by Amanda McDowell | Oct 28, 2010 | News Slider
On Wednesday evening, Oct. 20, Lipscomb students walked away with much more than a chapel credit. After watching “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” in Shamblin Theater, Cyntoia’s powerful life story came to light. The documentary on her life, made over a six-year period, tells of Cyntoia’s past. At 16 years old, Cyntoia Brown, a young woman with a troubled past, was forced to face the reality that the rest of her life would almost certainly be spent behind bars. Now, she is an inmate at the Tennessee Prison for Women and a participant in Lipscomb’s LIFE program. The program, which began in 2007, is dedicated to educating inmates to change their lives for the better. Brown was 16 when she killed Johnny Allen, a 43-year-old Nashvillian who picked her up while she was streetwalking at a Sonic Restaurant. Cyntoia had run away from home and was forced to work as a prostitute for a violent drug dealer. As a result, she encountered Allen on the night of Aug. 6, 2004. After riding with Allen back to his home, Brown began to fear for her safety. Allen had begun talking about guns and his time spent as an army sharp shooter, frightening comments that ultimately led Cyntoia to shoot Allen in the head. Her murder conviction at age 18 led her to the prison cell she now calls home. Cyntoia still claims that she shot Allen in fearful self-defense, after he allegedly reached for a gun. Her fate was then determined, despite family testimony from both her biological and adoptive mothers of a troubled and abusive childhood. Jurors still convicted...
by Kathryn Claire Watts | Oct 28, 2010 | News Slider
It was announced Monday that U2 would finally be making its way back to Nashville after 30 years of passing the Music City on their global tours. They will be playing at Vanderbilt’s Hawkin’s Field on July 2, 2011, with their brand new 360° tour set to launch next year. The band hasn’t played in this city since 1981, before they were ever named international superstars. Tickets go on sale this Friday, Oct. 29, through TicketMaster, LiveNation, or Vanderbilt’s box office. U2 resonates with many generations. Clint Williams, Lipscomb’s coordinator of enrollment information, remembers listening to U2 a long time ago. “U2’s album Boy was the second cassette tape I ever bought,” Williams said. “They had a huge impact on my musical taste. I’m super excited about U2 coming to Nashville. Right now I’m still debating the cost of good seats and overall experience, but it will be such an awesome concert!” Daniel Jordan, a freshman from Bossier City, La., went to their concert last October in Dallas, and is excited that they’re making their way to Music City. “Their concert experience is unlike any other,” Jordan said. “The music paired with the sets is really moving. It’s definitely something you won’t want to miss.” Classically dubbed a “second-tier” city, Nashville has historically been skipped over by big-name acts. But lately, Music City has been getting its fair share of big names. Recent acts have included Coldplay, Justin Bieber and even Paul McCartney. In the next year Nashville will host Lady GaGa, Michael Bublé and John Mellencamp, to name a few. Artists have begun recognizing Nashville as a big-ticket city and are...
by Hunter Moss | Oct 25, 2010 | News Slider
Public relations students and advisers met newsman Bob Schieffer while visiting the set of CBS Face the Nation in Washington, D.C. The four students and two advisers were attending the PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) national conference when they had the chance to visit the newsroom Oct. 17. Linda Peek Schacht, Lipscomb professor and Washington insider, provided them the opportunity to meet her friend Bob Schieffer. The PRSSA officers were greeted warmly by producers and then received a studio tour. Hunter Moss, as Lipscomb University PRSSA chapter president, presented Schieffer with an autographed Hatch show print from last spring’s Music from the Mountain concert, the Lipscomb event that honored musical legend Mother Maybelle Carter. One of Schieffer’s hobbies is playing the guitar and listening to folk music, and Mother Maybelle, the late matriarch of the Carter Family, revolutionized the way a guitar is played. “I’m thankful for [Schacht’s] friendship and this Hatch print from Lipscomb University, ” Schieffer said. “These artists are my musical heroes.” Hatch prints, are done the old-fashioned way, an artform still kept alive in their lower Broadway printshop, which is affiliated with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. As the program began in the studio, the students sat in the control room. The show’s guests included former head of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Republican strategist Liz Cheney — daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney — and Bill Galston, former adviser to President Clinton. Students experienced a heated debate between the outspoken duo of Dean and Cheney, who argued over campaign contributions. After the show, Schieffer invited...
by Hunter Moss | Oct 21, 2010 | News Slider
President Lowry announced the newly established Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership at the quarterly Nashville Business Breakfast today. Several distinguish guests were in attendance including Governor Bredesen and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. Bearing the names of influential community leaders Nelson and Sue Andrews, who significantly shaped Nashville and the Middle Tennessee community throughout their lives, the institute will continue to promote the Andrews’ legacy of civic leadership through academic programs, community engagement and a leadership council. Former corporate executive and White House veteran Linda Peek Schacht will serve as the institute’s executive director. Since arriving at Lipscomb in 2008, Schacht has taught as associate professor within the departments of history, politics and philosophy and communication. The new institute will focus on establishing a master’s degree in civic leadership in fall 2011. Also, a website (leadingvoices.lipscomb.edu) devoted to civic entrepreneurship will serve as a national interactive link among community leaders, including working papers, regular blogs and results of research. “Nelson Andrews was the model of a successful civic leader, with Sue at his side as partner and friend,” said Lowry. “Over the past couple of years, Mr. Andrews and I discussed the importance of leadership education and training”. The morning’s breakfast concluded with Governor Bredesen speaking on Tennessee’s economic development over the past eight years. Several executives and vice presidents stood behind him as evidence: Hemlock Semiconductor Group’s Rick Doornbus, Volkswagen Group of America’s David Geanacopoulos and Assurion’s Bryon Smith. “I hold a debt to repay Nelson Andrews”, says Governor Bredesen. “He played a huge role in mentoring and preparing me for leadership in government”. The late...
by Hunter Patterson | Oct 21, 2010 | Sports
The ultimate frisbee was at it again last weekend. Competing against schools like Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Emory and several others, the Bisons took seventh place in the tournament. Lipscomb posted a 3-3 record on the weekend. While this tournament was a big deal, the real season begins in the Spring. Then, the team will play against schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi and other SEC schools. Please upgrade your...
