“Bittersweet” is how Vice President of Student Life Al Sturgeon describes his decision to leave Lipscomb to fill the same job at a college in Illinois.
But Sturgeon, who will leave in the next month or so for Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois, describes his reason for taking the new job as “a calling.”
“It’s very bittersweet,” says Sturgeon, who announced his departure in an email to students on January 31. “I hate to leave wonderful people, and there’s so many great things and programs happening here at Lipscomb”
Sturgeon says he is following a “calling” to serve at a work-study college with a focus in education accessibility. “I’m a first-generation college student,” he said, explaining the fuel for that calling.
“My dad was a high school dropout, and so the idea of affordability within social mobility is an important value to me.”
In his two years at Lipscomb, Sturgeon gained popularity among students, even inspiring an “Al for President” page on Instagram. Sturgeon is both “flattered” and confused by the fanfare but says it might just indicate his time at Lipscomb was successful.
“I know that what I wanted was for every student, every pocket of students and every type of student to feel equally valued. … When I hear people say that they felt love, that’s what I wanted.”
Under Sturgeon, Lipscomb’s Student Life has been completely reconstructed (both figuratively and literally). This new organizational structure was one of Sturgeon’s initial goals for Lipscomb, he said, as he looks back on his tenure here.
“I knew that I was coming in to reset the organizational structure of the Student Life department, for students to be able to know where to turn, and how to get questions answered and be provided stability,” he said.
“When you build a structure, especially when it’s new, you don’t really know how it’s going to go, and it got tested a lot in this past year.”
From tornados and a pandemic to social justice movements and an election, the past year has been significant for Lipscomb and the world. “The trials that we didn’t anticipate coming have tested the integrity of our structure,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with the Student Life team and how they handled such challenging times.”
When asked what his greatest challenge has been at Lipscomb, Sturgeon simply states “COVID.”
“What COVID has amplified, is that there is more to college than just classes, there’s relationships, experiences and community. Student Life encompasses all those other parts.”
“Orientation has not been able to be the same, chapels haven’t been able to be the same. Events like dodgeball, social clubs, theater productions, athletic events (haven’t been the same). That’s the ‘college experience’ that compliments the academic mission of the university.”
Sturgeon is set to make a departure from Lipscomb between late February into March.
He said he hopes his legacy endures. “I hope every student feels love.”
Lipscomb is set to conduct a nationwide search for the open role of Vice President of Student Life. Lumination will keep you updated with this story.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb.edu