Lipscomb Leads

A FAITH-DRIVEN, FORWARD-THINKING CAMPAIGN.

Lipscomb was founded with leadership that outlasted its leaders. It grew through a vision bolder than the leaders’ lifespans. Our vision today is still that of our original founders: to “stand in the front ranks of great educational institutions of the world” by building a premier national Christian university in the 21st century.

Lipscomb University has a rich history. In recent years, that history has included tremendous growth coupled with notable success and numerous accolades. That only matters, however, if those things result in the raising up of students to learn differently and lead uniquely through knowing Christ.

LipscombLEADS is about raising the bar to create even more excellent academics, to create an unmatched experience for our students, to put in place a sophisticated business model that ensures a solid foundation and sustainability for the future.

As we embark on this journey to make Lipscomb a premier national Christian university, we hope you will join us, because we can’t make it happen without people like you.

LipscombLEADS launches biggest campaign in university history with evening at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, campus celebration

In January, Lipscomb hosted hundreds of donors and friends at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center and held a campus wide celebration in a packed Allen Arena to invite the entire Lipscomb community worldwide to join LipscombLEADS, the culmination of an 11-year initiative to build Lipscomb University and Lipscomb Academy into a premier national Christian university in the 21st century.

The goal of LipscombLEADS is to enter the year 2021 with $250 million to invest in broadening Lipscomb’s reach to the community, the economy, health care, spiritual health and many

other aspects of our world. These two events launched the public phase of LipscombLEADS, which has already raised $206 million through the generosity of more than 43,500 donors.

The celebratory night featured the Nashville Symphony performing an original work by one of Lipscomb’s newest faculty—Ben Blasko, director of instrumental studies, who was also selected as the conductor of the Grammywinning orchestra for the event.

The program was filled with examples of how Lipscomb University serves through building a best-in-class academic

program, producing professionals of competence and character and advancing a model of leadership grounded in service and inspired by faith.

Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences was particularly highlighted as Matt Murphy, a fourth year pharmacy student described his one-on-one work with pharmacy faculty for three years to analyze and synthesize drugs; Klarissa Jackson, assistant professor and researcher in the pharmaceutical labs, described her work with the breast cancer drug lapatinib; and Deanna Smith, CEO of Sarah Cannon, shared her passion for patients

and how the institute was the first facility to give a dose of lapatinib to a cancer patient in Nashville.

“Who knows, maybe one day you will find yourself taking a pill that can trace its roots back to Lipscomb,” Murphy told the crowd.

“I am so thrilled that Lipscomb has joined the fight,” said Smith. “It will most definitely take all of us, working together, fighting cancer together, to eradicate this disease.”

In an example of how Lipscomb transforms lives, Selvana Rouman, a senior in management and international business, shared how she has been able to overcome gender, religious bias and economic obstacles by her family coming to America and then her enrollment at Lipscomb.

“I was able to build a life that combined professionalism and Christian faith at the same time,” she said.

Four days later, the on-campus celebration featured music by Lipscomb’s commercial music majors and Lipscomb Academy singers, confetti cannons and the mascot, Lou the Bison, rappelling from the rafters.

The on-campus event, included two important pledges of support for LipscombLEADS from Lipscomb’s Faculty Senate, pledging to provide 2,500 hours of student mentoring, and from the Student Government Association, pledging students to carry out 200,000 hours of service to the community.

“The leadership that we aspire to is a model of leadership that was given to us by Jesus,” John Lowry, senior vice

president for advancement, announced from the stage. “It is a model that is born in faith and love. It is a model that is focused on others and it’s a model that plays out in service. This is the essence of LipscombLEADS of which you all are an important part.”

Among the activities at the on-campus event was the announcement of the establishment of the Pfeffer Graduate School of Business, named in recognition of Pam and Phil Pfeffer, CEO-inresidence for the College of Business and former president of Random House and chairman of the board and CEO of Nashville’s Ingram Distribution Group (for more details on the Pfeffer Graduate School of business, go to page 12).

Harnessing resources to build and sustain a future

In 2011, Lipscomb University was on the cusp of moving from being an excellent university to taking on a leadership role in academics, faith-building and developing students engaged in their community and on a global scale.

• After significant investments in the sciences, global programs and new facilities;

• After boosting enrollment and expanding access for all potential students; and

• After building community connectivity and servanthood in Nashville,

Lipscomb is now seen as an emerging national institution in higher education.

Lipscomb was recently named one of the top 10 fastest growing institutions of the last decade according to the Chronicle

of Higher Education, and organizations from Bloomberg BusinessWeek to Kiplinger’s to the National Council on Teacher Quality have bestowed national rankings based on various academic and operational criteria.

These outcomes are a result of devoted work by the campus community and immense support from donors, but there is more work to do. It’s time to move from emergence to eminence.

Taking on the mantle of regional, national and even global influence, means ensuring the resources to provide a “best in class” academic program. To be the “best in class,” Lipscomb must attract the best students from all walks of life. In

order to compete for those top students today and in the future, Lipscomb’s goal is to double the annual dollars spent from endowed scholarship funds for need-based financial aid to students.

This increased aid, will be paired with various enhancements to Lipscomb’s rigorous academic program that have proven to not only attract top students but to also build a community of nationally recognized scholars, teachers and researchers:

• Investments toward building tomorrow’s learning environment on the existing Green Hills campus;

• Expanding Lipscomb’s global campus, with new and enhanced international learning experiences built upon the success of our new campus in Florence, Italy;

• Strategic technology improvements for a multi-model distance education delivery system, creating a next-generation campus that extends across Middle Tennessee or even around the globe; and

• Accelerating the university’s civic engagement work, through programs like Leadership Tennessee, to find solutions to society’s challenges through thought leadership, community engagement, service, strategic initiatives and respectful dialogue.

Lipscomb’s community of scholars is already receiving national recognition and involving hundreds of students in life-changing research projects on a daily basis (see page 38 for more details). Investor participation in LipscombLEADS will allow students to lead and serve in Nashville, across the nation, and beyond, influencing fields as diverse as space science, engineering, medicine, business, ministry, music and education.

The college experience at Lipscomb is about more than a career. It is about transforming students into leaders equipped to contribute in countless ways across the country and around the world.

The LipscombLEADS initiative strives to provide students today and tomorrow with a transformative experience shaped through personal service, a supportive and caring environment, and life-changing relationships. To foster that experience, Lipscomb will work:

• Invest in building a 21st century campus including student residence options and top-flight intercollegiate athletic programs; and

• Invest into a more robust and sustainable missions program.

Read on through the following pages to see how Lipscomb University is not only well on its way to achieving these goals, but also how supporters and investors are helping the university grow into the eminent institution the world needs today.

George Shinn Event Center will continue Lipscomb’s rise in academic reputation and credibility

When Aedan Peterson (pictured below) sat across from long-time Disney animator Tom Bancroft at the age of 10, and saw Bancroft draw Mickey Mouse on the paper tablecloth in crayon, he knew he wanted to do just that someday.

And now Peterson is well on his way, a sophomore studying animation in Lipscomb’s 4-year-old program (see page 52 for more details), run by Bancroft, and having already worked on movie animation, book illustrations and environmental layouts for a Nashville animation studio.

Peterson would not be experiencing the artistic and professional growth he is, without the expansion of Lipscomb’s arts programs in the past four years, encompassing new fields in the entertainment market (contemporary music, cinematic arts and animation), adding new equipment

and growing enrollment rapidly in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts, the fastest-growing college at Lipscomb in that time frame.

One of the most visible evidences of the college’s past growth and its future potential for arts students is currently under construction adjacent to the Ezell Center: the George Shinn Event Center, made possible by a LipscombLEADS gift of $15 million from George Shinn, the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets.

The two-story, 33,000-square-foot facility is expected to be complete in August and will serve as a performance arts hub for the city of Nashville, capable of hosting 180,000 visitors each year.

The center will host not only performances by Lipscomb students, but also high-profile

guest artists of interest to the community at-large, receptions, corporate events and dinners. The event center will also expand the academic rigor and reach of programs in the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts.

“We are daring to dream to be a college that can create professional content for the marketplace,” said CEA Dean Mike Fernandez at a December topping off ceremony for the milestone building. “Within this building, we are creating CEA Studios, where we will utilize the best talents of our staff, faculty and students to create TV shows, EPs and LPs, and all sorts of content.”

In addition, the event center will bring new innovations for Lipscomb’s recruiting leaders. A new welcome center will greet prospective students and their families, offering an experiential space that “gives newcomers a great understanding of our Lipscomb DNA,” said Byron Lewis, vice president for enrollment management.

The welcome center is expected to include a presentation space and exhibits on Lipscomb’s history, academics, campus life, career placement and the benefits of education in the city of Nashville.

The immense support from LipscombLEADS donors, have made new facilities such as the George Shinn Event Center a reality all over campus (see page 16 for the latest enhancements).

2,700+ investors give more than $542,000

On Lipscomb’s first Day of Giving, on March 12, expectations were exceeded five times over as 2,741 contributors gave funds to support Lipscomb students and various programs on campus including missions, athletics and individual colleges.

The first Day of Giving was established as part of the ongoing LipscombLEADS fundraising campaign, announced on Jan. 27. Anonymous contributors challenged the university to obtain investment from 500 people in 24 hours. If Lipscomb met the goal, the couple would direct their $100,000 gift to student scholarships.

The goal was met by mid-morning, and individual investors, as well as additional matching donors, continued to pour in throughout the day, resulting in a final total of $542,162, including the original challenge donation.

The Day of Giving resulted in more individual gifts received in a single day than at any time in Lipscomb’s history.

It was another memorable event of the LipscombLEADS campaign, the

$250 million fundraising initiative that launched at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center and in Allen Arena in January. With the Day of Giving, LipscombLEADS moved on to engage a wider range of contributors to provide funds for the purpose of improving the student experience at Lipscomb.

In preparing for the Day of Giving, Lipscomb officials surveyed and studied similar universities that have held similar days of giving. That research led to establishing the 500-donor, $100,000 goal, which was greatly exceeded.

“While it was fun to watch challenges and matches be put forth by people in our Lipscomb community to encourage others to give, I also appreciate the importance of the day,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry. “Beyond the funds received in this one day, the individuals who were reached and chose to engage with our community were inspiring. These new and rekindled relationships will benefit the university for years to come.”

During the Day of Giving, more than 130 students made gifts and many others participated by writing thank you notes to donors and posting photos on social media.

Alumni donors ranged from the Class of 1950 to the Class of 2019. Contributors hailed from 37 states and seven countries.

Lipscomb Academy had over 450 investors, raising $32,107 to impact 25 programs at the two-year-olds to 12th grade campus.

As part of a special Day of Giving challenge, the College of Business, the college that ended the day with the most investors, received an additional $10,000 gift, and the men’s soccer program, the athletic team with the most investors, received an additional $2,500 gift.

Other programs that benefited from the Day of Giving were student missions programs, with more than 135 contributors raising more than $40,000; the athletics program had more than 500 contributors who raised more than $64,000; and the College of Business had more than 250 investors who raised more than $63,000.

Pam and Phil Pfeffer, CEO-in-residence and inspirational role model for Lipscomb students, invest in the business students

As part of the $250 million LipscombLEADS campaign initiative, Pam and Phil Pfeffer, Nashville business leaders and philanthropists, have made a significant investment in the Lipscomb College of Business to establish the Pfeffer Graduate School of Business.

The announcement of their investment came as part of the on-campus campaign launch celebration held in a packed Allen Arena in January.

Pam and Phil Pfeffer believe strongly in the power of education and have invested their time and resources to support it in numerous ways. Phil Pfeffer, president and

CEO of Treemont Capital Inc. and former chairman of the board and CEO of the Ingram Distribution Group Inc., serves as an adjunct graduate business professor and CEO-in-residence in Lipscomb’s business college and has been part of numerous international travel study courses through the college.

“We are grateful that Phil and Pam Pfeffer claim Lipscomb University and its business program through the sharing of their time and financial resources. They are making a tremendous impact every day on

the lives of Lipscomb business students, and we are thankful for their investment,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry.

Under Pfeffer’s leadership, total revenue of the Ingram Distribution Group Inc. grew from $36 million to $12 billion. Previously, Pfeffer served as president and CEO of Random House Inc., the world’s largest English-language general trade book publisher.

He now serves as chairman of the board of directors of Nashville company Essex

Technology Group and on the board of Casual Furniture Repair and Sales in St. Petersburg, Fla. He also serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.

“Phil is one of the most well-respected businessmen and entrepreneurs in Nashville. He has led some of Nashville’s most successful companies and is still involved with cutting edge business ventures. He is an inspirational role model for our students. Being able to spend time with someone of the caliber of Phil is a rare opportunity for any aspiring young business leader,” said Ray Eldridge, dean of the College of Business.

“Pam and Phil Pfeffer are not just investors in our College of Business, but they are also a part of our college family. We are grateful for their passion for what we are doing to develop young business leaders who will follow the values and virtues of Jesus and take them into the workplace.”

The Pfeffer Graduate School of Business houses all graduate business studies

including the Master of Accountancy, Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Administration and Master of Management programs.

“Pam and I have been impressed by the caliber and character of Lipscomb students. There is something about them—their desire to be successful and their work ethic. Lipscomb students really stand out,” said Pfeffer, who, in 2011, was the recipient of the Lipscomb Center for Entrepreneurship’s inaugural “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award.

“We also value the university’s outstanding student-serving faculty and staff.” Pam Pfeffer added, “We value what is being done at Lipscomb, and we value that the university is an intentional faith-based institution of learning. We want these reasons to be known to all so others can appreciate this magical place called Lipscomb.”

“I learned more about being a leader in a week by watching Phil than

I have in years and years,” said Matt Forsthoff, a Lipscomb MBA student who attended a trip to Israel led by Phil Pfeffer. “His genuine concern and encouragement for each of us was inspiring. He was always interested in getting to know us better and finding ways to serve and support us.”

The Pfeffers’ gift is the latest investment in Lipscomb’s College of Business. In April 2018, the university received a $23 million gift destined for a new facility for the College of Business and to support business programs, faculty and students, among other initiatives.

Lipscomb’s College of Business is one of the fastest growing in the university, with more than 650 undergraduate and graduate students and 16 undergraduate and four graduate programs, touting a 97 percent overall job placement rate for 2017 and thousands of alumni around the world. It has been recognized nationally as a leader in business education.

Brewer campus improvements will house new programs and more than 55,000 square feet of new learning and community space

The Lipscomb University Board of Trustees has approved the first phase of the largest capital investment in Lipscomb Academy’s history, expected to be $25 million, to fund new initiatives to expand the school’s programming and facilities over the coming years.

The planned enhancements will bring to the lower campus a 21st century learning commons that fosters collaboration, use of technology for research and applicable creativity as well as designated classroom and therapy space for education of students with special needs.

“There are many factors that go into choosing the right school for a

student, and these significant enhancements to our campus facilities and programs allow us to enhance our unique learning environment with new opportunities to maximize the giftedness of our current and future students,” said Greg Glenn, head of school.

The $6.5 million initial investment in the facility expansion at the lower school, which currently includes ages 2 through fourth grade, is the first phase of a multi-phase project and includes 22,000 square feet of new construction and 1,500 square feet of renovated space, said Glenn.

This phase of expansion, at Granny White Pike and Harding, will include marquee spaces, including a new student dining hall and kitchen, and the state-of-the-art learning commons, with an innovative collaborative hub that offers students technology-rich research stations, flexible furnishings, collaborative instructional spaces, inviting reading areas, access to library materials and creative makerspace materials among other features. Construction is expected to start in spring 2019.

These new facilities will also provide classroom and therapy space for a new program that provides specific education and support services for students with special needs at Lipscomb Academy’s lower school.

“We believe providing access to a Lipscomb Academy experience for students with special needs is an extension of our mission,” said Jonathan

Sheahen, head of the lower school. “We are continually looking for ways to live out our Christian mission and provide educational opportunities that align with who we are and who we are called to be. The goal for students in the special needs program will be similar to all students at Lipscomb Academy—to help them achieve their academic, social and emotional potential.”

The special needs program will launch in fall 2019. And while this program will have its own learning space at the lower school that provides the access, flexibility, sensory accommodations and safety needed to ensure a successful educational experience

for students, students in the special needs program will be as fully integrated as possible in appropriate grade-level classrooms, chapel, recess and lunch periods. Construction of this dedicated learning space is included in the spring 2019 expansion.

The timeline for additional project phases will be determined over the coming months. Once all construction phases are complete, the current plans for the $25 million project call for more than 55,000 square feet of new space and more than 12,000 square feet of renovated space at the lower school, including additional classrooms and a gym.

If you are interested in supporting Lipscomb Academy’s growth through the LipscombLEADS campaign, contact Casey Farris at casey.farris@lipscomb.edu or 615.966.5051.

Health sciences, visual art, campus dining enhanced

This school year Lipscomb students are benefitting from more art exhibit space than they have ever had before; a brand new anatomy lab allowing for hands-on practice in health science; designated classroom and gathering space to build community among honors students; and to top it off, an outdoor patio dining area for gathering around new fire pits.

While the George Shinn Event Center began to sprout from the ground this past summer, the campus saw many other enhancements to student life and academic rigor completed in 2018 including a top-to-bottom renovation of the 23,500-square-foot James D. Hughes Center to house all health science programs in one space.

The new School of Physician Assistant Studies (launched this past fall), the Department of Nutrition and Kinesiology and the vice provost’s office for health care programs, are now all

located in one building, the Hughes Center, which is located between two other health-focused facilities: the Nursing and Health Science Center and the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center.

Hughes, once the home of Lipscomb’s art and engineering programs, has been renovated to house all faculty offices, three classrooms and four spacious labs: the anatomy lab for all health science programs, the nutrition foods lab and kinesiology’s cardiology and strength and conditioning labs.

The anatomy lab is large enough to allow every PA student hands-on dissection with one cadaver for every five students, a ratio far above most other physician assistant programs, said Stephen Heffington, program director of the PA school. The lab also includes an overhead camera and a handheld camera, both with wireless links to six 65-

inch TV screens throughout the lab so students can see and compare dissections and demonstrations.

The foods lab features six cooking and prep stations, allowing up to 24 students to use the space at one time, said Autumn Marshall, chair of the nutrition and kinesiology department. Each station features stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and enough space for each student group to maneuver.

The foods lab is used by nutrition majors, sports nutrition dietetic interns who serve Lipscomb’s athletics department, students who take Basic Foods as a science and math elective and students enrolled in the cooking skills course of the IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Two new treadmills; a spirometry system to test lung function; two weight racks; leg press, leg extension and lateral pulldown machines and a full set of adjustable dumbbells, have been added to the extensive equipment the human performance labs already had available for students to use in their research studies, said Ruth Henry, vice chair of kinesiology and nutrition.

“The consolidation of the health science programs and faculty in the Hughes Center is part of a strategic plan which creates expanded resources and collaboration for growth,” said Roger Davis, vice provost for health affairs. “With faculty from multiple disciplines in closer proximity, the potential for the sharing of lectures, practice laboratories, classrooms and research facilities is greater. It also provides synergy for broader faculty interaction and collaboration to enhance interprofessional education opportunities, the lynchpin for progressive models of health science education.

“With the Hughes Center, an environment has been created for significant new permanent laboratory space, and concentration of these assets contributes to a more efficient and costeffective process for education,” he said.

The Hutcheson Art Gallery, previously located in the Hughes Center, has been moved to the Beaman Library and expanded in size. The gallery includes an open space for receptions and 130 feet of well-lit wall space, said Cliff Eanes- Tierney, associate professor in the visual arts department.

“This is the best iteration of the Hutcheson Gallery in its history,” he said. “We have a nice open floor plan, and its location in Beaman is an advantage since it allows better access for students, employees and visitors.”

The outside patio of Lipscomb’s dining hall in the Bennett Campus Center has undergone a transformation with a new, paverstyle floor; a sail-style canopy; outdoor furniture that can be used throughout the year and fire pits among other features.

The space had occasionally been used by diners on a nice fall or spring day, but it is now designed to be a comfortable outdoor destination for students throughout most of the year, said Wolcott Fary, general manager of Lipscomb Dining Services–Sodexo.

The Honors College, which has grown from 200 to 600 students in the past few years, now has a designated home. The on-campus 2,600-square-foot house boasts office space for the director and staff, a classroom for designated honors classes, a study or conference room and common space inside and out for the students to gather and hold events, as well as a full kitchen for monthly meals.

“This new house represents not only the numerical growth in the Honors College, but the quality of students who are attracted to Lipscomb because of our strong honors community and high expectations,” said Paul Prill, director of the Honors College.

Through a solid foundation

Students choose Lipscomb because they believe it is the best place to grow in knowledge and faith and to prepare for a lifetime of exemplary leadership and service.

To build a solid foundation for generations to come, LipscombLEADS will continue to increase the value of the permanent endowment to support students, faculty and programs alike.

The result of this endowment growth is investment in faculty development and research, in ways to enhance their reputation, scholarship, teaching and spiritual influence. Supporting this endowment is investing in a dynamic curriculum that is responsive to emerging needs in the marketplace while being rooted in the liberal arts.

Supporting this endowment is making an impact in the world we all live in.