by Karina Gutierrez | Dec 26, 2016 | News Slider
Lipscomb communications professor Aerial Ellis recently published her first book — lessons on leadership with her own generation — The Original Millennial. “I came up with the idea [for the book] last year as I was getting a series of speaking engagements and invitations to come talk about the millennial generation and the leadership that we are prepared to take on in the next couple of years,” Ellis said. Through working on this project, Ellis said the main thing she discovered was that there were many books, studies and conversations about who millennials are and how we work. However, she said she also realized there was a lack of content on how millennials need to shape themselves as leaders with no guides or instructional tools on how to become great leaders. As these millennials move into these leadership roles, Ellis believes they need to be prepared for what the workforce and the workplace ultimately will look like. By the year 2045, 75% of the workforce will be millennials. Therefore, Ellis said she decided to take on her project as a leadership series with specific lessons for readers. Ellis stated that it has been a labor of love, and it has taken a lot of time and work, as she interviewed around 50 millennials across the country who are leaders in business and the community. “What I found is that no matter their background, age, race or what part of the world they were from, they all had something very unique — and that was their originality in their ability to be a leader,” Ellis said. Ellis selected only 12...
by Erin Franklin | Dec 19, 2016 | News Slider
Lipscomb recognized its graduates and commemorated its 125th anniversary at the 2016 December graduation on Saturday afternoon in Allen Arena. In addition to the typical parts of graduation such as the awarding of diplomas, the singing of the alma mater and the Tolling of the Bell, a special guest speaker — David Lipscomb himself — showed up to help observe the monumental anniversary. “This is a very special graduation, as we’re recognizing a special year in our history at Lipscomb,” Provost Craig Bledsoe noted before university president Randy Lowry introduced David Lipscomb to the crowd. “A number of months ago, we had Founders Day on our campus, and one of the amazing things that happened is David Lipscomb reappeared,” Lowry said. “Now this doesn’t always happen after 125 years, but we are so appreciative that it has happened again today. We have a moment as we celebrate this milestone in the university’s history to hear from our founder.” Those present at the ceremony then took a few steps back in time to 1891 — the year David Lipscomb and James A. Harding founded the university. David Lipscomb, portrayed by Henry “Chip” Arnold, was welcomed to the stage to share some of his wisdom with the graduates. “We started in downtown Nashville in a small building with a faculty of four and a handful of students — around 12,” Lipscomb said. It reminds me of the parable of the mustard seed. We started out with humble beginnings in 1891 . . . and as that mustard seed grew, it became a great tree in the garden, and it attracted all kinds of people. And...
by Brooke Dorris and Erin Franklin | Dec 15, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
One of the most anticipated films of 2016, Rogue One succeeds in taking viewers on a different kind of Star Wars journey. Rogue One is not your typical Star Wars film. In fact, it doesn’t even have the classic opening crawl viewers have come to expect at the beginning of any Star Wars-associated movie. Jedi and lightsabers are hardly mentioned, and for the first time, Obi-Wan Kenobi is not seen or heard. That’s not to say that Rogue One isn’t a good film. The action takes place in between Episodes III and IV, and it fills in the gap between the prequels and the original trilogy perfectly. However, it also works well as its own standalone film. It tells the story of how the rebels got the plans which tell where the Death Star’s weak spot is. For moviegoers who have seen Episode IV, we know that the plans Leia sends out had to come from somewhere, and Rogue One tells us of the struggles and battles endured to get those very plans. Felicity Jones’ portrayal of Jyn Erso is especially convincing, but the whole cast delivers admirable performances. Notably, there’s a new droid in town, and Alan Tudyk’s portrayal of K-2SO might make you love this imperial-turned-rebel droid just as much as some old favorites like R2-D2 and C-3PO. Speaking of old favorites, there are some classic characters with cameos that you don’t expect to see, but of course, you’re glad you do. Rogue One is complex, but, since it is a standalone film, it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone who hasn’t seen any of the Star Wars films to...
by Patrick Carpenter | Dec 11, 2016 | News Slider, Opinion
On April 30, 2013, I was confused as I sat in my home in Jackson, Mississippi. I was scared, lost and was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was stranded. It had been a few days since I sat in the parking lot of the church I played at in Starkville, Mississippi, while attending Mississippi State and legitimately tried to commit suicide. I was helpless and in a dark hole. I didn’t know what was next for me. I didn’t know where my life was going to go. There was a level of trust that I knew was broken with my parents and friends. It was going to take everything to earn that trust back. The girl I had dated for two and a half years had left me and had already replaced me. I gave up so many ambitions to go to MSU with her. I was hurt, upset, alone, and I didn’t know where to start. A year later I was sitting in a community college questioning everything. I had graduated high school a year early in 2010. I remember seeing people from my class of 2011 at the community college and asking me why I wasn’t in Nashville. The whole point of me finishing early was to come to Nashville and pursue my passion. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to say what really happened. I felt like I had failed so many people back home. I failed my school, my church, my family and friends, but also myself. I knew I wanted to get to Nashville. I knew music was my goal....
by Cole Gray | Dec 9, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The new hole below his right knee matched the old one in his left. It matched the hole he had surgically repaired in June 2015. That surgery forced him to sit out his first off-season and limp through his sophomore season. They told him it would go away with rest, but that’s the same thing they said last year — before it came back. Lipscomb guard Aaron Korn had lived through this before, and he didn’t know if he could get through it again. “I was having doubts if I was going to be able to play this year,” the junior said. “I had doubts that it would never be the same or that I would ever be healthy again, because the exact same thing happened last year. It started creeping in, and I didn’t know if I was gonna play or be the same ever again.” But the stress fracture healed on its own, and Korn is averaging career-high minutes and has improved in every single statistical category this season. Just months after wondering about his future in college basketball, the six-foot-four guard is leading Lipscomb in three-point percentage at a blistering 44% clip, averaging the third-most rebounds on the team and has been playing at least 19 minutes in all but two games. Korn developed a stress fracture in his left tibia, just below the knee, about a month after the last game of his freshman year. Team trainers shut him down for the rest of the off-season workout period, but once he tried to return, something wasn’t right. The fracture was still there. He underwent surgery, including...
by KJ Lauck | Dec 7, 2016 | News Slider, Sports
The 138th Battle of the Boulevard did not disappoint as the Lipscomb Bisons fell to their arch-rival, Belmont Bruins, 78-76 during overtime in a sold-out Allen Arena. Lipscomb sprinted to an early 10-4 lead, thanks to threes by freshman Kenny Cooper and sophomore Garrison Mathews. The Bisons controlled the game early. The Purple and Gold fed off the energy of the home crowd. Mathews played with tenacity and passion, diving on the floor for loose balls and attacking the rim with back-to-back and-ones, converting on the second. “That’s the great thing about, Garrison he’s a tremendous competitor,” head coach Casey Alexander said. Junior Nathan Moran jumped into action hitting back-to-back threes, pushing Lipscomb to a 10-point lead midway through the first half, 19-9. The Bisons played smart and well-timed team defense throughout the first 10 minutes, holding the Bruins to just nine points. Belmont would use a big dunk to fuel a run as the Lipscomb lead stood at seven, 26-19, near the end of the first half. Moran hit another big three-pointer, which extended the Bison lead to 31-23 and then hit back-to-back free throws to give Lipscomb a 10 point lead, 33-23. Freshman Kenny Cooper made his presence felt as he sprinted down the court with five seconds left in the half and hit a layup with a half second left to give Lipscomb a 10-point lead once more. “That’s what he can do, and he’s a freshman,” Alexander said, “so he’s trying to figure it out, but these games right here help him grow up a lot.” Belmont came out of the half and scored six quick points to cut the lead...
