Lipscomb Security Officer Maurice Conner dies after brief battle with COVID-19

Lipscomb Security Officer Maurice Conner dies after brief battle with COVID-19

The COVID death of a man of the cloth who also was a longtime security officer and helping hand to students hit the university, which already had suffered two losses to this plague, hard. “It is with great sadness that I share the news of another loss in the Lipscomb family,” read an email from President Randy Lowry sent out to the Lipscomb community on Thursday afternoon.  Lowry went on to explain that the Lipscomb Security veteran and minister at the 19th Avenue Church of Christ in Springfield, Tennessee, Maurice J. Conner, had died of COVID-19, marking the third loss in the Lipscomb community in the past six weeks.  Conner started at Lipscomb as a student and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1981. Shortly after graduating, he joined Lipscomb’s security team in 1983 and while serving the security team also earned his master of arts in Bible in 2000. Lowry shared how respected and loved Conner was among the Lipscomb community due to the “wisdom, compassion, and joyful nature,” that Conner brought to his job every day. “The deep and profound respect and love the security team has for Maurice was obvious as they relayed stories about shared work experiences, his humorous radio calls to dispatch to report on weather conditions during the third shift and their lively conversations about faith, theology and life,” said Lowry. “In addition to being a dedicated security officer, Maurice was also a minister and mentor to his colleagues through the years.” “He was definitely gentle, caring, and very devout,” said security colleague Alex Ryan. “He had clearly done a lot...
Killings of Floyd, two other black citizens ‘inexcusable’ says Lipscomb president

Killings of Floyd, two other black citizens ‘inexcusable’ says Lipscomb president

The killings of three black Americans — including the recent slaying of George Floyd, killed by a white Minneapolis police officer who kept his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes, until he was dead — are “tragic and inexcusable,” said Lipscomb President Randy Lowry. Lowry addressed the Floyd case — the officer has been charged with murder and more charges are expected against the other three officers on the scene —  and the other two deadly racist incidents in an email to the Lipscomb community. The killing of Floyd has led to demonstrations and rioting across the nation, including in Nashville, where a peaceful rally on Saturday was overshadowed by mob violence and arson of the Metro Courthouse and looting on Lower Broadway.  Downtown businesses continue on alert in case other incidents flare-up. “I write to you this Monday evening with a sense of deep sadness as we respond to the tragic and inexcusable deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor,” Lowry said. “It follows recent similar instances when the lives of black Americans have been wrongfully taken revealing continuing injustice and inequality in our nation. The Lipscomb community stands clearly on the side of respect and love. We are completely intolerant of racial abuse and injustices for all. “The Lipscomb community stands clearly on the side of respect and love,” he said. “We are completely intolerant of racial abuse and injustices for all.” The death of Floyd came on the heels of two highly publicized killings of black people by authority figures. Taylor, 26, an emergency room technician in Louisville, Kentucky, was shot at...
2020 spring enrollment down 3% but transfers and graduate students reach record highs

2020 spring enrollment down 3% but transfers and graduate students reach record highs

Enrollment at Lipscomb was down about 3% in traditional undergraduate students for the fall, though Lipscomb had a record number of graduate students and transfer students. “The decline can be attributed to the growing competition in Nashville (more than 70 colleges currently recruit here), a larger than normal graduating class in the spring and frankly, our need to have more competitive housing for freshmen women,” President Randy Lowry in an email to faculty. “The traditional undergraduate demographic is the demographic that will be most challenging in the future and apparently, the future is now.”  While there are few things changing, the university still must compensate for a loss in tuition money.  “Since we are a school that is largely tuition-dependent, this year’s enrollment will necessitate some deliberate budget management in order for us to strategically and efficiently steward our resources,” Lowry wrote. Lipscomb will not provide a mid-year compensation increase this year as it has done the past two years, and there will be some adjustments to this year’s operating budget. “At the same time, as I announced, this is a manageable circumstance and it will ultimately make us a stronger institution by preparing early for additional challenges that will come our way,” Lowry wrote. “In this note, I want to clearly communicate the plan we are calling, ‘Lipscomb Forward.’” The plan proposes that discretionary expenditures will be eliminated as well as a contingency fund be allocated to create additional revenue.  “In order to balance the budget at the end of the fiscal year (May 31), we will manage expenditures to spend less than we had planned,” Lowry said. “That will...
Lighting of the Green sparks the beginning of Lipscomb’s holiday season

Lighting of the Green sparks the beginning of Lipscomb’s holiday season

Hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, Santa and Amy Grant braved the chilly temperatures all in the name of the holiday spirit for Tuesday night’s 15th annual Lighting of the Green. The festive event marked the start of Christmas for the Lipscomb community and gave students the opportunity to celebrate the past semester before the hectic atmosphere of finals week. Per tradition, Lipscomb welcomed back artist Amy Grant to host the musical celebration. During her set, Grant brought out several “friends” and musical guests to perform songs such as “Silver Bells,” “Grown-up Christmas List” and the local staple “Tennessee Christmas.” Speaking on her song “Tennessee Christmas,” Grant told the crowd “nobody really gets it quite like the Nashville crowd.” Choirs from the University as well as the Academy had a special role in the celebration, for they spent the night singing alongside Grant on stage. Other guests of the night included Marc Martel and Anthem Lights, the Christian based artists joined Grant on stage to sing the holiday songs that have shaped their “Like probaly many of you, I grew up with the music of Miss Amy Grant in the house..which is really mind-blowing for me.” Martel told the audience. Throughout the night, attendees from the Lipscomb community and the surrounding neighborhoods gathered while admiring Christmas lights and enjoying activities such as the “Merry Marketplace.” The Marketplace took place in McQuiddy Gym and featured free photos with Santa and several Holiday vendors. A major highlight of the night is the recognition of a College of the Entertainment and the Arts student with the Amy Grant Scholarship. This year’s recipient is Abby...

President Lowry accepts ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Watch President Randy Lowry accept the ALS Challenge with a bucket of ice poured on his head from lumination Network on Vimeo. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge dares anyone who is nominated to pour a bucket of ice water on his or her head within a 24-hour window. If the challenged participant does not accept the challenge within the time limit, he or she must make a donation to the ALS Association of the United States. The challenge has recently gone viral, with everyone from President Barack Obama to basketball star LeBron James participating in some way. Lowry was challenegd by his daughter Melinda Raymond, who works for the Tennessee chapter of the ALS Association, in the first Gathering of the school year. Before getting soaked, Lowry took the opportunity to pass along the challenge — to SGA President Drew...