University holds largest graduation to date

University holds largest graduation to date

Allen Arena was packed full with friends and family of the more than 630 students who crossed the stage to receive their diplomas Saturday, May 5 at the spring commencement, which was marked by several notable events. The arena was so full of graduates and guests that many members of the audience were left standing, and others overflowed into Collins Alumni Auditorium where the ceremony was broadcast live. Tennessee Speaker of the House, Beth Harwell, named Lipscomb’s 2012 Alumnus of the Year, shared a few words at the ceremony. She graduated from Lipscomb in 1978. Harwell said she could remember feeling both happy and nervous at her own graduation and wanted to offer words of affirmation to the students. “I will just give you this assurance,” she said, “David Lipscomb University has prepared you well for leadership—leadership in your homes, in your church, in business, in professions and in the community at large. So, I urge you to remember the principles that you’ve learned here at David Lipscomb University because they will serve you well in life.” University President Randy Lowry spoke briefly after the presentation of hoods and diplomas. He said he had four things he hoped for those in the graduating class. “I hope that you take a love of learning with you,” he said. “I hope that you’ll have forever a sense of belonging here… I hope you will be committed to service… It wouldn’t surprise you that we hope you take with you a sense of faith. “We love you,” he concluded. “We thank you for all you have done for us. We look forward now,...
First College of Pharmacy graduates honored

First College of Pharmacy graduates honored

The first graduating class of Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy was honored Friday afternoon during a Recognition Ceremony in Collins Alumni Auditorium. The ceremony included a presentation of awards, presentation of hoods, administration of the Oath of a Pharmacist as well as words of encouragement from Roger Davis, dean of the College of Pharmacy, Craig Bledsoe, provost, and Mike Fowler, vice chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, among others. Fowler, who was selected by students to deliver the faculty address, began his speech by looking back to Aug. 13, 2008—the beginning of Lipscomb’s pharmacy school. Fowler showed a few slides from the PowerPoint he used during his first lecture, outlining the expectations he had for his students. “Today we stand in the same place,” Fowler said. “We have great expectations for you.” Fowler played a clip from his favorite movie, The Karate Kid, which he played on the first day of class four years ago. He said the segment—well known for its concepts of wax on, wax off—displays “the epitome of teaching and learning.” “We had some bad times, individually and collectively,” Fowler said, “but there were also many good times—some successes and awards.” Fowler read a passage from Luke in which Jesus says, “For everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” “You have been given much—by your family, your friends, yourselves and each other,” Fowler said, “so I think it’s only fair that we tell you what we expect from you. What we really expect is that you’ll go out and be good pharmacists. We expect you to be good family members. We expect you to...

Lipscomb, Belmont to continue basketball series

NASHVILLE – They will be in two different conferences next season, but they still share the same boulevard. Lipscomb University remains in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but Belmont shifts to the Ohio Valley Conference beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year. But that doesn’t mean the basketball rivalry between the two schools, known as the “Battle of the Boulevard” is over. Today both schools are announcing that the rivalry will remain intact with Lipscomb hosting the first meeting on Friday, Nov. 9.  It will be the regular season opener for both teams. The rematch is Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Belmont. “It is a good thing for both teams and for both universities to continue playing,” Lipscomb Coach Scott Sanderson said. “There is so much attention put on both of those games every year. “The biggest difference is the games will be played in November and December instead of January and February. We will play the first game of the season here at Allen Arena. It will be a great atmosphere for both programs and both programs will benefit from it.” Ticket information will be available in early fall.   Press release from Lipscomb...

Bethany Eldridge named U.S. Fulbright Scholar

Lipscomb senior Bethany Eldridge was announced last week as a Fulbright U.S. Student grant recipient, allowing her to study global development in The Netherlands. The grant will send Eldridge, a soon-to-be graduate in law, justice and society, to the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands to obtain her master’s degree in European Studies on Society, Science and Technology. Eldridge said the first half of the one-year program is focused on background, study skills and techniques on how education and technology are used in global development, and the second half allows participants to do their own research. “It kind of means to me that all of my dreams and goals are happening, and there was a reason I’ve had this desire to do something larger than myself,” Eldridge said of what the award means to her. “Now I have the platform to do it. It kind of makes my life make sense now that things match up.” Eldridge said she hopes to use her Netherlands experience to learn how to better educate girls in developing nations. “I want to learn the practical steps in how you help the underserved girls in the world with education,” Eldridge said, “and how people have overcome [barriers] and what needs to be done still.” Paul Prill, director of the Honors College, serves as the faculty adviser for students interested in applying for the Fulbright program. He said the U.S. only awards 800 grants for undergraduate students, and he estimates that more than 15 thousand students apply each year. “She’s in the top one tenth of one percent of students in the country in terms of her intellectual ability...
Allen Bell Tower: Inside the Landmark

Allen Bell Tower: Inside the Landmark

Have you ever wondered how the bells in Allen Bell Tower chime? And no, there’s no tiny man with mallets jumping around from bell to bell. What is in the bell tower is a called a carillon.  A carillon is an assortment of various sizes of bells, controlled by a wooden structure similar to a piano.  In order for a bell to ring, its corresponding wooden handle is pushed down. Songs can be programmed and produced automatically, though, so no one has to sit in the bell tower staring at his watch, waiting to ring the bells so that students will know chapel is starting. Donna King, Lipscomb’s resident carilloneur, is in charge of playing and recording music for the carillon.  Most of the melodies you hear are recorded, but for special events like graduation, King plays live music. “It really makes a difference in the sound,” King says about playing live. When the carillon plays automatically, the bells are struck from the outside rather than the inside, and so the sound loses the nuance of a live performance. King learned how to play the carillon when Allen Bell Tower was built in 1999.  Then a Lipscomb piano teacher, she was selected to learn, care for and record melodies on the carillon. “It’s easy to learn the carillon,” King said, “but it’s hard to be good at it.  A carillon is a quirky thing.” For those desiring to play better, some universities offer majors in carillon.  There are even carillon schools where students’ only option is studying carillon performance. The carillon in Allen Bell Tower is made up of 35...

Lumination Newscast – April 20, 2012

On the semester’s final installment of Lumination News, Hunter Patterson and Caitlin Selle are behind the news desk bring you up to speed on what’s happened in the last week and what is going to happen next week. Plus, the latest in entertainment from Jessic Burke, weather from Clay Smith and sports from Wade Funderburg round out the rest of the week’s show. Lumination Newscast, April 20, 2012 from lumination Network on...