined the approximately 12 percent of that population to hold an advanced degree.

Being in the business of higher education, we believe strongly in the value of a college education. We often see headlines about the high cost of a college education, but not as much about the return on investment of a degree. Numerous studies show that those with a bachelor’s degree or higher earn higher salaries and have more career opportunities throughout their lives. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for recent college grads ages 22 to 27 is just 4 percent.

The unemployment rate for workers of the same age who don’t have a college degree is more than double that at 8.5 percent.

Other studies show a direct correlation between college education and social values, happier families, healthier lifestyles, a higher standard of living and critical thinking skills among numerous other benefits.

At Lipscomb, we are preparing our students who will leave our campus as graduates to be leaders in their families, their churches, their communities and their work places. But our work doesn’t stop there.

We pledge to you—our alumni—to continually work to increase the value of your diploma with what we do here long after you leave. In fact, it’s my job as president to do just that.

Within the last 24 months, that value has increased exponentially as Lipscomb was reclassified as a Carnegie Foundation doctoral university, which placed it among only seven percent of schools in the nation; the

building of new facilities such as the Fields Engineering Center and Bison Hall; programs such as business, education, biology and information technology among others being ranked among the top in the nation; and with our students giving back to the community more than 55,000 hours of service each year.

In December, Lipscomb’s accreditation was reaffirmed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges with no recommendations, meaning there are no outstanding issues to be addressed (page 13). This is the second reaffirmation with no recommendations, extremely rare in higher education.

Last fall, the Health Resources and Service Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the clinical mental health counseling program a $1.8 million grant, the largest awarded by any organization in Lipscomb history (page 8).

In March, the Bisons made university history by winning the ASUN championship and heading to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time. In April, an anonymous donor made a $23 million commitment, the largest in our history, to fund new facilities, programs, faculty and students resource needs for the College of Business; a parking structure; and a global learning campus in Florence, Italy (page 4). And ground has been broken on the George Shinn Event Center, a 33,000-square-foot facility that will serve the entire university and the community as well as house offices and labs for the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts (page 6).

I invite you to read this publication and learn more about the ways this institution is increasing the value of your degree. And Lipscomb alumni are doing even more to increase the value of a Lipscomb degree as they impact the world each day. Together, we are building a great university.

L. Randolph Lowry President

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ON THE FUTURE

LARGEST GIFT IN HISTORY ANNOUNCED FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR $23 MILLION TO FUND COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, PARKING Lipscomb University has received a $23 million commitment, its largest gift in institution history, President L. Randolph Lowry announced April 17 at the university’s Imagine 2018, an annual event.

The $23 million gift has been made by donors who wish to remain anonymous.

It is a lead gift for the college, which is celebrating 100 years of business education this academic year. The gift will be used to help fund new facilities, programs, faculty and student resource needs for the College of Business; a parking structure; and a global learning campus in Florence, Italy, among other initiatives.

“This is a significant moment in the history of Lipscomb University,” said Lowry. “We are grateful to these donors for their commitment to this institution.

This pledge is an investment in our College of Business as a way to continue to elevate the proven image of the school as a leader in business education in Nashville and in the nation.”

The College of Business has more than 600 undergraduate and graduate students, a 95 percent overall job placement rate for 2016 and thousands of alumni around the world. It has been recognized nationally as a leader in business education.

The college has been named the No. 1 undergraduate business program in Tennessee two years in a row by

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Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Poets & Quants and the No. 2 part-time MBA program in Tennessee in 2016

by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. In addition, it’s accounting program was named No. 1 in Tennessee and No. 2 in the nation in 2017 by Christian Universities Online.

Earlier this month, 2018 College Factual ranked Lipscomb’s accounting program the No. 1 accounting program in Tennessee for the second consecutive year and one of the top 50 programs in the nation. The department of accounting also earned a ranking of 12th in the nation and No. 1 in the state of Tennessee for the second consecutive year for Best Accounting Programs for Veterans.

“The College of Business continues to earn national accolades, and this incredibly generous pledge helps us to build on our strong momentum,” said Ray Eldridge, dean of the College of Business. “It is exciting for our students and faculty to see how many people believe in our mission, and it also attracts attention from others who want to be part of what we’re doing.”

Business students see the impact of this gift reaching for generations into the future.

“They’re investing into the students of tomorrow,” student Hillary Reader, an MBA student from Kentucky, said of the university.

“We may be the students who make the new Amazons, the new Googles, the new Apples of the world. That’s all we can ask for—to keep getting better as students because we are the ones who transition to be the business leaders of tomorrow.”

This is the second consecutive year that university officials have announced the largest gift in institutional history.

“We are thrilled about the impact that this commitment will have in the lives of our students and in the community that we serve for generations to come,” said John Lowry, senior vice president for advancement. “These generous donors are very humble people who desire that the glory go to God, and they are passionate about advancing the mission of Lipscomb.

This is an inspiration for us moving forward with generosity and service.”

At the 2017 Imagine event, Lipscomb officials announced that the university had received a $15 million pledge from George Shinn, former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets.

For more information on Imagine 2018 go to page 28.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS CELEBRATES 100 YEARS The recently announced $23 million commitment to benefit, in part, the College of Business’ facilities and academic programs, comes at an appropriate time as the college is celebrating its 100th anniversary, looking to its next 100 years with special events for business alumni and the CHARGE!FORWARD crowd-funding campaign.

For 100 years, the college has developed leaders both skilled in business and with the integrity to thrive in a complex world. Events are being held throughout this year to celebrate Lipscomb’s business alumni, Nashville business leaders and the titans who helped build the college into one of the fastest growing colleges on the Lipscomb campus.

Nashville’s local business community turned out in September for the college’s annual Business with Purpose Awards luncheon, this year honoring Tractor Supply Company’s retired CEO, Joe Scarlett; retired CEO, Jim Wright; and current CEO, Greg Sandfort, with Lifetime Leadership Awards.

The Business with Purpose Awards annually honor Nashville businesspeople who have distinguished themselves as leaders through both financial success as well as great

cultures of service and integrity.

Alumni attended the college’s “opening bell” ceremony for the new Financial Markets Lab, located in the Swang Business Center, featuring real-time market tickers, television monitors to view business news outlets and a bank of computer stations, at Homecoming in November.

Through the lab students and faculty will have access to the Bloomberg Terminal, an innovative technology platform that provides trusted real-time and historical data, market news and analytics that help the world’s leading business and financial professionals make betterinformed decisions.

A Centennial Series of the Heroes of Business program was held throughout the past school year. The final Hero of Business for the school year, honored in May, was Charles Frasier, Lipscomb professor of accounting and former chair of the Department

The envisioned design for the College of Business’ future new building, funded by an anonymous $23 million commitment.

of Accounting, Finance & Economics, who recently retired.

“Charles Frasier spent 47 years developing generations of accountants and impacting commerce throughout the world,” said Ray Eldridge, dean of the College of Business.

“The Hero of Business Award was developed to highlight successful business leaders whose faith and character have greatly impacted their profession.

“For the next 100 years, the accounting program, with two national rankings and the second-highest CPA exam pass rate for the Master of Accountancy in the State of Tennessee, is well postured to continue the legacy of Charles Frasier and (the late) Axel Swang (former Lipscomb business and accounting professor),” said Eldridge.

“The new $23 million commitment will allow the college to expand these programs and to create new programming designed to develop leaders who embrace the values and virtues of Jesus,” said Eldridge. “It is exciting to know the profound impacts this college is having, and I am looking forward to seeing how it continues to make a difference.”

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ON THE FUTURE

The George Shinn Event Center, funded by a $15 million gift from George Shinn, began construction this spring and is expected to be completed by August 2019.

CAMPUS ENHANCEMENTS IN 2018 FUEL LIPSCOMB’S FUTURE The first quarter of 2018 has brought some milestone moments for facilities, resources and programs expected to shape the experience of Lipscomb’s future students and constituents for the better.

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The Shinn Event Center will turn Lipscomb’s southwest corner of campus into an arts hub, serving larger audiences from the Nashville community with outstanding entertainment from local and national artists as well as Lipscomb artists.

George Shinn Event Center

Lipscomb Academy

Construction began this spring on the George Shinn Event Center, a 33,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the existing Ezell Center, that will include an event center to serve the entire university and community, offices and unique labs for Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts and a university welcome center.Construction is expected to be complete by August 2019.

Lipscomb Academy has benefitted from two new renovated spaces in Harding Hall: a modern, open-format admissions Mustang Welcome Center and the iWonder innovation lab, a workspace where students are challenged to collaborate, problem-solve and integrate the design thinking process.

According to Mitchell Despot, director of communication for the academy, the Mustang Welcome Center is for

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potential families and students to see how current students engage in courses, with faculty and academic programs and to see opportunities offered through the university using video touchscreens and presentation space large enough for multiple families.

The iWonder Innovation Lab, completed in September 2017, regularly hosts students in grades 5-12, said Donna Brasher. She and Libby Barker, the innovation coaches at the academy, first envisioned a space like this in fall 2016, when the innovation curriculum was housed on a mobile cart. The larger permanent space allows teachers to issue challenges that encourage students to learn on a deeper level.

“We often hear the students say ‘I wonder if I can do this…’ and this space seeks to make it happen,” said Barker.

Students work collaboratively using a variety of tools. Some of the tools available are 3D printers, robotics, computer-aided design, graphic design programs, large

format printers, a full kitchen, power tools, woodworking and other prototyping supplies. The lab was modeled from similar cutting-edge “maker spaces” that were seen at both the university level and at pioneering high schools in the Southeast.

School of Physician Assistant Studies Lipscomb’s health science programs have benefitted from renovations in the past few months providing office and administrative space for the university’s newest school, the School of Physician Assistant Studies, in the James D. Hughes Center.

Moving into space vacated by the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering after it moved into the adjacent Fields Engineering Center a year ago, the physician assistant school hosts new faculty and staff working to enroll the first class of student PAs in October.

The new office space is strategically located in the middle of the pharmacy and nursing program facilities, including a health simulation lab and research labs, which will provide many resources and assets for the new PA program, said Stephen Heffington, program director for the school.

University Health Services Also in the health care arena, University Health Services has moved into a new location, which brought more space for its waiting room, an expanded blood draw and vaccination room and offices for a new RN-to-BSN program now in development.

The larger waiting room will allow Health Services to offer educational courses within their space and the addition of built-in noise maskers improves patient confidentiality, said Erin Keckley, director of health services.

NEW LIPSCOMB WEBSITE COMING SOON By fall, visitors to Lipscomb’s digital campus—its website at lipscomb.edu—can expect to see some changes to the real estate. The university is working to not only update the look and feel experienced by web users, but it is also revamping the website operating system, an infrastructure that few people ever see but is crucially important to every aspect of the university.

Lipscomb has contracted with mStoner, a St. Louis-based web design and development company, to re-think and re-design the site’s navigation and behindthe-screens operation, said Dave Bruno, vice president of marketing, a recent hire who brings a wealth of digital marketing experience and has been a consultant on the web design project since its beginning. The project is the largest financial investment the university has made in its digital marketing resources to date, he said.

“This redesign will allow Lipscomb’s web presence to become a crucial component in the overall enrollment strategies at Lipscomb,” said Bruno.

“Rather than serving as an informational tool, Lipscomb’s new website will be an

interactive, engaging visit to our campus for potential students and supporters.”

Currently in the content development and design process for Lipscomb’s new site, mStoner is working to revamp the navigation and look of the site as well as the content management system employees use to populate the site with information, said Kyle Gregory, manager of digital marketing.

The new site is expected to focus more on the degrees offered, to be more user-intuitive, to provide users with the ability to compare and contrast degree options and to provide the university the ability to incorporate new and more robust technology features for an engaging experience and needed information, said Gregory. “mStoner is providing us with the ability to adapt faster to the new developments online,” he said. “Those new online features must deliver an excellent customer experience, which people expect from the very best organizations. The knowhow mStoner brings to this project gives us confidence the new Lipscomb website will delight people who use it.”

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LIPSCOMB NEWS Assistant Professor Douglas Ribeiro was awarded Lipscomb’s largest grant in history.

RESEARCH

U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AWARDS $1.8 MILLION GRANT TO CLINICAL COUNSELING PROGRAM

Clinical mental health counseling students are spending 7,200 hours providing integrative health care services to medically underserved populations in Nashville thanks to a $1.8 million federal award granted this past fall to an innovative program developed by Assistant Professor Douglas Ribeiro.

The grant is the largest awarded by any organization to Lipscomb in university history. The Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded it to the clinical mental health counseling program to train behavioral health and education workers to provide an integrated approach to meeting mental health needs.

“When someone has a need, particularly in the underserved populations, they often go to their primary care physician first,” said Ribeiro. “By integrating counselors into the traditional primary care physician offices, the counselor and the physician can collaborate on-site about how to best serve the patient and to provide the needed care right away.”

The grant will fund the Lipscomb Initiative for Behavior and Health Integration, implemented through a partnership of the clinical mental health counseling program, the marriage and family therapy program and the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.

Ribeiro proposes to place 30 student interns each year in community health providers throughout the four years of the grant. Through these internships, each student will work for about 600 hours at

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their partner organization, spending about 240 face-to-face hours with clients, who will be from underserved populations including immigrants and those whose primary language is not English.

“That’s about 7,200 hours each year that our students spend in serving the underserved residents of Nashville,” said Ribeiro. “I am excited for the new levels of collaboration between disciplines as we equip students for this new approach to mental health care.”

The Health Resources and Services Administration is the primary federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable.

“Through grants such as this one, HRSA is trying to equip practitioners to be competent in an integrated model of health care including mental and physical health,” said Jake Morris, director of clinical mental health counseling in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “This is not only a way for them to provide better services, but to do that in a more efficient and cost-effective way.”

RESEARCH

STATE TAPS ENGINEERING COLLEGE TO STUDY INTERSTATE HOV LANES

Mark McDonald, professor of practice in civil engineering in the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, was recently awarded a $200,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to determine the current effectiveness and benefits of the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on Interstates 24 and 65.

This is the first pure research grant from an external agency awarded to the engineering college since its inception.

According to McDonald’s research proposal, there is a perception that the I-24 and I-65 HOV

lanes, which are reserved for passengers carrying multiple people to promote ride-sharing and to reduce traffic congestion, have high violation rates, and that law enforcement have limited resources to enforce the HOV restrictions. As TDOT considers implementation of more aggressive enforcement for HOV lanes, the department needs to understand how various methods of enforcement will impact the travelling public and the environment.

The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering was awarded its first pure research grant to study effectiveness of HOV lanes.

LIPSCOMB NEWS Brown Bannister, winner of more than 20 Dove Awards, will sculpt an exciting 21st century vision for the School of Music.

NEW HIRES

GRAMMY-WINNING PRODUCER BROWN BANNISTER NAMED INTERIM DIRECTOR AT SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Brown Bannister, one of the most successful music producers in the contemporary Christian music world, with albums totaling more than 50 million in sales, has taken over the reins of Lipscomb’s School of Music.

Charlie Peacock, a legendary producer and jazz artist in his own right, stepped down to devote time to addressing health issues that have been developing over the past year but will remain a member of the school’s advisory board. Peacock founded the university’s contemporary music program and served as an artist-in-residence before becoming director of the music school.

Bannister, a graduate of Abilene Christian University, will bring his nearly four decades of experience to bear on the strong foundation laid by Peacock since 2015. Bannister has won more than 20 Dove Awards; has been named “Producer of the Year” five times by the Gospel Music Association; and is a member the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

For 30 years, Bannister has produced numerous artists including B.J. Thomas, Steve Wariner, Kenny Rogers and Kris Allen as well as award-winning albums for some of the industry’s top Christian artists, including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Mercy Me, CeCe Winans and Michael Tait.

Bannister said he looks forward to continuing to build a strong music program that will prepare its students to

be ready for the job market or graduate school on day one.

“At this point in my career, I am eager to have an opportunity to make an impact on future music professionals by sharing my experiences and lessons learned in my nearly 40 years in the business,” said Bannister.

“I look forward to mentoring these students, helping them make connections with industry experts, giving them hands-on learning opportunities and preparing them for their careers by providing a strong interdisciplinary educational foundation. I look forward to this opportunity, and am especially excited about being a part of a Christian institution with which I share common values and beliefs.”

Bannister is the head of a transition team comprised of music industry veterans tasked to continue the strong music industry mentoring program and sculpt an exciting 21st century vision for all music programs.

ACADEMICS

ONLINE RN-TO-BSN PROGRAM LAUNCHED

Lipscomb University’s School of Nursing has launched an RN-to-BSN program.

Housed in the School of Nursing within the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, it is fully online and designed to equip and empower Registered Nurses with an Associate Degree. The RN-to-BSN program may be completed online in as few as 18 months.

The program holds initial approval status from the Tennessee Board of Nursing and is pending accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. The program will soon be accepting applications for its first cohort of students to begin in August 2018.

Students also have the opportunity to earn up to 27 credit hours for knowledge and skills already mastered. The school has partnered with Lipscomb’s College of Professional Studies to integrate key leadership competencies into the curriculum that are essential for success in the workplace.

For more information about Lipscomb’s new RN-to-BSN program visit, http://bit.ly/lipscombrntobsn.

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LIPSCOMB NEWS

EVENTS

CIVIL RIGHTS ICONS JOHN LEWIS, FRED D. GRAY SHARE EXPERIENCES WITH STUDENTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS

Rep. John Lewis meets with Lipscomb students outside the U.S. Capitol on a trip coordinated for law, justice and society majors.

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In December, the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society recognized the impact young people can have on society. It brought together those who have impacted society in the past to share their experiences with the next generation of students who will play key roles in their communities in the future.

Congressman John Lewis, U.S. representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District and iconic civil rights advocate, and famed civil rights attorney Fred D. Gray spoke at a student forum on campus. They also participated in a special gathering in Nashville’s new Woolworth on 5th event venue, located in the restored Woolworth Building, the site of lunch counter sit-ins in the 1960s where Lewis was arrested for the first of many times.

On the eve of a major vote on tax reform in December, Lewis joined the

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Fred D. Gray Scholars: (l to r) Martinez, Climaco, Monyei, Murphy and Tawiah.

forum via Skype as he and Gray discussed their experiences during the civil rights movement.

Gray represented Lewis when he was arrested during the Nashville sit-ins.

“What I did, I tried to do in a peaceful, loving and non-violent fashion in keeping with the teachings of Jesus,” Lewis recalled. “But when things happened, it was Fred Gray who defended us. He had a great sense of faith that he instilled in all of us. He taught us that when you see something and it’s not right, not fair, not just—to speak up.”

On Feb. 13, 1960, college students, including Lewis, entered Kress, Woolworth and McClellan stores at 12:40 p.m. and sat at the lunch counters.

Two hours later, the owners closed the counters without serving any of the students. During the next three months the Nashville sit-ins continued.

When he was arrested in the sit-in protests, Lewis said, “I felt liberated. I felt like I had crossed over, and I have not looked back since.

And were it not for the city of Nashville, I don’t know what would have happened to me. I ‘grew up’ sitting on those lunch counter stools.”

The future was recognized during the community event as the first recipients of Lipscomb’s newly established Fred D. Gray Scholarship were honored: Christian Monyei, Morgan Murphy, Katherine Climaco, Paulina Martinez and Abena Tawiah.

Go to bit.ly/firstgrayscholarships to read more about the 2017-18 Fred Gray Scholars.

LIPSCOMB NEWS

EVENTS

LABOR LEADER, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER DOLORES HUERTA SHARES STORY AT HUMANDOCS

Students and patrons of Lipscomb’s HumanDocs Series had a unique opportunity in November to meet Dolores Huerta, 87-year-old labor leader and community organizer, after a screening of the Sundance Award-winning film Dolores.

The feature documentary chronicles Huerta’s lifelong struggle for justice for farm workers, Latinos and women. In 1962 she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union, and she played a critical role in many of the union’s accomplishments for four decades.

“I would see homes where people would have dirt floors and used cardboard boxes and orange crates for furniture when I was going door-to-door registering people to vote,” she said.

Following the screening, Lipscomb student Leslie García interviewed Huerta in front of a packed audience in Stowe Hall.

Now in its ninth year, the HumanDocs film series, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, aims to inspire critical thinking about vital issues of social justice.

Chris Gonzalez (far right), director of the marriage and family therapy program, works with clients and interns in the newly accredited therapy program.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

THERAPY PROGRAM ONE OF TWO IN STATE TO ACHIEVE PRESTIGIOUS ACCREDITATION The marriage and family therapy program was recently awarded accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, making it only the second program in the state of Tennessee to be accredited by the most respected accrediting agency for marriage and family therapy.

Unlike other accrediting bodies, or the state of Tennessee, the COAMFTE requires students to attain 500 hours in face-

to-face client contact hours before graduation in order to bestow accreditation on a program.

Lipscomb attained COAMFTE accreditation for the next six years, the maximum time allowable, and without any pending stipulations, said Chris Gonzalez, director of the program, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

“We are the only program to receive sixyear accreditation with no stipulations under the current COAMFTE standards. That hasn’t happened since 2013,” said Gonzelez.

Lipscomb’s marriage and family therapy program was established in 2012 in the Department of Psychology, Counseling and Family Science. In 2015, Lipscomb opened the Lipscomb Family Therapy Center, an on-campus facility offering affordable mental health care to the community, which helped the program to provide the 500 hours of client contact needed for each student in order to attain accreditation, Gonzalez said.

“Those 500 hours are beneficial to students because when they graduate they are far more experienced, and that gives them a strong advantage in the job market,” he said. “Our standard is not the minimum; it is excellence.

We now stand with the other elite programs in the nation.”

Leslie García (left) and Dolores Huerta (right)

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LIPSCOMB NEWS

Students travelled to Texas at fall and Christmas breaks to help with hurricane recovery efforts.

SERVICE

LIPSCOMB COMMUNITY RAISES MONEY TO SERVE HURRICANE-STRICKEN AREAS

Four natural disasters—Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the earthquake in Mexico City—impacted more than 110 Lipscomb students in 2017.

Before Harvey had even diminished in September, Lipscomb University had established a Crowdfunding platform that eventually collected more than $61,000 to benefit more than 40 students impacted by the natural disasters.

The funding also purchased materials and supplies for several mission trips and families in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the island of Saba, a long-time mission site for Lipscomb that was hit hard by Hurricane Irma. More than 300 students showed interest in participating on the mission trips to the affected areas.

The initial idea of sending hurricane relief teams came almost entirely from students themselves. “Within the first 12 to 24 hours after news broke about Harvey, I

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had emails and texts from students pouring in, before there was even any information about the extent of the disaster, asking me how we could help,” said Josh Self, missions coordinator.

Scott Sager, vice president of church services, led a team of faculty and staff from across the university who checked on more than 250 students in the affected areas; mobilized almost 200 university and Lipscomb Academy students to provide on-ground support and relief efforts in Houston and Lake Jackson, Texas, the Florida Keys, and Puerto Rico; and assisted in the rebuilding efforts of churches and Christian schools throughout the affected regions.

“We spent our time working with the Sugarloaf Baptist Church, cleaning up debris around homes that had been destroyed and striving to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Delaney Gilbert (‘18), who went on the trip to the Florida Keys. “Our group was blessed by our supportive faculty, staff, donors and fellow students, making this trip one that we will always remember.”

Matthew Ruiz, associate professor of kinesiology and director of graduate studies in

exercise and nutrition, led a Christmas break trip to Rockport and Corpus Christi, Texas.

“For me, this trip marked my first mission experience with Lipscomb. It was wonderful to take a team of eager individuals and help with the recovery process,” Ruiz said.

This team also included four members from the IDEAL program (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb), marking the first time IDEAL students had participated in a Lipscomb mission trip. IDEAL is a certificate program to encourage and support students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to experience college as their peers do.

“I was privileged to lead the first effort to Houston where more than 30 students and faculty spent four days removing debris, tearing out sheetrock and decontaminating mold-infested areas,” said Sager. This group was hosted by Houston resident and Lipscomb alumni Mark Lanier (’81) and his wife Becky.

“The students put in 10-hour days in over 90-degree Houston heat and humidity with positive attitudes, caring concern for the individuals affected and with a kindness and compassion that honored Jesus as the one in whose name we served,” said Sager.

One relief mission team in Houston was hosted by Lipscomb alumni Mark Lanier and his wife Becky.

LIPSCOMB NEWS

BY THE NUMBERS

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Number of years Lipscomb received perfect accreditation with no recommendations

96%

Undergraduate Class of 2017 employed or pursuing graduate school

students 4,642 University enrolled in 2017-18 Academy students 1,213 enrolled in 2017-18 ACADEMICS

UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION REAFFIRMED FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE TIME WITHOUT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT Lipscomb University’s accreditation has been reaffirmed through 2027 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

The announcement was made Dec. 5, during the commission’s annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. Lipscomb was reaffirmed with no recommendations, meaning there are no outstanding issues to be addressed. This is the second consecutive reaffirmation with no recommendations.

The reaffirmation comes after a series of vigorous reviews—both on-site and offsite—to ensure that Lipscomb is continuing to provide the resources, programs and services to accomplish its mission of excellence in teaching and learning. The university was last reaffirmed in 2007.

“Earning reaffirmation is the direct result of years of hard work by many people on campus and a reflection of our effectiveness in preparing our graduates for lives of faith, exceptional leadership and service,” said L. Randolph Lowry, president.

“Being reaffirmed with no recommendations is about as good of a report as an you can have, and it reflects the

tremendous quality of our institution. It is particularly significant that ten years ago we received the same reaffirmation without recommendation. That’s extremely unusual, and it truly is a result of the efforts of everyone in the Lipscomb community.”

Reaffirmation also signifies that Lipscomb University meets or exceeds national standards and enables the University to receive federal funds, including scholarships, loans and research grants.

Lowry said accreditation is essential to the lifeblood of an institution as the purpose of the process and accreditation status is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of the organization’s member institutions.

“College accreditation is a sign that the school adheres to goals and standards recognized as important to the quality of education,” he said. “It’s a very important consideration when students are considering where to attend college.”

It is an important element of recognition for students working toward degrees at Lipscomb. A school’s accreditation affects whether students are eligible to receive federal (Title V) and state financial aid. It also ensures that a student’s credits will be accepted by another college if they transfer between schools. In addition, many graduate programs will not admit students from unaccredited schools.

Lipscomb’s SACSCOC Reaffirmation Leadership Team included:

Lowry, W. Craig Bledsoe, provost; Danny Taylor, senior vice president for finance and chief financial officer; Randy Bouldin, vice provost for academic affairs and graduate studies; Elaine Griffin, vice provost for accreditation and institutional effectiveness; Steve Prewitt, associate provost; Kim Reed, chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages; and Catherine Terry, associate provost for institutional effectiveness.

The reaffirmation process is conducted every 10 years. Lipscomb hosted a SACSCOC on-site reaffirmation committee in March in preparation for the December reaffirmation.

During the site visit, the reaffirmation team studied Lipscomb’s Quality Enhancement Plan, a program called LIGHT: Illuminating Cultural Engagement. The goal of LIGHT is to create awareness of and to encourage a global mindset within the Lipscomb community. The goals of LIGHT are: increased understanding of various cultural practices, systems and institutional structures; improved student ability to explore various cultural practices, systems and institutional structures in relation to their own; and expanded engagement with diverse communities locally, interculturally and globally. During the 2007 reaffirmation process, Lipscomb launched the SALT (Serving and Learning Together) QEP initiative.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. SACSCOC is the regional accrediting body for institutions awarding degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels.

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LIPSCOMB NEWS

ALUMNI

ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME INDUCTS EIGHT NEW MEMBERS During Homecoming 2017 festivities, Lipscomb’s Athletics Hall of Fame

Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees: (l to r) French,

Dearing, Hasley, Murrie, Fletcher, Garner, Perry and McQueen.

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inducted eight new members.

“In recent years, Lipscomb Athletics has elevated its programs competitively, academically and spiritually,” said Lipscomb Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson. “Today’s teams owe a debt of gratitude to so many who came before them to help lay the foundation for the heights now reached.”

The 2017 honorees are: Lynn Randolph Dearing (’97)

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1998-2001). This two-time NAIA All(women’s basketball, 1992-96). Dearing American is tied for the Lipscomb record of helped lead the Lady Bisons to four all-time career hits (265) and is the Lipscomb consecutive trips to the NAIA National all-time career RBI leader (184).

Tournament including a national Andy McQueen (’95) (men’s basketball, championship game in 1994 and Final 1990-94). McQueen holds college basketball’s Four appearances in 1995 and 1996. all-time record for three-pointers made with Erin Hall Fletcher (’00) (softball, 515, breaking the previous mark of 467.

1997-2000). This two-time NAIA AllKatherine Neely Murrie (’03) (women’s American is Lipscomb’s all-time career golf,2000-03). Murrie is the 2001 NAIA leader in wins (111) and all-time career National Champion and a 2001 All-American. leader in ERA (1.06).

Kenyatta Perry (’07) (men’s basketball, Mark French (’63) (meritorious 1993-97). Perry is a two-time NAIA Allservice). French is a 40-year member American and ranks fifth on the all-time of the National Bison Club and former scoring chart for the Bisons with 2,118 points. color analyst for the Lipscomb Sports “These most recent inductees are certainly Network. some of those upon whose shoulders today’s Deborah Spencer Garner (’92) teams stand and we are thankful for the (women’s basketball, 1988-92). Garner opportunity to honor them,” said Hutcheson. was a member of the first Lady Bisons “Beyond their athletic accomplishments, team to win a conference championship which are numerous, it is so gratifying to see in 1989 and a member of the first how each of them have continued to excel as Lipscomb squad to advance to the members of the respective communities of national tournament in 1990.

Kelli Dobbins Hasley (’02) (softball, which they are now a part.”

LIPSCOMB NEWS

STUDENT SUCCESS

STUDENT PHARMACIST CAPTURES PRESTIGIOUS ROYSTER FELLOWSHIP

Pharmacist Jessica Murray (’18) has been accepted for the prestigious Royster Fellowship, a highly selective program for Ph.D. candidates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the topranked school in the nation for pharmacy according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2017 rankings.

The Royster Society of Fellows is a prestigious interdisciplinary fellowship program within The Graduate School at UNC Chapel Hill that attracts exceptionally talented graduate students, offering them generous financial resources and unique opportunities to reach the highest level of success.

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is allotted one nominee for the Royster annually, according to Dr. Daniel Crona, division director of graduate admissions in the UNC Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental

Jessica Murray

Therapeutics, and in 2017 school leaders chose Murray.

“Jessica was not only the top candidate for the division, she was deemed to be the top graduate student candidate for the entire pharmaceutical sciences program,” said Crona.

“Speaking on behalf of the entire faculty for the division, we are simply ecstatic to have attracted a pharmacist-scientist with such intelligence, drive and character.”

Murray was one of four student pharmacists who have participated in Lipscomb’s innovative Pharm.D.-to-Ph.D. pathway program, said Scott Akers, Lipscomb chair and professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

Murray’s mentor, researcher and Lipscomb Assistant Professor Klarissa Jackson, brought Murray onto her team to work on a research project funded by a $660,000 grant from the National Institute of Health.

“It speaks to the caliber of student she is and to our program that we can offer the kind of training that is recognized at that level. We’re very thankful,” Jackson said.

Murray was one of two students to earn the American Foundation of Pharmaceutical Education Scholarship, of which only 15 are awarded nationally each year. She also received the American Associations of Colleges of Pharmacy Walmart Scholarship and a travel award to attend a conference sponsored by the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics held in Japan.

“Her pharmacy training, combined with her established research skills, place Jessica in a unique position to solve complex public health problems,” said Crona.

“Jessica also comes to us with exceptional leadership skills and a fierce desire to craft a research career focused on optimizing medications for underserved populations, as evidenced by her work with her local American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists chapter and the Grace Works charity in Nashville,” he continued.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

TWO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS RANKED AMONG TOP IN NATION In 2018 the National Council on Teacher Quality has ranked Lipscomb’s graduate elementary teacher prep program as a national top 10 program and one of only five programs in the country in the 98th percentile or above in that category. Lipscomb was the only university in Tennessee to be included in the top 10. Lipscomb’s graduate secondary transitional teaching licensure program was also named one of the top in the nation and one of the top two in Tennessee.

In 2017, NCTQ ranked Lipscomb’s undergraduate secondary education teacher preparation program one of only 16 programs in the nation designated a “Top Tier” institution and one of only six programs in the country ranked in the 99th percentile.

In February, Lipscomb University was once again recognized for the seventh consecutive year as one of the most effective teacher preparation programs in Tennessee as it earned top scores on the 2017 Teacher Preparation Report Card released by the Tennessee State Board of Education.

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LIPSCOMB NEWS

LEADERSHIP

LEADERS BRING NEW VISION FOR TOMORROW’S STUDENTS As part of a new vision to enhance student recruitment and retention at the university, four new leaders have joined Lipscomb’s ranks this spring.

To further develop a welcoming campus climate for students of diverse backgrounds, to enhance university services and promote inclusion, Lipscomb has created the position of dean of intercultural development and has hired a multicultural affairs veteran.

Prentice Ashford, former director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Abilene Christian University since 2014, was responsible for directing all student-facing diversity efforts including education, student support and student advocacy.

Ashford will oversee the Office of Intercultural Development, which seeks to equip minority students by a process of active mentoring and focus on relationship building and fostering positive coping skills.

As part of a re-organization of overall student recruitment activities, Lipscomb has appointed two experts to its enrollment management office.

Byron Lewis, former associate dean of undergraduate admission at Southern Methodist University, was named vice president of enrollment management, and Jason Hamilton, former vice president of enrollment management and marketing at Hollins College, has been appointed assistant vice president of graduate, online and corporate recruiting.

Prentice Ashford

Lewis will lead all undergraduate and graduate recruiting, admissions and sales/ marketing efforts. Prior to his appointment at

Lipscomb, Lewis also served as interim dean of undergraduate admission at SMU and was a college counselor at Greater Atlanta Christian School. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Freed-Hardeman University and is working toward an Ed.S. from Tennessee Technological University.

Hamilton will lead all recruiting, admissions and marketing efforts for the graduate and online programs as well as work with businesses to meet specific postbaccalaureate education needs. He served as director of admissions at the University of the South and as vice president of enrollment management and marketing at Hollins University, in Roanoke, Virginia. Hamilton is a graduate of the University of the South, and holds an MBA from the University of

Byron Lewis

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Dave Bruno

Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Dave Bruno, president and founder of MiddleMakers, has been hired as vice president of marketing, which works collaboratively with enrollment management leadership at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Bruno will provide leadership for all university marketing efforts.

Bruno’s consulting practice, MiddleMakers, is a creative strategy firm for businesses in higher education, nonprofit, faith-based and values-driven organizations.

Prior to his consulting roles, Bruno was the associate director of digital marketing and web at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. Bruno received a B.A. from Moody Bible Institute and an M.A. from Wheaton College.

Jason Hamilton

LIPSCOMB NEWS

Steve Taylor, director of the School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts, works on set in Lipscomb’s top-ranked undergraduate film program.

ATHLETICS

POYNER WINS ASUN TITLE AS MEN’S XC TAKES CROWN, WOMEN FINISH SECOND

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

UNDERGRAD FILM PROGRAM TOP-RANKED IN TENNESSEE, NO. 26 IN NATION

The undergraduate film program has been ranked the top in Tennessee and No. 26 in the nation in the 2017 College Choice Best Film Bachelor’s Degrees.

Housed in the School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts, Lipscomb’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film production was ranked among the top in the nation along with the University of Southern California, New York University, UCLA, California Institute for the Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, the Los Angeles Film School and Swarthmore

College. Lipscomb University is the only institution located in Tennessee on the list.

The organization ranked schools that are well-known for their film programs, and ranked each according to instructional excellence, student success and student satisfaction.

Researchers also examined “the way each school approaches its film studies and how well they serve their students.”

Lipscomb University’s BFA in film production provides real-world instruction and expertise to students. Courses include Multimedia Storytelling, Film as Literature, The Documentary, Media and Culture, Line Producing, Screenwriting, Cinematography and Directing for Film, among others.

The School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts also offers a master of arts and a master of fine arts in film and creative media.

For the fourth time in five years the Lipscomb men’s cross country team won the conference crown after placing first overall in the ASUN championship meet in October.

The Bisons fought off the North Florida Ospreys, who finished a close second, to claim the individual and team conference titles. Senior Jacob Poyner earned the individual men’s title, finishing first in a field of 59 runners with a time of 24:02.2.

The women finished second on Saturday by just one point, 43-44, as they also dueled with North Florida. The second-place finish ended the Lady Bisons conferencerecord streak of six consecutive titles.

Senior Kacey Kemper led the way for the Bisons, grabbing second overall in a field of 58 runners and a First-Team All-Conference spot thanks to a time of 17:47.7. Freshman Lauren Flynt also grabbed a First-Team All-Conference spot, as well as spot on the All-Freshman team, thanks to a sixth-place finish and a 17:59.7 mark.

Jacob Poyner

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The Lipscomb Scene 01 Homecoming 2017 brought back the tradition of Bison Day, featuring skits by the various social clubs, including this one by Sigma Iota Delta.

02 The annual Tau Phi Cowboy Show is the secondlargest student–led production on campus. The 2017 show featured Pat Flynn (’92), Nashville singer/songwriter and producer, and his band.

03 Everett Kinstler (foreground), who has painted

official portraits of five presidents, spoke to students and the community in April. Kinstler’s protégé and Lipscomb alumnus Michael Shane Neal (background) hosted the event.

04 Spring commencement brought college degrees to more than 800 graduates who gathered in Allen Arena with friends and family.

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05 Former Disney animator Aaron Blaise, who worked on The Lion King, gave a talk and demonstration for Lipscomb’s visual arts students this spring.

06 Hudson Parker (left) and Madeline

McPherson (right) served as two of the six hosts at Singarama 2018, themed “It Takes Two.”

07 Lipscomb Theatre performed The Miracle Worker this past fall, including a shadow interpreted performance for Nashville’s deaf population.

08 Who knew goats could be so relaxing? The Lipscomb Counseling Center brought goat yoga to campus for study day before exams.

09 Stompfest, featuring student groups performing step routines, has become an entertaining annual tradition for the entire student body.

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10 At November’s Homecoming, another new tradition was renewed as Sonnie Givens, of Robinson, Illinois, (right) was awarded as Miss Lipscomb and Deion Sims, of Nashville, (left) as Bachelor of Ugliness.

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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Men’s soccer breaks through with first-ever ASUN title, NCAA tourney appearance Coach Charles Morrow (’97) and the Lipscomb Bisons soccer team have had their fair share of success and heartbreak since joining the ASUN conference in 2003. One obstacle the program couldn’t seem to get past was the ASUN semifinals.

From 2008 to 2016, the Bisons lost in the second round of the conference tournament seven times—including in overtime and in penalty kicks.

2017 changed all that. Lipscomb finally broke through in November, winning three straight ASUN tournament games en route to the team’s first ever conference title and subsequent NCAA tournament berth.

“Seeing the team’s pure joy and excitement and experiencing that with

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them was special,” Morrow said. “Our group’s ability to stay positive was important, especially through some of the highs and lows that we had.”

In 2005, Morrow accepted the head coaching job at his alma mater. In his first season, Morrow’s charges secured five victories, more than doubling the total from the previous two seasons and earning one of the top turnarounds in the NCAA. Over the years, Morrow has steadily improved the team’s performance, leading them to become the active leader in ASUN tournament appearances with nine in the past 11 seasons.

After a thrilling shootout victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology

in the ASUN quarterfinals on Nov. 3, the Bisons finally snapped the semifinal curse with a 2-1 win at Florida Gulf Coast University on Nov. 5. Lipscomb then finished its mission with a 2-1 victory over Jacksonville University in the title game, setting off a celebration that made the team late for its dinner reservations.

Despite the Bisons dropping a 2-0 contest to Butler in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 16 (surrendering a goal in each half ), Morrow still considers the season a success recognizing that the experiences will be a building block to future success.

“This raises the bar for us,” Morrow said. “We’re not looking to rebuild next year. Our outlook is that we have an opportunity to get better.”

The Bison soccer team with its first ASUN championship trophy.

BISONS ASUN CHAMPS

Armstrong seeks pro golf career, makes debut in Nashville Open After four years of rewriting the record books and putting together the most decorated career in Lipscomb golf history, Dawson Armstrong announced in May his decision to forgo the remainder of his senior season with the Bisons to start his professional career.

Armstrong’s decision will keep him from competing in the NCAA Tournament after being selected to play in the Raleigh, North Carolina Regional as an individual. He automatically qualified for regional play by winning a second-straight ASUN crown in late April.

“This is a very bittersweet decision as I cannot be more proud of the accomplishments and memories at Lipscomb,” Armstrong said. “For this I will forever be thankful. I hope to make Lipscomb proud as I begin my pro golf career.”

After securing a sponsor exemption, Armstrong made his professional debut May 24-27 when the Web.com Tour made a stop in Music City for the Nashville Golf Open.

Armstrong is ranked 16th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and No. 6 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings.

The Brentwood native will go north to continue his pro career on the PGA Tour Canada, known as the Mackenzie Tour.

“Dawson’s had a phenomenal college career and we feel like he’s going to have a phenomenal professional career,” said Lipscomb’s Director of Golf Will Brewer.

Armstrong is just the second player in ASUN Conference history to win three Golfer of the Year awards (2016-18) as well as earn four All-ASUN First Team selections.

Armstrong was the first player in 12 years to win back-to-back ASUN individual titles after finishing on top of the field by three strokes with a -7, 135 (69-66) at the ASUN Golf Championship.

Armstrong leaves Lipscomb at the top of every statistical category. His 71.20 career scoring average is the lowest mark in school history. He lowered his average in each season - 71.94 as a freshman, 71.71 as a sophomore, 70.93 as a junior and 70.26 as a senior. Those are the four lowest singleseason scoring averages in program history.

He won 10 tournament titles for the Bisons—no other player in program history has ever won more than three.

Armstrong

Cagle named ASUN women’s basketball player of the year

Loren Cagle made history this spring as she became the first player in Lipscomb women’s basketball history to be named ASUN Player of the Year.

A point guard, Cagle led the ASUN in points, with 17.6 per game, and assists, with 4.2 per contest, to earn the first allconference slot for a Lady Bison in four years.

Her scoring average was 18.1 points per game in conference play, including a career-high 31 points at North Florida, the highest single-game scoring mark for an ASUN player during the 2017-18 season.

Cagle not only lead the ASUN in points and assists, but she was 10th in rebounds at 5.5 per game, the highest ranking for a guard.

She was the only player in the conference to rank in the top 10 for all three categories this season. Cagle was also voted onto the ASUN All-Academic team for the second year in a row. The Interdisciplinary Teaching: K-6 major has compiled a 3.60 GPA off the court to become only the second two-time All-Academic honoree in program history.

Cagle

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BISONS HEAD TO THE BIG DANCE

THE NATION KNOWS LIPSCOMB’S NAME AFTER BISONS’ FIRST-TIME DANCE The Lipscomb men’s basketball team made school history on March 16 when it played in the NCAA national tournament for the first time. When the No. 15-seed Bisons took on the No. 2-seed University of North Carolina, it was a defining moment in Lipscomb history.

The Bisons made a strong showing in their tournament debut opening strong against the Tar Heels, but eventually falling to the defending national champions 84-66. Despite the final score, the game was a big win for the program.

Since Lipscomb made the move to ncaa Division 1 in 1999, the university’s various athletic teams have advanced to their respective ncaa national tournaments 28 times, including the women’s basketball team shortly after Lipscomb became eligible for post-season play. But 2018 marked the first year the men’s basketball team has made it to the Big Dance, and it was quite a journey to get there.

During his five years at the helm of the Bisons, Head Coach Casey Alexander and his staff built a team that

“CASEY ALEXANDER HAS BUILT LIPSCOMB INTO A PERENNIAL CONTENDER, AND HE HAS DONE IT THE RIGHT WAY. HIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN STRONG BOTH ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM, AND HE HAS ALWAYS CONDUCTED HIMSELF IN A FIRST-CLASS MANNER.” —COLLEGEINSIDER.COM’S ANGELA LENTO

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was consistently at .500 or better in the Atlantic Sun Conference and was knocking on the door of a conference tournament championship, which would give them an automatic bid to the ncaa tournament.

After being picked to finish second in the asun preseason poll by the league’s coaches, the Bisons lived up to that billing in 2017-18 with a 10-4 record in conference play to only finish behind regular season league champs Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Bisons won 12 of their final 13 games heading into the ncaa tournament, including an eight-game win streak that featured a record-breaking 108-96 March 4 victory over the top-seeded fgcu Eagles in the asun title game in Fort Myers, Florida, to send them dancing.

“I felt like we had a level of maturity on our team this year that we hadn’t had before,” Alexander said. “We did build upon the minimal success we had last season with 20 wins. All of that contributed to us weathering the storms better than we had in previous years.”

The win set off an 11-day blitz filled with hundreds of media interviews, celebrations, excitement and practice before they stepped into Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the first round of the West Region in the ncaa tournament.

Lipscomb was featured in more than 2,200 articles,

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BISONS HEAD TO THE BIG DANCE

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BISONS HEAD TO THE BIG DANCE

radio interviews and television broadcasts.

Lipscomb’s tournament play was covered by espn, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Washington Post, Associated Press, daily newspapers across the U.S. and media outlets around the world.

The publicity value of the broadcast media hits worldwide alone came in at more than $5 million, with total viewership at more than 200 million people. The number of users on the Lipscomb website increased by almost 500 percent to more than 46,000 users during the ncaa game, and engagement on the university’s social media assets quadrupled during the tournament run.

“One of the great benefits of being in that position is what it can do for your university. That’s what our role is in the big picture,” said Alexander. “That’s why we are here. Our basketball program is one great opportunity to share the news that this is a great place. So it was awesome to have that opportunity to do so.”

Lipscomb was the only Nashville team and the only first-time team in the 2018 tournament. Viewers nationally watched Lipscomb play North Carolina on cbs.

Hundreds of Bison fans made the trek to Charlotte to support their team.

“It was incredible,” junior forward Rob Marberry said about the Lipscomb crowd in attendance at the game. “I was really proud just for the school. For the opportunity that it gave this school for the first time in the history of the school.”

Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson, a former Bison basketball player, set the wheels in motion to lead the program to this big moment over the last few years and put the final piece of the puzzle in place when he hired Alexander as men’s head coach five years ago.

“It’s difficult to fully quantify the impact that getting to the men’s ncaa basketball tournament for the first time has had not only on that program and Lipscomb athletics as a whole, but also on the university,” said Hutcheson, Lipscomb athletic director. “This is a huge boost to name recognition for this institution by millions of people who had never heard the name Lipscomb before, and I have no doubt that it will have an impact in ways that we haven’t even realized yet.”

“It’s an honor just to be a part of this Lipscomb basketball team and what the program has become,” sophomore Kenny Cooper said. “We plan on being back, that’s for sure. We’re going to work our tails off this

ALEXANDER RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS SKIP PROSSER MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD In addition to leading the Bisons to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time, head coach Casey Alexander was named the 2018 Skip Prosser Man of the Year.

He was recognized at the annual CollegeInsider.com awards banquet held in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four in April. The Skip Prosser Award is one of the most prestigious honors bestowed each year on coaches.

upcoming offseason and get back. Hopefully this is just a start and we can build on to it.”

Lipscomb finished the year 23-10, which is the most wins in the program’s ncaa era and the first time the Bisons have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons since moving to the ncaa. They also led the asun Conference in scoring offense (82.1) for the second consecutive season and had two players–Garrison Mathews and Marberry–earn First Team All-ASun honors.

“We are no longer selling hopes and dreams, we have proven we can do this,” Alexander said. “We have worked hard to build a program I felt was sustainable, so we’re not in a situation where this was some random miracle week. Our program is in a good place, but we do need to keep making it better.

“What I tell the team is, let’s take the wins and losses out of it. You have a unique opportunity to set the standard for what you want this program to be now,” Alexander said. “You will leave some kind of legacy no matter what. Let’s leave a standard of excellence that will carry over after that great senior class leaves next year.”

For more on the Bisons’ first-time NCAA national tournament apperance go to bit.ly/BisonsinNCAA.

“It is an honor to win an award that bears Prosser’s name. A head coach is only as good as his assistants and players allow him to be. I am very grateful for the group I get to work with every single day,” said Alexander.

The Skip Prosser Award was established in 2008 to honor those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity off of it as well.

The award is named after the late Skip Prosser, who died suddenly in 2007 while the head coach at Wake Forest.

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Lipscomb legends

inspire its newest leader

Leadership

David Solomon to lead Board of Trustees as the 14th chair.

Behind every successful university is a board of trustees that invests its time, talent and resources into that institution. Central to that is the individual who is appointed to lead that board and to help carry out the vision of the institution while being entrusted with watching over it.

Rita Burgess was also an accounting major. She and Solomon began dating and he proposed to her in the university library, which was located in the Crisman Administration Building at the time.

Following graduation with their accounting degrees in 1981, Rita went to work in corporate finance in HCA in Nashville, and Solomon began his work with KPMG, the accounting firm where his father once worked. They married in September of that year.

chose Solomon to be part of the committee that selected L. Randolph Lowry as 17th president of Lipscomb University.

“We knew that it was time for something a little bit different. The real story was that we knew we needed someone who had vision to build on the foundation laid by previous administrations,” he says.

“David has done a masterful job of focusing not only on new buildings and growth, but really on the spiritual depth that we call all of ourselves to Solomon worked for KPMG in its Nashville In November, David Solomon, an alumnus, here at Lipscomb. People listen to and respect and New York City offices until 1994. He rose native Nashvillian and successful financial David because of his business acumen and his to the rank of partner before being appointed executive, was installed as the 14th chairman of love for the Lord,” said Scobey, board chair chief financial officer at Brooks Fiber the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees. He Properties, located in Saint Louis, by Jim Allen, from 2012-2017. succeeds David Scobey, who completed his former Lipscomb vice president for financial Solomon says he is very proud of the progress term as chair last fall. affairs and current trustee. the institution has made in recent years in Solomon understands the opportunity—and engaging the community.

From 1994-98, Solomon, Allen and the Brooks responsibility—that comes with that new role. leadership team grew the firm of about 10 “One of the things we are most proud of is that employees to more than 2,000 employees. In “It is truly an honor for me to serve an Lipscomb is an integral part of the Nashville 1996, the company went public and two years institution that means so much to me,” he says. community,” says Solomon. “As I meet business later it was sold for $3.5 billion dollars.

“It is a place that shaped me into the person I executives and I talk to people in Nashville and am today in profound ways, and it is a privilege outside of Nashville, they know that Lipscomb The Solomons returned to Nashville with to be able to give something back and to help has really made a huge difference. their four children, and in December 1999 he make an impact on the lives of our students.” founded a private equity firm, Meritage Private In addition to Solomon and his wife attending Equity Funds, with which he is still affiliated Lipscomb has long been a presence in Lipscomb University, their four children — today.

Solomon’s life. Solomon became familiar with David Jr., Brian, Kathleen and Caroline—are the university as a student at Goodpasture graduates of Lipscomb Academy. Rita and In 2000, Solomon was appointed to the Christian School, attending chorus activities Lipscomb University Board of Trustees by then- Kathleen also hold master’s degrees from the and other events on the campus at times. university. Solomon credits Lipscomb with president Steve Flatt. impacting his family and his faith.

When it came time to head to college, Solomon “As I look back on my opportunity to be on the says he considered several options away “It’s because I have seen over and over and over board in 2000, I realize that from 1977 until from Nashville. But the notion of attending again—whether it is someone who goes to the time I joined the board, Lipscomb had Lipscomb kept nudging him. He moved into Lipscomb Academy or Lipscomb University— prepared me for that,” he recalls. “The people, High Rise residence hall and Lipscomb has the opportunity to have the Lord as the center particularly Charles Frasier, truly helped me been an integral part of his life ever since. of that time in your life, when you are in a understand what life was about, not just about formative stage, those are the times that really making money or managing people. It was “I came to Lipscomb without a lot of expectations,” about having a relationship with the Lord, mold who you are and what you are and your says Solomon. “But it ended up being a place of relationship with the Lord,” he says. being a good dad and good husband, and about growth for me. Spiritually, academically, socially… being a part of the community that you live in.”

I was surrounded by people who gave me a much “I’m so grateful that my time at Lipscomb is larger world view and motivated me to do great what gave me the fire to be my best and gave Solomon, who has known every university things. I was molded by a lot of the people who me the motivation to be involved in my church board chair and president since he set foot on remain close friends today.” and to have Christian friends, and that’s why the Lipscomb campus as a student 41 years ago, I’ve always been enthusiastic about Lipscomb.” credits each individual for playing significant Solomon wanted to follow in his father’s roles in the growth and success of the footsteps into the world of accounting. He Other new board officers are Vice Chair Mitch Edgeworth, institution particularly in the last decade. credits the accounting faculty—including CEO, Vanderbilt University Adult Hospitals and Clinics; Charles Frasier and Axel Swang—for Then, Hilton Dean, board chair from 2004-2012, Treasurer Marty Kittrell; and Secretary Vicki Smith, inspiring him and preparing him for his career senior manager, corporate social responsibility, Nissan North

America. New board members who were also appointed at the fall board meeting are Paula Harris, BWSC, and Lipscomb Academy alumna; and Van Henley, retired EY partner.

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IMAGINE 2018

TELLING THE STORIES THAT MATTER Tom Brokaw, one of America’s legendary storytellers, featured at Imagine 2018

The Gaither Vocal Band

Few people could bring together eyewitness stories of New York City on 9/11, the fall of the Berlin Wall, D-Day in World War II and the scandals surrounding President Bill Clinton at one time on one stage, but that is what Tom Brokaw, retired anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News brought to the Lipscomb University campus in April.

Brokaw was the guest at this year’s Imagine event, themed “The Power of Telling Nashville’s Story.” He sat down with more than 100 Lipscomb students to answer questions and converse with student body leaders about his experiences, and later, more than 1,400 Lipscomb Associate donors gathered in Allen Arena to hear his stories of world-changing events.

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Author and Entrepreneur Donald Miller

“Coming to a great school like this and seeing all of you and your commitment to the values of this school is a reminder to me, again, of the greatness of this country,” Brokaw told the audience in Allen Arena. “As a citizen and as a journalist, I love having the opportunity to explore America and see all of the great work that is being done…. Whatever we believe politically, whatever we believe spiritually, in the final analysis we find a way to move forward together.”

The Imagine initiative began in 2016 to engage the Nashville community in topics of local and

global importance through perspectives of significant leaders. The annual Imagine talk in Allen Arena is an appreciation event for Lipscomb Associates, donors of $1,000 or more per year. The first inaugural Imagine event featured President George W. Bush, and in 2017 the guests were NBA legend and entrepreneur Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie, an author and philanthropist.

Interviewed first in the Student Activity Center by senior journalism major Lindsey Nance, Brokaw told students to “use intelligence, not emotion” when trying to make a difference in the world. Lipscomb students are already making a difference, as student ticket sales to Brokaw’s appearance benefitted the Make-A-Way

Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry (left) and Tom Brokaw, retired anchorman for the NBC Nightly News

Scholarship Fund, established by junior Ralston Drake to help low-income high school students pursue higher education at Lipscomb. The fundraiser garnered $3,900 for the scholarship fund.

“Get involved in public policy,” Brokaw told the students. “Learn how to communicate with each other. Don’t just divide yourselves up. Find ways to unite.”

Brokaw’s career spans a time of perhaps the greatest change in journalism. His career began long before the existence of the Internet and in a time when color television was a new luxury.

“Now the news cycle runs completely faster than an individual journalist can keep up with,” said Brokaw. “It’s a big, big dilemma, because what we have, at the end of the day, is your trust, or not. We have our integrity, or not. If you can’t count on us, then we’ve lost our place,” he said.

When asked about the turmoil in our world today compared to the past, Brokaw reminded the audience of 1968, a year filled with tragedies in America including the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the stepping down of President Lyndon Johnson, riots across the country and the ongoing Vietnam War. “People say to me, ‘We’ve never been through anything like this before.’ I say no, 1968

was worse,” he declared.

But 1968 ended with a note of hope, he reminded the audience, with the launch of Apollo 8 and its Christmas Eve trip around the back side of the moon, when the astronauts read the first verses of Genesis as they emerged.

Brokaw is also well-known as the author of best-selling book The Greatest Generation, which shared the then-untold stories of men and women who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II on their way to building modern America through their service, sacrifice and courage.

He was inspired to write the book in the spring of 1984 while travelling across Europe in preparation for a documentary on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, he said. His preparation included many conversations with American veterans who returned to the battlefields for the anniversary.

While conducting his research, Brokaw crossed paths with the late Sam Gibbons, a World War II hero who served for 44 years as a U.S. legislator.

Gibbons told Brokaw how paratroopers dropping into France the night before the D-Day invasion used small metal clickers to find each other in the dark. Brokaw pulled his own 1940s—era metal clicker from his pocket and demonstrated, noting that soldiers would strain to hear the responding double-click from fellow American soldiers.

“When he heard that (double click), it wasn’t someone saying, ‘Are you from the Tea Party? I only work with people from the Tea Party,’ ” he joked. “They didn’t say, ‘Are you a Democrat? …

I’m a Republican. I’m a Catholic. I’m Jewish.’ ” All they heard in that double click was “I hear you. I’m coming—Let’s win this war together,” Brokaw concluded.

Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry also announced at the event the university’s largest donation in history for the second consecutive year. Two anonymous donors gave $23 million to benefit the university.

For more information on this history-making gift go to page 4.

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Qingguo Wang fights cancer one byte at a time Cancer.

It’s a word that strikes fear when doctors pronounce it.

It is a disease that, in its many forms, will impact an estimated 1.7 million Americans this year as new cases are diagnosed.

It is the driving force for Qingguo Wang’s life’s work.

But Wang isn’t your typical cancer researcher. He is a data scientist, and he is fighting cancer one byte at a time.

Wang is an associate professor of data science in College of Computing & Technology. He has a long career in data science research with past stints at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Vanderbilt University and work with the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health.

“Studying cancer through the lens of computational science is … directly related to the welfare of patients,” Wang said. “Even with all of the research that has been done… still we don’t know as much as there is to know.”

Data scientists like Wang typically use genomic data as next generation sequencing—or NGS—to detect mutations that cause cancer. For some cancer types, scientists know how to treat the patient if they know the driving genetic mutation. NGS allows researchers to sequence DNA and RNA quickly and cost-effectively, Wang said.

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The process starts with cancer tissue samples which contain numerous cells. The DNA is extracted and “chopped into short fragments” that contain hundreds of nucleotides, Wang said.

“We have to read the nucleotides from each fragment, and there can be hundreds of thousands of fragments,” he says. “These short fragments, were then provided to an NGS machine which reads the nucleotides from each fragment.”

Wang and his research partners analyze the files, which have hundreds of thousands of lines, he says.

When Wang started to work in this field more than seven years ago, he says it could take up to six months from receiving the genome sequencing to the discovery of the mutations that potentially cause the cancer. Today, with advances in technology, that can be done in a matter of weeks.

Wang initially launched into his career as a software engineer in his native China. He quickly realized that the demanding nature of the work culture in China, made his work exhausting and unfulfilling. So, Wang and his wife, Mian Pan, moved to the United States where he could pursue advanced degrees in computer science and then conduct research. It was a move that changed his life both professionally and spiritually.

Faculty Spotlight

He earned master’s and doctoral degrees in computer science, and then accepted a three-year fellowship at Vanderbilt University, where he studied cancer genomics and biomedical informatics. Wang analyzed protein data and presented the mutations to physicians at Vanderbilt who would then determine the cause of the mutations which cause cancer cells to develop.

began developing a pipeline for unifying information to integrate data from different sources. While there, he also began studying gene androgen receptor (AR), the most prominent driver of genes in prostate cancer, and was particularly interested in the AR-V7 gene that can be translated into a protein product.

Even with all the research that’s been done... still we don’t know as much as there is to know.

In 2012, Wang and his colleagues developed the VirusFinder software, a program to detect viruses in humans using NGS technology.

“Viral infection is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide,” Wang said. “Detecting the existence of viruses and, especially, their integration sites in host genomes is critical in understanding their role in disease development. Investigations of virus-host interactions could also shed light on virusrelated cancers.”

VirusFinder quickly became one of the mostused tools in the field. It is used by medical researchers around the world.

Another of Wang’s work focuses was detecting binding sites of the cancer-driving gene MYC. MYC is a master regulator of many processes, including cell cycle entry, ribosome biogenesis and metabolism.

“It’s very important to study the MYC protein because it causes about 100,000 deaths in America alone every year,” said Wang. “Our collaborator at Vanderbilt discovered that this protein can bind to another protein— WDR5—but we needed to verify that using sequencing data.”

Wang accepted a computational engineer post at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 2014, where he

Wang’s work has been on the front lines of research and technology, and he continues his research in this area today. His findings have been published in numerous journals, reports and books, and he has presented at many national conferences.

“Different hospitals used different cancer panels, and data sharing and privacy were all barriers for cancer research,” said Wang.

“By using big data and sharing that data we can find ways to improve cancer treatment.

Data sharing will continue to be critically important for entire communities to find cures for cancer—to allow the sharing of information across different researchers, hospitals and countries—and to save lives.”

When Wang and his wife moved to Columbia, Missouri, in 2005, several encounters with simple acts of Christian kindness made a profound impact on his world view. A minister who went out of his way to provide him a free ride to the university campus. An acquaintance who regularly invited cash-poor international students to eat dinner in his home.

“The Chinese culture is different in that status is very important. But for many Christians, they don’t care about status. They try to get to know the people they meet. This was something I really enjoyed and really love,” he continued. “That’s one reason I converted to

the Christian faith a year after I came to the U.S.” Wang first learned of Lipscomb through connections at his congregation while working at Vanderbilt, and then after moving on to work at Sloan Kettering for a time, came to recognize the unique opportunities of serving on the Lipscomb faculty.

“At Lipscomb I could be more useful,” he admitted. “God can use my skills. At Sloan Kettering, I was useful to a small group of people around me. But at Lipscomb, I could teach students and help many more people. It was a big decision to be here. But I saw God open the door to Lipscomb University. His will is very clear to me.”

Today, Wang prepares the next generation of data scientists in the classroom and as they work alongside him in his research to help find a cure for cancer, one byte at a time.

Getting to the core

Lipscomb University re-explores who we are and what that means for relationships in today’s world America is experiencing a time of great divisiveness. Political divisions are proving to be stronger than they have been in decades. Cultural divisions are fueled by negative rhetoric on the Internet and in mass media. Violence sparked by racial, religious and cultural differences is a common occurrence.

While navigating these growing divisions in the United States, Christians in America, especially those who are part of the Churches of Christ, are facing additional challenges of growth and mindset in an increasingly post-Christian era.

Research shows that the Churches of Christ are experiencing declines in membership at the same time they are becoming much more diverse in their beliefs, all sparking an identity crisis within the Christian community that has been Lipscomb’s church affiliation for more than 125 years.

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This was the atmosphere when Lipscomb’s top leader, President L. Randolph Lowry, charged two groups of individuals— one representing all groups on the campus and one representing Lipscomb’s theological leaders—to renew Lipscomb’s focus on two crucial areas for maintaining and strengthening its Christian character in a more secular America: • To be more intentional and clear about the Biblical story that is the ‘centering core’ defining and guiding the university, and • To promote a culture of respect in all quadrants of the university These groups, with input and intentional action from students, staff, faculty and the board of trustees, have established two initiatives that are now cornerstones in Lipscomb’s on-campus culture and will grow in impact and influence in the coming years: Centering Core and Respect Leads.

Getting to the core

Centering Core To be a more intentionally Christian university Increased division in America is just one of the challenges that a Christian higher education institution faces in today’s world, said Leonard Allen, dean of the College of Bible & Ministry.

In any era, Christian institutions work to continually rise above all the secular standards surrounding them, such as evolving societal customs, the marginalization of Christian faith, and many others, said Allen.

According to research by Christian historian George M. Marsden, intentional “traditions and mechanisms” are one tool Christian higher education institutions have effectively used throughout the centuries to stay strong in their foundation of faith, Allen said.

Lowry and the Lipscomb Board of Trustees had all this in mind when they charged the College of Bible & Ministry leaders to “initiate an intentional conversation about how Lipscomb defines itself as a Christian university today. They were asking, ‘What is—and what should be—the centering core of this university as we face the challenges of today’s society,’” said Allen.

Conversations with the board of trustees and a year of discussions with faculty and staff groups provided deep thinking about how Lipscomb can be an even more vibrant Christian community going forward. The first step toward that vision was to develop a written centering

core statement that has been—and will be—used to publicly profess the cornerstones of faith that guide the university.

“Unlike in decades past, the Church of Christ is becoming much more diverse and Christians are being pressured in our culture,” said Allen. “That means there is an even greater need to be intentional about the Christian character of our university.”

The centering core statement (see on page 34) is already being read aloud at board and faculty meetings as well as at university events. It was used at the May 2018 baccalaureate service and is expected to be used at future university gatherings and ceremonies.

“There is something special about confessing your beliefs out loud among others,” Allen said. “We do it in songs and scripture as part of worship each week. This is simply a form of verbally claiming one’s faith story.

“Historically, confessing faith out loud together has proven to be powerful, and so far it has produced a strong positive response from our campus community.”

The overall Centering Core initiative is not stopping at a written confession, however.

Drawing on successful work helping colleges see the intersections of faith and learning, Lipscomb Scholar-in-Residence Richard Hughes and other Bible professors are leading seminars throughout 2018 for faculty and staff to discuss ways to be intentionally Christian as they engage in the classroom, in academic disciplines and with students. The hope is to hold such seminars

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Centering Core Statement We believe in God the Father, who created the heavens and the earth, making all human beings as divine image bearers.

We violated the image of God in others and ourselves, and abandoned our role in the creation.

In response, God chose Israel as a blessing and light to all peoples, in order to renew the creation.

We believe in God the Son, Jesus the Messiah, who is fully human and fully God, who, baptized in water and anointed with the Spirit, proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and brokenhearted, announcing forgiveness by calling all to repent and believe the good news, and commissioning his followers to make disciples, baptizing them into the communion of the Father, Son, and Spirit and teaching them to embrace this new way of life.

Jesus was crucified, giving his life for the sin of the world.

God raised Jesus from the dead, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to eternal life, and inaugurating new creation.

God enthroned Jesus as the Lord of creation.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, the giver and renewer of life, whom the Father, through the Son, poured out upon us, enabling us to love God and neighbor, and binding us together with all believers in the church, the Body of Christ, and together we give thanks at the table of the Lord.

The Spirit spoke through the prophets and apostles, and inspired Scripture to equip us for every good work.

The Spirit empowers us to witness to Christ as Lord and Savior, and to work for justice and peace as we seek to live holy and joyful lives.

We believe in the resurrection of the dead, wait for God’s new heaven and new earth, and pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

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over the next five years, Hughes said.

“One of the realizations that is coming out of all these discussions is the need to have regular faculty conversations between colleges and departments about our faith. They already happen informally, but we need to create more intentional moments where these conversations are more deliberate and robust,” said Allen.

The College of Bible & Ministry also received a grant from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), supported by the Council of Independent Colleges and the Lilly Endowment Inc., to fund a week-long faith and learning seminar focused on vocation for full-time faculty in August. This pilot program is an example and intentional embracing of the core work of a Christian college.

With the percentage of self-identified Church of Christ members on the decline in the student bodies at Church of Christ-affiliated institutions nationally, now is the time to think deeply about the theology and values that drive us. Only seriously Christian schools do that, Hughes said.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

—Colossians 3:12-14 thematic passage for Respect Leads

Getting to the core

Respect Leads Nurturing a culture of respect on campus While Lipscomb’s Biblical core is clear, the reflection of it in our nation—or even on a Christian university campus—is often difficult.

“While respect has been a core value at Lipscomb, the idea behind Respect Leads is to be much more intentional about highlighting the value and ingraining it even deeper into our culture,” said Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life who serves as the senior administrative liaison for the team. “We wanted to communicate to everyone at Lipscomb, that no matter the situation, we will begin with respect.”

A group of students, faculty and staff, led by Assistant Professor of Management Leanne Smith and Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Public Policy and Special Counsel to the President William Turner, provided leadership for the Respect Leads effort to nurture the on-campus culture of respect, leading everyone to continued unity in a time of conflict.

A year-and-a-half after the genesis of the Respect Leads idea, the Lipscomb community has had numerous opportunities to attend thought-provoking on-campus events; to incorporate activities designed to build empathy into curriculum and extra-curricular programming; to spur conversation among their friends and family and to practice dealing with difficult moments in a respectful and forgiving manner.

“As Christians, we should be able to model how to completely disagree in an appropriate and

respectful way,” McDowell said. “When students walk across the stage (to graduate), we want them to go on to do the right things, at the right times, for the right reasons, all on their own. Part of preparing them for that is instilling a culture of respect, particularly when perspectives differ.”

In January 2017, the Respect Leads committee presented a list of initiatives designed to further instill the culture of respectfulness on campus. Through the last year and a half, the university has held respect-themed chapel programs, and the Make the First Move campaign provided free Starbucks coffee to encourage faculty, staff and students to invite those with differing cultural backgrounds to get to know one another better over coffee. Students participated in a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis; a spoken word poetry event was held; promotional videos were produced; and the respect value has been further infused into appropriate curriculum.

One particular goal of Respect Leads is to enhance empathy within the Lipscomb community. Two Lipscomb Experience classes, taught by Scholar-in-Residence Richard Hughes and Smith, participated in a story swap exercise as a way to promote empathy through the exchange of stories. The exercise, developed

by Narrative4, requires participants to share personal stories on a particular theme and then re-tell the other person’s story to the group.

Smith said those who participated came away with a deepened appreciation for how it felt to walk in another person’s experience for a moment.

“We’ve tried to do a lot of things to bring people together and encourage positive

conversation, to try and set the stage so that when conflict does occur, we have a constructive way to deal with it,” said Turner.

“I don’t know if we’ve changed anyone’s mind, but we have got a lot of people thinking,” said Deion Sims (’18), one of two students who were on the Respect Leads leadership team. “A lot of students come from a background where they are simply unaware of the challenges many people face in this country. If you were never educated about that—which many people weren’t—and then you go someplace like the civil rights museum, then you are forced to think about things you have never had to think about before.

“I am confident that we have been able to bring new ideas into the light and have provided tools for students to be able to process it as Christians and as a community,” he said.

Respect Leads will continue to partner with the university’s campus ministry staff; Prentice Ashford, the new dean of intercultural development; and various colleges to highlight the value of respect that is a part of the DNA of Lipscomb, McDowell said Throughout the fall, the Respect Leads initiative will continue its “Respect Leads Presents” speaker series, facilitated student discussions and hands-on service activities to engage the Nashville community, McDowell said.

Among other ideas for this fall, is an exploration of hearing the stories of Nashville’s homeless population, he said. “Our Student Government Association already hosts a weekly Room in the Inn site (a temporary shelter program based in Nashville) during the cold weather months and so there is a natural opportunity to capitalize on this relationship and humanize a segment of Nashville’s population that is often overlooked,” McDowell said.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Program brings abundant life to Tennessee’s female inmates Lipscomb presents its first bachelor’s degrees to prison inmates As the sound of bagpipes drift into the gym, faculty, students, family and friends excitedly gather in anticipation of the pending graduation. Sounds like a traditional commencement celebrating the end of the educational journey for hundreds of graduates with the pomp and circumstance of the pipes and drums.

But this was actually a very unique ceremony, held in the gymnasium at the Tennessee Prison for Women, where Lipscomb University awarded its f irst bachelor’s degrees to inmates from the prison on Friday, Dec. 15.

I thought my life was over.

Lipscomb gave me new life.

–Crystle

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Lipscomb has now held three graduation ceremonies for inmate, or “inside,” students in Lipscomb’s LIFE program, the Lipscomb Initiative for Education, who have received faceto-face instruction from university professors and have studied side-by-side with traditional Lipscomb undergraduate students at the prison each Wednesday night for the last 10 years. But December’s was the first ceremony awarding bachelors’ degrees, to six women who spent those 10 years earning a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree.

“I don’t think we could have imagined this, back in 2007, when we got together in the visiting gallery and 125 women showed up to hear about a program we were only just imagining. We selected 15 from that, and even the first 15, we thought we would be with them for just a couple of years,” said Richard Goode, founder of the LIFE program and professor at Lipscomb. At the graduates’

provost’s breakfast before the ceremony, the graduates read a statement appointing Goode their “adoptive father.”

“Over the last ten years the LIFE program has grown in majors and we’ve grown in degrees, but more than anything we have watched the women grow,” said Goode. “We have watched their imaginations grow and have taken them in some places they never imagined they would go.”

Four participants in the Lipscomb LIFE program received their Bachelor of Professional Studies degrees in organizational leadership. Two others participated in the ceremony but will not complete their requirements for graduation until next year. Two other students received Associate of Arts degrees at the ceremony. The cumulative GPA of these graduates is 3.825.

To earn the associate degrees, the inmates had to

Kate Watkins (center), LIFE program director.

earn 63 credit hours, following the Tennessee Board of Regents’ general education requirements.

To earn the Bachelor of Professional Studies degree, students had to earn 126 credit hours.

“The fact that they have done 10 years of undergraduate education with no Internet is almost supernatural,” said Kate Watkins, the director of the LIFE program. “They have limited resources. To know that these women often bring more to class than you ask of them, it’s inspiring.”

Including the eight students who participated in the Dec. 15 ceremony, there are a total of 37 inmates who took classes through the Lipscomb LIFE program in 2017. Thirty-eight full-time and adjunct faculty take part in teaching the LIFE students.

Lipscomb only offers one associate degree, which was specially developed for this program. The first nine Lipscomb LIFE students received these degrees on Dec. 13, 2013. The second cohort received their degrees on Dec. 18, 2015.

One of the graduates, Barbi, who received her Associate of Arts degree in 2013 from Lipscomb, was selected to speak on behalf of all the graduates in the 2017 ceremony.

“Thank goodness our success is not measured by the position we are in,” said Barbi. “Instead it is measured by the obstacles we have overcome while trying to get there… So how much greater, how much sweeter the success when it is measured by the journey we have taken with our lives. So we feel successful today not because of any position we hold, but instead we are successful because we got here today by overcoming those obstacles with all of you.”

Donna, a 2017 bachelor’s recipient who also earned her associate’s in 2013, said she was humbled by the LIFE program experience.

“I did commit murder and I was sentenced to life, but Dr. Goode, who saw life differently and had a dream, he came to me and said, Donna, you are more than this place.

“Lipscomb saw that maybe we are rough around the edges, that maybe we have really bad pasts, but they wanted to dig past that and till the soil that is at TPFW. And here we are today,” she said.

Crystle, who received her associate’s during the ceremony, told about when she first came to be incarcerated, how she would hear the official call-out for the Lipscomb students to go to class on Wednesday nights from her cell, and she knew she had to become a part of the program.

“Ever since August 2011 when I first started this program, it has been my beacon,” she said. “It has been my guiding light when I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I thought my life was over— and Lipscomb gave me new life.”

“The important thing about Lipscomb is that they give us an opportunity that has absolutely nothing to do with my gender or my race,” said Antionette, one of the bachelor’s recipients.

“They have given me a chance to be human, and they have given humanity back to me.”

“I know that you can’t see it right now, because I look really, really solemn, but inside my soul is dancing!”

Whatever the academic discipline, together they all explore something of what it means to be a minister of reconciliation in today’s world, Goode said.

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Alumni

2017 Lipscomb Honors Awardees, Kerri Edwards (center left) and Bruce Bowers (center right) are congratulated by the newly named Lipscomb Board of Trustees Chair David Solomon (far left) and Vice President of Alumni Relations Phil Ellenburg (far right).

Lipscomb Honors recognizes Edwards, Bowers with top alumni honor Every day, Lipscomb University’s more than 30,000 alumni are making a difference in the world.

Each year, two of these alumni are selected to represent their fellow alums as recipients of the Lipscomb Honors Awards, that recognize the inspiring ways Lipscomb alumni are making a profound impact in the world.

On Nov. 9, Kerri Pauley Edwards (’93), president of KP Entertainment, and Bruce Bowers (’72), retired high school teacher, coach and administrator with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, were presented the 2017 Lipscomb Honors Awards. Both were recognized for the way they exemplify Lipscomb’s mission and

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positively influence humankind far beyond the borders of Lipscomb’s campus.

More than 300 guests attended the event held at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame that kicked-off Homecoming 2017 festivities. In keeping with the musical theme from 2016 and complementing the honorees’ stories of positive impact, songwriters Jeff Stevens (“Carrying Your Love with Me” and “Back When”) and Michael Carter (“Move” and “Roller Coaster”) shared stories behind a few of their songs.

“This is an opportunity to honor two very special alumni along with all of the other alumni who are gathered this evening,” said John Lowry, senior vice president for advancement. “It’s very significant to think about what it means to be a Lipscomb alum.

We think of you as an ambassador, which means each of you represent Lipscomb no matter where you are or what you are doing.”

Kerri Edwards Originally from Alum Creek, West Virginia, Edwards graduated from Lipscomb in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in speech communication. She began her career nearly 20 years ago in the artists and repertoire area with Arista Records, working with artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and Diamond Rio. She moved into the publishing world in 2000 and spent

Alumni

Each of you represent Lipscomb no matter where you are or what you are doing. the next five years as creative director for Deston Songs and Murrah Music. Along the way, Edwards also worked as production coordinator for Mark Bright Productions.

platinum hit “Roller Coaster” by Luke Bryan; No. 1 platinum single “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” by Cole Swindell, as well as others.

Edwards was named the 2014 CMA Nashville In 2005, Edwards launched KP Entertainment Manager of the Year, and in 2017 she was to manage Luke Bryan, who was an unsigned honored by Music Row as one of six “Rising up-and-comer at the time. She helped Bryan Women on the Row.” She and her husband secure a deal with Capitol Records, and his Chad live in Nashville with their two teenage first single “All My Friends Say,” went to radio children, Daisy and Stiles. in 2007. Since the debut of his first album, “Nashville and Lipscomb changed my life,” said Bryan has placed 18 singles at No. 1 and sold Edwards. “I loved everything about Lipscomb. nearly 8 million albums with 30 million digital Bison basketball games, Pi Delta functions, tracks from his five studio albums. He has been named Entertainer of the Year four times, Singarama and so much more impacted my life. You don’t even know at the time how that’s twice by both the Academy of Country Music going to help pave your path in the things that and the Country Music Association. you’re going to do—even those kinds of events.

KP Entertainment has continued to grow It’s all part of God’s plan even when you can’t and its roster now includes Nashville native see it. I greatly appreciate this honor.”

Kelleigh Bannen, Warner Music Nashville artist; ACM New Artist of the Year winner Cole Swindell; and newcomers Jon Langston, A graduate of Cumberland High School, CB30, DJ Rock, Adam Craig and Chancie Bowers graduated in 1972 from Lipscomb Neal.

University with a Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education. He earned a KP’s other joint ventures include a publishing Master of Education in school administration arm with Sony/ATV that houses writers from Middle Tennessee State University in Michael Carter, Cole Swindell, Jay Clementi 1980. He also earned an additional 45 hours in and Jody Stevens. Notable songs include school administration from Tennessee State No. 1 gold single “Get Me Some of That” by University.

Lipscomb alumnus Thomas Rhett; No. 1

Bruce Bowers

Music industry leaders, education leaders, friends and family, gathered at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Spark downtown to congratulate the 2017 Lipscomb Honors winners.

A member of the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame since 1992, Bowers finished his Bison basketball career as one of Lipscomb’s all-time scorers with 1,650 career points. His athletic accolades include being named to the 1968 Nashville Tennessean All-Metro Basketball Team and the Nashville Banner 1972 All-City College Basketball Team.

Following his collegiate career, Bowers devoted his professional life to working with young people and dedicated more than 40 years serving as a high school teacher, coach and administrator with the Metropolitan Nashville School District. He spent 13 years as a grade-level principal and 12 years as executive principal for Whites Creek Comprehensive High School. Bowers worked 10 years at the Board of Education as a middle school and high school director of human resources and the executive director of employee relations.

He completed his last year with the board as the human resources minority recruiter.

Bowers also served as a state evaluator for the Career Ladder Program for administrators in the State of Tennessee, and became a Career Ladder III school administrator.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Bowers. “I am so thankful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have been blessed. This is a special occasion, and the blessings have come in so many different ways, and I am grateful.”

Lipscomb launched the Lipscomb Honors program in 2016. Lori Bumpas (’86), executive director of Shiloh NYC, and Mark Lanier (’81), an attorney, author, teacher and philanthropist, were the inaugural recipients of the award.

The thing that kept me going was the thought of what I could become and what God had already allowed me to be.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Athletics

Hill pursues dream of Lipscomb degree and career in communication When LeBron Hill was a teenager, attending college was a distant dream. Survival was all that was on 18-year-old Hill’s mind after his mother kicked him out of their house in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

“I really wasn’t looking at a good situation in my life at that time,” recalled Hill. “I remember my mom telling me that I wasn’t welcome there and that I needed to go somewhere else.

I remember not knowing what to do.”

His brother drove him part of the way to a local homeless shelter, but left him on the side of the road after throwing Hill’s bags into a nearby ditch.

A high school senior at the time, Hill was forced to drop out of high school.

But where Hill’s story seems to come to a dead end, was actually the beginning of another significant story in his life— the pathway to a college education and to making a better life for himself.

And now, five years later, Hill is preparing to graduate from Lipscomb University in December with a degree in communication and is on the way to pursuing a career in journalism.

“That’s really where I remember my story starting, getting those bags out from the ditch and walking up to the shelter,” he said. “I was very depressed and sad about what was happening in

my life. But I went up to the shelter and knocked on the door.”

The shelter—the Shepherd’s House in Tullahoma—is a Christian-based environment that provides food, clothing and temporary housing for the homeless as well as hope for the future and help to heal broken lives, said Lori Winningham, president of the organization’s board.

“We try to fill our residents with hope and love so they can see light at the end of their tunnels,” said Winningham.

Moving forward from what he describes as a “chaotic” childhood, Hill saw the time in the shelter as an opportunity to finally focus on himself and what he wanted to make of his life.

“At that point in time, it was a Godsend that I could be who I am and do what I wanted to do. I started to realize that my faith was going to play a big role in who I was going to be next,” he said.

Hill got a job at Walmart, and without a driver’s license, began riding his bike

from the shelter to work and G.E.D. classes. During this time, Hill also got involved with the Wilson Avenue Church of Christ in Tullahoma, whose minister, Randy Davis, befriended Hill. Davis, his wife and their children became family to Hill.

“He had heard a lot of negativity about being trouble, about not being able to achieve or that he would never get anywhere,” said Davis. “But I saw his determination. He never gave up in spite of the obstacles and the hardship.”

Davis would sometimes drive Hill to and from work and to the G.E.D. classes and continued to encourage him.

Once Hill passed his G.E.D., Davis encouraged him to enroll in Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee, where he could receive an associate degree in mass communication for free through Tennessee Promise.

Davis often provided transportation for Hill to get to classes at Motlow State.

“He was so dedicated to me, and I realized that I needed to start a relationship with this guy because he cares a lot about me and about my story,” said Hill. “I knew we were going to be close.”

Hill remembers Davis—whom he later came to call “dad”—telling him that just because he was going to college it

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Student Spotlight

“Lipscomb has given me the realization that anything is possible.” wasn’t going to resolve any issues from his past. He said the first two years at Motlow gave him an opportunity to “find out who I really was.”

“When I got the letter that I was going to Motlow, it didn’t hit me at that point that I was going to college because I never, ever thought this was a possibility for me,” Hill said. “At that point I was nervous, because I never studied a day of my life in high school. My first day of classes I was very excited about having an opportunity that I never thought I would have.”

During the first semester, Hill continued to live at Shepherd’s House. The following semester, Hill moved into an apartment and got his driver’s license with the help of Davis. A year later, he earned his associate degree.

was to prove to other people that I can do it (college), but my time at Lipscomb has been for me to prove to myself that I can do it,” said Hill. “When I came to Lipscomb people kept telling me that it’s a very hard school. But I knew deep inside that God wouldn’t have put Lipscomb in my life if it weren’t possible.”

Hill is majoring in communication and has become very involved in campus life at Lipscomb. He works for the student news service, Lumination Network, and is a member of the Collegiate 100. This past semester he was an intern at the Nashville Scene.

“LeBron has really made an impact on me and my life and on my classroom,” said

Sarah Gipson , assistant professor of communication and academic advisor to Hill. “I think Lipscomb is a better place because of LeBron and what he brings to the table.”

“I think it’s important for us to see how students like LeBron can come into the classroom, can come into our lives, can come into our community and can change it for the good. It can give us a new perspective on how we see our own lives.”

Lipscomb has made an impact on Hill’s life as well.

“Lipscomb has given me the realization that anything is possible,” he said. “I grew up in a very humble beginning. It’s a surreal moment waking up every day realizing that I have come so far. That gives me hope that I can do anything. It allows me to say, ‘look, God loves me and He is able to give me this opportunity.’ And Lipscomb has been able to be that opportunity for me. “ To learn more about view Hill’s story, check out the video interview at vimeo.com/252591242.

“When I graduated from Motlow, I was sitting there crying like a baby thinking of what I accomplished,” he said. “The thing that kept me going was the thought of what I could become and what God had already allowed me to be.”

Davis said they met Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry during Summer Celebration while Hill was completing his associate degree at Motlow. Then the following year after Hill graduated, Davis got back in touch with Lowry and the wheels were set in motion for Hill to enroll at Lipscomb University through the Lipscomb Promise program and to begin another important chapter on his journey.

“I tell people that my time at Motlow

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Randy Davis (left), minister at Wilson Avenue Church of Christ in Tullahoma, Tennessee, became a surrogate father for LeBron Hill (right), and helped him apply to attend Lipscomb.

Student Spotlight

88%

L I P SCOMB ACA DE M Y ’ S C LAS S OF 2 01 8 Lip sco m b Aca d e my' s Class of 20 18 l ef t a lasting impa c t o n the sch o o l b o t h in the classroom and beyond. Fro m e arning significa n t am o u n t s of col l ege credi t w hi l e al s o us ing the ir gif ts via the ar t s a n d a t hl eti c s to ser vi ng l ocal l y and g lobally, the s e stud ent s lived o u t the school ' s mi ssi on i n mi nd, bo dy, and s oul.

60%

O F T H E C L AS S PA RT I C I PAT ED I N AT H L E T I C S, W I TH 4 8 1 TOTA L S E AS O N S.

O F T H E C L AS S PA RT IC IPAT E D I N T H E P E R FO R MI N G A RTS,

WI TH 1, 557 F I N E A RTS P E R FO R M A N CES TOTA L .

COLLEGE- LE VEL CO U R SES TAK EN

ACADEMIC AC HI E V EMENTS

SERVICE & SPIRITUALITY

GENERAL DEMO GRAPHIC S

DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES:

335 honors courses taken 86% HOPE Scholarship qualifiers Accepted into 96 unique colleges

11, 279 service hours 175 mission trips taken 61% of students have been on

69 males 57 females

145 courses, 47% of students ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES:

211 courses, 64% of students

3.97

Avg. GPA*

30

Avg. ACT*

104

Honors courses*

a mission trip

2

National Merit Finalists

35 Lipscomb Lifers

8

NCAA Athletes

Over $12 million

in scholarships awarded to the Class of 2018 *statistics refer to top 10% of graduating class.

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The Lipscomb Herd came together for various events this past school year, from the Lipscomb Honors Awards, to the annual 50th reunion, and for the first time ever, a reception at the men’s NCAA national basketball tournament.

Alumni

The strength of the herd Now this is the law of the prairie

campus. But nearly 45 percent of you are scattered throughout the U.S. from coast to coast and even around the world.

And the Bison that keep it will prosper

So, while you may not be close to campus, you may have more members of The Herd living near you than you ever realized. Some of our largest concentrations of alumni live outside of Middle Tennessee in or near cities like New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit, Orlando and Chicago. Many others live in cities such as Cincinnati, Memphis, Tampa, Charlotte, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Denver, Birmingham and Huntsville. And there are still many more.

As old and as true as the sky

And the Bison that break it will die As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk

This law is the final word:

For the strength of the Herd is the Bison

And the strength of the Bison is the Herd

- The Herd (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling) To some extent we all have experienced the advantages of being part of a community. Some of us are part of strong neighborhood communities; others draw our strength from our church communities; still others are part of a community of fellow parents, co-workers or lifelong friends.

Whether it is coming together to solve problems, finding support and understanding with likeminded people, courting motivation, advice or direction from others, or any number of other reasons, community provides a wealth of benefits to our individual lives. But community is at its healthy best when every member participates. When every member contributes. When every member matters.

Our communities are at their best—and we are at our best—when we all work together.

The Lipscomb alumni community is no different. Each and every alumnus—every single member of The Herd—is vitally important to our health as a community. But, I fear that many of you believe you left that community far behind in Nashville when you finished your time on campus. That’s not how we feel! Once part of the Bison herd, you are always part of the Bison herd!

But realistically, I know, the members of that herd roam far and wide.

We now have more than 45,000 living Lipscomb alumni. Slightly over half of our alumni live within a couple of hours’ drive from

In 2018, your Alumni Relations team is working to not only strengthen Lipscomb’s alumni community as a whole, but also to strengthen local alumni communities across the country.

We’re doing this by first coming to you. During the last year, we have been gathering with alumni in Nashville, but also in cities all over the nation, such as Atlanta, Huntsville, Los Angeles, New York, Denver and Orlando, intentionally working to strengthen The Herd by strengthening the alumni network and community in the local areas. Building a strong community by bringing its members together to share all the same benefits of church, friend or family communities: support, networking, inspiration, understanding, motivation.

And we are just getting warmed up. Our alumni engagement team will be working throughout the year to plan fun, meaningful, worthwhile events in even more cities as we seek to reach out, serve and interact with you!

An important part of any healthy community is carefully listening to everyone’s point of view, and we in Alumni Relations incorporated that aspect in our community building as well, conducting a new alumni attitudes survey earlier this year. Your responses have given us plenty of new ideas to work on in the future to nurture stronger, more active, connected alumni communities.

So, no matter where you live, near or far, once a Lipscomb Bison, always a Lipscomb Bison! And more likely than not, there are a few other Bison living near you. So, get ready. The Herd is on the move!

See you soon!

Phil Ellenburg Vice President for Alumni Relations LipscombAlumni

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Bisonnotes Class Notes

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

1951

Robert and Elizabeth Kerce (’51) celebrated the 70th anniversary of their Aug. 22, 1947, wedding this past August in Manchester, Tenn. Dr. Robert Kerce was the business manager, chairman and professor in the math department for more than 50 years beginning in 1946.

He met Elizabeth, then a freshman at Lipscomb, on Valentine’s Day in 1947 and they were married by August of that year. They have three daughters—Mary Beth Chambers (‘73), Karen Browning (‘76) and Linda Elrod (’77)—and one of their grandchildren also graduated from Lipscomb—John Elrod (’11).

Robert and Elizabeth are pictured on the bottom row, while current math chair (and former student and lifelong friend of Kerce’s) Carroll Wells (’62) and his wife Eunice (’63), associate librarian at Lipscomb, are pictured on the top row.

1963

Frank Black of Indianapolis, Ind., published the book Happiness is a Fat Gecko, about the five years he and his wife Lou Ann spent working in missionary medicine in a bush hospital in Tanzania.

1971

William Crump of Madison, Tenn., has published his fifth book, How the Movies Saved Christmas in May. He is currently writing the Encyclopedia of Animated Christmas Cartoons for McFarland Publishers.

1987

May Jones Patterson of Huntsville, Ala., published Seeking a Familiar Face: The Transformational Journey of Connecting with God in October. It is a nonfiction book about how seeking and finding God in everyday places can change our lives forever.

Journal as one of its 2017 Women in Music City Award winners. Edwards is the president of KP Entertainment.

1996

Daniel Cline II of Alpharetta, Ga., was named vice president of partnerships at Catalyst Leader LLC in Atlanta.

1998

Craig and Sarah Martin Parnell (’04) of Nashville announce the Aug. 31 birth of their daughter Anna Kate. ¶ Casey Hester of Spring Hill is vice president of customer success at DEV/CON DETECT, Ad Tech Security. ¶ Daniel Norton is a student of the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Executive MBA program. He expects to graduate in June 2019.

1981

Lisa Holland Harless of Brentwood was named by Nashville Business Journal as one of its 2017 Women in Music City Award winners. Harless is senior vice president and private wealth advisor for Regions Bank.

1982

Valerie Oliver of Nashville is assistant commissioner for administrative services for the Tennessee Department of Health.

Mary Jones Patterson

1988

Teb Batey of Milton, Tenn., received the 2017 Leadership Rutherford Pinnacle Award from Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce during the annual Business at Its Best celebration in Murfreesboro.

1999

Matt Kroplin, partner in Burr & Forman, has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Nashville Medical Group Management Association for the 2017-2018 term.

1989

Sara Duvall graduated in June from A.T. Still University with a Doctor of Health Sciences degree.

Valerie Oliver

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1991 1993

Sabrina Cowden (MBA ’16) is CEO of Milepost Consulting.

Kerri Pauley Edwards of Nashville was name by Nashville Business

Matt Kroplin

2001

Rose Pack Adams (PMBA ’13) of Murfreesboro is administrator for Southern Tennessee Regional Health System Sewanee.

2002 2003 Adedayo Isen.

Robby Harmon of Dickson is vice mayor for the City of Dickson.

Ani and Rena Isen announce the Sept. 15 birth of their son Axel Brooks Terry

2003

Chris Buckley of Brentwood, Tenn., was promoted to senior vice president at Cumberland Trust.

2004

Tony Feher of Fishers, Ind., is an orthopedic surgeon with Franciscan Physician Network at the FPN Orthopedic & Sports Medicine office in Crawfordsville, Ind. ¶ Charlie (’06) and Lauren (Eichner) Jenney of Sellersburg, Ind., announce the June 1 birth of their daughter Caroline Mae. Caroline joins big sister Charlotte Anne, 3. ¶ Attorney Dianna Y. L. Miller, of Maury County, Tenn., was sworn in as a statewide Pro Tem Prosecutor in October. She serves as one of three assistant district attorneys for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference in Nashville.

¶ Adam (’04, MBA ’11) and Catherine Terry (MED ’08), announce the June 9 birth of their son Brooks Daniel Terry. Catherine is associate provost for institutional effectiveness and assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Lipscomb University. ¶ Julie Moran Webb of Nashville is a STARS counselor, helping young people overcome social and emotional barriers to success, at Brentwood High School as well as team lead for Williamson County, Tenn. ¶ Chad and Karen (Long) Wright of Dickson, Tenn., announce the June 21 birth of son Luke Hamish.

2007

Logan and Cari (Lewis) Powell of Murphy, Texas, announce the Sep. 18 birth of son Gentry Michael. Proud older siblings are Emmalyn, Andrew and Rose. ¶ Gabe (’04) and Katie Watson (LA ’03) announce the Sept.

27 birth of their daughter Emma Ruth Watson. Katie is an instructor in the Lipscomb University School

At the annual Lipscomb reception at Pepperdine University, (l to r) Bill Henniger, retired from Pepperdine, visits with Mary and Mike Adams (’60), former president of the University of Georgia and now chancellor at Pepperdine.

2011 Dianna Y.L. Miller

2005

Kim Hollingshead of Antioch, Tenn., was recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as one of its 40 Under 40 honorees. Hollingshead is president of Touchstone Title & Escrow LLC.

2006

Dana Keen of North Augusta, SC., and Richard Phillips of Niceville, Fla., were married Sept. 23. ¶ Ryan Mitchell is a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at Ortho Knox in Knoxville, Tenn. ¶ In April 2017, Caleb Rucker of Knoxville, Tenn., received the National Science Foundation Early Career Development Award, the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who have the potential to serve as an academic role model in research and education. ¶ Justin Seamon and Audrey Seamon of Nolensville, Tenn., announce the Oct. 7 birth of their second son Miles Duncan Seamon.

Emma Watson

of Nursing. ¶ Mark Wiggins (MBA) of Brentwood, Tenn., has been named partner at Avintus.

2008

Hunter Kittrell of Nashville is an environmentalist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

2009

Russ Burroughs of Old Hickory, Tenn., will serve as head coach of the Edenton Steamers collegiate summer baseball team in Edenton, N.C., for the 2018 season.

2010

Todd Garrett (PHARMD ’14) of Nashville is the owner of Franklin Family Pharmacy, the city’s only independent, familyowned, full-service retail pharmacy. ¶ Mary Slater of Nashville is a marketing coordinator for Tennessee Bank & Trust. ¶ Andrew and Keela (Evans) Smith (’11) of Nashville, announce the Sept. 9 birth of son Isaiah “Ike” James Smith.

Samantha Hart of Nashville was one of 70 finalists for the 2017 Nashville Emerging Leaders Award presented by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Professionals of Nashville. Hart is operating director and home energy specialist with Go Green Home Services. ¶ Kyle Mayes of Nashville has been named strategic advisor for Advent, a Nashvillebased experiential design firm. ¶ Jovanna Palmer of Antioch, Tenn., was one of 70 finalists for the 2017 Nashville Emerging Leaders Award presented by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Professionals of Nashville. Palmer is a human resource manager at CMT/Viacom Media Networks.

2012

Ty and Katie Pearsall Black (PHARMD) announce the Nov. 26 birth of their son Luke Davis Black. ¶ Jason Boswell (PHARMD) is a Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist practicing at the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga. He serves as the Chattanooga Area Pharmacist Society president. ¶ Jared Stephen Britt received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center School of Dentistry. He will be in private practice in White House, Tenn.

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Bisonnotes 2013

Taylor and Bailey Bowman (PHARMD) announce the Aug. 23, 2016, birth of their daughter Willa Taylor Bowman. ¶ Kayleigh Butterfield of Nashville joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in the firm’s Nashville office. Butterfield is a member of the Litigation Practice Group. She earned her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law. ¶ Natasha Reeves of Lawrenceville, Ga., received a Master of Science degree in biomedical science from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic MedicineGeorgia Campus. ¶ Andie Scott (MA), of Glenwood Springs, Colo., is the collaborative management program coordinator with YouthZone.

2014

David and Adrienne Christensen (PHARMD) announce the Aug. 18, 2016, birth of their son Ivan Laird Christensen. ¶ Allison Kiendle Deissler and Lee Andrew Fann of Nashville were married Oct. 28. ¶ Keiana Hastings (MM ’15) is a campaign marketer for Ramsey Solutions, a Dave Ramsey Company.

Lori Hodge Corley

¶ Lori Hodge Corley (MACL) was promoted to deputy director of East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission. ¶ Alé Dalton of Nashville was re-appointed to serve on the Latina Commission of the Hispanic National Bar Association. ¶ Taylor Ezell of Nashville was one of 70 finalists for the 2017 Nashville Emerging Leaders Award presented by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Professionals of Nashville.

Ezell is a manager at Formos Consulting. ¶ Shaun and

2015

Ning Boupharath Bennett (PHARMD) of Missouri was married on Oct. 21, 2017. She works at Walmart as a pharmacist-in-charge. ¶ Juri Korekata and Rod Bugawan (PHARMD) announce the March 27,

The Georges graduated together in May 2016 and got married in November 2016 after a sevenyear romance.

Fitz Falconer

Danielle Falconer (PHARMD), announce the March 31, 2017, birth of their son Fitz Miller Falconer. Danielle is assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Lipscomb University. ¶ Carter and Lindsay Hamric (’13) of Nashville announce the Aug. 24 birth of their daughter Esther Tate. ¶ Abbey Start of Nashville is an associate sales representative with Kore Medical LLC. ¶ Jaclyn Mothupi (MS) of Nashville was recognized by the Nashville Business Journal as one of its 2017 40 Under 40 honorees.

Mothupi is the regional director of external affairs for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. ¶ Sharon Stewart of Houston is a human resources project manager for Harris Health System. ¶ Zach (PHARMD ’13) and Allyson Wunderlich (PHARMD) announce the Nov. 21 birth of their son Brady Hunter Wunderlich.

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2016, birth of their son Brayden Jace Bugawan.

Bugawan works for PRC Clinical managing clinical trials for drugs and medical devices looking for FDA approval. ¶ Justin Kirby (PHARMD) of Nashville is assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy and clinical services director at Perkins Drugs in Gallatin, Tenn. ¶ Paige Neely of Johnson City, Tenn., was promoted to assistant coach for softball at East Tennessee State University.

2016

Mena George (MS) and Mariam Shaker (PHARMD) were married on Nov. 19, 2016. ¶ Katie Radel of Nashville was one of 70 finalists for the 2017 Nashville Emerging Leaders Award presented by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Professionals of Nashville. Radel is director of marketing and public relations with TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center/HCA.

2017

Jessica Craft of Nashville is an analyst in the litigation/valuation division at LMBC. ¶ Malissa Samson (PHARMD) and Justin Hammond (PHARMD) were married on May 21, 2016, in Nashville.

We want your notes!

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

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

At left: (l to r) Rita Solomon (’81), alumna and wife of current Board of Trustees chair David Solomon, Debbie (’86) and Parker Panovec (’86) celebrate at the Lipscomb Honors dinner held at the downtown Spark location during Homecoming 2017.

In Memoriam

We publish news of the passing of Bisons as we learn of it. Find obituaries published in their entirety at lipscomb.edu/classnotes.

Family members may also submit obituaries and photos for possible publication online and in print.

1937 1942 1949 20, 2017.

Clarence Baker of Plano, Texas, died Aug. 3.

Erlene Trammel Groves of Hendersonville, Tenn., died July 30.

Rebecca Lou Smith of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died March

1950

John H. Brown of Madison, Tenn., died Dec. 26. ¶ Beverly Jean Overall Thompson of Whites Creek, Tenn., died Aug. 29.

1951 1952

Paul Brown of Nashville died Oct. 9.

Weaver Jo Tenpenny Sikes of Readyville, Tenn., died Dec. 9.

1953

Jerry Owen Reynolds of Harvest, Ala., died Dec. 12. He received the Lipscomb Alumnus of the Year Award in 1986. He helped begin the Ghana Bible College and the Village of Hope in Ghana in 1989.

1952 1957 1959 1961 July 18.

Isabelle Nevins Ross of Brentwood, Tenn., died Dec 1.

Jewell Snell Kendrick of Florence, Ala., died July 7.

Jack Hogan of Pikeville, Tenn., died Nov. 3, 2016.

Tom Cook of Nashville died July 7. ¶ Patricia Lutes of Gallatin, Tenn., died

1962

Lonny Allison of Clarksville, Tenn., died July 16. ¶ Charles Moore of Berea, Ky., died Oct. 12.

1965 1970 1975 1982 died July 9.

1985 1988 1999

Susan Maddux Litchford of Crossville, Tenn., died Sept. 26.

Clyde Redford Jr. of Franklin, Tenn., died Dec. 13.

Mary Jane Huffines of Hermitage, Tenn., died July 16.

Tom Mallcoat of Nashville died July 17. ¶ Neal Waters of Nashville Sherry Smith of Franklin, Tenn., died July 31.

Melissa Cagle Prince of Nashville died Dec. 14.

Luke Queen of Forney, Texas, died Oct. 10.

1962

Leroy Mark Yokley of Edmonton, Ky., died Dec. 8. Yokley attended Lipscomb University and Tennessee Tech on basketball scholarships. ¶ Susan Joy Posey Hunnicutt of Florence, Ala., died Nov. 18.

1964

Paul William Shoun of Nashville died Nov. 16. He is survived by his wife Janet (’66), son Jake (’00, MATELL ’11), daughter Janel Smith (LA ’89) and two grandchildren.

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For questions or details, call 615.966.6609 or visit our website.

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