by Mckenzi Harris | May 4, 2020 | Galleries, News, News Slider, Student Spotlight
Lipscomb’s 129th graduation ceremony looked quite different than was expected when the school year began in August. Allen Arena, which typically hosts the celebratory event, sat empty on Saturday when the COVID-19 outbreak forced the university to host its first virtual graduation. From the charge to the alma mater, Lipscomb faculty and students combined live and pre-recorded clips to create an all-new commencement ceremony experience. President Randy Lowry opened the commencement ceremony with a video pre-recorded in Allen Arena. “Well this isn’t exactly like I imagined it,” Lowry said. “Here I am standing in Allen Arena, and if this was a normal moment: Students you would be here with me. You would be dressed in caps and gowns, and there would be five thousand people surrounding us as this amazing moment took place. We would march in, we’d hear the bagpipes; the faculty would follow a little bit later. You’d be on the stage walking across, I’d shake your hand, and you would have your college degree, your graduate degree. You would have completed this moment, and the celebration would be wonderful. “The reality is we all know that this is a different time. And we’re giving up something:We’re giving our Allen Arena moment in order to protect others,” said Lowry. One of the many faculty members joining Lowry in conducting the online ceremony, Dean of Community Life Prentice Ashford gave out the Stephen Marsh Award. “Steve was a 1977 Lipscomb graduate and the son of one of our former board members, Lee Marsh,” said Ashford. “He was a Christian example in every aspect of his life as a...
by Janice Ng | May 23, 2014 | Opinion
The life of a one-day NBC/Lipscomb student runner does not actually involve a lot of running. In my short time helping out the NBC Nightly News crew, I got tasked with all manner of things to help the on-the-road broadcast happen. The clock read 10:25 a.m. There was no thermometer in the room, but I could gauge the temperature. It was roughly 80 degrees, and beads of perspiration could be seen on people’s foreheads. It was discussed that a fan should be procured, and I should be the one to fetch it, and so I did. I placed the fan in the very office where anchor Brian Williams would soon be stationed. At precisely 11 a.m., I pointed out the nearest restroom to an NBC employee. “Do you know where the closest restroom is,” the employee asked. “It’ll be right over there,” I said while pointing expertly in the general direction of the restroom. The employee was grateful. At 12:30 p.m., an NBC photographer needed to get footage of Lipscomb’s campus, and I was the chosen one to drive him around in a golf cart. “You,” an NBC employee pointed to me and said, “You’re a student, yes? So you would know all the pretty places around campus?” “Yes, I am and I do,” I said. “Great. You can take our photographer around campus to get some shots.” The next hour was spent chit-chatting with the photographer as he got his shots, telling my beginnings and background as a student journalist at Lipscomb, and hearing about his career. At precisely 4:06 p.m., I spotted Williams walk into the Bennett Campus Center accompanied by Lipscomb...
by Cory Woodroof | May 22, 2014 | News Slider
Bison Square briefly turned into a national stage as famous newsman Brian Williams hosted NBC Nightly News from Lipscomb University Thursday evening. Williams, NBC’s lead anchor for its evening news program, came to Nashville to honor the promise he made to the 2014 Hillwood High School seniors who invited the popular journalist to speak at their graduation. Before heading over to Allen Arena to speak to the graduating class, Williams and his crew created a makeshift news studio on Bison Square by the Bennett Campus Center for its Thursday evening broadcast. Various on-lookers gathered at the perimeter of the area to catch a glimpse of the show. Williams brings tale of unique encounter, message of inspiration to Hillwood students Once NBC Nightly News concluded its ‘live-from-Lipscomb’ show, Williams ventured over to Allen Arena to fulfill his duties as the commencement speaker for Hillwood’s graduation. In February, a video was posted on YouTube by Hillwood’s seniors that showed various students saying why they wanted Williams to speak at their graduation. The segment featured parts of Williams’ speech to a graduating class at Elon University – a class that featured one of the journalist’s children. Their plea to Williams went viral and caught the anchor’s attention, and he agreed to take part in the festivities. “There was no way I was going to say no,” Williams said after viewing the invitation. Williams thanked the group for having him to their ceremony. “And, I have to say this for the record, I was enormously flattered by what you did,” Williams said. “I was enormously flattered that you found value in my words...
