Convocation marks new year and welcoming of new president

Convocation marks new year and welcoming of new president

With the tolling of the bell, Tuesday’s Presidential Convocation officially marked the start of the 2021-2022 school year, with outgoing President Randy Lowry and his successor Dr. Candice McQueen both looking toward the future. McQueen said she formed three phrases to help everyone navigate through this academic year together. The first is “being a light,” she said. That starts by learning and growing in Christ, whether it be through plugging in at the Gathering, breakouts, classes, discussions with friends or even at your local church, McQueen said. “Being a light will force us to put away our selfish ways and demands that we actually put a spotlight on [Jesus] and others,” she said. Then comes “bringing your best,” she said, noting that means to reach out for others who cannot do for themselves.  She said the community members must be prepared to encourage others, while also holding themselves accountable to a high bar. “Bringing your best requires forethought, intention and discipline—it does not just happen,” Finally, she said it is a matter of beginning the process.  “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step,” she said,  quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Although no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start now and make a brand-new ending,” she said. A highlight from the event was the presentation of the Kopio Award, given to Dr. Carl McKelvey. McKelvey,  the executive vice president of the Center for Spiritual Renewal, has been a part of the Lipscomb community for nearly 70 years (recently celebrating his 90th birthday)....

Lipscomb’s LIFE Program offers hope to inmates

Dr. Richard Goode is looking ahead to the next Lipscomb Initiative for Education graduation class while celebrating the accomplishment of the first ever graduating class. Goode is an associate history professor at Lipscomb and founder of the LIFE program, which offers credit classes in the Tennessee Prison for Women to a group of selected inmates. Participants in the LIFE program are not rushed through courses. Instead, they work as long as needed in order to achieve goals to build a better future. The program began in January of 2007, so for the past eight years, the first nine women who graduated had been working to get their associate’s degree. The women participating in the second class will graduate in 2015. They are enrolled in one class a semester in the general education field, and with that class comes interaction with traditional Lipscomb students. These students go to the prison to take the same class with the inmates. “You can tell who’s who by the attire, but everybody is just there studying the same thing – same syllabus, same books and same tests,” Goode said. “We work to take advantage of the situation by getting people together and having a mix of interaction with inside and outside.” Forty women take part in the LIFE program, and these women then mentor the hundreds of other inmates at the Tennessee Prison for Women. Most of the women work to build their transcript to further their education or get jobs when they get out of prison. Some will never get out, but the program helps bring peace to their lives. “[Women] who aren’t getting out...

December commencement honors record number of fall graduates

As another semester came to a close this week, another group of Lipscomb students walked across the stage in Allen Arena Saturday afternoon to receive their diplomas. Lipscomb University’s December commencement ceremony honored the 414 students earning their undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. The number of honorees at Saturday’s commencement is a fall record for the university. University president Randy Lowry mentioned the special feeling that accompanies graduation day. “There was a day, two, three, four, five, six years ago that was a day of great anticipation, and today, we have the end of that experience – a day of great celebration,” Lowry said. Areas of degree study ranged from a doctoral degree in Learning Organization and Strategic Change to a bachelor’s degree of Social Work. During the ceremony, Lipscomb alum David J. Clayton was honored as the Young Alumnus of the Year, while history professor Richard Goode was honored with the Kopio Award. Associate professor and academic chair of the nutrition department Autumn Marshall led the university’s Alma Mater. Lumination Photo Editor Whitney Jarreld and regular contributors Ariel Jones and Monaih Sam were among those to receive diplomas. Visit the university’s website for stories about three of Saturday’s...