Riley Hoag reflects on her time in Lipscomb’s IDEAL program

Riley Hoag reflects on her time in Lipscomb’s IDEAL program

During my time at Lipscomb, I was a student in the IDEAL Program. When I began my first year moving into the dorms, I didn’t know anyone who was a student or who was in the program. I was excited about finally being able to get a real college experience and making new friends after moving from another state. My experience during Quest Week didn’t exactly go as I wanted it to be. It was hard being able to make friends with the freshmen who were already younger than I was. When I started classes I was able to meet new people and get to know them. One day in class we were talking about photography and after the class one of my classmates took me to meet the Lumination editor-in-chief. I had expressed interest in taking pictures for Lumination Network. I started getting assigned sporting events to take photos for. I had started making a few friends and then IDEAL assigned peer mentors for the IDEAL students. Two of my mentors happened to be on the women’s soccer team and I had no clue until one night I was taking photos for one of their games.                     Riley with Lumination Network editor-in-chief Mckenzi Harris                     Riley with her IDEAL peer mentors from the Lady Bisons soccer team   I started becoming good friends with my mentors, players on sports teams, and students in my classes. Most of my favorite memories are with my friends on the soccer team because we...
GALLERY: Frosty Bison Boogie 5K raises fun and funds for IDEAL Program

GALLERY: Frosty Bison Boogie 5K raises fun and funds for IDEAL Program

A cold autumn Saturday morning in November didn’t put down the high spirts of the runners for the fourth annual IDEAL Bison Boogie 5K. Twenty-nine degrees was the coldest-ever start for the Boogie in its short history of having fun while supporting Lipscomb’s IDEAL Program. All the money raised from goes toward the IDEAL program. The IDEAL Program gives students with intellectual or developmental disabilities the opportunity to come to Lipscomb to experience and learn in college. IDEAL students and Lipscomb faculty were among the participants in the 5K....

IDEAL program forms bond between students and peer mentors

The IDEAL program is still a relatively new program on campus and is constantly growing. The program has already grown from three students to 11 in only a semester. As a result of that, the need for peer mentors to spend time with the IDEAL students has also grown. Lipscomb students have stepped up to the task. As of right now, IDEAL has around 50 peer mentors in rotation. The responsibilities of the mentors vary. They help IDEAL students with homework and teaching study skills, help run workouts in the SAC, and even join the IDEAL students for lunch. “My favorite part about being a peer mentor is building individual relationships and being able to experience the joy and perspective they bring to campus nonstop.” said Meghan Anglim, a senior peer mentor. “It’s great to have genuine friends.” Peer mentors also are given the opportunity to attend mentoring workshops. The workshops offer the volunteers the chance to get further insight into the program and help them learn how to go about different scenarios. The workshops also give the mentors time to get to know one another and meet new people. The peer mentor group has grown so large that the chapel office created a breakout chapel devoted to IDEAL. The IDEAL breakout is a six week series that focuses on topics related to disability and faith. The chapel also gives the mentors and IDEAL students the opportunity to share their testimonies and converse with one another. “For me, one of the best things about the IDEAL chapel is that it’s helping the Lipscomb community understand that our students want...
Lipscomb’s IDEAL program offers new opportunities for students

Lipscomb’s IDEAL program offers new opportunities for students

Lipscomb’s new IDEAL program is equipping students with intellectual disabilities with the skills needed for successful employment.  The two-year certificate program combines general education classes with core classes in technology and employment skills to prepare students for the work place. “Ultimately, my goal is to have students that graduate from this program that are able to find meaningful, paid employment,” said Mallory Whitmore, the program director. The IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) program, which is partially funded by a grant from the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, became a part of Lipscomb in June 2013. Dr. Candace McQueen, the dean of Lipscomb’s College of Education, and Dr. Misty Vetter, the faculty advisor for the program, wrote a proposal for the program to present before the Council, and it was approved mid-summer. IDEAL students began their Lipscomb education in January with the start of the spring semester. The program currently has three students enrolled, and Whitmore says she hopes to see a total of 10 enrolled in the fall. The students will be taking two IDEAL classes every semester, as well as auditing two undergraduate courses and participating in an internship. Whitmore, who works with the Best Buddies organization in Nashville, said she is excited about the opportunities this program will provide for students, as well as how the program will grow in the future. “I would like to see our program inspire more and more high school students with disabilities to think of college as an option,” Whitmore said. “I would [also] like to get more professors involved. One of our components is that students audit two classes a...