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 Mckenzi Harris | Dec 6, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Lipscomb has announced a change of plans in commencement ceremonies. What was previously planned to be an in-person graduation ceremony will now take place virtually. The commencement ceremony will be broadcast live at 2 p.m. December 19 and will be live-streamed at lipscomb.edu/live and will be available for later viewing on Lipscomb’s YouTube channel, according to information from the provost’s office. The virtual baccalaureate service will take place at 5 p.m. December 18 and be streamed at lipscomb.edu/live . “After extensive consultation with local and state health officials, external medical personnel and knowing our own experience in managing the virus this fall, we have made the decision to celebrate December commencement virtually, similar to May’s ceremonies,” said Provost Craig Bledsoe, in an email to faculty. “While we are disappointed that circumstances surrounding the continued global pandemic have interfered with our plans for an in-person ceremony, it is very important to us to have a meaningful graduation season filled with celebration,” wrote President Randy Lowry, in an email to students....
by Taylor McKnight | Nov 23, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Editor’s note: Prior to the announcement that graduation ceremonies will be held virtually, rather than in-person, university officials had their fingers crossed as they planned to do it live. Here is the story published about those plans and precautions prior to the decision to be safe and go virtual: Graduation — the moment students and their parents anticipate from the outset of the college journey — will look different this winter. It is still scheduled for December 19 in Allen Arena, but because of COVID, attendance will be limited, leaving out the parents. And, given the surge of the virus, there still is a chance it will be moved online, as it was last spring. In the spring, graduates didn’t have the opportunity to walk across the stage. For the first time in the university’s history, they hosted a virtual graduation. Students and their families watched the ceremony online. This semester Lipscomb is trying — despite the COVID pandemic — to give students the opportunity to walk across the stage. Because of the concerns about crowds and social distancing, the ceremony will be limited to faculty and graduates only. Parents, family members, and friends will have to watch the graduation ceremony through live stream. Provost Craig Bledsoe describes the pains taken to make sure graduation is safe during this era of the killer virus. “Knowing the restrictions we have, our plan is to have a graduation that resembles, looks like, feels like, what a regular graduation would look like for students,” he said. “Graduation will be physically distanced as much as possible, with guidelines we’ve been given by the...
by Kathryn Farris | Nov 17, 2020 | News, News Slider, Politics
For many across the world, the 2020 presidential election has come to a close. After former Vice President Joe Biden was called as the projected winner last Saturday morning, his supporters rejoiced in the streets. Since then, many world and religious leaders have acknowledged Biden’s victory, yet current President Trump has not yet conceded and is exploring legal avenues to hold onto the presidency. “I mean it’s a pretty complicated issue but there were over 300 lawsuits that were filed prior to election day. Those kind of ran the gamut, but mostly the concerns were in regard to the changing rules surrounding elections, the presidential election obviously specifically,” said Dr. Susan Haynes of Lipscomb’s political science department. “Basically, the efforts that states were making, and the changes that they were making in light of the pandemic really faced a lot of legal scrutiny.” Last Saturday, President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani stood before the later viral backdrop of Four Seasons Total Landscaping to claim [without current evidence] that Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania was due to voter fraud. The conversation of voter fraud is a huge proponent of Trump’s argument against current election results, yet currently, there remain substantial claims. “At this point, there has not been evidence of systematic fraud,” says Haynes on the allegations “I think that what’s being reported right now is pretty idiosyncratic and singular. However, I do know that in Georgia the margin at least as of yesterday was 7000 votes and the Governor wants to have a manual recount.” “Those types of efforts are done because the idea is that the manual recount is kind of one of the most...
by Camryn Given | Nov 12, 2020 | News, News Slider, Uncategorized
Lipscomb lost a loved member of its community Nov. 9 with the death of Anthony Kuh, a 31-year-old student and Army veteran from Clarksville, Tennessee. He joined the Lipscomb family as an online student last summer. President Randy Lowry said “[Kuh] completed several deployments and served in the Signal Corps as an imagery analyst.” Kuh’s passing came as a result of heart attack complications. Lowery shared this information with Lipscomb students in an email on Tuesday. Sam Lynn and Jimmie Handley, who are in charge of Lipscomb’s Office of Veterans Services both said that Kuh had been looking forward to his future and the work he could do after getting a Lipscomb degree. There have been no finalized plans announced for Kuh’s remembrance yet, but Lowry assured that the plans will be communicated to students when they’re arranged. “Anthony is survived by his wife, Colleen, and their four young children, among other family and friends,” said Lowry. “Please join me in praying for Anthony’s family, his classmates, his friends and everyone who loved him,” said Lowry. (Know that you don’t have to go through grief alone, and if you are in need of grief counseling, you can reach out to the University Counseling...
by Grant Bricker | Nov 11, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider, Uncategorized
COVID caused the city of Nashville to cancel this year’s Veterans Day parade, but that didn’t stop Lipscomb University from shining the light on the contributions of veterans. “Personally, I do not think the lack of a parade will have a large impact on Veterans Day,” said Andrew Santander, president of Campus Veterans Organization. “Veterans Day serves a much larger purpose than the need to be celebrated with a parade. I served because of a larger purpose, for my brothers and sisters to my left and right.” Veterans Day at Lipscomb University is going to look a little different but keep its usual spirit. Lipscomb’s Veteran Services will continue to hold events so that veterans and nonveterans alike can remember those who have served. There will be American flags set up around the center of campus and yellow ribbons tied around some of the trees of campus. If you want to tie a ribbon to honor a veteran, you can pick one that has been cut to the appropriate length at the campus Starbucks. Additionally, there will be coupons for veterans for a free meal that can be used throughout this week. It qualifies veterans for breakfast, lunch or dinner in the upstairs cafeteria of the Student Center. The coupons will be available at the Veteran Services office. Most people today know the celebration as Veterans Day, but that’s not what it always has been. The holiday was originally called Armistice Day and began as a reminder to honor those who served in World War I. The Armistice, ending the First World War was signed November 11, 1918. The...
