Emily Harris emphasizes total wellness, announces new campus rec opportunities

Emily Harris emphasizes total wellness, announces new campus rec opportunities

For Emily Harris, director of campus recreation, physical activity and good nutrition aren’t just her job. They’re a vital part of her lifestyle. Harris, who has Type 1 diabetes, thyroiditis and a chronic kidney disease, said her health struggles contribute to her passion for helping college students achieve wellness. “My own personal battles with my own health makes me passionate for teaching people how to be healthy,” she said. “With the chronic diseases that I have — which most people don’t even know that I have — I understand how hard it is to balance your health. Some people it’s a choice; some people it’s not. And if you have the choice to prevent it, by all means, prevent that from happening.” Harris is a 2007 Lipscomb graduate, who competed four years on the university tennis team, before accepting a job opening here in fall 2008. When Harris began working at Lipscomb, there was only an intramurals program. Harris said during her interview for the position, she presented a comprehensive approach to campus recreation. “I basically presented a whole model for Lipscomb that would be a comprehensive program that would meet more students’ needs than just sport,” she explained. “There would be this whole component of being active in body, mind and spirit. We still encompass that whole approach of spiritual, physical, mental, emotional training.” In addition to her campus recreation duties, Harris runs the Lipscomb University Racquet Club with her husband Andrew, who coaches the university men’s and women’s tennis teams.Harris said the two first met while both were competing on Lipscomb’s tennis team during the undergraduate education...

Brandi Kellett teaches humility as key to learning, living well

Dr. Brandi Kellett knows life is a balancing act. The adjunct English professor, PTO president and mom of three also knows it’s OK to have an imperfect life. “I don’t have to be right, and I don’t have to be strong. Weakness and failure are part of the gig,” she said, illustrating that by looking at the Bible. “In Corinthians, when God says to Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for you because my power is made perfect in weakness,’ it doesn’t say, ‘I’ll be strong until you get back on your feet, but like really, you need to get your crap together.’ It says, ‘My strength is only made perfect when you are not.’” In other words, human frailties are part of the overall plan and are part of the life experience, she said. “As I’ve become more accomplished in my professional life, my marriage and parenting, and my church and all these different arenas, I’ve actually learned to take myself a lot less seriously,” she said. Along the way, she has realized humility goes a long way toward helping a person live with honesty and integrity, “which is what I think it’s all about.” “I’ve learned that [humility] is actually the key to compassion for other people, which is why it matters so much,” she said. “It doesn’t matter because God wants a bunch of meek, little people walking around. He knows that humility is the key to living well with others. And it really doesn’t happen without it. It’s the key to empathy and kindness and community, I think.” Kellett said even her new role as PTO...
Terry Briley embraces opportunities, encourages students to do the same

Terry Briley embraces opportunities, encourages students to do the same

Uncommon is the norm for Terry Briley. For example, it’s uncommon to find a Bible scholar who regularly attends one of the nation’s largest outdoor music festivals. It’s also uncommon to find a male faculty sponsor for a women’s social club. But Briley, professor of Biblical Studies and former dean of the College of Bible and Ministry, regularly attends the four-day Bonnaroo music and arts festival down in Manchester, Tenn. Briley, dean for 10 years until this fall, also is faculty sponsor for Kappa Chi. The former is because of his love for music, which is also why he’s a ticket holder for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. In fact, he’s even taking violin lessons. The latter, well, it sort of began out of necessity. “When I first started here, we didn’t have as many female faculty members, so social clubs always struggled finding sponsors,” Briley said. During his first semester as a Lipscomb adjunct, he said a student asked him to sponsor the women’s club. “I’m pretty sure it was a notion of ‘Here’s the new guy; he doesn’t know anything.’” Of course, he did it, and “over time, it sort of stuck.” Briley, a professor at Lipscomb since 1986, said building relationships is one of the best things about his job. “To me, the relational side of it is as important, as rewarding, if not more so, than the academic side,” he said. “One of the things I really like about it is not just the relational side while students are here, but the fact that you’re able to stay connected after they’re gone. I know students and...

What we really need to do to avoid the fiscal cliff, and how it relates to you

You may have more in common with your member of Congress than you think, especially around this time of year. Students and lawmakers alike want to finish up the year and head home for the holidays. But there’s a final exam standing between Congress and the holidays — and America’s citizens are ready to give the body an “F” if it doesn’t pass. That exam is coming in the form of the “fiscal cliff” — the combination of arbitrary, automatic, across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases coming at the end of the year that could cripple the economy. It all started last year when Congress picked 12 of its members to try to find a deal to secure America’s long-term financial future. Consumer confidence had dropped dramatically, and a credit ratings agency dropped our country’s rating. [poll id=”18″] It seemed the only thing that could make members of both parties work across the aisle was an alternative so terrible it would be untenable to both parties. That alternative is coming closer and closer to reality — and unfortunately, it is your generation that will have to pay the highest price. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that if we do not avoid the fiscal cliff, the $7 trillion combination of spending cuts and tax increases could send the economy hurtling back into recession for years to come. Unemployment, especially among young people, will rise even further. Education will suffer among the harshest spending cuts, losing about $4.8 billion in funding. [poll id=”19″] Our leaders have had more than three years to address these issues — imagine if you had...

Lumination Newscast, Nov. 29, 2012

In this week’s installment of Lumination News, Nick Glende and Nicolette Carney are behind the news desk to update you about what’s happening on campus. Madeline Smith offers the latest in politics, Eric Robinson brings you up to speed with sports, Crystal Davis gives the scoop on all things entertainment, and Brynn Watkins delivers your weather forecast. Videos feature Kelcy Smart, Lighting of the Green, a recap of Thanksgiving break, Cocoa and Carols, students’ Christmas plans, financial aid and business office requirements for next semester, finals advice for freshmen, Sewing to Share, StompFest highlights, Sam Schoenheit, and Nashville Spotlight on the businesses near campus.     <iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/58153431″ width=”500″ height=”275″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href=”http://vimdeo.com/58153431″>Sewing to Share</a> from <a href=”http”http://vimeo.com/luminationnet”>lumination Network</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.<p>         <iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/58153431″ width=”500″ height=”275″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href=”http://vimdeo.com/58153431″>Sewing to Share</a> from <a href=”http”http://vimeo.com/luminationnet”>lumination Network</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.<p>  ...