December commencement honors record number of fall graduates

As another semester came to a close this week, another group of Lipscomb students walked across the stage in Allen Arena Saturday afternoon to receive their diplomas. Lipscomb University’s December commencement ceremony honored the 414 students earning their undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. The number of honorees at Saturday’s commencement is a fall record for the university. University president Randy Lowry mentioned the special feeling that accompanies graduation day. “There was a day, two, three, four, five, six years ago that was a day of great anticipation, and today, we have the end of that experience – a day of great celebration,” Lowry said. Areas of degree study ranged from a doctoral degree in Learning Organization and Strategic Change to a bachelor’s degree of Social Work. During the ceremony, Lipscomb alum David J. Clayton was honored as the Young Alumnus of the Year, while history professor Richard Goode was honored with the Kopio Award. Associate professor and academic chair of the nutrition department Autumn Marshall led the university’s Alma Mater. Lumination Photo Editor Whitney Jarreld and regular contributors Ariel Jones and Monaih Sam were among those to receive diplomas. Visit the university’s website for stories about three of Saturday’s...

Lipscomb president Randy Lowry speaks of past, present and future at ‘Now That You Ask…’ conversation

Lipscomb president Randy Lowry sat down with Tom Ingram for the newest installment of the “Now That You Ask…” series Tuesday night, shedding light on his time as president of the university.  President Lowry is the 17th president of the school. He has been the president for the past seven years, and in his tenure, student enrollment has increased by 82%. Before coming to Lipscomb, Lowry had only visited once before. “I had heard of it, but I really didn’t know much about it,” Lowry said. Since Lowry became the president at Lipscomb, there have been many changes to the way things are done. Lowry was asked how he has succeeded in making so many changes to the institution. “Well, enrollment had been down for several years, the budget had been adjusted for each of those years, and what I think we found was a community that was really hungry for a new future, a new level of engagement, a sense of success,” Lowry said. “So, a little bit of hunger gives you the opportunity as a leader to move things fairly quickly.” Lowry went on to talk about some of the changes he is the most proud of and what else there is to do at Lipscomb. “I’m proud of our engagement with the community. When I arrived it seemed to me we were a little comfortable in Green Hills and a little removed from whatever was going on in the life of the city,” Lowry said. “People encouraged me to engage, and the city has been so responsive to us.” Lowry said that while he believes that...

GMA Dove Awards announce nominations at Allen Arena

Wednesday morning, the Gospel Music Association announced the nominations for the 44th annual Dove Awards in the Hall of Fame room at Allen Arena. The Dove Awards will be hosted on Lipscomb’s campus in Allen Arena for the first time after spending two years in Atlanta. Lipscomb President Randy Lowry welcomed the awards to the university, emphasizing the importance of the event’s ultimate goal of spreading the Gospel. Mayor Karl Dean also offered some opening thoughts, welcoming the award show back to Nashville, its original home. Artists Mandisa, Dailey & Vincent and Jason Crabb were among those present to announce the nominations. Notable nominees included Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae, Tamela Mann, Chris Tomlin, Tasha Cobbs, TobyMac, NEEDTOBREATHE and Matt Redman. Presenters and talent will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the actual awards show, which will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Allen Arena at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently available on the Dove Awards’ official website. For a full list of nominations, visit the event’s...