by Erika Plunkett | Dec 8, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider
Lipscomb mourns the loss of graduate student and administrative coordinator for Lipscomb CEA, Haley Sue Pearson, 25, who died tragically after being struck by a vehicle in Hendersonville, TN. “She was a light to everyone she knew and always lifted people up with her words of encouragement and kind spirit,” said Mike Fernandez, dean of the College of the Entertainment and the Arts. “She was a brave soul that would rush in, without hesitation, to help whenever it was needed. “As I look back on her work in the CEA I can say that she was the glue that held my office and the college together. She had a strong motor and an intense work ethic. We are who we are today because of her.” In addition to her roles at the university, Pearson also served as an event coordinator for Lipscomb Academy’s high school football gamedays. While an undergraduate student at Lipscomb, Pearson was involved as a member of the Pi Delta social club and a cheerleader for the Bisons. Pi Delta shared this post in honor of her life and legacy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ★ PI DELTA ★ (@pideltalu) Pearson is survived by her husband of three months, Nathanial (Nat) Hubert; parents, Stacy and Pam Pearson, of Franklin, Tennessee; sister, Hadley; brother, Hayden. In an email to students, Lipscomb’s Vice President of Student Life, Al Sturgeon, asked for prayers for the Pearson family and shared the following resources that Lipscomb is offering to cope during this time of loss. First, Zoom grief processing groups are available with the University Counseling Center...
by Kathryn Farris | Nov 4, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider, Politics
Tuesday night, Americans turned their eyes upon electoral maps and social media updates in order to catch a glimpse of the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election. However, a pandemic-caused increase in mail-in-ballots has led to uncertainty in certain swing states on who will take the victory. Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania are among “swing states” currently dominating headlines because of unreported ballots. However, what is clear is that this race will be far from a landslide for either candidate. The close race will likely be decided in the coming week and could be legally disputed. Wisconsin is currently favoring Biden, yet 5 percent of the vote has yet to be counted. However, the majority of those uncounted votes are from mail-in-ballots which have statistically favored democrats. Michigan is currently favoring Biden, yet officials say it could be until Friday Nov. 6th for all ballots to be processed and counted. Georgia is favoring Trump, but the race could come down to a number of votes and Georgia Democrats remain optimistic due to uncounted mail-in-ballots from blue counties. Pennsylvania currently favors Trump, yet officials have held that it could take up to Nov. 6th for final numbers. Nevada currently has only 67 percent of the vote in. The state went blue for Clinton in 2016, but Joe Biden currently maintains a lead of only 8 thousand votes. Political science professor, Dr. Susan Haynes talked with us on the instance that a decision wasn’t made on election day. “The constitution does have deadlines and dates, which you have the general election, and then you have the electors of the electoral college...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jun 16, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider
Savannah Miller, remembered as a “sweet, loving” student in Lipscomb’s IDEAL program died Saturday “following complications related to a medical procedure,” said President Randy Lowry. “It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the news of the loss … of Savannah Miller, a student in Lipscomb’s IDEAL program, Lowry said in an email to the student body. Miller was well-known for her positive attitude around campus and her internships with admissions and Student Life. She was a member of Phi Nu and a resident of Johnson Hall. “Savannah was a sweet, loving, joyful, and caring friend,” said Riley Hoag, also a student in the IDEAL program. “She was always there to help me out when I needed someone to talk to. She always put a smile on everyone’s face during school.” Savannah could be easily found drinking a frappuccino in the Starbucks on campus, according to Hoag. Grief sessions have been set up by the Office of Student Life as virtual Zoom calls. The links have been sent out to the student body and can be found here. Lipscomb plans to have a memorial service on campus in the fall to honor her life. More details will be released on that when the details are finalized, according to the university. Miller is survived by her mother, Renee Miller; her father, Bill Miller; three siblings, Shayna, Justin and Jacob; and her extended family. She was preceded in death by her brother, Garrett. “What we are hearing over and over again in the hours following her death is that Savannah is clearly a young lady who will be missed...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jun 14, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider
Lynn Griffith, professor of kinesiology in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences and a long-time coach at the university and the academy, died Saturday of “an apparent heart attack,” said university President Randy Lowry. “The Lipscomb family is mourning the loss of Lynn Griffith. Lynn passed away earlier this morning,” said Lowry in a Saturday email to the Lipscomb community. Griffith had served the university and the academy in academics and athletics for four decades. Griffith joined the Lipscomb faculty in 1980 and served as the department chair of the former department of health and physical education, and he most recently taught courses in motor learning, kinesiology, mechanics of movement and coaching education. “Beyond the profound loss, we celebrate with him a larger story,” Lowry said in an email to faculty. “It is the belief he claimed in a loving God and an eternal relationship with him. Even in this tragic moment, we share that hope.” Griffith was the men’s tennis coach for 21 years and the NCAA D-1 Independent Men’s Coach of the Year in 2002. Griffith also served as Lipscomb’s cross country coach from 1994-1999. He was also an assistant coach under Bison baseball coach Ken Dugan for several years and was a former assistant athletic director. Lynn was most recently a coach at Lipscomb Academy, where he served as the head swim coach for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons and as girls’ and boys’ tennis head coach for several years. He led the boys’ tennis program to an undefeated season and a Class A-AA team state championship in spring 2016, the first team state championship...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jun 1, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, COVID-19, News, News Slider
Several members of a construction team working on the Lipscomb campus have tested positive for the coronavirus, said President Randy Lowry in an email sent out to faculty members. “Yesterday one of the contractors on-site notified us that during routine daily health screenings required before an employee enters the construction site, several of their employees presented with a fever and were asked to leave the construction site to get COVID-19 tests and to self-quarantine,” Lowry wrote in the email. All of the individuals working at the site were tested, and the results have begun to come in. “While we are awaiting results from all of the tests, the contractor has notified us that several of the construction workers did test positive for the virus,” Lowry said. “When we learned of self-reported cases through one of our contractors, we engaged with the contractor to ensure access to testing was available to all members of the work crew,” said Kim Chaudoin, Lipscomb assistant vice president for public relations and communications. The site has been temporarily shut down for cleaning, and Lipscomb is taking precautions by holding virtual meetings with all of the contractors working on summer projects and reviewing their protocols. “The university has also implemented enhanced precautionary measures that require all subcontractors to assess their employees when they arrive on the work site, including a temperature check and health screening, wear masks and maintain appropriate physical distance among other measures,“ said Chaudoin. “While these results are concerning, we were not necessarily surprised to have a situation like this occur at some point, and we are prepared,” Chaudoin continued. “This quick...
by Erika Plunkett | Apr 10, 2020 | BREAKING NEWS, COVID-19, News Slider
Lipscomb’s College of Engineering is busy protecting essential personnel who are participating in the mortal battle against COVID-19. The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering has created and donated over 400 plastic face shields to medical personnel in the Middle Tennessee Area, and there are nearly 200 more currently in production. Leading this operation is Lipscomb’s Peugeot Center for Engineering Service headed by Steve Sherman, executive director, and Caleb Meeks, director of operations, along with Samuel Wright, the college’s engineering laboratory manager. “Connecting engineering capabilities with those in greatest need has been at the core of our engineering college and of the Peugeot Center,” said David Elrod, dean of the College of Engineering. “In this season, we are excited to find both virtual ways of staying connected with many of our international mission partners and to find new ways of serving our local communities.” These shields serve to help protect medical workers in the line of duty by placing a plastic mask in between practitioner and patient, protecting the eyes, nose and mouth from direct oral transmission from a patient. The design utilized by the engineers is an open source design originally created by Georgia Institute of Technology. “We’re using a high power, automated, laser system in our innovation lab to cut out the components,” said Elrod. “Having the tools in the innovation lab lets us readily produce face shields to help local providers.” As safety of the medical personnel is of top priority to the engineers, during construction of the shields, staff is adhering to strict CDC guidelines, wearing gloves and masks as well as limiting the number...
