by Camryn Given | Feb 12, 2021 | News, News Slider, Uncategorized
Patrice Boyd was a graduate student here at Lipscomb that tragically passed away on Feb. 4. The cause of her death is unknown. Boyd was a student of the Educational Leadership Program in the College of Education as well as a member of the second cohort of the Tennessee Transformational Leadership Alliance. She both taught English and coached the girls’ basketball team at Haywood County High School in Brownsville, TN. President Lowry shared this unfortunate news with Lipscomb students in an email on Feb. 8. Lowry spoke with one of Boyd’s professors and noted, “Patrice cared deeply about her students at Haywood County High School and her commitment to her graduate studies at Lipscomb and was recognized for her talents as a teacher, school leader and coach.” Through a Facebook post, the City of Brownsville said, “[Boyd] was a beloved community leader, educator, coach, mentor, and so much more. Her energy, heart, and compassion for the children and families of this community were unparalleled. May our community forever reap the seeds of her labor.” “In the near future there will be an opportunity for the Lipscomb community to honor Patrice and her family on campus, and we will share more information as plans are finalized,” said Lowry. Obviously adored by many, the loss of Patrice Boyd has been felt throughout the Lipscomb community and the city of...
by Camryn Given | Jan 31, 2021 | News, News Slider
As students’ options for classes transition to more online formats, do the enrollment numbers change? For Lipscomb, the answer is no. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States last March, the nation’s education system was forced to scramble to figure out how it was going to keep educating its students. The solution was found in Zoom meetings and asynchronous classes where students can keep learning without sharing the air with their classmates. Lipscomb has joined other schools in this new emphasis on virtual learning and even adopted its own specific program, Lipscomb Flex, but how has this changed registration numbers? Byron Lewis is the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lipscomb and is familiar with the retention numbers for the student population. Lewis noted that he sees the Lipscomb Flex model as a success since the number of students at Lipscomb has remained consistent with past years. “We had really strong spring enrollments for both the graduate and undergraduate areas,” said Lewis. “I’d say probably eight to 12 new freshman students that start in the spring… [and] we usually have between 40 and 60 new transfer students.” Not only were the incoming second-semester numbers consistent with previous spring semesters, but the retention rates between semesters also proved to be steady. “We had really strong retention numbers from fall to spring,” said Lewis. “94.8% of the students that came and started in the fall that returned. He added, “That’s about a percentage point shy of the record, which was set last year.” Lewis commented that the only numbers that had slightly dropped were the number of transfer students that...
by Camryn Given | Jan 8, 2021 | News, News Slider
2021 is off to an optimistic start in Nashville as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is begins. The first phase of vaccinations includes essential health workers and first responders. Although vaccines are being distributed, COVID cases in Nashville aren’t dropping yet. In fact, on Jan. 6th the United States lost the most lives from the pandemic in a single day yet with Tennessee being a hot spot for cases. As of Jan. 7th, according to the Metro Public Health Department in Nashville, there are 6,767 active cases of the Coronavirus. There are currently 6,767 active cases of COVID-19 in Davidson County. Questions? The COVID-19 Information Hotline is operational until 7pm tonight. English: 615-862-7777 Spanish: 615-326-9986 DASHBOARD: https://t.co/QPEjrK2tyg pic.twitter.com/RKN8blUnA4 — NashvilleHealth (@NashvilleHealth) January 7, 2021 Davidson County’s reopening plan remains in stage three, as it has since Nov. 30, meaning that restaurants must operate at 50% capacity and must close at 10 p.m. Gatherings are also limited to eight people. More information can be found at https://www.asafenashville.org/roadmap-for-reopening-nashville-phase-3-guidance-and-resources/. Even though Davidson County’s regulations haven’t changed since students left last semester, Lipscomb has added new requirements such as required COVID testing prior to students’ return to campus and surveillance testing. Students were made aware of these changes in an email sent during the latter half of December. Other Nashville area schools, Belmont and Vanderbilt, are not requiring students to get tested before returning to campus but are strongly encouraging them to do so, according to each school’s Return to Campus webpages. Dr. Kevin Eidson, the director of Health and Wellness at Lipscomb, sent out an email to students with additional information about spring...
by Camryn Given | Jan 5, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
There are many different aspects of life that define an era’s culture. No matter if it is political unrest or a new musical genre, there’s a strong tie between social trends and their entertainment. It’s pretty easy to decipher what has shaped the culture of 2020. In fact, “quarantine culture” has become a coined term for the viral elements of the internet that appeared while everyone spent months at home. Though quarantine culture has become a blanket term for the iconic games, movies and memes that emerged this past year, it has definitely been dominated by the shows on Netflix that people have been binge-watching to pass the time. Given that, here are some of the top Netflix shows that got many of us through a very strange year: 9. Tiger King It’s pretty indisputable that Tiger King was one of the first defining moments of quarantine culture. Tiger King is a documentary-style series about Joe Exotic. The show focuses on the big cats that he owns and his rivalry with Carole Baskin (surely you’ve seen what the internet has to say). It’s the show to watch if you want an inside look at a life you might not have another chance to see or if you just don’t want to feel left out when everyone else talks about it. 8. Cobra Kai This show caught the attention of many on Netflix during quarantine. It follows the character of Johnny Lawrence from Karate Kid years after he lost against Daniel LaRusso, the protagonist of the movie. Lawrence is down on his luck when he uses karate to save his...
by Camryn Given | Dec 18, 2020 | News, News Slider
Earlier this semester, an email went out to all students planning to study abroad next semester as part of Lipscomb’s Global Learning program. Although disappointing, the announcement it contained may not have come as a surprise to all. The email stated that global learning will be canceled for next spring, given a couple of different reasons. In the statement Provost, W. Craig Bledsoe said, “all of our semester-long study abroad host countries are limiting or restricting entrance from residents of other nations and have Level 3 US Department of State travel advisory status.” Costa Rica, London, Vienna, and Florence are the locations available for semester-long study abroad, which are the locations referred to. The next ground for calling off Global Learning was the other risk factors that have arisen out of the global pandemic and the numbers not yet dropping. “I know this is disappointing to you as it is to all of us at Lipscomb,” said Bledsoe. This may have been the second time that some students have gotten this news, considering that Global Learning was already canceled for the fall of this year. For the students who are worried about what the next semester will look like now, Bledsoe states, “we have a dedicated team to work with you to help you register for spring classes and to reserve appropriate dorm space, if needed.” As for the students who were the recipients of this news, they will be able to remain in their current housing location and keep their meal plan, as well as priority for the next group of global learners. Bledsoe added, “We have some...
