by Erin Turner | Dec 19, 2014 | News Slider
Two interim deans have been appointed for the College of Education and the College of Professional Studies. Deborah Boyd, associate dean and director of graduate studies for the College of Education, will be filling the vacancy of Candice McQueen, who was appointed as Tennessee’s new commissioner of education on Wednesday. As a national search is underway for McQueen’s successor, Boyd will lead the College of Education and Lipscomb’s Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning and Innovation. Nina Morel, associate dean of the College of Professional Studies, will be serving as interim dean for that college, after Charla Long’s departure. Morel also leads the College of Professional Studies’ integrated studies and adult degree programs. In an email sent to faculty and staff, Lipscomb Provost Craig Bledsoe said that both Long and McQueen have led their respective colleges well. “They have established strong leadership teams that have helped put feet to their vision and will continue the impactful work of these colleges,” Bledsoe wrote. Although Long and McQueen have left, Bledsoe is certain the new interim deans will lead the colleges in the right direction. “When considering individuals to fill the role of interim dean we did not have to look far to find administrators to provide outstanding leadership during this period of transition while national searches are underway for permanent leadership for these colleges. “We look forward to working with Dr. Morel and Dr. Boyd as they share their expertise, vision and leadership with these colleges and with our university.” Photos courtesy...
by Brianne Welch | Oct 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
With a passion for serving older adults, Beverly Patnaik is using her heart and her education to equip a younger generation to better care for the generation that came before. Five years ago Patnaik moved to Nashville, and now she is the head of one of Lipscomb’s newest academic endeavors, the School of TransformAging. The School of TransformAging is dedicated to educating and training people to provide holistic care in the aging services industry, promote research in the field and “transform public policy and public opinion on aging.” “We want a very rigorous academic program, and we have that,” Patnaik said, adding that she’s very proud of the department. “We are one of the few schools in the nation who does have that.” The School of TransformAging offers a master’s of professional studies in aging services leadership as well as a graduate certificate in aging services leadership. The two are offered at different times during the year. There is more to this school than just the academic aspect Patnaik said. “We also commit to training professionals and family caregivers at all levels,” she said. Patnaik, originally from North Carolina, attended graduate school at the University of North Texas where she obtained her master’s degree in gerontology from the Center for Studies in Aging. Before coming to Nashville, she worked at Duke University Medical Center. Patnaik relocated to Nashville in order to be closer to her grandchildren. She has a 4-year-old granddaughter, 6-year-old grandson and another one due around Thanksgiving. Patnaik did not come to Nashville looking for a job at Lipscomb, but she found one anyway. “Essentially I did...
by Emily Snell | Oct 1, 2012 | Uncategorized
Roller coasters have been a part of Charla Long’s life for many years. Though no longer in the theme park industry, Long says her job as dean of the College of Professional Studies is “a roller coaster every single day.” Long, who previously worked with Silver Dollar City, Disney and Premier Park (which owns Six Flags), said the service mindset that was reinforced during her 10-year stint in the theme park business still influences the work she does. “I think that when you have a service mentality, that never leaves you whatever occupation you have,” she said. “I’m all about, ‘what’s in the best interest of students, how can I better serve my students, how can I show genuine hospitality?’ That’s something that I’ve certainly learned as a Christian. That’s a faith calling for me, but certainly I had that reinforced at Disney. Although they’re not a faith-based company, we had a lot of common tenets about how we treat people.” Long taught in the College of Business from 2002-2003 before moving to Wisconsin with her husband, Allen, who was working with OshKosh B’Gosh at the time. After 18 months teaching employment law at the University of Wisconsin, Long said she felt drawn to return to Lipscomb. “I really missed the opportunity to serve in a different way at Lipscomb,” Long said, “although I love a public education environment because I’m light there. Students don’t seek you out for light here like they do at a public institution. They were always in my office for personal problems because they had no one to talk to. Here we don’t get...
by Emily Snell | Mar 8, 2012 | News Slider
Soulforce, a group that promotes equality for LGBTQ people, will visit Lipscomb on Monday, March 12. The Soulforce visit was announced briefly at the end of The Gathering on Feb. 28. A March 1 email from SGA President Daniel Wakefield further clarified the event. The email stated that students were invited to attend one of three morning discussion sessions in Ezell chapel, involving panel discussions with representatives from Soulforce and university professors. The email reminded students that seating would be limited. “[Soulforce’s] mission is to bring attention to what they believe are unfair attitudes and policies within religious organizations,” Wakefield’s email said. “As a gracious and loving Christian community, Lipscomb seeks to be open to conversation about issues that may be difficult or sensitive,” the email contintued. “In this spirit, we look forward to meaningful dialogue with the Soulforce visitors and hope they feel that they have been graciously, thoughtfully, and faithfully received.” In a two-part panel discussion led by Dr. Steve Joiner, Lipscomb’s director for the Institute for Conflict Management, Soulforce will explore the justice and ethical issues surrounding the subject of homosexual orientation and homosexual practice. On Monday, the university will have panel discussions at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. for the limited number of students who were able to sign up in the SGA office. The justice issues that the panel will likely discuss include bullying and equal and fair treatment under the law. Lipscomb panelists include Dr. Ken Durham, Dr. Randy Spivey and Dr. Norma Burgess. A second panel will include Dr. Lee Camp, Dr. John Mark Hicks and Dr. Charla Long. Soulforce will supply...
by Emily Snell | Feb 13, 2012 | News Slider
Linda Peek Schacht, executive director of Lipscomb University’s Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership, has been named the Nashville Business Journal’s 2012 Woman of Influence “Trailblazer.” As one of 30 Woman of Influence honorees, and one of three in the “Trailblazer” category, Schacht was honored at a luncheon today and will be profiled in the Friday edition of the Nashville Business Journal. She was selected as the “Trailblazer” winner over Beth DeBauche, commissioner with the Ohio Valley Conference and Lois Riggins-Ezzell, executive director of the Tennessee State Museum. Schacht is the founding executive director of the Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership (civicleadership.lipscomb.edu), established in 2010 to continue long-time Nashville businessman Nelson Andrews’ legacy of collaborative leadership through its academic programs, community engagement and research. Soon after the institute was created, Schacht oversaw the establishment of its new master’s degree in civic leadership, one of only two in the United States, now enrolling 23 students from business, nonprofits and government in its inaugural class and utilizing the institute’s state-of-the-art facility which opened June 2. An ongoing signature program of the institute is to develop informed citizens to lead the public conversation on community issues and public policy. In 2011, leaders from the 10-county Middle Tennessee region focused on transit in the first citizen leadership academy, produced in partnership with the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee and the regional caucus of mayors. In its short one-year history, Schacht has lead the institute to bring together state and regional business, nonprofit, and government leaders to collaborate on aging, the challenges of digital communication, transit, Nashville’s strength as a multicultural city...
