by Logan Butts | May 4, 2014 | News Slider
Due to a record number of graduates, Lipscomb University held two commencement ceremonies for the spring 2014 graduates Saturday afternoon in Allen Arena. Over 800 students received their undergrad, graduate or doctorate degrees in the ceremonies, including those who received Lipscomb’s first ever doctorate of ministry degrees. During the undergraduate ceremony, Director of the Beaman Library and 30-year faculty member Carolyn Wilson offered words of wisdom for the graduating students. “My father told me when I began my first career, which was teaching, that I should not determine success in terms of just monetary rewards,” Wilson said. Lipscomb president Randy Lowry also spoke during the ceremony, commenting on the bittersweet feelings of graduation day. “You’re on a path right now, and I know it’s hard to look back and look forward at the same time, but I want you to take a moment to think about that,” Lowry said. “Every path connects you not only to where you are going, but also to where you’ve been. “I hope you spend time celebrating. The past is a wonderful thing for us to recognize. But then there’s the future. The future is in some ways very uncertain and in other ways not so much.” During the undergraduate ceremony, David Sampson, President and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, was awarded with the prestigious Alumnus of the Year award. Sampson has also worked in the government as the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and assistant secretary of commerce for economic development in the George W. Bush administration. In a change from the usual solo performance, Lipscomb’s Alma Mater...
by Aaron Schmelzer | Apr 25, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Student athletes and coaches filled the court of Allen Arena on Thursday night, but this time, it was not for a game. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the inaugural Lippy Awards in Allen Arena to honor various members of Lipscomb University’s sports teams. The awards show was hosted by student TJ Ojehomon and women’s soccer assistant coach Chris Klotz. Both female and male athletes of the year were competitive categories, but for the female award, sophomore cross country/track and field runner Dani Walker and junior volleyball player Jewell Dobson tied. On the men’s side, track and field high-jumper Gemikal Prude, who broke the high jump record earlier in the year, won as well. Prude said that winning the award was a blessing. “Winning this is quite the blessing,” Prude said. “It’s a feeling that can’t really be described, especially when you feel as if you’re undeserving.” The biggest award of the night, the Best Team Award, went to the women’s track and field/cross country. Senior runner Lacey Printz said that the team worked hard and credited the coaches and team captains for keeping the team focused. “This is the most incredible team we’ve had, and we just love running together and just having fun and doing it for God’s glory,” Printz said. To open the night, the James R. Byers Award was presented to senior track and field sprinter Tucker Peabody, senior volleyball player Caitlin Dotson and junior cross country/track and field runner Tessa Hoefle. The award is given to a top senior athlete who displays outstanding Christian leadership and excels academically and athletically. The honors had...
by Cory Woodroof | Apr 20, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
Just because someone is king of his craft doesn’t mean he’ll ever stop learning, and for one of sports’ most respected and successful individuals, learning is something that never ceases. At the sixth annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence, Baseball Hall of Famer and legendary Chicago Cub Ernie Banks taught all in attendance at Allen Arena the values of the learning process. “I’m just a learning person,” Banks said. As a part of the event, attendees got the chance to learn a little bit about Banks’ past, hear about his interactions with some of baseball’s great players and take to heart some of the wisdom he shared in a conversation with Jonathan Seamon. Banks, 83, is one of baseball’s most admired individuals. An icon in Wrigley Field on Chicago’s north side, the man beloved as “Mr. Cub” has amassed a large number of honors. Not only is he a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. His Cubs’ jersey number was retired and there’s a statue in his honor at Wrigley Field. He’s also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom – an award given him by President Barack Obama, another well-known Chicagoan, in 2013. Banks shared ballfields with such baseball legends as Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ron Santo and Roberto Clemente. Banks shared an anecdote about a time he encountered the legendary Robinson during a time out at the plate. The two met, and Robinson offered him sage words that impacted Banks – the importance of being silent and learning. “That’s what Jackie [Robinson] told me, you know, ‘just listen and learn,’ and that’s what I did,” Banks said. “For the young people today, that’s...
by Logan Butts | Apr 16, 2014 | News Slider
Three-year-old Rayan Abidi’s wish of going to Disney World was granted thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the members of Lipscomb social club Pi Delta. Abidi, his parents and his brother will all be going to the popular Orlando, Fla., destination. The project was headed by recent Lipscomb graduate Camille Fraser. Fraser was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 13 and also received a trip to Disney World with her family through Make-A-Wish. Fraser said she was excited to see her project help grant Abidi’s wish just as her wish was granted. “It’s so exciting, and having a similar experience myself just a few years ago made it emotional,” Fraser said. “Getting to see the joy in another family’s eyes and knowing that their one true wish is coming true and getting to share in that is awesome.” Pi Delta members worked throughout the 2013-14 school year to raise the money needed to fund Abidi’s wish through events like Cocoa and Carols in December, a first for a Lipscomb group. The group raised the goal of $7,500 to fund the trip. Wednesday, the group led Abidi on a Disney-themed scavenger hunt across campus. The scavenger hunt began in the Swang Business Center and concluded in Allen Arena’s Hall of Fame Room with the surprise of a trip to Disney World hidden, appropriately, in a treasure chest. The members of Pi Delta dressed up as various Disney characters to help Abidi find clues at each of the stops in the scavenger hunt. “My sisters in Pi Delta worked so hard.” Fraiser said. “Seeing the joy that they had as...
by Carter Sanderson | Apr 12, 2014 | News Slider, Sports
March Madness may be over, but because of Ty Osman II, the ball has not stopped bouncing just yet. March 2013 marked the first of what will now be the annual Ty Osman II 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, and the time has come around again to host the second annual games. This is an event to honor a young man who lost his life in a car accident in 2012. Ty Osman II is a former Harding student and member of Woodmont Hills Church of Christ, and to honor Ty and his family, Woodmont has invited everyone, both students and adults, to gather in fun competition on Saturday, April 12, in Allen Arena starting at 8 a.m. Ty’s father, Ty Osman, expressed his appreciation for the event. “It’s really an honor to us,” Ty Osman said. “We didn’t put it together, but someone put it together for us because they knew he loved basketball.” The event is free of charge, and all the donations will go to benefit Donate Life Tennessee. Several lives have been impacted since the passing of Osman, as he was an organ donor, and seven people are now using his organs. To encourage others to become donors, the Ty2 Foundation is hosting this second annual tournament to help the legacy of Ty live on. Ty Osman II was a basketball player himself, and his father, family and friends wanted to have a memory that would not only celebrate his life, but bring joy to the lives of those celebrating. “You know, we don’t want everyone to to sit around having a cry fest because...
