by Kathryn Farris & Hannah Cron | May 9, 2021 | News, News Slider
This year’s commencement, flavored by COVID-19 precautions, marked not only the graduation of Lipscomb’s class of 2021 but also one of President Randolph Lowry’s final major events as president of the university. Lowry announced earlier this year that this summer he will begin transitioning to the role of chancellor. While an in-person graduation was able to happen for the first time since December 2019, several changes were made to ensure the proceedings were COVID-safe. All 2020 graduation ceremonies were done remotely because of the pandemic. Rather than having one large ceremony as was usual in the pre-COVID days, graduates were divided by college across four separate ceremonies on Friday and Saturday (May 7-8). Masks were worn during each ceremony, and all graduates were seated several feet apart to allow for social distancing. “Resilience” of the Lipscomb community throughout the past year was a consistent theme in the ceremonies. In his final speech in the role, Lowry thanked the students for their commitment to Lipscomb. “I was thinking in this COVID world, in this particular moment, what is it that I as the president would suggest you take with you? I want to suggest just one thing: I hope from this experience at Lipscomb University you take a sense of character,” said Lowry. “I thought if there was any group of students around that will come back, will come to this institution and follow the protocol, will understand why we are trying to be respectful of everyone — it was Lipscomb students, because you have character.” President Lowry also reflected upon his shared experience with the graduates. “I feel a...
by Mckenzi Harris | May 8, 2021 | News, News Slider, Opinion
Mckenzi Harris already has transitioned from her job as editor of Lipscomb’s Lumination Network student news website to the “real world.” But before she graduated, May 8, she offered up some final thoughts on being a student, photographer, editor and news-gatherer for the website. Here are her thoughts: It’s here. My last day as an undergraduate college student. I’m officially an alumna from Lipscomb University as of May 8, which means I’ve passed the Lumination “editor-in-chief” title on to a new leader. I began my staff duties with Lumination as a sports photographer the spring of 2019, and I began to occasionally write a piece for two. I took on the “editor-in-chief” role in the summer of 2019. I have enjoyed every minute of my time at Lipscomb, but my best memories came from being a part of the amazing community of Lumination staff writers. As I leave Lipscomb to enter the workforce, our Lumination leadership roles are being turned over to a great, new team of editors. Starting tomorrow (May 9), rising senior Kathryn Farris will be taking over as the new editor-in-chief; rising sophomores Camryn Given and Hannah Cron will build on their duties as managing editors; and rising junior Danny Kotula is becoming the sports editor. Lumination Network is being left in the best possible hands with this new editorial staff. I have so many amazing memories from my time as Lumination Network’s editor-in-chief and want to share a few, as well as some gratitude I want to publicly express to the communication faculty and Lipscomb community members who have entrusted me to bring the news to our audience over the past two...
by Micah Kennedy | May 4, 2021 | News, News Slider
The upcoming class of future Bisons now have the option of attending their Lipscomb orientations in person. The decision to resume in-person orientation came from university officials after carefully considering the trends in positive COVID cases and the increasing number of vaccinated members in the Lipscomb community. “Pandemic or not, the New Student Orientation program is committed to providing a holistic onboarding experience to our new students and their families,” said Megan Johnson, assistant director of student wellbeing. In addition to orientation sessions, QuestWeek will resume in-person experiences as well. This announcement has not changed the focus and aim of those who work to make the summer programs possible. “While the delivery method and some particular events had to be adjusted, the important content that we covered last year remains just as vital to the student experience this upcoming year,” said Johnson. New students and their parents, regardless of which NSO session they attend, will have the opportunity to learn about academic expectations, student involvement opportunities and begin creating connections with their peers and professors. Though there will be in-person sessions offered, a virtual orientation will be offered on June 25. The option seeks to accommodate students and parents who are not yet comfortable with the legal gathering sizes or are unable to be physically present. This flexibility is something that Johnson said she believes works in favor of students’ preferences as things return to “normal” a year after COVID severely altered summer orientation activities. “We believe that a virtual option caters to a group of students who feels more comfortable engaging with new people through a chat feature rather than in-person large group settings,” Johnson said. “We will help these students...
by Camryn Given | Apr 28, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment, BREAKING NEWS, News, News Slider
Tonight, during IMAGINE “The Soul of America Today”, President Lowry officially announced a new opportunity for those pursuing a future in the music industry. The lead singer of MercyMe, Bart Millard, has joined forces with Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts. This partnership will create the Imagine House. According to Lipscomb’s press release, “Imagine House is the only initiative of its kind in the country that offers students with varying artistic interests, an innovative education, real market entertainment experiences and a nation wide mentoring network.” Imagine House will serve as a teaching facility and place for students to get hands-on experience in their field. The branches of the program will include an opportunity for online degrees, a production studio with a house band, and ways to create contacts and relationships with experienced musicians. Some of Lipscomb’s own will contribute to the leadership team. Both Brown Bannister, the director of the School of Music, and Steve Taylor, the director of the School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts, will work closely with Imagine House. Millard reached out to Lipscomb with this idea and after much planning and energy, the initiative will launch this fall. Many members of the Lipscomb community are excited about the potential of this new program. “Imagine House is the place where you can dream about your future, ignite the wonder of your faith, apprentice under successful pioneers that have blazed a trail ahead of you and collaborate with other multifaceted artists to create what’s next,” said Mike Fernandez, dean of the College of Entertainment and the Arts. ...
by Abigail Davis | Apr 27, 2021 | News, News Slider, Travel
Global Learning is among the Lipscomb programs that took the hardest hit as a result of COVID closings and restrictions. When borders closed and airlines halted, many students were forced to postpone or altogether cancel their plans to live and study abroad. Since the initial shutdown, all Lipscomb global programs, including study abroad and overseas missions, have ceased operation. As this spring season draws to a close, many students are left wondering whether their upcoming summer and fall plans of global experiences will come to fruition. “I remember when I first got accepted into study abroad last fall of 2020. Traveling and exploring is a big passion of mine,” said study abroad hopeful Brooke Baise. “I want to experience this beautiful world and see God’s creation. I believe that he didn’t create all of this for us to just stay in the same spot for the rest of our lives and not go and see and explore. “I was really disappointed when it was canceled not only once for me but twice due to COVID,” she said. “But I know and trust that God has a plan and reason for everything that he does.” Baise now looks forward to participating in the abroad program in Florence, Italy, for the fall semester of 2021, if circumstances allow. Along with the semester abroad program, Lipscomb offers short-term trips to places such as Israel, Germany, Italy and England during the summer. “I am hopeful in view of the trip actually happening, but I also know COVID issues change rapidly,” said Emily Jones who plans to study in Italy on a short-term trip....
by Hannah Cron | Apr 25, 2021 | COVID-19, News, News Slider
Over the past weeks, Lipscomb has begun to announce the precautions that will be in place involving COVID-19 for the fall semester. According to the new plans, many restrictions that were in place during the 2020-2021 academic year will be lifted in hopes that many things will return to normal. According to President Randolph Lowry, this is due in part to how well the Lipscomb community was able to follow the guidelines in place for the past two semesters. “We have not missed a beat as together we have turned challenges into opportunities, thriving in a way that will set the tone for our future in this new world,” said President Lowry in an email to Lipscomb students, faculty and staff. Not only will the upcoming fall 2021 semester see Lipscomb return to a regular in-person model for classes, but class capacity will be fully restored. Additionally, capacity will be increased for on-campus dining, residence halls and sporting events. As of April 22, face coverings are no longer required outdoors or when alone indoors. Masks are still required in all buildings on campus when there are others around and social distancing is highly encouraged. These guidelines will likely continue into the fall semester, but all plans are subject to change as governmental and CDC regulations are updated. Some questions remain as to what the return to campus may look like in the fall, particularly regarding COVID testing and vaccinations. According to Lipscomb’s Incident Management Team, these plans are being made and will be communicated to faculty and students as soon as they are finalized. “We are consulting with our...
