Swang renovations bring new technology, learning opportunities

Swang renovations bring new technology, learning opportunities

Lipscomb’s Swang Business Center is getting a face lift including the addition of the BAYMAR Telepresence Center and renovations to classrooms, which have not been updated since their construction in 1984.   Three first-floor classrooms will be given new paint, carpet and furniture with the front lecture hall being converted for the Cisco Telepresence System. The circular classroom was converted from a tiered room to a single floor and enclosed with a glass wall looking into the lobby. The system will allow students, clients, and guest speakers outside of the classroom to communicate and contribute to the class while watching a real-time video feed using an app on their tablets or phones. “On the graduate side, people want our degrees but can’t drive here one night a week, and they just can’t physically get here,” said Ray Eldridge, Interim Dean of the College of Business. “Now they can be here. I think that really allows Lipscomb to go beyond it’s boundaries.” The Telepresence System will include three plasma screens and cameras at the front of the room with up to 48 different locations that can be fed in to the classroom. This will allow students seeking a graduate business degree that live outside of driving range from the campus or the Spark facility in Cool Springs to take classes more involved than online. “We can also have guest speakers, so now we can have a CEO in New York who doesn’t have time to come down here,” Eldridge said. “All we have to do is give him an app for his iPad and he can talk directly to our...

Lipscomb to build satellite campus in Cool Springs, Provost says

Lipscomb will soon break ground on a new satellite campus in Cool Springs. The 5,000 sq. foot building will be used for graduate programs as well as working with community of Brentwood and Franklin. Provost Craig Bledsoe submitted a letter to faculty, and it can be read in full below. As you know, providing new and creative ways for students to access a Lipscomb education has been a hallmark of our academic vision. While our graduate programs continue to grow in number and quality, we are now focusing on taking these programs to strategic markets where we can enhance our student population and offer access to Lipscomb’s mission and purpose without having to be physically located on our Nashville campus. Last year, the College of Education began offering graduate education classes at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro and at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin and has tripled enrollment in those cohorts in just two years. As we strategically continue to move forward with this initiative, I want to keep you informed along the way. Recently, we finalized a lease on nearly 5,000 square feet of space in Cool Springs to host Lipscomb’s first university-operated satellite facility. Our research has found that the demographics of Williamson County make it one of the best counties in the country to offer graduate education. Williamson County leaders are excited about Lipscomb University being a part of their community and partnering with us as we seek to serve its residents just as we have the Nashville community. This satellite campus will be located in the Thoroughbred Village III Professional Plaza at the corner of...