Matt Deery remembered by friends, family during Aug. 23 memorial

Matt Deery remembered by friends, family during Aug. 23 memorial

Track and field standout Matt Deery was remembered Thursday, Aug. 23, as a good teammate and friend who had an infectious smile and impacted the lives of everyone around him. Teammate and roommate Nelson Scott said Deery enjoyed brightening the lives of others.The Lipscomb community gathered in Collins Alumni Auditorium to celebrate the life of Deery, who died Aug. 1 as the result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Upper Nazareth Township, Pa. He was honored by his teammates, coaches and university administrators during the service. “With his heartfelt smile and his kind words, Matt could make anyone’s day. He loved doing that,” said Scott. President L. Randolph Lowry told the friends, teammates, family members and others gathered for the service that they will not be alone in their time of need. “This is about a community. We will walk this journey with you,” he said. Deery, who would have been a sophomore this fall, was the ideal teammate. “He was loved and respected by everyone on the team. He pursued excellence with a passion. But he was humble and as concerned with his teammates as he was with himself,” said Bill Taylor, Lipscomb’s track and field head coach. “And, he was as tough as they come. He represented the type of athlete that we try to recruit and the people who make up this team.” The Phillipsburg, N.J., native became the first track and field athlete in Lipscomb history to earn second-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors at the conference indoor championship this past season with a second-place pole vault of 4.55m (14’11”). He also won a...
Renovations to student center, other areas planned during break

Renovations to student center, other areas planned during break

Renovations to the student center are only a small aspect of the construction changes occurring at Lipscomb this summer. Tom Wood, director of campus enhancement, said the university will be spending about $11 million on new construction and renovations to existing areas. The list of construction and renovation work includes moving the bookstore and Uncle Dave’s to the lower level of the student center, developing a lounge area and installing a Zebis deli and Auntie Anne’s pretzels in the current bookstore space, updating McFarland by painting and furnishing the lobby and creating a “dean’s suite,” adding air conditioning in the SAC and McQuiddy gyms, creating office spaces in the basement of Burton, finishing the Cool Springs campus, installing a new track for the high school and university track teams, adding an academic resource center in the library basement and completing the nursing building. Wood said the bookstore will move to the Arlo’s location on the lower level of the student center, creating additional food service space in the current book store area. Wood said the new set up will have Auntie Anne’s and Zebis and a more private eating/lounge space. “It offers some additional food service area,” he said. “I think a lot of students have said they would like a place that is semi-private where they can have some booths and things like that where they can have a little bit of privacy instead of being out in the middle of a room some place.” In the next year or so, Wood said the university plans to extend the Starbucks porch area around the rest of the building....

Atlantic Sun to replace Belmont with Northern Kentucky – Updated with quotes

The City Paper is reporting that Northern Kentucky University will replace the Belmont Bruins in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Northern Kentucky is currently in the Great Lakes Valley Conference out of NCAA Division II. The school has 15,000 students and is located just outside of Cincinatti. On Thursday afternoon, the Atlantic Sun formally invited NKU to join the A-Sun. Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and athletic director Phil Hutcheson released the following statements. “Lipscomb is pleased to welcome Northern Kentucky University to the Atlantic Sun Conference.  In a conversation with Northern Kentucky University’s President James Votruba I was most impressed with the desire of Northern Kentucky University for high level athletic competition but also for a strong emphasis on the academic success of student athletes. They will the join the schools currently in the Atlantic Sun who are committed to producing ‘Winners for Life.’  Lipscomb looks forward to Northern Kentucky University’s addition to our excellent conference and meeting them in Division I play.” Lipscomb Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson: “On behalf of Lipscomb’s coaches and student-athletes, I would like to welcome Northern Kentucky University to the Atlantic Sun Conference.  The Norse have been in the top echelon of Division II schools over the last several years and they will be a formidable opponent on the fields of play.” Belmont is leaving the Atlantic Sun for the Ohio Valley Conference effective July 1, 2012. The university has expressed interest in joining the OVC the last couple years, however, no position seemed fitting. The Atlantic Sun will have 10 members and have schools in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Kentucky. Northern Kentucky, like Lipscomb, does not have a football team. The university’s soccer...

Belmont departs from Atlantic Sun to join Ohio Valley Conference

Last month it was announced that Belmont would be the leaving the A-Sun and becoming 12th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. While it was announced on the 13th of May, Belmont will not officially join the OVC until July 1, 2012. Belmont president Robert Fisher was intentional in explaining that the move was a strategic one that was made for the student-athletes and the budget of the university. Belmont will have to pay $200,000 to leave the Atlantic Sun Conference, however, the school’s travel costs will drop immensely. “You don’t have to get on a plane to go anywhere,” Dr. Fisher said. “And the students won’t have to miss as many classes.” Missing classes is something that Belmont and Lipscomb have dealt with in the past because of the long travels the two schools make to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. This bodes even worse for Lipscomb now, since their travel partner will no longer be making the trips. Usually, Lipscomb and Belmont would share a plane when traveling to Florida to play teams like North Florida and Jacksonville. Now, Belmont’s longest road trip will be a six hour bus ride to Edwardsville, Ill. to play Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. All of Belmont’s current teams – other than men’s soccer –  will be recognized by the OVC in 2012. And despite reports, Belmont does not plan to add football anytime soon. With the addition of the Bruins, the OVC now has five teams in Tennessee: Austin Peay State, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and now, Belmont. Think of it this way; TSU...