by Hunter Patterson | Nov 10, 2011 | News Slider
Teachers certified through Lipscomb are fairing well in their positions according to the latest state report card. Ranked third below Teach for America Memphis and Teach for America Nashville, Lipscomb graduates outshone more traditional colleges throughout the state. For the last four years, the state has done a report card on teacher preparation programs across the state. The state looks at those teachers’ impact on their particular students. The report looks at students’ scores on standardized tests – TCAP here in Tennessee – to see how much, if any, the students improved because of a graduate’s teaching ability. Once that is done, the results are then linked to the university that the teacher came from. “The connection is between the teacher prep program and how many of your graduates have some kind of statistically positive impact on students,” said Dr. Candice McQueen, dean of the education department at Lipscomb. Now a law within the state, the schools must report their “completers” to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. That means that everyone who graduates with a teaching degree must be reported to the commission so the reports can be filed. Lipscomb is fortunate enough to report several graduates as well. McQueen says the school’s placement rates are usually 95 percent or above. However, because of last year’s budget cuts, that rate was closer to 80 percent, which was still fairly high for the area. “We have school districts that really love our graduates,” McQueen said. “They will call us and recruit them, in a sense.” For this particular report, though, the state only looks at students that are in public...
by Emily Snell | Nov 8, 2011 | News Slider
A bus accident killed one Abilene Christian University student and left at least a dozen passengers injured Nov. 4 when the driver lost control on a curve, crashing the bus into a concrete culvert, causing it to roll and eject several students. ACU, Lipscomb’s sister school in Abilene, Texas, annually sends agriculture students to serve at a children’s home in Medina, a town about 230 miles from the university. The bus was carrying 12 students, three faculty and one faculty member’s wife. Anabel Reid, a 19-year-old student, was killed in the crash. Monday afternoon, Nov. 7, the ACU Optimist reported that two people were still in critical condition, three others were listed in good condition and three more were in fair condition. Seven had been treated and released. Several members of the Lipscomb faculty have ties to ACU and responded with heartfelt concern for the community. Kent Gallaher, chair of Lipscomb’s Department of Biology, taught at ACU from 2004 to 2008. He and ACU Professor Emmett Miller started the annual trip to Medina Children’s Home. “My dear friend Emmett Miller experienced major head trauma and a broken arm,” Gallaher said. “His wife, Pat, was very badly injured and, as of this morning, continues to be in a coma. “I’ve been in close contact with folks in Texas since Friday evening. It makes my heart ache,” he continued. “The annual Medina trip was something that Emmett and I did together. If I were still teaching there, I too would have been on that bus.” Lipscomb’s Jackie Halstead, associate director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality, worked at ACU for 12...
by Cory Woodroof | Nov 8, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
For a while there, all signs were pointing for Herman Cain to finally establish himself as the clear front-runner in the GOP primary race. Cain, the dynamic former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and hopeful Republican presidential candidate, came out of nowhere a few months ago and successfully became a contender in the already crowded race for the nomination. Cain’s straight-forward frankness, no-nonsense approach to national issues and lively personality has earned the favor of voters across the nation. I dare you to find someone who hasn’t heard of the “9-9-9” tax plan. Cain even recently topped fellow competitor Mitt Romney in a Rasmussen poll 26% to 23%, finally giving himself the edge in a race that has seen the rise and fall of many candidates. Cain seemed unstoppable, but, out of nowhere, a claim of sexual harassment against the candidate came to surface. A second woman came forward with the same allegations shortly after. Two more women followed suit. If anything can outright kill a run for president, it’s four allegations of sexual harassment. If it were just one, many would be quick to write the claims off as a smear campaign. Four is a different story. Whether this scandal will halt the Cain train in its tracks or present only a minor speed bump is yet to be seen, but if history repeats itself, scandals of a sexual nature and politics usually don’t mix. If this is the end for Herman Cain’s rise to power, I’m afraid that things aren’t looking well for the Republican Party. Cain is not the only person running for the nomination, though. Mitt...
by Hunter Patterson | Nov 7, 2011 | News Slider
Bad news travels fast — especially when one of your own gets arrested downtown. That was the case on Oct. 29 when Brett Flener was arrested along with 26 others at Legislative Plaza as a part of Occupy Nashville. One of the others arrested was Nashville Scene reporter Jonathan Meador. Meador was on the scene covering the protests, an assignment given to him by his editor. Once the Tennessee Highway Patrol started approaching, they did not recognize Meador as a member of the media…even though he was exclaiming the fact as they pushed him to the ground before cuffing his wrists. You’ve heard that story, though. Everyone in Nashville has. When the Middle Tennessee Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists learned of the story, they decided to take action against the governor and the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. On Saturday, SPJ learned of his arrest, prompting a chain of emails sent by the society’s president Deb Fisher and the other 11 members on the board. One of those members is Lipscomb Associate Professor of Communication Dr. Jimmy McCollum. “The deck was stacked against [Meador],” McCollum said. “It was dark, there were people all around and the troopers probably lumped everyone together.” McCollum says the board feels that the troopers should have paused when Meador said he was a member of the media and tried to verify that. The reports say that Meador never produced any press credentials during the time of his arrest. However, the THP never asked for credentials either, sparking outrage from the journalism community. The THP’s report says they smelled alcohol on...
by Hunter Patterson | Nov 6, 2011 | News Slider
In a letter to the Lipscomb community, University President Randy Lowry announced a major overhaul of the campus school. Thanks to donors Bill and Neika Stephens, the middle school will be moved from its current location to the site where the elementary school currently sits. The school will be a two-story K-8 building. In addition to the relocation of the middle school, a new campus school will be built on the property located between Granny White and the high school’s athletic complex. The buildings that the high school currently uses will be renovated and used by the university. The $10 million donation is the largest ever presented to the campus school and the third largest to the Lipscomb community. The letter reads as follows: I am pleased to share with you an announcement we made last night to our friends and supporters at the Associates Gala. The Stephens Christian Trust, an entity founded by Bill Stephens, has challenged us in our Lipscomb:Next effort by making a $10 million gift for Campus School. This represents the largest gift ever made to the Campus School and the third largest gift ever made to Lipscomb University. The gift has been given to support the activities and programs of the Campus School, the largest K-12 independent school in Middle Tennessee. In addition to announcing that gift last evening, I shared a vision for the Campus School that includes a renovated elementary school to be joined at Harding and Granny White by a new middle school on that site. The vision also includes a new high school on property already a part of the institutional overlay...
