Lipscomb will soon break ground on a new satellite campus in Cool Springs. The 5,000 sq. foot building will be used for graduate programs as well as working with community of Brentwood and Franklin. Provost Craig Bledsoe submitted a letter to faculty, and it can be read in full below.
As you know, providing new and creative ways for students to access a Lipscomb education has been a hallmark of our academic vision. While our graduate programs continue to grow in number and quality, we are now focusing on taking these programs to strategic markets where we can enhance our student population and offer access to Lipscomb’s mission and purpose without having to be physically located on our Nashville campus. Last year, the College of Education began offering graduate education classes at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro and at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin and has tripled enrollment in those cohorts in just two years.
As we strategically continue to move forward with this initiative, I want to keep you informed along the way. Recently, we finalized a lease on nearly 5,000 square feet of space in Cool Springs to host Lipscomb’s first university-operated satellite facility. Our research has found that the demographics of Williamson County make it one of the best counties in the country to offer graduate education. Williamson County leaders are excited about Lipscomb University being a part of their community and partnering with us as we seek to serve its residents just as we have the Nashville community.
This satellite campus will be located in the Thoroughbred Village III Professional Plaza at the corner of Cool Springs Boulevard and Aspen Grove Drive. It will enable Lipscomb to expand its academic programming to offer a convenient option to residents and businesses in the Williamson County area that compliments the programming on the Nashville campus. This site allows us to promote and grow our existing programs to a new market, while providing a much-needed service to this region. Academic programming for this site is in the planning stages and we solicit your creative ideas and input.
But, the vision for this campus goes beyond offering traditional academic programming. The facility, which will be referred to as “Spark. Ignited by Lipscomb University,” is designed to be space that triggers bright ideas in learning, business, faith, the community and more. A technology-rich facility, Spark will offer flexible space and innovative delivery systems not only for academic programming but as a meeting space for corporations and community organizations in the area making this a revenue-producing facility for the university. Construction on Spark will begin in the next few weeks with anticipated completion in early 2012.
Spark will be led by Dr. John Lowry who will manage the day-to-day operations of the facility. John will maintain his academic role as an assistant professor of management and continue to work on special projects for the College of Business. John has been very involved in serving the Williamson County community as a board member for the Brentwood/Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce and is a member of Leadership Brentwood. He has also worked with a variety of Williamson County businesses through the College of Business’ School of Executive Education. This Thursday night, Lipscomb will receive the Business Partnership Award from the Brentwood/Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce in appreciation for the College of Business’ leadership in Williamson County.
We will be announcing this to the general public soon, but I wanted you to know well in advance of that announcement. We look forward to seeing how this concept sparks new opportunity for the university!
W. Craig Bledsoe