by Gunnar Eng | Jul 29, 2020 | News, News Slider
Ty Osman, called “a remarkable man” by Lipscomb President Randy Lowry, dedicated his life to helping his alma mater and the community. Osman, 54, died in a fishing accident on July 11. He was a business leader and was co-founder and president of Solomon Builders Inc., a commercial construction company. He and his wife, Nancy, are both Lipscomb graduates. “He has not only been very successful in Nashville with the Solomon Builders, but many non-profit organizations as well, and they’re actually the builders for our huge addition to Lipscomb Academy down on Harding and Granny White,” Lowry told Lumination. The Osmans’ most visible — to students, anyway — contribution to the university is the mosaic fountain on central campus that was dedicated to the memory of their son, Ty Osman II who died at age 18 on March 3, 2012. The elder Ty Osman graduated from Lipscomb in 1987 with a degree in business administration, and he also was named Lipscomb University’s “Christian Business Leader” in 2004. The Ty2 Foundation, founded by the elder Ty Osman, is a spiritual and physical landmark at Lipscomb. One side is a baptistry, which has been used frequently since it opened in June 2013. “The fountain in the middle of campus is a way that Ty is remembered, and also a way that Ty and his wife Nancy contributed something very significant to us,” Lowry said. “His son was an organ donor on his own accord, and it’s reported a year after he passed away, Ty and his wife met some of the recipients, and one of the most amazing moments for them was...
by Gunnar Eng | Jul 29, 2020 | News, News Slider
Among the many additions to Lipscomb this fall will be the Lanier Center for Archaeology. “We’re very excited about it, and I think we will instantly become one of the most nationally recognized archaeology programs in evangelical Christianity,” President Randy Lowry told Lumination Network. Two renowned archaeology scholars, Dr. Steven Ortiz and Dr. Tom Davis, have helped create the new Lanier Center, at the same time bringing extensive resources and artifacts. Both are joining Lipscomb faculty in August after leaving Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. “They will be bringing with them a 6,000-volume library, which will be a wonderful resource to have at our disposal, and will also be bringing 70 or 80 cases of archeological artifacts, so we can display those in some appropriate way as the year goes on,” Lowry said. The Lanier Center for Archaeology has plans to offer a Ph.D. in archaeology of the Ancient Near Middle East and a master’s in Biblical Studies beginning in January. The approval for the new M.A. and Ph.D. programs is still pending from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SASCOC). “Right now, it will start as these two major programs, but as we start to collaborate and learn of the richness that’s here at Lipscomb, we will be able to project future collaborations with other programs that are already here,” Ortiz said. “Our hope is that this will expand into the undergraduate level, perhaps starting with a minor in Biblical Archaeology, and then hopefully expand to a major, as Lipscomb expands its offerings and reach in that way,” Davis said. Students also will be able...
by Gunnar Eng | Jul 23, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider, Uncategorized
Lipscomb’s nursing program, always reliant on physical interaction and hands-on experiences in the past, had to adapt dramatically when the school switched to virtual learning. The pandemic that mandated virtual learning also caused problems in terms of the opportunities for nursing students. “Many clinical partners, around the same time Lipscomb decided to switch to virtual learning, also decided to no longer let students into their facilities,” said Dr. Chelsia Harris, the program’s executive director. “The rationale was to conserve their personal protection equipment, or PPE’s, for essential workers that absolutely needed them.” “It was challenging for me to finish online in the spring, seeing a lot of cool things in my clinicals (at Vanderbilt Trauma Unit), but was only able to go twice before everything started shutting down,” said McKenzie Allen, a senior. Despite many clinical partners and direct physical interaction being cut off, the nursing program made successful adaptations, according to Harris. “We have such incredible faculty and staff that worked really hard to work with some of the vendors in a virtual capacity, and were able to launch a high-fidelity type virtual simulation,” she said. “Some of the simulations are so realistic, and actually have students think more critically than what you thought you would even imagine comparatively to bedside with a real patient.” “The Tennessee State Board of Nursing as well as our national accreditation body were in full support of the utilization of virtual simulations as long as students were able to meet outcomes,” Harris said. The sudden shift to isolation for students and faculty did cause adjustment, according to Harris. “It was gut-wrenching to...
by Gunnar Eng | Jul 10, 2020 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Lipscomb’s recent graduates and others currently in the nursing program have been thrown into the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. They join an army of new nurses and nursing students nationwide who have been called into action because of the emergency. “Many signed up for the COVID-19 relief team at Vanderbilt and other area hospitals, which they all did voluntarily and not under any mandatory process from the School of Nursing or Lipscomb,” said Dr. Chelsia Harris, director of the nursing program at Lipscomb. “Many are getting paid in some capacity.” “Some of our graduates went straight to work in hospitals and other health-care facilities with COVID-19 units, post-graduation,” Harris said. “Out of 35 graduates, at least 15 or 16 that I know of have been doing that.” Kayla Neal is a recent graduate, who works as a patient care tech at Skyline Medical Center and AHC Cumberland nursing home. Neal, who graduated in May, has been in close vicinity of quarantined sectors. “They take our temperature at the beginning of the shift and make sure we are wearing our required masks,” Neal said. “All patients are screened beforehand and are also required to wear masks when being transported around.” Neal said the increasing number of patients, due to COVID, is putting stress on the healthcare system. “The nurse-to-patient ratio has increased from five-to-one to six-to-one just while I’ve been working there, and the responsibility for each employee has increased significantly as well,” said Neal. “COVID-19 is a stressful thing, but it gives me an advantage because I’m starting off as a new nurse in the midst of a...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 8, 2020 | Arts and Entertainment, News, News Slider
Charlie Daniels, who died Monday at age 83, used his stardom and energy to help veterans’ causes, including helping provide the educational costs for veterans attending Lipscomb. Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died after suffering a stroke. The funeral for the Grand Ole Opry member, best known for “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and with his Charlie Daniels Band helping to define the “Southern Rock” genre, is at 11 a.m. Friday at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro. Sellars Funeral Home in Daniels’ adopted hometown of Mt. Juliet will host a visitation from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday. The singer played a part in Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon scholars program, which — along with the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and Veterans Administration — funds the education of Post 9/11 veterans. For five years, Daniels put on a concert at Lipscomb for the Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes to raise funds for Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program. The first installment of the Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes concert was held in spring 2010. “Charlie Daniels was a talented musician, a man of deep conviction and principles, and a patriot,” said Lipscomb President Randy Lowry. “But most of all he was a compassionate person who tirelessly invested his time, talents and resources to make the lives of others better.” Daniels was best known for his crossover hit from 1979, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which remains a staple on country and classic rock radio stations. The song made it to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Daniels the Grammy for...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 5, 2020 | News, News Slider
Because of the uncertainty and threat of COVID-19, Lipscomb students will be given the option of staying home after Thanksgiving and taking their exams on-line rather than in-person at the end of the fall semester. Classes will begin Aug. 24, with the last day of finals Dec. 16, according to the university. “The fall semester will continue with on-campus classes until Thanksgiving break,” according to the Lipscomb Return to Campus web page. “In an effort to be both mindful of additional travel expenses and individual student health concerns, students will have the option of staying home after Thanksgiving break and completing the last week of classes and finals remotely.” “I think it’s a good idea, I’d rather be safe than sorry,” said senior public relations student Makena Sneed. “There are a lot of students who have to travel, and considering all the travel restrictions there are right now — I’m not sure how the numbers will continue to trend — but virtual finals sound like a great idea.” “I think it could allow for some really great learning opportunities and allow students to flourish in ways that they aren’t usually able to with a regular exam schedule at Lipscomb,” said Sneed. Move-in for new students is scheduled over three days this year, Aug. 14-16. Quest week and new student orientation will look the same as in the past for the most part, taking place on Aug. 17-23. Fall graduation is still planned as an on-campus event on December 19. But Lipscomb will continue to monitor the regional guidelines to determine if an in-person event can be held at that...
