by Emily Snell | Sep 7, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
In this week’s installment of Lumination News, Crystal Davis and Jeremy Keck are behind the news desk to update you about what’s going on at Lipscomb. Monaih Sam shares what’s new in Lipscomb and local sports, Kelly Dean fills you in on entertainment news, Clay Smith offers a fresh look at politics, and Nicci Carney updates you on the weather forecast. Videos feature the grand opening of ZeBi and Auntie Anne’s, Lipscomb’s Behavior Intervention Team, College Colors Day, the university’s club ultimate frisbee team, a student art gallery, a gardening project at Lipscomb Academy, and Nashville Spotlight on Essex Bargain Hunt....
by Emily Snell | Sep 5, 2012 | Uncategorized
After leaving Zimbabwe, a small country in Southern Africa, and teaching at two other Church of Christ universities for several years, Dr. Florah Mhlanga came to Lipscomb in August 2011 as a biology professor. Mhlanga, one of nine children, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Zimbabwe before obtaining her master’s and doctorate degrees at Michigan State University. She has two children, Carl, 15, and Craig, 10, and her husband, Fortune, is director of Lipscomb’s School of Computing and Informatics. Mhlanga said she came to the United States from Zimbabwe with her husband and their two sons in 2002 because the political and economic climate in Zimbabwe was beginning to “deteriorate.” “We never thought we would leave Zimbabwe,” she said, noting that she was a professor and chair of her department at the University of Zimbabwe. An opportunity arose at that time, Mhlanga said, for them to teach at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala., and she said she believes it was a blessing from God. “We thought it was a God-sent opportunity to shield us from some of the problems that really we were experiencing — the political and economic problems in Zimbabwe,” she explained. “We thought it was really God’s call or a blessing, in a way, from God that he opened this avenue for us to leave Zimbabwe and to go to Alabama to work there.” Mhlanga said the condition of the political and economic system in Zimbabwe gave her concern for her children and their ability to have opportunities. “It was going to be very difficult to educate them, to find a good educational system...
by Brianne Welch | Aug 28, 2012 | News Slider
Students noticed a variety of changes to campus when they returned to school this fall. Over the summer break, the student center received major renovations as did Elam dormitory, McFarland, the new nursing building and several other areas around campus. Students seemed to take most notice of the renovations to the student center. From freshmen to students who have already graduated, many students seemed eager to share their opinions about the new setup. Several students said they appreciated the additional seating that now exists in a new lounge area where the bookstore used to be located. “I really like the way the student center is set up because everything is in a very convenient place, and there is a lot of seating,” said freshman Tanner Sanders. “I like the renovations at the student center because it gives you more room for seating,” said junior Ashley Anderson. Anderson and other students noted that they were disappointed with the removal of Sub Connection to make room for the bookstore downstairs. “I don’t like that they took out our only sub shop,” she said. Some students saw the increase in seating as an opportunity for even more growth. “I like that there’s more seating,” said Lipscomb graduate Alex Ross, “but if [the school] has that much seating, I wish they would have put in another store.” To hear more of what students think about the renovations, watch this video by Ariel...
by Emily Snell | Aug 27, 2012 | News Slider
Two armed Campus Security and Safety officers are on patrol during every shift this semester. Brad Wyatt, director of security, and Phil Ellenburg, Lipscomb’s general counsel, said the university has been working on the arming process for a few years. “For the last five years, we’ve been really intentional about upgrading all of our security and safety, emergency planning, everything across the board for the institution,” Ellenburg said. “We’re trying to improve and increase our professionalism. Over the last five years a lot of improvements have been made, but over the last two years, we’ve had a very intentional process where we’ve done several things, and the arming component was a part of that whole process.” Ellenburg said there weren’t specific events that prompted the decision to begin the armed patrols over the summer, rather it was “a normal step in enhanced service.” Wyatt said Lipscomb’s security and safety department, in recent years, intentionally has been hiring officers who would fit the qualifications for an armed officer. The department created a “Security Officer II” position, which requires an advanced security background for example as a police officer, military police officer, armed hospital or prison security officer. Wyatt and Ellenburg said all of the university’s security officers are licensed with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, which handles both unarmed and armed security licensing. “Our internal policies as far as training and standards for officers are a lot higher than the baseline for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance,” Ellenburg said. In addition to licensing, Lipscomb hired a security expert from the Boston area to analyze the campus...
by Nicci Carney | Aug 25, 2012 | News Slider
Record-setting enrollment, the start of a new semester and changes to overflow parking have students concerned about the on-campus parking situation. Most of the overflow parking lot at Stokes Elementary School has been closed for Lipscomb parking, and the closest parking lot near the campus is at Lipscomb Academy’s football field, 10 minutes away from campus. Students affected the most by this change are the upperclassmen, commuter students. Lipscomb senior Gillian Pulley said she is not happy about how parking has been managed since she has been a student here at Lipscomb. “I feel like parking should not be as bad as it is,” she said. “As an upperclassmen, I don’t want to park 10 miles away or 10 minutes walk away from campus.” Students say parking far away from campus is not only inconvenient, but at night, it can become an issue of safety. “When I leave campus and come back late at night, I can’t find parking near my dorm, and I have to park very far away,” said freshman Michaela Canter. Junior Daniel Cal said the move from Stokes to the high school football field could result in even more difficulty getting to school on time. “We already had a far walk [from Stokes],” he said. “Now that we are at the football field, it’s that much farther. If you’re already late, then it makes it that much harder.” Kim Chaudoin, director of University Communication and Marketing, sent emails to students and faculty announcing the sudden changes to parking and updating the Lipscomb community mid-week. “Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we...
