The Magazine for Alumni and Friends
FALL 2026
Vol. Vol.20 21No.2 No. 1
30 YEARS OF GLOBAL CITIZENS Global Learning celebrates three decades of forming Lipscomb alumni with global perspectives and insight. Page 14
FROM PAST TO PRESENT:
Move-In Day Backlog, 1960
Every student begins their college career with the same exciting and stressful, joyful and tiring memory: move-in day. A long, hot day of transportation, building furniture, following directions and last-minute purchases before ending the day by renewing relationships and building new ones with fellow Bisons. Foot lockers have turned into FRÄKTA® storage bags, phonographs have turned into iPhones, typewriters have turned into notebook computers and
décor has changed from high school diplomas and pennants to Lego® plants and LED string lights. And, of course, a singleserve, Keurig machine is a must! Over the years, move-in day at Lipscomb has become an even more meaningful and, hopefully, less stressful day thanks to changes designed to promote community and show Lipscomb’s servant spirit. In the 2000s, Lipscomb began recruiting volunteers to help freshman students and their families move into their dorms. Faculty, staff, Quest Week student staff and even volunteers from local churches come to campus, don matching T-shirts and lend a helping hand. Today students are given scheduled arrival times to unload their cars, an idea tried-out during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic which stuck around as it reduced congestion on campus during the mass residential changeover. These days tents with free water bottles and snacks and grocery carts for moving personal items can be seen on campus throughout those hot days in August. But no matter the temperature, students of any generation are always excited to begin their new college life as a Bison.
The Magazine for Alumni and Friends Vol. 21 No. 1
2 ........Message from the President
22 ......Alumni Travel
3 ........In the Now: Latest News
35.......Bison Notes
8 ........Lipscomb Bisons: Athletics
48 ......Alumni News
Features 14 —
ON THE COVER
Bisons Go Global It’s been thirty years since the first Lipscomb in Vienna trip, and close to , students have been formed through global travel and perspectives since .
Cover Photo: Hallstatt, Austria, taken by Shelby Smith Mick (LA ’, BA ’), member of the cohort of the Lipscomb in Vienna program..
26 —
Lipscomb Rising 2030 Lipscomb’s new strategic plan lays out five strategic imperatives to guide funding and resource allocation for the next four years while also acknowledging the
enduring commitments the university has held throughout its -year history.
Alumni 23 Telling the Tales of Tennessee — Communities with Music and Fun As one-half of the social media comedy duo Austin & Colin, Austin Bever
(BS ’) is bringing nationwide digital attention to small towns and winning an Emmy Award for his efforts.
28 —
History Held in Good Hands Three decades of history graduates are now the ones charged with preserving the
state’s historic roots. Each day they bring their passion for history and its value in shaping our world today to some of the state’s premier historic organizations.
Editor Kim Chaudoin Senior Managing Editor Janel Shoun-Smith Writers Kim Chaudoin Janel Shoun-Smith Photography Kristi Jones Lipscomb Athletics Design Emily Kinney Will Mason
Produced by the Office of Public Relations & Communications. Lipscomb Now is published by Lipscomb University®. Go to lipscomb.edu/now to read more. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Lipscomb Now, Alumni Relations Lipscomb University One University Park Drive Nashville, Tennessee 37204-3951 ©2026 Lipscomb University. All Rights Reserved. Degree abbreviations follow standard academic abbreviations except for: (LA), alumni of Lipscomb Academy; (AD) associate degree; (GC), alumni who have completed a graduate certificate; and (A) non-degreed alumni or those whose degree is unknown.
We Are Lipscomb 7 ....... The joy of Christ on campus every day 11...... Serving up a Bison Wimbledon appearance 33 ..... History student chosen as historic first 37...... Lipscomb graduate student earns Fulbright honor 39...... Business student deemed best and brightest 41...... Alumna builds up her community with play café 43 ..... Designed for students by students 44 ..... Meet a ministerial Renaissance man LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
1
Message from the President
Building on the foundation of history to create the history of tomorrow I’ve been thinking a lot about history lately. As I saw the excited faces of the Class of arriving on campus this past August as freshmen, I couldn’t help but think about how history is not merely a record of the past—it is a living foundation upon which we build the future. Each of those students is building their own history and adding to the -year history of Lipscomb each day as they engage with each other, study and live out their faith on our campus. They are the latest chapter in the long history of our Christ-centered mission that David Lipscomb and James A. Harding entrusted to us in . This year not only are we marking our th birthday as an institution, but we have also been deeply considering through a strategic visioning process how our historic mission—helping students become who God created them to be—should be enacted in today’s world of technological revolutions, through cultural shifts and educational transformations. It is not hard to see how faithful stewardship of our Christian mission has shaped lives across generations.Within the pages of this magazine alone, you can see how one administration’s conviction that immersion in another culture develops faithful, global citizens has positively impacted students’ lives over the past years (page ). Since the Lipscomb in Vienna program was established in , close to , students have not only built life-changing skills for their careers and purposeful lives through Lipscomb’s study abroad programs but have also returned home with eyes opened to the fact that “…the One who created the universe created me and cares for me.” This is the power of a long-held mission faithfully preserved and boldly applied to new generations. Or consider our history graduates. This magazine highlights three different generations now serving as the guardians of Tennessee’s heritage (page ). They preserve archival records, operate historic sites and safeguard more than , artifacts at the Tennessee State Museum. Their motivations, however, go beyond merely preserving history to actively making the past a valuable tool or resource for the public—a servant leadership they learned here at Lipscomb as many as five decades ago.
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LIPSCOMB NOW
This year President Candice McQueen traveled with the 2026 Presidential Leader Scholars to Florence, Italy, one of Lipscomb’s three sites for semesterlong study abroad programs.
From our latest Fulbright awardee (page ) to a social media comedy sensation who strives to promote the positive (page ), years after its founding Lipscomb University students and alums are still discovering and carrying out their callings in “whatever sphere they are called to labor,” as David Lipscomb dreamed in . As we stand at this historic milestone, we also stand at a threshold. The world our students will enter is vastly different from the one David Lipscomb knew, yet their need for purpose, for spiritual formation and for vocational calling is timeless. Through a new strategic plan, Lipscomb Rising , we are building on our history of faithful mission to meet this moment. This plan calls us to ask the questions the next generations need answered at a time of artificial intelligence, changing workforce trends, declining trust, and rising loneliness and anxiety. Questions of identity and purpose: Who am I? What is true? How should I live? Where do I belong? These questions require more than information. They require formation. Lipscomb Rising recognizes that the next generation does not simply need preparation for a career, they need preparation for a life of purpose. But we cannot do this alone. Just as David Lipscomb and James A. Harding needed faithful supporters to launch this great work years ago, we need you today. I invite you to read more about the plan in the pages of this magazine (page ) and to think about how you, as a member of the Lipscomb community, could rise to meet the needs of a changing world without compromising the timeless truth that has always guided our mission. Together, we will continue forming lives, cultivating purpose and boldly providing what the world needs. And we can rest assured that the students we form through Lipscomb Rising today will be shaping the history of tomorrow for the better.
Dr. Candice McQueen (BS ’96) President, Lipscomb University
now IN THE
Paddling to victory The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering’s concrete canoe team is certainly NOT up a creek without a paddle. The exact opposite actually, as the team has consistently advanced to the national competition for the past five years, and in , the team surged ahead to place within the top in the nation. Made up largely of civil engineering students (but any engineering major can participate), the team has won the American Society of Civil Engineer’s annual MidSouth regional competition each year since
. At the nationals, the team competed against regional champs from across the United States, Canada, China and India. Check out below how the students have paddled up the creek to victory over the past five years.
2026
2025 2024
2023
2022
National 11th Place in the Races Regional First Place Win
National Ninth Place Overall Win* National Eighth Place in the Races** Regional First Place Win (scored a perfect 100 points)
National 15th Place in the Races Regional First Place Win *Overall awards are based on scores in project proposal, technical presentation, final product prototype and performance in five races. **Places in the canoe races awarded based on points earned in five types of canoe races.
National 13th Place in the Races Regional First Place Win
National “Spirit of Competition” Award National 11th Place in the Races Regional First Place Win
Student-produced documentary on Gen. Robert Neyland aired in Nashville
throughout June.
This past spring, audiences in Nashville got a special chance
location and collaborating throughout the editing and production process.
University of Tennessee-Knoxville football coach, thanks to a
Elizabeth Gentry Brown
“The Bull,” produced by two School of Communication
biography of Neyland,
to learn more about Gen. Robert Neyland, the legendary
Lipscomb student-produced documentary film.
students under the guidance of veteran journalist and
former Lipscomb professional-in-residence Demetria
Kalodimos, was shown in a live public screening followed
by a panel discussion on May (pictured at right) and
aired on Nashville Education, Community and Arts Television’s (NECAT) Ben Barry (BA ’) and Anastasia Boldyreva (BA ’) helped lead the
project by conducting interviews, working with archival materials, filming on The documentary grew out of research by Tim Johnson, Lipscomb’s
Chair of History, whose
Robert Neyland: The West
Point Engineer Who Built
Tennessee Football, was released this July.
LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
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now IN THE
Lipscomb enrolls Tennessee’s first 24 CAA students out of 300 applications
The first students ever in a Master of Science in Anesthesiology program in Tennessee began their courses at Lipscomb in August. Twenty-four students were accepted out of more than applicants for the state’s first program to prepare Certified Anesthesiology Assistants (CAAs). Following the enactment of new state law in January, CAAs can now practice in Tennessee, and Lipscomb stepped forward to establish the first academic program in the state to equip CAAs. The program has seen overwhelming interest from potential students, and the first cohort includes students from both Nashville and across the nation with medical-school level credentials, said Todd Christian, founding program director. “The reality in Tennessee is that there are operating rooms that are not open right now all across the state because they don’t have anesthesia care to provide for surgeons,” said Christian. “There’s more surgeons and demand for surgeries then there are anesthesia providers to support those surgeries.” Christian arrived at Lipscomb in October to begin building the program, which is the first-of-its-kind to be housed in a College of Pharmacy. In March, Christian became the first CAA to be certified to practice in Tennessee, with a license number of . He brings to Lipscomb a multi-faceted background in clinical anesthesia, pharmacy, military healthcare and law enforcement, combining extensive operating room experience with a strong commitment to mentorship and service.
Lipscomb students will gain hands-on clinical experience with patients ranging from neonates to geriatrics. Over the course of the program, students will provide anesthesia for surgeons across all specialty services, including dedicated open-heart, pediatric and obstetric rotations. Graduates will have , to , clinical hours over at least cases, mastering a comprehensive range of anesthetic techniques including sedation, general anesthesia, neuraxial and regional techniques. The program is designed to have all first-year rotations in Nashville and second-year rotations primarily throughout the state, said Christian, although students are free to accept clinical rotations in any state during their second year. He also hopes to utilize the university’s missions program and global learning program to provide students with international and humanitarian experience.
Fall 2026 Student Enrollment Records
BISON WINS 4 4
LIPSCOMB NOW LIPSCOMB NOW
1,946
3,061
5,000+
Graduate Students All-Time High
Undergraduate Students All-Time High
Total Enrollment
First Time in History
Health sciences missions program gets a $100,000 booster shot Lipscomb’s College of Health & Human Sciences (CHHS) is on a mission to build on Lipscomb’s longstanding tradition of short-term missions with an even stronger, vocationally focused missions program in the health sciences, and this past February they got a big booster shot toward that goal. The Vultee Charitable Foundation, a local nonprofit created by the former Vultee Church of Christ in Nashville, donated , towards the college’s effort to coordinate and expand medical missions through its own interdisciplinary College Medical Missions Committee. The Vultee contribution to support faculty and student mission trip scholarships will “fill the gap” to allow those who want to be involved, but who are not financially able, to live out that desire and help communities near and far, said CHHS Dean Lynette Austin. The Vultee Foundation previously established a Student Missions Endowment Fund for the campuswide Lipscomb Missions office and has contributed funds to various renovation projects on campus. The foundation prioritizes giving to specific projects that the board believes are “truly saving lives” around the world, and Lipscomb’s medical missions fit that bill, said Phil Henry (BS ’), one of the three board members of the Vultee Foundation. The contribution follows the October creation of the health and human sciences college’s own medical missions committee, charged with creating meaningful partnerships with community stakeholders to promote and expand these transformative, spiritual and educational experiences, both locally and abroad. The college currently coordinates four missions trips: Predisan Health Ministries in Honduras; the Health and Hope Clinic in Pensacola, Florida; Blessings Hospital in Malawi, Africa; and Health Talents International in Guatemala.
Spring break mission trip to Honduras.
The Lipscomb Gospel Choir and Aaron Howard at right.
Lipscomb University receives $250,000 grant to launch national collegiate gospel choir network and conference Lipscomb University has received a , grant from the Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life & Faith to support Joyful Noise in the Wilderness: A Collegiate Gospel Choir Network and Conference, a national initiative designed to educate, connect and sustain collegiate gospel choirs across the United States. The one-year grant, running throughout , was awarded through the collective’s Create, Educate & Network Grant Program, a highly competitive biannual program that supports faith-based arts initiatives nationwide. Lipscomb’s project was one of projects representing institutions and organizations across nine states and Washington, D.C., collectively receiving nearly million in funding. Led by Aaron Howard, assistant professor in Lipscomb’s College of Bible & Ministry and founding director of the Lipscomb Gospel Choir, the initiative will culminate in a three-day collegiate gospel choir conference hosted on Lipscomb’s campus in October. “Gospel music has always been a powerful vehicle for faith, resilience and hope, yet many people are unaware of how deeply it continues to be nurtured within colleges and universities,” Howard said. “This grant allows us to build a national network of collegiate gospel choir directors and students who can encourage one another, exchange resources and celebrate the beauty and significance of this music together.” The Joyful Noise in the Wilderness Conference will culminate in a live audio and video recording featuring a - to -voice mass choir composed of students from universities across the country. The initiative also includes the development of a nationwide network of collegiate gospel choir directors who will convene monthly in virtual sessions. In addition, an album is being recorded and an accompanying songbook published, contributing to choral literature and enabling broader use of gospel repertoire in collegiate and church settings. LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
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Serving those who served Lipscomb’s community of military-connected students has grown over the decades. 2026 is a big year for America, with the nation celebrating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 25-year remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy. This September, the Veteran Services office coordinated a special on-campus event for students and the university community to remember Sept. 11, 2001, which not only had an indelible impact on Americans nationwide, but was also the impetus for the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, enacted in 2009, which has had a lasting impact on the Lipscomb community. Starting with just 20 students in fall 2009, Lipscomb’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement
Program has attracted more than 2,000 military veterans and their dependents to Lipscomb. Over the years, those students have spread the word that Lipscomb not only provides a top-quality education in a Christian environment, but that it is a place where faculty and staff strive to serve veterans’ unique needs every day. In a year with so much focus on America’s founding and those who have fought for our freedoms, we thought 2026 would be a great year to highlight Veteran Services and the growth of Lipscomb’s military-connected student body.
2017 Named a THEC VETS Campus
2025
Hosted the Statewide TN Veteran Reconnect Conference
Top-ranked by U.S. News & World Report, Military Times and U.S. Veterans Magazine
$235,600 Veteran Scholarship Funds Raised through Operation Yellow Ribbon Concerts
$730,663 THEC* Grant Funds Awarded to Veteran Services over Years 6
LIPSCOMB NOW
2,044
Total Military-Connected Students Enrolled since Fall
50 Graduates of Tennessee National Guard Cohorts earning a Master of Arts in Leadership and Public Service through classes on-base *Tennessee Higher Education Commision
THE JOY OF CHRIST ON CAMPUS EVERY DAY When Jimmie Handley (BBA ’13) was ready to start a new chapter in his life, God’s hand “was all over it,” he said. He retired from his 21-year experience in the U.S. Army in 2008, just in time to take advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® financial aid for eligible military veterans. His route to take his son to school took him by the Lipscomb campus, which led him to eventually become one of nine members of Lipscomb’s first
WE ARE LIPSCOMB
YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI
student cohort to receive financial benefits from the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program. Then when he wanted to pursue a master’s degree, a program coordinator job at Lipscomb’s Veteran Services office opened up, allowing him to pursue a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry more affordably. Today as the outreach coordinator and assistant director for Veteran Services, he pays his blessings forward by bringing joy to the entire Lipscomb community, but especially the military-connected students. He was honored this past spring with Lipscomb’s Barnabas Award for those who bring continual encouragement to the university community. “My goodness, just to be on campus, I mean, how could you not be full of joy,” said Handley, who is known for greeting students at chapel with a fist bump (or occasionally pompoms). “To see those young people progressing and to be able to help my fellow veterans obtain something that they may think they can’t, it just makes it a joy to come into work every day. “My goal in ministry is to diligently and faithfully help everyone I encounter reach their full potential given by God,” he said, and no one could argue he does not succeed at his goals. Learn more about Handley at lipscomb.edu/wal/jimmie-handley.
LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
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LIPSCOMB bisons
Baseball earns fourth NCAA appearance in May ASUN championship win In May, the baseball team punched its ticket to the
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
Regionals, its fourth appearance in the national tournament since .
The Bisons secured the automatic qualifier spot
in the NCAA Tournament regionals after defeating
the University of North Alabama in the ASUN
Tournament Championship game to win their fourth ASUN title.
In the NCAA regional, Lipscomb faced No. -
seed Mississippi State University and the University
of Louisiana in a double-elimination format to end
an excellent season of wins to losses.
All-time, the Bisons are - in NCAA regional
games, with the one win coming on May , ,
when Lipscomb defeated No. Georgia in its first-
The baseball team celebrates their fourth ASUN title in May.
The final game against North Alabama, the
very next night, was another extra-inning game
The ASUN All-Tournament Team
included Holm, Kaleb Kantola, Miles, Adam
ever NCAA Tournament game -.
with . A walk-off base on balls by Kai Holm
the penultimate game against North Alabama set
Melching Field at Conrad Park.
game, lasting innings and more than five hours.
ASUN tournament final game, having previously Six players were named to the Academic All-
center that was out of reach of the Lions center
Jeff Forehand is beginning his st season as
The ASUN title games were nail-biters, as
a new ASUN record for the longest tournament Cam Pruitt delivered a walk-off single to right
fielder, driving in Hutson Miles and sealing the –
victory for the Bisons.
Hutson Miles
secured the - victory for the Bisons from
It was the Bisons sixth appearance in an
Jamison and Pruitt (MVP).
The baseball team saw five honored with All-
ASUN Second Team postseason awards: Kantola, Miles, Brady Miller, Pruitt and Jordan Thomas.
won titles in , and . Head Coach
ASUN Team, recognizing student-athletes who
the skipper of the program and has been there
Collin Bosley-Smith, Holm, Kantola, Keaton
Hutson Miles wins ABCA/ Rawlings Gold Glove
Miles, of Madison, came to Lipscomb
for all four ASUN championships.
Bison baseball outfielder and junior Hutson
Miles was honored as a Gold Glove recipient
by the American Baseball Coaches Association
excel both in competition and in the classroom:
Mahan, Aaron Stelogeannis and Jace Trautner.
from Columbia State University and chose
Lipscomb because of the campus and
coaching staff. As a senior at Goodpasture
High School, he played on the school’s state championship team in and runner-up
(ABCA) and Rawlings Sporting Goods in June. team in . Only nine players nationwide were chosen for
the NCAA DI Gold Gloves Team.
Miles joins Michael Gigliotti (BS ’), the
only other Lipscomb recipient of a Gold Glove
awarded in .
The Gold Glove Team honors athletes who
honors at second base and was ranked No.
shortstop by JUCO Pipeline, a junior college
recruitment and scouting platform.
seasons. Honorees are selected by each division’s
have been selected since in the collegiate
made up of ABCA member coaches.
future Major League Baseball players.
All-America & Coach of the Year Committee, LIPSCOMB NOW
Junior College Athletic Association’s All-
Academic Second Team Honors, All-SunBelt
showcased flawless defense and outstanding
fielding percentages throughout their respective
8
He played in games while playing
for Columbia State, earned the National
The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winners
and high school ranks and have featured many
Fall 2026 brings three new head coaches to Bison athletics Sarah Baldwin Volleyball Baldwin, a former national champion as a student-athlete at the University of Texas at Austin and a three-season top assistant for the Bisons, is only the second head coach for the program in its NCAA Division
I era. During her time as an assistant coach for the volleyball team, the Bisons posted a - record, including back-to-back appearances in the ASUN Tournament Championship match in and . She was elevated to the program’s recruiting coordinator for the - season. Baldwin had an illustrious playing career at Texas, where she was a four-year starter, primarily as the libero. Totaling , digs for the sixth-most in program history, she was the team leader in the category in three of her four years for the Longhorns. A three-time Big All-Academic First Team honoree, Baldwin won three conference championships (, , ), made three NCAA Semifinal appearances (, , ) and captured the NCAA Division I National Championship in . Baldwin began her coaching career at Southwestern University in Texas from -. Serving as the top assistant for the Pirates, she was also the recruiting coordinator and oversaw operations. In her first season in , she was a part of a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship. The Kailua, Hawaii-native made the transition to Nashville in after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at the College of Holy Cross (Massachusetts) and five at Southwestern. At Holy Cross during the and seasons, she led recruiting and operations, coaching pins and liberos.
Kathleen Paulsen Women’s soccer Paulsen, a proven champion known for her deep commitment to faithbased player development, joins the Bisons after transformative seasons at John Brown University ( JBU). A former standout student-athlete at the University of Arkansas, Paulsen amassed an impressive career winning percentage of . at JBU, leading her program to seven Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) regularseason championships and eight SAC tournament titles.
JBU teams have also appeared in the NAIA Coaches’ Top Poll times, she has earned SAC Coach of the Year honors four times, and most recently, she guided the Golden Eagles to back-to-back NAIA Elite Eight appearances in and . Holding a Ph.D. and serving as kinesiology faculty, Paulsen has consistently prioritized the holistic development of her players. Her coaching philosophy is built on three pillars: competitive excellence, spiritual formation and injury prevention. At JBU, she was known for creating a Christ-centered culture where identity, humility and servant leadership were as vital as performance analysis and recruiting. She has produced NAIA All-Americans and five SAC Players of the Year while maintaining a relentless focus on life beyond sport. She previously served as the NAIA women’s soccer president and a member of the NAIA National Rater and All-America committees. Her professional qualifications include a United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma and an Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma.
Kacey Dalpes Women’s Golf Dalpes brings more than seven years of NCAA coaching experience at both the Division I and Division II levels, a track record of developing championship-caliber student-athletes and a coaching philosophy deeply aligned with Lipscomb’s mission of faith, excellence and character development. She joins the Lipscomb coaching staff after three seasons as assistant coach at Pepperdine University, where she helped guide the Waves to the NCAA Championship match play quarterfinals. Dalpes helped Pepperdine capture the West Coast Conference (WCC) title, finish second at the NCAA Stanford Regional, win three tournaments and develop three All-Americans in a single season. A former Division I student-athlete, Dalpes competed for New Mexico State University from to , helping the Aggies to capture three Western Athletic Conference Championships and earn three NCAA Regional appearances. She has been a Class A member of the PGA of America since . Prior to Pepperdine, Dalpes spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Indianapolis. She helped guide the Greyhounds to the NCAA Division II National Championship and contributed to multiple Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and regional championships. The Women’s Golf Coaches Association awarded her Division II Golf Pride Grips Assistant Coach of the Year honors in both and . Dalpes has mentored five All-WCC honorees, All-GLVC honorees, All-East Region performers, All-Americans and an NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
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LIPSCOMB bisons
Track and field teams cap off an impressive season at NCAA regionals, send rising junior to NCAA nationals In May, Lipscomb’s track & field teams competed at the NCAA East First Round in Kentucky, with the Bisons represented across multiple events against some of the top athletes in the nation. Highlighting the week was rising junior Max Hooper, who secured a berth to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he competed against the nation’s top runners in the men’s , meters. In Kentucky, Hooper delivered a standout performance in the men’s , meters. After advancing through the opening round, he returned in the quarterfinals and ran a personalbest :. to finish seventh overall and earn one of the coveted qualifying spots to the NCAA Championships. In Oregon, Hooper finished the ,-meter preliminaries with a time of :.. His performance marked the culmination of a breakthrough outdoor season for the Brisbane, Australia, native that included multiple program records and nationally competitive marks. Hooper opened his indoor track and field campaign with an :. in the , meters at the PNC Lenny Lyles Open. He followed with a fourth-place finish in the mile at the ASUN Indoor Track and Field Championships in February. In March, Hooper delivered one of the signature performances of his season, placing fifth overall in the , meters at the Raleigh Relays, setting a new Lipscomb program record and personal best time. In April he led Lipscomb in the , meters at the Bryan Hooper
Clay Invitational. In May he won the meters at Vanderbilt’s Music City Challenge. Less than two weeks later, he placed third in the meters at the ASUN Outdoor Championships, posting a season-fastest time of :.. Others who competed in the NCAA regionals were senior Bing Hudson, men’s , meters steeplechase quarterfinals; freshman KeShawn Allen, men’s meters hurdles; junior Justin Davis, men’s long jump; and senior Mia Bergman, women’s , meters semifinal. The Bisons secured their trip to the NCAA Tournament through a strong performance at tthe ASUN Outdoor Championships earlier in May. The ASUN championship was highlighted by conference titles, meet records, podium finishes and personal bests across distance, hurdles, relays and field events. They were dominant in the distance events throughout the weekend, highlighted by an ASUN meet record from Ellie Brewer in the women’s , meters. Brewer captured the conference title in :., leading a Lipscomb sweep of the top three spots alongside Aly Negovetich and Abigail Horevay. Negovetich finished second in :., while Horevay placed third in :.. The men’s distance squad followed suit in the , meters as Chase Atkins claimed the ASUN title with a winning time of :.. Connor Sarkovics and Cole Kimmel added top- finishes to give the Bisons a strong opening day. Atkins
Victory in the classroom as well The Lipscomb Bisons are always striving
for victory not just on the field, but in their academic studies as well. Check out the
teams who scored - academic awards from their respective national
organizations for excellent grade point
averages this past school year.
Baseball
American Baseball Coaches
Association Team Academic Excellence Award
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Basketball Coaches Association - Team Academic Award
Men’s Basketball
National Association of
Basketball Coaches’ - Team
Academic Award
Women’s Golf Team Women’s Golf Coaches
Association - All-American Scholar Team
Women’s Tennis
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
All-Academic Teams
Men’s Golf
Golf Coaches Association of
America - PLATFORM Academic Award
Softball
No. in the - National
Fastpitch Coaches Association’s GPA ranking
Men’s Tennis
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
All-Academic Team
Volleyball
American Volleyball Coaches Association - Team Academic Award
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YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI
ALUMNA SERVES UP SUCCESS WITH 2026 WIMBLEDON APPEARANCE Alumna Madeline Brooks (BBA ’19), a Norfolk, England, native who was a member of the Bison women’s tennis team, earned one of the seven wild cards in ladies doubles to play at this year’s Wimbledon Championships in London. Brooks played with doubles partner Amelia Rajecki, against seventh-seeded Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva of Germany, in the first round on July 2. She entered the tournament with a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) doubles ranking of 116 and 147 wins posted in her professional career. Brooks’ chance to walk onto the grass courts at Wimbledon was a moment that’s been years in the making. What began as a casual activity in childhood quickly turned into something more serious, as she climbed through the British junior ranks, eventually finishing eighth nationally in the under-18 division.
Along the way, she earned a taste of the Wimbledon experience even as a teenager, winning doubles at an under-14 event held on the club’s practice courts and working as a data analyst with IBM at Wimbledon during her summers in college. Brooks’ first committed to play at Middle Tennessee State University, but unforeseen circumstances during her recruitment led to a tough experience that nearly ended her tennis career. Everything changed when she met Lipscomb head coach Jamie Aid by chance in the Starbucks of a Kroger. The people-first Lipscomb approach helped Brooks rediscover her love for the sport. Brooks graduated from Lipscomb with a degree in corporate marketing and was a two-time All-
ASUN Second Team selection during the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Bisons. After graduating, returning home and cooling her heels during the COVID-19 pandemic, she made the decision to put everything into tennis. Now in her third full year on tour, Brooks has found her stride, primarily in doubles. For Brooks, this Wimbledon moment was about proving to herself that she belongs on this stage and showing others that perseverance pays off. Learn more about Brooks at lipscomb.edu/wal/ madeline-brooks.
LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
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01
05
06
02
03
04
12
LIPSCOMB NOW
The action never stops on campus as students, alumni and parents celebrate, welcome, fellowship and worship together throughout both spring and fall semesters. The 2026 spring semester brought top-notch events such as (01) the annual SGA Spring Formal; (02) the Landiss Lecture with poet and musician Malcolm Guite; (03) Giving Day 2026 which raised another record-setting amount; (04) Beautiful Day, this year with lunch for employees and brick-style mini Bisons for students; (06) a Farmer’s Market in Bison Square; (07) May’s graduation ceremony; performances by contemporary music ensembles (09) and the Foundation Dance Theatre and (12) Singarama with the theme “Life is a Highway.” The 2026 fall semester welcomed a new generation of students to campus with the (05) Running of the Bison event, including face painting; (08) dance lessons at the Sunset Social in Bison Square; and (11) the annual campuswide worship service during Quest Week.
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The gardens at Schönbrunn Palace in the city of Vienna, Lipscomb’s home base for its first semesterlong study abroad program.
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Thirty years since the first Lipscomb in Vienna trip. The world has changed, but learning about the world has not.
Photo by Shelby Smith Mick (LA ’11, BA ’15)
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hirty years ago, one professor took a step of faith in a quest to open students’ minds. Drawing on her own experience as a student who had traveled to Europe twice—one semester in Italy through her college’s program and another through direct enrollment in France, thenAssistant Professor of English and French Kimberly Reed felt it was important for every college student to spend time immersed in another culture and language so as to understand what it feels like to be a foreigner. She went to then-Lipscomb President Harold Hazelip and told him just that, suggesting that the university begin its own study abroad program. He agreed, and a few months later, Reed found herself heading up a faculty task force to figure out the best way to make it happen. The group of six faculty chose Vienna as its central hub for the first trip in . Thirty years later, after massive changes in technology, the economy, politics and how we live our daily lives, the global learning model established by those faculty in that year is still opening the minds of today’s students, not just in Vienna, but also in London and Florence. In , when the program—then-called the Lipscomb Overseas Program—was announced, Hazelip said, “Historically, one of the major benefits of a quality liberal arts education is an exposure to a variety of cultures. We believe the program in Vienna will develop in our students an understanding of
other cultures, and that they will be more productive citizens as one result.” And the results cannot be denied: “Instead of a worldview of exclusion, I began to cultivate the willingness to consider any and every point of view.” – Patrick Rickelton (BA ’), Vienna, “It creates a more accepting and limitless world in which each person can be their true self.” – Schyler Jones (BA ’), Florence, “It could change your career trajectory, worldview and selfconfidence as it did for me.” – Elizabeth Swaw (BA ’), London, & This is the impact in the lives of just three of the more than , students, who have made the journey to learn beyond the classroom in Vienna as well as five other semester-long overseas locales over the past years. “We all know students are different than they were years ago,” said Kate Minchew (BA ’), today’s director of global learning. “Technology has drastically changed, with everything from Yelp reviews to TikTok videos shaping the way students travel today, but the experience of learning how to travel remains the same. Students are still learning to be adaptable and flexible, and how to use their resources.” And those students emerge from the three-month experience calling it a life-changing and career-defining experience. Some find their lifelong partners through the trip. Some find lifelong friends. Some find a new career or calling. All find new perspectives and skills that serve them well in today’s world.
Read on to hear the voices of Lipscomb alumni sharing how Lipscomb Global Learning has impacted their lives and relationships over the past 30 years. Learn more about Global Learning over the past three decades at lipscomb.edu/now/ global-learning.
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FOCUS ON STUDENTS Lipscomb’s first semester-long global learning opportunity was held in fall , when students, accompanied by now-retired Charlie McVey (LA ’, BA ’), then-chair of the department of foreign languages, traveled to Vienna, Austria. Vienna had been chosen by the faculty task force due to its historical and political significance, its status as a large international capital, its central location on the European continent and its rich cultural contributions in science, medicine, music and philosophy, said McVey, a -time visitor to Vienna. The city’s central location was important because faculty strongly wished for students to spend much of their time traveling to other
European locales, so much so that they decided to hold classes only four days per week and included a Eurail pass for every participating student. The long weekends for small group travel were inspired by a model tried and true throughout history. “Beginning in the Renaissance and continuing for hundreds of years, welleducated young men took what they called the ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe,” Reed said in at the program announcement. “That was the crowning event of their education.” For most Vienna alumni, the weekend trips with their friends are among the first stand-out experiences they mention. Over the
The first cohort of the Lipscomb in Vienna program, posing with former Lipscomb President Harold Hazelip (center in the back row).
years students have seen the famous ancient structures of Italy, climbed mountains in Costa Rica, caught sight of the Northern Lights above the Arctic Circle, made friends with Polish locals on a trip to Auschwitz, visited the famous beaches of Normandy, paraglided in the mountains of Switzerland and communed with nature in the Cotswolds, among many, many more. “The things that students learn through short weekend travel experiences are really beneficial to their growth over the semester,” said Minchew, noting navigation of public transportation, meeting locals who speak a different language, trying new foods and exploring new locations as among the valuable learning experiences. In the early days of Lipscomb Global Learning, before cellphones, GPS and Google Maps, professors provided much more assistance in helping students make their weekend travel plans, said Reed. However “at the end of the day, students are still learning how to navigate the same things like public transportation, language barriers and travel logistics,” said Minchew. Back in , Reed noted the internet as one reason students craved travel more than in the past, as they were able to discover new cultures through their desktop computers. Today, the internet on cellphones provides a constant connection to friends and families back home, which has somewhat changed the global experience, said Matt Hearn, a six-time faculty leader for the Lipscomb in London program.
The 2003 Vienna cohort on the town in Vienna.
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The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Florence Duomo, is the defining landmark in Florence, Italy, where Lipscomb began a program in 2015.
22.6%
of students participate in global learning (national rate is ).
71%
of Global Learning students say the semester-abroad programs played a role in their decisions to attend Lipscomb.
94%
of students say their semesters abroad helped prepare them for other challenges.
Photo by Kristi Jones (BA ’88)
“It used to be that when you left home, you really left home. That was the only option, to leave your friend group for three months,” said Hearn, now the director of the Health Professions Advisory Committee. So Hearn, who plans to lead more London study trips in the future, works harder to introduce students to the value of simply wandering to learn the city, how to read a non-digital map and how to be adventurous. “It makes me feel good when I see students starting to recognize the different personalities of the boroughs of the city,” said Hearn. “It’s amazing what students can learn to do, in terms of how to go from one country to the next,” he said, “how to consider time changes and train schedules, how to buy tickets and how to overcome last-minute flight changes. Crisis doesn’t faze them at all. Putting students into situations where they have to adapt—that is really important.”
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This experience of learning life along with history and language is what alumni of Lipscomb Global Learning most often mention as the most valuable experience of the trips. “We were using travel books, ripping pages out of them and stumbling into towns in hopes to find a place to stay or a hostel to sleep in,” said James Parnell (BS ’), a Vienna participant in . “Those opportunities to build independence, as well as teamwork together, provided an amazing education in how to problem-solve and overcome challenges in real time.” “I studied abroad in , so smartphones were just beginning to be accessible, and we did not have service without Wi-Fi. So we often would load up directions on our phones days before and then hope and pray for the best,” said Erin Channell (LA ’, BA ’), participant in Vienna. “It made for a lot of unexpected adventures and some of the best memories of my life.”
ADDING TO THE ITINERARY The Lipscomb in Vienna program was simply a jumping-off point for Lipscomb’s adventure in global learning. In the early s, a
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summer study abroad experience in London was established. That program morphed into the semester-long Lipscomb in London experience launched in and an internship experience launched in . Eight students have earned valuable international work experience in London in career areas from finance to fashion so far.
“Completing an international internship is something that differentiates students seeking that first internship or first job in Nashville,” said Makala Marsee (BA ’), Lipscomb’s on-campus global learning programs coordinator and also the first Lipscomb student to participate in the London internship program as a marketing intern at a fashion house in . “It’s something that very much stands out.” In , the university established the Lipscomb in Florence program, and in a generous donor helped Lipscomb purchase its own villa where students can live and study. “The Lipscomb in Florence program challenges students in every aspect— spiritually, academically and in interpersonal relationship skills, all within the delightful framework of Italian cuisine, culture, landscapes and sweetened by gelato,” said Emily Woodroof, the on-site director in Florence. “We are intentional about providing opportunities for students to learn and grow both in a community setting and individually, through community engagement, experiential learning and language acquisition activities.”
Throughout the years, the university has also offered semesterlong study abroad in Santiago, Chile; in Bath, England; and Costa Rica, as well as a variety of short-term faculty-led trips focused on specific vocations each year. Each program has had its own character and unique learning experience. Lee Camp, a retired professor of theology and ethics in the College of Bible & Ministry, led student groups to London, Florence and Santiago over the years. “I always leave [London] having learned a great deal more about who I am as an American of European descent… Santiago, Chile taught me a great deal about the way in which the Cold War impacted people scattered across the globe… Florence just taught me a great deal more about being human, beauty and the long human quest for wonder and awe,” he said. In , Melissa Swann (BA ’, MS ’), one of McVey’s past German students, took over leading the Vienna program as its first on-site director. She worked with the program for a decade and brought a new level of continuity and academic rigor to the experience, said McVey. After participating in the spring Lipscomb in Vienna program, current onsite director Ashley Burklin (BA ’) felt academically equipped to pursue her Master of Arts at the University of Vienna. She has remained in Vienna and has been leading the program since fall . “This kind of experiential learning can only happen on the ground, in person and with a sharpened awareness of the surrounding world. Students participate in rigorous tours, listen to engaging lectures and are exposed to diverse cultural experiences, all of which foster deep learning,” said Burklin. “This is what study abroad is all about: having full contact with transformative experiences that go on to shape a student’s future.” Alumni of all the Global Learning programs have remarked over the years on the value of being able to read information
in a textbook and then that very afternoon to go see the painting or the site or the church in person. “Art became much less of an abstraction for me,” said Patrick Rickelton (BA ’), a participant in the very first Lipscomb in Vienna trip in . “To study art and then go see it in person was special for me. It made it more meaningful.” Today, Lipscomb Global Learning has three site directors, with Morgan Delong (BA ’) joining Woodroof and Burklin as on-site director in London, and all six of the Global Learning staff studied abroad during their college years.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY BACK AT HOME Students also come back with a ready-made community for their college experience. The program has sparked untold friend groups whose relationships last for years and not an insignificant number of nowmarried couples. Every year up until she left Lipscomb in , Reed said she would see the Global Learning students walking through campus in groups throughout the rest of their college career. “That Vienna group became my closest friends. That shared experience was lifechanging,” said Erin (Collins) Rickelton
A tour of Easter Island was among the activities in the Lipscomb in Chile program, which sent students to Santiago from 2011 to 2019.
A 2025 student goes paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland, on a weekend travel experience.
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2015 Florence students in Pisa, Italy.
2025 Vienna students at Hallstatt, Austria.
2026 students on a trip to the former concentration camps in Poland, which has long been noted by students as one of the most impactful experiences of the semester.
(LA ’, BA ’), who participated in the first Vienna trip in . She went on to marry one of the other trip participants, Patrick Rickelton, after they continued to hang out in the same Vienna friend group upon their return. The Rickeltons are one of three couples from the Vienna group that eventually got married, said McVey. “We relied on those people a lot. They became our friends and family. They problemsolved and were creative,” said Erin, noting that in the students had no connection beyond mail with their families back home. “We were very much in the present moment, and I think that helped us all bond and helped us experience what we were seeing truly and clearly.” In addition to their own personal community, students, first and foremost, learn about who they are within a global community, say program leaders. From the beginning, Reed said the goal was for students to see themselves as “world citizens.” “It excited me to see their minds open to new ways of thinking and dealing with life,” she said. “It gives them a stronger basis for understanding their own mindset, whether religious, social or educational. All areas of their lives are enriched by access to a foreign culture.” The goal remains the same years later. “They come in with a sense of empathy and curiosity about other people and cultures,” Minchew said of today’s students. “They have the world at their fingertips on their phone, but when they see it in real life, it suddenly feels very different.”
BISONS ABROAD, BISONS AT HOME Renew friendships, revisit special memories and recharge your Bison spirit at Bisons Weekend on Nov. ! Global Learning alumni can find the Global Learning table at the Bison Square Fair from - p.m. and attend the Global Learning th Anniversary Dinner from - p.m. (Register at lipscomb.edu/ bisonsweekend). And share some of your favorite memories with Lipscomb Global Learning even before the reunion by scanning the QR Code.
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Below: Students studying art from their textbooks in London. At right: 2018 students at the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
2017 cohort in Florence. At Bottom of Page: Students at the Colosseum in Rome.
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Scenes from past alumni trips to New England, Pennsylvania, Israel and Kentucky.
ONCE A BISON. ALWAYS A BISON.
Global learning never ends for Lipscomb Bisons Alumni & Friends Travel offers more varied and meaningful travel experiences for Bisons of any age in 2026-27. The Lipscomb University Alumni & Friends Travel program is charting a new course in with a renewed focus on meaningful journeys and shared discoveries. With Alumni Relations’ Amy Hamar (LA ’, BA ’) now focusing on alumni travel opportunities as director of the enhanced program, these domestic and international trips are designed to deepen connections to each other, to the world and to the continuous learning opportunities that define the Lipscomb community. In spring , the program will offer an opportunity to travel to Branson, Missouri, to see Daniel at the Sight and Sound Theatre as well as to visit the last home of Laura Ingalls Wilder on Rocky Ridge Farms in Mansfield, Missouri. Fall brings a trip to Washington, D.C., with former long-time Lipscomb provost and political science professor Craig Bledsoe (BA ’) as host. Already this year alumni, university parents, donors and friends of any age have traveled to a Shaker village in Kentucky for the day in April and the Pennsylvania Dutch County for a week in June. Additional already fully booked trips to follow the footsteps of the Apostle Paul in Greece, Italy and Turkey in November and to explore the Canadian Rockies in represent the type of global trips the program will continue to offer in the coming months, said Hamar. 22
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“These opportunities are hassle-free, safe ways to travel the globe and come with the benefit that travelers are all faith-minded, which really nurtures relationships among the travelers and the insights gained through the activities,” said Hamar. “Faculty leaders, local guides and sometimes alumni bring scholarly depth and hometown expertise to the trips, an opportunity not always available to the general public.”
Since , Alumni Relations has held various travel opportunities including global trips to England, Israel, Scotland, Jordan, Greece and Austria and domestic trips to Gettysburg; Natchez, Mississippi; a civil rights tour through Alabama; a literary tour through New England; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Get the latest details and register for trips by scanning the QR code or log on to lipscomb.edu/now/ alumni-travel.
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Austin Bever (left) with his creative partner Colin Cooper (right), are the Nashvillebased social media sensation Austin & Colin, bringing millions of eyes to uncut community gems across the nation.
Austin & Colin
Telling the tales of communities with music, comedy and fun Alumnus Austin Bever says ‘welcome’ to an Emmy Award for he and Colin’s viral social media city anthem. In real life, Austin Bever (BS ’) is a health and physical education teaching graduate of Lipscomb University, owner of a media company, husband to Mary Beth (Adams) Bever (LA ’, BSN ’) and father of two toddlers. Pull up a social media app, however, and you may recognize him as the uproarious, mustachioed half of the comedy duo Austin & Colin, whose satirical pop-dance hits and social commentary on modern living have drawn more than million views and more than , followers on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
You may have seen him singing from a monster truck touring Broadway in Welcome to Nashville or perhaps dancing in the bathroom in Welcome to Buc-ee’s. He can be seen running with the cows through a field in Dickson County, bowling in Lawrenceburg or shooting a music video inside popular faves Chick-fil-A, Trader Joe’s and Costco. Now Bever and his comedic partner Colin Cooper (a Belmont University grad), can add “Emmy® Award winner” to their resumes. They made history this spring becoming the winners of a regional Emmy Award in the inaugural social media category.
Awarded by the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the honor recognized their city anthem-style video created for Mississippi State University and the city of Starkville, Mississippi, which garnered more than million digital views. “It was content that I don’t think anyone had ever seen before. That was a special moment to go into a new frontier, especially to win against some very talented content makers,” said Bever of the recent Emmy win. Bever and Cooper write, perform, film and produce all of their social media content themselves. Drawing from influences such as “Weird Al” Yankovic,
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“EVERY CITY IN AMERICA HAS A STORY TO TELL, AND WE GET TO SEE FROM THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY SEE AS SPECIAL ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY. WE’RE SO GRATEFUL WE GET TO SHARE IT AND TAKE THAT JOURNEY WITH PEOPLE.” — AUSTIN BEVER their social media videos and recorded music tracks always bring the fun. It was digital media that brought the pair together in the first place, as Bever messaged his fellow Cincinnati-native Cooper on Facebook in , when they were both still in high school. Having heard Cooper’s “beats” on the platform, Bever wanted to collaborate on a song glorifying minivans, as they both drove them to high school. After that first song, the pair ended up starting a band together, and they have remained a musical duo ever since, despite attending rival colleges in Nashville.
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After graduation, Bever and Cooper decided to set aside their majors (in physical education and information systems, respectively) and despite very little experience, they started a video company now called Mac N’ Cheese Media. They gave themselves three months to see if it could work. “We did a lot of Lipscomb weddings to start and get our feet wet,” said Bever. At one point early in their career, they created a video for Lipscomb’s kinesiology department, and also did work for the Sara Walker Foundation, connected through Lipscomb ties.
They slowly worked their way into the Country Music field, creating videos as directors and on-screen talent with Jake Owen, Walker Hayes and Toby Keith, and then commercial work for companies like ICEE, Harlem Globetrotters and The Escape Game. All the while, they “were always trying to find a way to build out our brand,” said Cooper. One idea they had was a callback to a successful song they made in Cincinnati back in , when the pair created “a song about all the things we loved about Cincinnati that parodied Katy Perry’s California Gurls,” said
Cooper. The song Cincinnati Girls, got , views in just a few days on Youtube. In , the pair decided to use that format to go big. In a bid to increase their social media presence and its impact on their careers, they wrote a funny musical tour of Nashville’s metropolitan area. They spent two weeks filming the four-minute video featuring themselves dancing and rapping through a bevy of Nashville locations (Lipscomb’s Allen Bell Tower can be glimpsed in the verse on Nashville’s colleges). The idea was to present “all the things we think about as we pass these areas, but nobody really says it,” says Bever. Bachelorettes, Broadway’s unique street tours, hot chicken, murals and rooftop pools all make an appearance in the video as well as specific neighborhoods, stores and restaurants, Nissan Stadium and the Green Hills Mall, among many others. “We weren’t sure if Nashville would appreciate the video or completely shun it,” Bever said of that time. They posted the video, and the next morning, “I woke up to nine calls from the news,” said Bever. “It was the first real moment of true virality that sent us off to the world of viral content creation.” That original video now has more than million views.
They proceeded to make city anthem videos for Nashville neighborhoods like Bellevue, Mount Juliet, Hendersonville and Franklin. They created one for the city’s greenway system, for the Broadway tourist district and about driving in Nashville. The pair signed a record deal with BMG/ BBR Music Group, and in , Austin & Colin received a call that touched off a new phase of their social media journey. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce officials wanted to work with them to create their own city anthem video and song for the Middle Tennessee town of Lawrenceburg. The music video about a town of around , people, about miles from Nashville, received more than million views. The duo handed off Mac N’ Cheese Media to their co-founder Sean Webster and began working as Austin & Colin full-time, frequently partnering with various brands such as Mountain Dew, Red Bull and Target as well as communities such as Dickson, Marshall County and Columbia in Tennessee, and Buena Park and Tri-Valley in California. In , they created music videos about Mexico, Canada and Greenland from their homes in Nashville which attracted more than million views combined.
“Every city in America has a story to tell, and we get to see from the people what they see as special about their community. We’re so grateful we get to share it and take that journey with people,” said Bever. “Today we see so much negativity and shock value content… It is a little harder to leverage humor and positivity that makes people feel nostalgic and proud of where they come from,” said Bever. “We are trying to break that cycle of negative content, to say, ‘This is fun!’ We are happy we’re able to spread that word. “I am so grateful to have the opportunity to make a career in the creative industry,” he continued. “I can tell you for certain that the only reason we are still doing this is because God has opened every door, right when it needed to be opened.”
Learn more about Austin and Colin at lipscomb.edu/now/ austin-and-colin.
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VISION
NEW STRATEGIC PLAN KICKED OFF ON AUG. 3 WITH ALL EMPLOYEES GATHERED
to rise to the challenge.
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Developed over the past year, Lipscomb’s new strategic plan lays out five strategic imperatives to guide funding and resource allocation for the next four years while also acknowledging the enduring commitments the university has held throughout its history. “It is both aspirational and practical— grounded in our enduring mission while responding thoughtfully to the changing needs of students, employers, churches and communities,” said Lipscomb President Candice McQueen (BS ’). “It reflects our belief that Christian higher education has an essential role to play in shaping the future by preparing graduates whose faith informs their leadership, whose knowledge serves the common good and whose lives shine the light of Christ in every corner of society.” Noting that we carry the same mission today as expressed by David Lipscomb in —to prepare Christians for usefulness in whatever sphere they are called to labor— Lipscomb’s leadership have developed a plan that strives to provide formation for every stage of life. “The next generation does not simply need preparation for a career. They need preparation for a life of purpose,” said McQueen. “Education reaches its highest goal when it helps people discover why God created them. In that way, purpose becomes a lifelong calling.
“And graduates who carry out their calling, with faith shining wherever God calls them, can impact the world for good. That is how Lipscomb boldly prepares the people the world needs tomorrow,” she said. Through the development of Lipscomb Rising , the university has identified four enduring strengths that shape its identity, inform every strategic decision and remain essential to fulfilling its mission: • A culture centered on spiritual formation and service • Faculty excellence, mentoring and scholarship • Staff development and retention • Excellence in academics, athletics and the arts “These enduring commitments define who we are and will continue to shape every aspect of university life,” said McQueen. “They represent the timeless strengths that distinguish Lipscomb as a Christcentered university and remain the foundation upon which every strategic decision is built.” Building on that foundation, the five Lipscomb Rising strategic imperatives will guide where leaders focus collective leadership, resources, and investment for the next four years: • Equip Students to Flourish: Ensure that every student is known, supported and formed intellectually, spiritually, relationally and professionally. Lipscomb will strive to further enhance student belonging, well-being and flourishing, the student retention rate and the number of students participating in mentoring and co-curricular experiences. • Advance Academic Excellence, Innovation and Vocational Impact: Deliver distinctive academic experiences that prepare graduates for meaningful work, leadership and service. Lipscomb will develop new interdisciplinary vocational pathways, maintain strong job placement rates, boost the programs requiring an applied learning experience and further integrate vocational formation. • Expand the Reach of Our Mission: Expand enrollment, strengthen our reputation and extend Lipscomb’s Christ-centered influence to new audiences. Lipscomb will work to expand the geographic reach of its student enrollment, increase graduate student enrollment and grow in pre-college program participation and digital engagement. • Build Partnerships for Lifelong Learning and Workforce Impact: Develop partnerships that
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our years ago, the Lipscomb community came together around an ambitious vision called Lipscomb Impact 360. Through this strategic plan, the university established a new guiding mission statement: to be a Christ-centered community preparing learners for purposeful lives through rigorous academics and transformative experiences. Lipscomb Impact 360 strengthened our foundation, advanced innovation, expanded opportunity, deepened our mission and positioned us for the future. Now in 2026, we are building on that momentum. As Lipscomb Impact 360 has come to a close, its impact does not. The mission it advanced continues. Lipscomb Rising 2030 is our shared vision for the next chapter of this remarkable 135-year-old university.
create opportunity for students, employers, churches and communities. Lipscomb will strive to establish new strategic partnerships and advisory councils, and will grow professional and lifelong learning programs through all stages of career advancement. • Demonstrate Faithful Christian Stewardship: Strengthen financial sustainability, operational excellence, and philanthropic support for future generations. Lipscomb will work to increase its financial endowment, donor participation, annual revenue and process improvements, while reducing debt. The new strategic plan also includes plans for a financial investment campaign, targeting the areas of student flourishing, academic excellence, Christ-centered formation, partnerships and workforce development, campus experience, endowment growth and faithful stewardship. “Every member of the Lipscomb community has a role to play, but above all, this strategic plan will be shaped by a God who goes before us,” said McQueen, announcing the plan to faculty and staff on Aug. . “Together, we will build upon Lipscomb’s remarkable legacy while embracing the opportunities of a new generation,” she said. “Together, we will rise to meet the needs of a changing world without compromising the timeless truth that has always guided our mission. Together, we will continue forming lives, cultivating purpose and boldly providing what the world needs.” To learn more about Lipscomb Rising and to see Lipscomb’s vision, mission, values and core tenets go to lipscomb. edu/now/lipscomb-rising.
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HISTORY HELD IN GOOD HANDS
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iddle Tennessee’s history is in good hands. Lipscomb hands. Decades of history graduates from Lipscomb University are now the ones charged with preserving the state’s historic roots today. Each day they bring their passion for history and its value in shaping our world to some of the state’s premier historic organizations. Two are currently operating and safeguarding historic sites in Nashville: Fort Negley (with site renovation going on all around its borders) and Two Rivers Mansion, looking to expand its operations and links to the city’s history.
Two played pivotal roles in developing and strengthening Nashville’s and the state’s archival records for more than 30 years. Two play pivotal roles in caring for artifact storage, maintenance and display at the Tennessee State Museum, looking after more than 170,000 artifacts. Check out these six Lipscomb historians, each from a different generation, all committed to keeping Tennessee’s heritage safe, strong and treasured throughout our shared community. Learn more about each alumni at lipscomb.edu/ now/history-alumni.
Two Rivers Mansion
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Lipscomb alumni work to preserve, nurture and expand city-owned historic sites for the future. Both Tracy Harris (BA ’) and Emily Nix (BA ’) are moved by the same historical experience: standing in the very spot where history occurred. Although they came to their current roles from very different starting points, they have both ended up as caretakers for Nashville’s real-life, living history at sites that played integral roles in the city’s development: Fort Negley and Two Rivers Mansion. Harris, who has worked at Fort Negley in some capacity since , is now director of the historic site that sits at the heart of a city park that is undergoing extensive renovations after a years-long public master planning process. Nix, education and tour coordinator at the mansion, is constantly uncovering new details about one of Nashville’s most important founding families, the McGavocks. They both have a passion for bringing the past to life for visitors today, right in front of their eyes. Fort Negley has a long history dating back to when the Union Army used more than , conscript and volunteer laborers, predominately self-emancipating enslaved people and free Blacks who came to Nashville for a chance at freedom, to construct the fort atop St. Cloud Hill. After years of on-and-off city investment, the public’s eye turned to saving Fort Negley Park in , when a third of the park land was proposed for a mixed use development. After the community successfully rallied to stop the development, attention shifted to creating a new master plan for the whole park. Harris played an important role in discussing the history of the fort with neighbors, planners and landscape architects during the campaign, bringing the insight of historical preservation experts to the discussion table, sharing with city planning officials what trends he has seen over the years and conveying what public interest, expectations and reactions are at the park on a daily basis, he said.
“Fort Negley is a fascinating spot,” said Harris, a Memphis native. “In one place you can see the entire arc of the Civil War—from African Americans longing for freedom, to being forced to work, to becoming soldiers, to settling neighborhoods around the fort.” Ironically, Harris, whose love for history was sparked by working with his father, a custom cabinet builder, in many of Memphis’ historic homes, wasn’t that interested in Civil War history when he arrived on the Lipscomb campus. But his Civil War history class with Tim Johnson, Elizabeth Gentry Brown Chair of History, opened his eyes to the fact that Nashvillians “in our daily lives are living in the places where consequential events happened,” said Harris. Upon his graduation in , Harris worked as a summer seasonal employee at Fort Negley to get his foot in the door. In , he earned a position in education and programming, and in he became the site’s director, one of three staff who carry out educational programs and operate the on-site visitor center. From school field trips and meetings of the Nashville History Club to a city-held Juneteenth celebration that draws more than , people and an annual Underground Railroad lecture series, Harris works with
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Emily Nix and Tracy Harris
volunteers and community groups to bring the living history of Fort Negley to the public. Visitorship at Fort Negley has grown from , in to more than , in , and the fort has been designated both a UNESCO Site of Memory and a National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. Nix’s own historical journey to her position at Two Rivers was a meandering one. Nix began her college career at Lipscomb with an American studies major, believing she would go into law. She completed her undergraduate career thinking she would go into ministry and earned a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University. Then, as life would have it, she ended up working as a catering manager based in Donelson. After a decade in that career, COVID- prompted a change. She took a job as a summer associate leading tours at Two Rivers Mansion and she fell in love. Once she started, she found herself fascinated by the “ years of Tennessee foundational history right before my eyes.” Nix, who creates the scripts for tour guides, updates informational panels and develops engaging educational programming for student groups and guests, says her
Nix (left) and Harris (right)
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“I WANT AUDIENCES TO WALK AWAY HAPPIER THAN WHEN THEY CAME IN. I HOPE THEY REALLY GET TO KNOW THE MCGAVOCK FAMILY AND WHAT INSPIRED THEM AND INFLUENCED THEM. THIS IS A FAMILY HOUSE.” — EMILY NIX
role constantly evolves along with the historic narrative, which evolves through collaborations with historic organizations around the area, as the histories of the city’s founding families are continuously intertwined, she says. For example, Nix worked with the Scarritt Bennett Center to learn more about Two Rivers’ matriarch Willie McGavock’s role in the Methodist church. She has researched and written new informational panels about the enslaved and Indigenous peoples who lived at the plantation. She has led efforts to recover artifacts such as Willie McGavock’s son Frank’s baby portrait and an olive spoon inscribed with the names “David and Willie,” recently acquired from the Battle of Franklin Trust. “I work to make sure we are telling stories authentically, carving out our place in Nashville history and building relationships with other historical organizations in Nashville,” said Nix, who also serves on the Two Rivers board. “It is so important that all of these connected sites talk to each other because we are still uncovering new details and new layers that will really let us showcase the people who lived there.
Ken Fieth and Carol Roberts Two alumni from the s have shaped and strengthened the county’s and state’s archival legacy. The paths of Ken Fieth (LA ’, BA ’), of Nashville, and Carol Roberts (BA ’), of Shelbyville, began in the same place: in the history classrooms at Lipscomb and later at Middle Tennessee State University,
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where both individuals earned a master’s in historic preservation. Their career paths converged and diverged throughout their lives, but they both ended up in roughly the same place: caring for the records and documents of their beloved hometowns. When Nashville-native Fieth walked into the Davidson County Metro Archives years ago, he came with a particular passion in his heart: the history profession is not just about preserving the past, it’s about sharing the past and making it a valuable tool and resource for the public. As the new director, Fieth proceeded to carry out that vision, building the Metro Archives almost from the ground up, until he retired in . The archives of today, housed in the Nashville Public Library downtown, have become a well-known and respected research resource for the community at large. Like so many others before her, Roberts began her college career expecting to go into the medical field. And also like so many others before her, she discovered a new path that suited her much better: history. After earning her master’s degree, Roberts drew on her early chemistry courses to help her land a job at the Tennessee State Library and Archives as an archival conservator, which often involves ferreting out why deterioration is occurring and stopping it in its tracks. Instead of caring for patients, Roberts spent years caring for documents, photos, artifacts and scholars. Fieth worked at the state archives for years before moving to the Metro Archives, so Fieth and Roberts worked together at the state. Roberts implemented her preservation
training by testing for acids in documents, deacidifying paper and ensuring proper safe storage methods, which resist moisture and block gases. Roberts did physical restorations on items like books, documents and photographs, working to preserve them and stabilize them so they could be made available for use by the public. Acid-free envelopes and storage containers are crucial to document preservation. Transparent adhesive tape, or any display method that is permanent, is never to be used, she said. Fieth also acted as recorder for the State House and Senate, audiotaping the legislative discussions and creating a minute-by-minute index of the debates and decisions. When Fieth took on the directorship of the Metro Archives, he computerized the department, established its presence on social media, started a podcast, increased the full-time staff and made a big push to let the community know about the valuable resource they have at their fingertips. After the archives started to get publicity and an established presence on Facebook, submissions to the library began to increase, Fieth said. Back in the s, the archives received a lot of requests for genealogical work from people around the South researching their family heritage, Fieth said. To fulfill such requests, the archivists use their collection of court records—deeds, wills, marriages and trial records—from the s to the s. As the demographics of Nashville have changed over the years, so has the public’s interests. Today’s most popular requests are for documents researching the history of properties, Fieth said.
Photo by: James Wood, Bedford County Post Roberts
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The primary responsibility, by law, of the Tennessee State Library and Archives is to preserve the records of state government, including land transactions all the way back to the s, said Roberts. Scholars can see land transactions records with the signatures of all the heavy-hitter families of Tennessee’s early days: Overton, Jackson and Crockett, to name just a few, Roberts said. Semi-retired as of , Roberts is now the part-time county archivist back in her hometown of Shelbyville, going to work at the courthouse on the historic town square that has served her family well for seven generations. Roberts’ father, Winston, was the sixth generation of his family to run the family farm in Bedford County, where many of her relatives still live. Roberts is lending her skills to get a more usable, publicly accessible Bedford County archive “off the ground,” she said. Public access is important as people need county records for many uses, from obtaining a REAL ID or certifying a marriage to working through complicated estates or confirming land ownership, she said. “Just about any topic in Tennessee history, you can go to the state archives or your local county archives and look for that subject in their manuscripts,” she said. “We put together
all the clues from the various documents (such as store ledgers, marriage licenses or letters) and make conclusions. It’s putting the pieces of the puzzle together.” “There are so many different things you can learn about society in general from the government records the archives have,” said Fieth. He recalled one time when he worked with a local woman who had lost all her mementos of her grandmother in a house fire. When Fieth found her grandmother’s will in the archives, she burst into happy tears. “That’s why I do it,” he said.
Caleb Williams and Kate Holt Gunn Two younger alumni are safeguarding the state’s ,+ artifacts to bring Tennessee’s history alive for the public. The Tennessee State Museum has been on the move since , and two recent Lipscomb graduates have been making it happen, coordinating and safeguarding centuries-old artifacts as they travel to new storage and exhibit spaces. Caleb Williams (BA ’) came to the state museum as the associate registrar shortly before he graduated and moved up to museum operations coordinator in January , just in time to join the team overseeing the move of more than , historic artifacts to the museum’s newly constructed state-of-the-art storage facility in East Nashville. Backing him up is Anna Kate Holt Gunn (BA ’) who took over as associate registrar in . Registrars are the collection managers who install and take down exhibits, arrange the loans of artifacts and ensure proper packaging and storage for items traveling to storage or
Fieth
other exhibit sites, such as legislators’ offices or traveling exhibits. Williams works to ensure the safety and proper storage of the -year-old collection of artifacts in the museum’s original facility, the James K. Polk Cultural Center’s lower levels below the theaters of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Because of various maintenance problems, the state built a new storage facility and began moving the collection in April . The museum’s exhibit hall for the public moved from the Polk Center to Rosa Parks Boulevard in . Different types of artifacts, such as those made of wood versus silver or paper versus textiles, ideally need to be stored
“WE PUT TOGETHER ALL THE CLUES FROM THE VARIOUS DOCUMENTS AND MAKE CONCLUSIONS. IT’S PUTTING THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER.” — CAROL ROBERTS
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in different temperature, humidity and lighting conditions to avoid deterioration, said Williams. When differing items are all stored in one space (as in the Polk Center), caretakers must split the humidity difference, he said. Overhead pipes running in the ceiling above the artifacts could potentially leak and cause water damage. The state’s new facility has no water pipes running directly over the storage areas and the rooms can be sealed off from one another, allowing for customized temperature, humidity and light controls for the items stored in that particular room, said Williams. Visiting historians, archaeologists and independent scholars, will soon be able to view artifacts in a climatecontrolled workspace. The facility features specialized in-house labs for preservation treatments. Williams, who has always loved the public side of the history field, says he sees his current role as a real privilege. “Moving a whole collection is not something that every history professional will get to do in their career, especially to move from an old building with a lot of problems to a brand new building,” said the man who has lived his whole life in Tennessee, in Maryville and Nashville. Over at the public gallery of the museum, Gunn works to safely pack, unpack and store artifacts destined for exhibition in the museum, in government offices through the State Office Art Program or for traveling exhibits. She is a behind-the-scenes presence helping to
Gunn (left) and Williams (right)
determine how to exhibit artifacts in the museum while also ensuring they remain protected and well-preserved. Upon starting her position in , she became the lead registrar for the museum’s America exhibit, showing throughout this anniversary year. She assessed the condition of the artifacts and recommended both if and how they should be used in the exhibit, based on their current condition and fragility, she said. She is also working to prepare and move items destined for the future Tennessee Capitol Visitor Center and Museum to open in . Gunn looks for deterioration of any kind, such as holes, tears or water stains, and then carefully documents the item’s condition for future historians’ use, she
said. She also works with packing artifacts safely for return to storage, such as using Tyvek instead of paper to avoid potential water damage when packing a textile. Among the museum’s historic artifacts are a collection of historic flags and items related to all three presidents from Tennessee: a hat and sword worn by Andrew Jackson, a coat made by Andrew Johnson and a cane belonging to James K. Polk. “It’s almost an out-of-body experience because you can’t believe you are holding history in your hands,” said Gunn, a Columbia native who interned at the Polk home as a teen and participated in the museum’s Polk Academy as a child. “I’m honored to be a part of this and to be able to preserve it for the next generation.
“TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, WHICH IS SO LONG AND VAST, TO WORK ONE DAY WITH THOUSANDS-OF-YEARS-OLD NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS AND THE NEXT DAY WORK WITH A CIVIL RIGHTS ERA ARTIFACT, THE VARIETY IS COMPELLING.” — CALEB WILLIAMS 32
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2026 SENIOR WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS A FIRST Kaela Abbate, a senior history major from Thompson’s Station, is the inaugural recipient of the first Parker Humanities Research Award, which supports students in English, history or philosophy who require funding for travel related to conferences or research. Abbate, who also minors in French and is on track to graduate in three years, studied the role of women in the French Resistance during World War II, through research trips to Caen, France. While studying at the Université Catholique de L’Ouest, in its Centre International d’Études Française program in Angers, in June and July, she conducted field research in Normandy to support her senior thesis through firsthand historical and archival investigation. She traveled to key research sites in Caen, such as the Caen Memorial Museum, the Caen Gestapo headquarters and the Prefecture, the municipal center where French officials had to navigate German policies. Her trip included a specialized historical tour focused on women’s contributions, including as double-agents in the Prefecture or as secret transport for wounded British soldiers, and a visit to Sword Beach, one of the sites of the D-Day invasion. Her classes at the centre also included a World War II history course and various weekend trips out to historical sites in Angers. To study the war while living in the location where events happened was very impactful, said Abbate. “It gave me goosebumps, even in the middle of the summer heat wave,” she said. The Dr. John Parker Humanities Society was established last year to nurture academic and spiritual growth in students in English, history and philosophy by providing resources for research, mentorship and personal development, thus creating an enriched environment for intellectual exploration, preparing students for various career paths. Learn more about Abbate at lipscomb.edu/wal/Kaela-Abbate.
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Why we give
THOMAS AND DOROTHY LATIMER
“We felt like this scholarship was a small way to pay forward what God did for Brittany and for us.” When Major Brittany Latimer (BS ’09, Pharm.D. ’12) looks back on her journey from Charlotte, North Carolina, to becoming a leader in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, she sees more than a career path—she sees the steady hand of God guiding her steps. That same faith now inspires her parents, Thomas and Dorothy Latimer, to help future students at Lipscomb by establishing the Thomas and Dorothy B. Latimer Endowed Pharmacy Scholarship. The fund benefits students enrolled in degree programs in Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy, honoring a program that helped launch their daughter into a career of service and leadership. Drawn to the university’s faith-based environment, Brittany Latimer enrolled as a pre-pharmacy major in 2006, unaware that Lipscomb would soon open its own College of Pharmacy. When she learned of the new doctoral program, it felt like an answered prayer, she said. “I had already built strong friendships and loved the faithbased environment, so I was incredibly grateful to God for the opportunity to stay,” she said. The North Carolina native completed her undergraduate degree in just three years and became part of the College of Pharmacy’s inaugural class in 2012. She was also awarded the college’s first Outstanding Alumnus Award. This fall she was elected president of the Pharmacy Alumni Council.
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“When I was a student, there weren’t many scholarships available specifically for those pursuing professional degrees,” she said. “I’m thankful my parents want to help bridge that gap and support the next generation of student pharmacists in pursuing their calling.” When Latimer learned about the U.S. Army’s Health Professions Loan Repayment Program, which helps health care professionals repay student loans, she initially thought she’d serve just a few years. Twelve years later, she has built a distinguished military career that has taken her around the globe to assignments in Italy, the Republic of Korea and Kosovo, among others. She has served as chief of pharmacy departments at major military medical centers, and most recently was chief of the Department of Pharmacy at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas. For Tom and Dorothy Latimer, creating a scholarship in the College of Pharmacy is a way of giving back to the university that shaped their daughter’s life and to the God they believe orchestrated her journey. “Brittany was able to earn her doctorate in six years instead of eight,” said Tom Latimer. “That saved us two years of tuition, and we felt like this
scholarship was a small way to pay forward what God did for Brittany and for us. We’ve been blessed, and we want to help another student pharmacist have that same opportunity.” Brittany Latimer also pays forward her blessings, counting among her proudest accomplishments helping to develop the Army Medical Department Pharmacy pathway under the Health Professions Scholarship Program, which allows activeduty soldiers with a 68-series Military Occupational Specialty to attend pharmacy school and study to become pharmacists. For Latimer, the Lipscomb scholarship is a reflection not just of her parents’ generosity, but of a community that prepared her to serve with excellence—whether in a pharmacy, a military hospital or across the world. “Lipscomb has played such an important role in shaping who I am—both personally and professionally. I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity of my parents and their support not only for me, but also for Lipscomb and the College of Pharmacy,” she said. “God has ordered every step of my journey and Lipscomb was a huge part of that.”
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A weekend built for wherever you are I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it actually means to come home to Lipscomb. I keep returning to a phrase we often use in the office: “Lipscomb isn’t a place you leave behind, it’s a community you carry with you.” This year, as my team and I sat down to plan Bisons Weekend, Nov. 5-8, that idea shaped nearly every decision made. So often, alumni events are built around the idea of coming home from somewhere far away, but for 65% of you who live in Middle Tennessee, home is just down the road. So this year, instead of building one big weekend around one big moment, we added some additional events, Thursday, Nov. 5, through Tuesday, Nov. 10, filled with smaller, meaningful ways to reconnect, wherever you are in life right now. (You can preregister at lipscomb.edu/bisonsweekend or register on-site for most events.) The week kicks off Nov. 5, with our evening Elliott Lecture featuring Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism and Effortless, followed by our Neon Pickleball Tournament, where students, alumni and parents will battle it out under blacklight in glow-in-the-dark gear.
If you’re a young alumnus just stepping into a leadership role, I’d love for you to join us Nov. 9, for The Promotion Gamble, a professional development workshop for new and emerging leaders. If you’re a Lipscomb mom with little ones at home, we’ve got you covered with Sippy Cups & Little Bisons on Nov. 10, a relaxed morning of specialty coffee, connection and play. And if you want a family outing, come to campus for a day of games, food trucks and Bison spirit at the Bison Square Fair on Nov. 7. We’re also making space for the traditions that matter most. Members of the Class of 1976 will be honored throughout the entire weekend as they celebrate their 50th reunion, starting with a Get Reacquainted Coffee, a reunion dinner and photo op, their induction into the Golden Circle (a special group of alumni who graduated 50+ years ago) and recognition at halftime of Saturday’s men’s basketball game. One new addition this year is close to a lot of hearts. Alumni Café Brunch is back in the Bison Café on Nov. 8. So many of you have told me over the years how much you miss those Sunday
mornings in the cafeteria, so we brought them back! Go to church, gather your Bison friends and come grab brunch in the Caf, just like old times. And then the week builds to its grand finale: the longstanding tradition of Battle of the Boulevard. Join us Nov. 10 for the alumni pregame tailgate before we pack into Allen Arena for the most anticipated basketball game of the year. There’s nothing quite like the energy in that building, and I can’t think of a better way to close out a week built around connection than standing shoulder to shoulder with you, cheering as loud as we can. Whether you make it to one event or all of them, I hope you feel just as connected to Lipscomb today as you did the day you walked across that stage. You don’t have to travel far to belong here. You just have to show up, and I’m excited to see you this November! Once a Bison, always a Bison,
Stephanie Carroll Associate Vice President of Advancement
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Send us your Bison Notes through email at classnotes@lipscomb.edu or submit them online at lipscomb.edu/classnotes.
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Dinh
Class Notes
We want to hear from you! At lipscomb.edu/classnotes you can post a career update or accomplishment, a marriage, birth or passing, and share a special photo as well. We always have our ear to the ground to hear what’s going on in the Bison Herd. Submitted Bison Notes are edited for length, clarity or for any reason at the discretion of the editors of Lipscomb Now. Images that do not meet the quality standards necessary for printing cannot be included. Degree abbreviations follow standard academic abbreviations except for: (LA), alumni of Lipscomb Academy; (AD) associate degree; (GC), alumni who have completed a graduate certificate; and (A), non-degreed alumni or those whose degrees are unknown.
Lipscomb School of Nursing honors first recipients of new alumni award The School of Nursing recognized two graduates this spring as the first recipients of the Lipscomb Nursing Alumnus of the Year Award: Lacey Cross and Nhan Dinh. The new honor was established to celebrate alumni who are making a meaningful impact on the nursing profession through integrity, service, innovation and professional excellence. The award honors outstanding graduates whose work reflects excellence in leadership, clinical practice, research and scholarship, education, policy and advocacy, innovation and professional character. Cross (BSN ’), lives in Denver, Colorado, where she serves as an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing. She teaches and serves as coordinator of the university’s Integrated Nursing Pathway, which creates a path into the nursing program for students who complete their first two years of coursework at one of three Denver-area community colleges. As a student-athlete on Lipscomb’s women’s soccer team, Cross developed the self-discipline needed to complete two additional degrees while working full-time after graduation. “The wise, generous faculty who poured into me during my time as a 36
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Lipscomb student continue to serve as inspiration for the nurse and educator I strive to be every day,” said Cross. Dinh (BSN ’), of Albuquerque, New Mexico, serves as a transplant nurse practitioner in the Division of Nephrology at the University of New Mexico Hospital. Dinh said Lipscomb’s nursing program helped her grow in confidence and competence through strong clinical training, hands-on guidance from instructors and a focus on patient-centered care rooted in faith and service. That foundation, she said, continues to shape her work with transplant patients today. “My education at Lipscomb laid a strong foundation for my advanced practice training and encouraged me to strive for high-quality, evidence-based care delivered with excellence and purpose,” said Dinh. “It also reminds me of the importance of caring for each patient with good intentions, regardless of background, circumstance, financial status or legal status.”
The Lipscomb University School of Nursing is now accepting nominations for its 2027 Alumni of the Year Award — an honor that celebrates exceptional alumni who have made a significant impact in the nursing profession. Send nominations to nursing@lipscomb.edu.
Correction: In the spring edition of Lipscomb Now Lindsey Harris (BA ’) was erroneously listed as having passed away in the In Memoriam section.
1979 Ginger Kendrick Saunders (BA) of Nashville retired after 18 years of service at Lipscomb University.
Dr. Myron Schirer-Suter (BA, MA ’99) of Beverly, Massachusetts, retired as director of library services at Gordon College after the spring 2026 semester.
1980 Dr. Lori Lee Barr (BA) of Austin, Texas, was recognized in January
as a 2026 Top Pinnacle Healthcare Professional for her contributions to the field of radiology.
1986 Cassandra Kennedy (BS) of Durham, North Carolina, was elected chair of the Association of Contract Research Organizations. She is the chief quality, regulatory affairs and sustainability officer at Fortrea.
1989 Dr. Lee Camp (BA) of Nashville retired after serving 27 years as a professor at Lipscomb University.
1991
Michael Shane Neal (BA) of Nashville, was featured on “CBS’s Sunday Morning” in April for his portrait of former President Joe Biden that was unveiled at the Syracuse College of Law and is a permanent fixture at the library. Keisha Varma (BS) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is an associate vice president at the University of Minnesota.
1997 Tammy Edwards (BS) of Pulaski was honored in December as the 2025 Richland Elementary PreK-4 Teacher of the Year.
1998 Dr. Leslie T. Lockridge (BA) of Scottsdale, Arizona, is the new
executive director of the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System.
1999 Erin Davis (BS) of Paducah, Kentucky, teaches human services and
business education at West Carroll Jr./Sr. High School. She was recognized in December by the West Carroll Special School District administrators in the Teacher Spotlight and honored for her passion, dedication and commitment to empowering students in grade nine through 12.
2000 Suzanne Kincaid (BS) of Brentwood was a guest of the Association
of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) “Q&A Interviews” series on March 14. Ashley Randolph (BA) of Nashville, is vice president and chief accounting officer for Genesco Inc.
2002 Alicia Griffith (BS, MS ’17) of Cane Ridge is an environmental
consultant with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
2004 Denice Carothers (MEd) of Thompson’s Station has been named
chief development officer at Boys & Girls Club of Middle Tennessee. Jason Crutchfield (BA) of Smyrna was named principal of Rockvale Elementary School. Kelli Garrett (BS) of Ashland City earned a Doctorate of Social Work degree from the University of Memphis in May 2025. She serves as the executive director of Lipscomb University’s LIFE Program.
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STUDENT OF ANCIENT HISTORY HEADS TO ANCIENT LAND Lipscomb’s 20th known Fulbright finalist in school history, Master of Arts student Claire Edmondson (MA ’26), left for her English Teaching Assistant assignment in Athens, Greece, in August. Edmondson, a Nashville native who received her Master of Arts in archaeology and biblical studies from Lipscomb this spring, began her Fulbright assignment in August at the Athens College-Hellenic American Educational Foundation. As part of her Fulbright assignment, Edmondson will support Englishlanguage instruction and cultural exchange in Greece. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is one of the nation’s most competitive international exchange programs, designed to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through academic study, research and teaching opportunities abroad. Edmondson came to the university’s Lanier Center for Archaeology after earning her undergraduate degree in classics from the University of Iowa. “She is drawn to studying the past within a crosscultural setting, so her fellowship in Greece will be a perfect match to blend her passions for learning about ancient history within a modern context,” said Steven Ortiz, director of the Lanier Center. During her time at Lipscomb, Edmondson volunteered and interned with the Lanier Center for Archaeology, assisting with conferences, Bisons Weekend open house events and management of archaeological collections housed in Beaman Library. She credits the Lipscomb community with playing a formative role in both her academic and spiritual growth. Following completion of her Fulbright assignment, Edmondson plans to pursue a doctorate in classical or archaeological studies and hopes to build a career in archaeology and higher education.
Learn more about Edmondson at lipscomb.edu/wal/claire-edmondson.
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2005 Emily Darnell (BS) of Lewisburg was appointed to the
Maury Regional Health Care Foundation Board of Directors for 2026. Darnell is the public relations officer at First Commerce Bank.
Dr. Joshua Graves (MDiv) of Nolensville participated in the inaugural “Beyond the Stage” series at Studio Tenn on May 30.
2007 Charles Parker (BS, LA ’99) of Destin, Florida, is the chief financial officer of Traws Pharma.
Tiffany Summers (MBA) of Nashville is the assistant vice president for student success at Volunteer State Community College.
2009 Rebecca Curry Ronan (BA) and Zach Ronan (BS ’12)
Alumna co-authors new book on biscuits and cornbread LINDA CARMAN’S UNIQUE CAREER CONTRIBUTED TO SELF-RISING Before there were social media influencers, foodies and food bloggers, there was Linda Carman (BS ’). As a baking consultant and test kitchen director for Martha White, the long-time flour brand based in Nashville, Carman was demonstrating kitchen equipment, recipes and cooking techniques long before “foodfluencers” rose to prominence online. After a lifetime of traveling throughout the Southeast to hold baking demonstrations and developing recipes for pamphlets mailed to Martha White customers, the Cullman, Alabama-native, has now added author to her list of accomplishments. She is one of three contributing authors of the book, Self Rising: The Magic Rise behind Biscuit and Cornbread Culture. The book is the brainchild of Mindy Merrell, a winner of Food Network’s reality cooking show Chopped and a former co-worker of Carman’s at the test kitchen for Dye Van Mol & Lawrence, a public relations firm that is today part of FINN Partners’ Nashville office. The book explores Nashville’s overlooked story of self-rising flour and its outsized role in shaping Southern kitchens. Blending food history, cultural storytelling and personal narratives, Self-Rising traces how biscuits and cornbread evolved from necessity into icons. 38
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were married on Nov. 2, 2025. The couple lives in Spring Hill. She is an associate professor of English at Trevecca Nazarene University and an adjunct faculty member at Lipscomb University. He is a precinct supervisor with Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
2011
Alli Arney (BS) of Gainesboro is owner of Buffalo Diamond Consulting and a certified career coach.
2012 Yvonne Clendenen (BS) of Spring Hill is co-founder and
Merrell describes Carman as one of the last connections to that history. She traveled to universities throughout the region to demonstrate how to cook with gas stoves, developed recipes for Martha White’s advertising pamphlets and did cooking demonstrations for the Agricultural Extension Service. “She was an influencer of her day,” said Merrell. “She was the interface between the company and the consumers.” In addition to shining a spotlight on Nashville’s role in Southern cooking, Self-Rising includes a glossary of baking terms and recipes for a variety of ways to make biscuits, from butter swim biscuits to biscuit doughnuts. Cornbread baking tips cover everything from cast ironbaked cornbread served crust up to hushpuppies and hoecakes. Other chapters provide recipes for pancakes, muffins, loaves, cakes, cookies, bars, cobblers and shortcakes. There is even a chapter for sides such as dressing and snacks such as corndogs. Recipes vary from traditional fried chicken to fried zucchini straws. Whether it was growing up on biscuits and cornbread in Alabama or building a successful career as a baker and educator in Nashville, Carman’s whole life has revolved around cooking and baking. In , the release of Self-Rising is just the crunchy topping on a full life lived with selfrising flour and cornmeal baked in. Learn more about Carman’s career at lipscomb.edu/now/linda-carman.
CEO of The Guardian Initiative nonprofit organization.
Randall Davis (MBA) of Crossville was named president of Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital on Feb. 3, 2026.
Rev. Claire Jasper-Crafter (EdD) of Port Orange, Florida, serves as part-time assistant chaplain at Stetson University.
2014
Dr. Cindy Davis (EdD) of Spring Hill returned to Longview Elementary as the school’s new principal on July 1, 2026. Dr. Jerimy L. Smith (MEd, EdD) of Nashville, is interim principal at Harpeth Valley Elementary School.
2015 Michael D. Bell (MEd) of Brentwood is principal of Smith Springs Elementary School.
Stephanie E. Best (MEd) of Miami, Florida, is the director of the Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy at Miami Dade College.
Jacqueline Fullwood (BFA, MS ’20) of Nashville is a licensed professional counselor with a mental health service provider designation at Horizon Counseling. Chadwick Johnson (BA, MM ’16) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was announced in May as the boys’ basketball coach at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School. James “Trey” A. Stephens III (EdS) of Fairview is principal of Glencliff High School.
2016 Chloe Wilson (MS) of Culleoka is a member of the Maury Regional Medical Group Neurology clinical team.
2017 Olivia (BS, MBA ’23) and Reese Lusk (BA, LA ’13) of
Brentwood announce the birth of their daughter Chloe Reese Lusk on May 30, 2026. Olivia serves at Lipscomb as the director student services for the College of Business.
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THE NATION’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST IN BUSINESS Student-athlete and entrepreneurship major Nate Wallace (BBA ’26) was recognized this spring as one of the nation’s top business students, earning a place in Poets&Quants for Undergrads’ 2026 list of the 100 Best & Brightest Undergraduate Business Majors. For Wallace, an Atlanta native, this recognition is a meaningful affirmation of a college journey defined by hard work, perseverance and a commitment to making the most of every opportunity. Wallace describes his Lipscomb experience in one word: busy. He carried heavy course loads, worked two campus jobs, had a barber business for friends and teammates, pursued internships and competed as an NCAA Division I athlete. He served as captain of the men’s track and field team and as president of the Entrepreneurship Club and the Black Student Association. He earned Academic All-ASUN honors and received Lipscomb awards for strategy and innovation. He points to Bison Athletics legends Bruce Bowers (’72), a former member of the men’s basketball team, and Ted Jamison (’72), a former member of the “Miracle Bisons” baseball teams, two of the university’s first Black athletes, as meaningful influences. “They showed me firsthand what it was like to be a trailblazer when it came to sports and school,” said Wallace. “I still keep in touch with them to this day, and I hope they can read this with a smile on their faces.” As Wallace looks to the future, this summer he completed a consulting internship with a Nashvillebased company before returning to Lipscomb this fall to pursue his Master of Business Administration. Learn more about Wallace at lipscomb.edu/wal/ nate-wallace.
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2018 Dr. Erin Cáceres (MEd, EdD ’22) of Franklin is principal at Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School.
Rabbi Flip Rice (DMin) of Franklin participated in the inaugural “Beyond the Stage” series at Studio Tenn on May 30, 2026. Dr. Carjarmin Scott (EdD) of Bella Collina, Florida, is the vice president for strategic enrollment management at AdventHealth University in Orlando.
Kaylee Frank Small (BA) of Winfield, Illinois, is an acquisitions editor for Tyndale House Publishers in Carol Stream, Illinois.
Scene from Legends of the Lost Ark.
2019 Emmaline Jones Jackson (BA, LA ’15) and Austin Jackson were married on Nov. 1, 2025, in Kingston.
Lipscomb scholar brings mystery of the Ark of the Covenant to the public For more than two millennia, the fate of the Ark of the Covenant has stirred curiosity, debate and imagination for millions of people around the globe. Today, you can explore that ancient mystery along with Chris McKinny, associate professor of archaeology in Lipscomb’s Lanier Center for Archaeology, through the documentary Legends of the Lost Ark, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Apple iTunes and other web platforms. The film is hosted by McKinny, who joined the Lanier faculty this past school year and who also helped bring the film to the screen as director of research for Gesher Media, a company created to serve as a bridge between the world of the Bible and today’s modern audiences. The -minute documentary, filmed across multiple countries, follows McKinny on a global investigation to examine three enduring legends about the Ark’s disappearance through textual analysis, archaeological exploration and expert theological debate. Through archaeological investigation in Israel and cinematic reenactments filmed in Colombia, the work vividly portrays the prophet Jeremiah’s desperate mission to safeguard the Ark during Jerusalem’s 40
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fall. The documentary explores theories tied to a rock, a tomb and the Temple Mount—all traditions associated with Jeremiah and the final known movements of the Ark. Legends of the Lost Ark premiered on April at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and was released in , theaters nationwide for one weekend in April. For McKinny, the film represents the culmination of years of scholarship, fieldwork and persistence. “I have always understood that to be active in this very difficult field of biblical archaeology, you have to have a public face,” he said. “That’s not only important for me as a scholar. It’s also incredibly important for our field. If we don’t grow the field, if we don’t keep showing people why this matters, we lose something important. “We really can’t understand Scripture fully without understanding the world in which it was written and received. The best thing about archaeology is that every year, new discoveries add nuance and depth,” said McKinny. “They don’t change the biblical text, but they help us see it more clearly.” Learn more about McKinny’s role with the documentary by scanning the QR code and go to legendsofthelostark. com to find where to stream the film and purchase the companion book.
Chris Kachmar (BBA, BBA ’20) of East Greenville, Pennsylvania, was signed by the Baltimore Orioles to a minor league contract, placing him with Triple-A Norfolk. Jordan E. Thornton (BBA) of Kingsport is the assistant general manager of the Johnson City Doughboys.
2020 Alyssa Herndon (MS) of Murfreesboro is a clinical manager and senior board certified behavior analyst for the Autism Education and Therapy Center.
Sydney L. Shelton (BS, MBA ’21, GC ’22) of Nashville was named by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as a member of the WBCA Thirty Under 30 Honorees for 2025-26.
2021 Dr. Alexandra Valdes-Wochinger (EdS) of Nashville is principal of Glendale Elementary School.
2022 Lauren McKenzie (MEd) of Montgomery, Texas, will join
Cohort 7 of the University of Texas at Austin LBJ Women’s Campaign School. She is the director of early childhood-12th grade policy at the Commit Partnership. Ashley Newby (BSN, LA ’18, MS ’25) of Nashville is a registered nurse in pediatric hematology/oncology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Jacob Richardson (BS, MS ’24), of Tyrone, Georgia, and Kalliope Clayton Richardson (BA ’24) were married May 16, 2025. Charles D. Summers Jr. (BS) of Nashville is a medical student at Meharry Medical College and matched into an emergency medicine residency at TriStar Skyline Medical Center. Dr. Tyisha Walker (EdS, EdD) of Nashville is principal of Murrell School. Ava Woodard Wilson (BA) of Franklin is a practice assistant at Holland & Knight LLP.
2023 Derrin C. Boyd (BS, MBA ’24) of Princeton, Kentucky, has
signed with the Franklin Bulls of New Zealand Sal’s National Basketball League for the 2026 season. Chaley Brown (BSN, LA ’18) of Leoma has been hired to the medical team at Southern Tennessee Bone and Joint as a nurse practitioner. Benjamin Govan (BBA) of Goodlettsville is an insurance examiner associate with the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance. Jackson Hinkle (BA) of Nashville is the executive producer at TheStreet Roundtable. Dr. Darrel Sears (DMin) of York, Nebraska, is the creator of the THRIVE Cohort, a yearlong online group offering community and encouragement for ministers at every stage.
2024 Bethany C. Burkhardt (BBA) of Rochester, Minnesota, is a multimedia account manager for the Post Bulletin.
WE ARE LIPSCOMB
YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI
Photo by Rachel Breakey
WEBB BUILDS A COMMUNITY FOR YOUNG AND OLD If there is one thing that Lipscomb alumna Lainey (Rumans) Webb (BS ’17) learned through her journey of motherhood during difficult pregnancies, it was the importance of community. That is what drove her in 2025 when she and her husband Corley (LA ’13) opened a new business in Nashville’s Crieve Hall area, Music Sippy Social, an indoor playground and cafe specifically designed to nurture community among families. The community-focused character of the play cafe concept appealed to Webb as she had recently experienced health issues during pregnancies, difficult postpartum experiences and an often-lonely motherhood journey as a mom of three, all under age 5. “In this season of postpartum, I wanted to build something for moms and caregivers. I really wanted to design something for moms where they can come in, and feel like, ‘Oh, you thought of everything,’” she said. Incorporating knowledge from her Lipscomb
education degree into the design, the Webbs built a business plan, resulting in opening Music Sippy Social’s doors in October 2025. “Even though my health wasn’t great, and we were postpartum with our third baby, it gave me so much joy in that season…having this to pour into has given me such a good, hopeful outlet. I built it to serve other people, but it is also serving me in this season,” said Webb. Music Sippy Social’s play space provides safe, community-focused activity in a spacious, colorful and light environment for children ages 9 and under. For parents, the cafe provides a robust menu featuring specialty sodas, refreshers, coffee, tea and more along with a variety of snack boxes and a spacious seating area for conversation. The facility is available for rent for birthday parties and celebrations. Learn more about Webb at lipscomb.edu/wal/lainey-webb.
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BISON NOTES Cole (right)
Leyna Krikorian (BS) of Fishers, Indiana, received her white coat in December 2025 as one of the 2027 cohort of Franklin College’s Master of Science in Physician Assistance Studies program.
IDEAL alumni medal at 2026 Special Olympics USA games This summer, two Lipscomb University alumni Cottrell of the Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb (IDEAL) program had the unique opportunity to represent Tennessee on a national stage at the Special Olympics USA games in Minnesota. Both came home with medals and memories to last a lifetime. Carter Cottrell earned bronze in the golf competition, while Jaden Cole helped his basketball team capture gold. This achievement capped years of practice and competition for both athletes. Golf is a family tradition for Cottrell, who completed the IDEAL program in . His grandfather, Mike Eller, owns Hermitage Golf Course and was selected as a inductee into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. Cottrell said he largely taught himself to play and has competed on the golf team at McGavock High School. Back home in Nashville, Cottrell now works at Nissan Stadium and plans to continue competing locally and in Special Olympics Tennessee events. A native of Jackson, Cole began playing Special Olympics basketball in January . Six years later, he found himself representing the Tennessee team as a shooting guard. Cole and Team Tennessee went undefeated on their way to the national championship and a gold medal. Special Olympics Tennessee highlighted Cole following the Games, honoring his crucial role in capturing the gold medal. Cole completed IDEAL’s two-year program in and went on to participate in the advanced program. Today, he works at Life Time Athletic in Franklin, where he has been employed for nearly five years performing a variety of facility responsibilities. Lipscomb’s IDEAL program is designed for students with intellectual disabilities who want to receive the full Lipscomb experience to prepare for their future. They experience college alongside their peers while developing academic, career and independent living skills. Students take classes, complete internships, attend sporting and cultural events and participate in campus life as members of the Lipscomb community. 42
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Max Martin (BA) of Duluth, Georgia, signed his first publishing deal with Big Loud Publishing in 2025. Seth Meyer (BS) of Nashville received the American Pharmacists Association Student Leadership Award at the 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Los Angeles. Meyer is a third-year candidate in Lipscomb University’s College of Pharmacy. Madison Schomer (BA, MPA ’25) of Brentwood was selected to participate in the Class of 2028 Tennessee Governor’s Management Fellowship. Meghan R. Wombles (BFA) of Greenwood, Indiana, made her debut as Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” in June at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers, Florida.
Adanna Onyekwere (BSN) of Antioch is a pediatric care nurse at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Clara Stringer (BSN) of Richardson, Texas, is a care team registered nurse at Esperanza Health Center PA. Andrew Thompson (MS) of Hermitage is an associate licensed professional counselor with The Counseling Center LLC. Channing Smith (BA) of Hendersonville is LENS technician with Nashville LENS Therapy.
2026 Emma Dolan (BSN) of Thompson’s Station is a hematology/oncology nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Samuel Garrett (BS) of Hendersonville is a sports nutrition intern with Vanderbilt University Athletics. Samuel D. Marshall (BA) of Nashville teaches Bible at EzellHarding Christian School’s lower school. Victoria Mondani (BS) of Nashville is a math teacher at Liberty Creek High School. Herberth Sanchez (BSN) of Nashville, is a registered nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center-Adult Emergency Department. Ann Sowell (BA) of Nashville is an associate publicist at Quartz Hill Music Group.
2025 Kaitie Baird (BSN, LA ’21) of
Nashville is a registered nurse with Tristar Century Farms ER. William Bryan (BBA) of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is the soccer coach at the new Christian County High School. Wilson Dakin (BBA) of Nashville is a project engineer with KLG Building Group. Cooper Hayes (BBA) of Strawberry Plains is a financial advisor with Raymond James. Douglas Higgins (BS) of Agoura Hills, California, is executive vice president and general manager of Pixelogic. Amanda Matacale (MEd) of Gallatin is a first-grade teacher with Sumner County Schools.
Emma Stephens (BFA) of Columbia, of Nashville is an operations assistant for Storehouse No. 9. Jace Trautner (BS) of Trinity, Florida, is an assistant baseball coach for player development at Lipscomb University. Yuan Yuan Yu (BBA) of Issaquah, Washington, is a Know Your Customer reviews analyst with UBS.
Send us your notes! Please send news of weddings, births, deaths; new jobs and promotions; academic and professional degrees; church and community service activities; awards and achievements; and changes of address to Class Notes Editor, Lipscomb University, One University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204. Email: classnotes@lipscomb.edu Online: lipscomb.edu/classnotes
WE ARE LIPSCOMB
TODAY’S BISONS
DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS, BY STUDENTS The debut of the Trey Merrill Collection at Lipscomb’s on-campus bookstore this past spring was more than a new Lipscomb-branded clothing line for sale. It was the culmination of a passion project developed and carried out by students in partnership with bookstore operator Slingshot. Student designer Trey Merrill, a rising senior graphic design major from Colorado Springs, Colorado, brought fresh eyes and plenty of school spirit to a clothing line that quickly sold out over the course of the spring semester. Following up on a campaign promise, 2025-26 Student Government Association President Lydia Knobloch (BS ’26) brought Slingshot officials together with student designers to create the new clothing line. Merrill “brought a point of view that felt real to campus,” said Nathan Mazellan, Slingshot vice president of retail marketing. “When students see something created by one of their own, it connects. It feels more personal, relevant and honestly, more worth wearing.” Merrill said his passions and personal interests inspire his designs, including his family, friends and Colorado sports teams. During his college career, he has already designed promotional materials for various Lipscomb academic departments as well as the clothing line. As he looks to the future, he hopes to pursue merchandise design in either the music industry or in ministry. “I want everything I do to be for the glory of God, so that includes graphic design,” said Merrill. “If there’s a way that I can merge design and ministry in the future, that is definitely a priority for me.” Learn more about Merrill at lipscomb.edu/wal/trey-merrill.
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WE ARE LIPSCOMB
TODAY’S BISONS
2026 GRADUATE IS A MINISTERIAL RENAISSANCE MAN Hudson Tucker (BA ’26), of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, didn’t fall far from the family tree. His father has been a Church of Christ minister for his entire life, and when it came time to go to college, Tucker knew he wanted to follow in his footsteps. And the pastoral leadership graduate is well on his way, becoming a ministerial Renaissance man during his undergraduate career with several internships under his belt (including a stint as a preaching intern at Nashville’s Harpeth Hills Church of Christ this past spring), a rare academic accolade in philosophy of religion and his own album of Christian music available on Spotify.
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The philosophy of religion course he took as a junior not only gave him a firm grounding in Christian apologetics, but also resulted in one of his class papers being published in Aporia, an undergraduate journal of philosophy. The community of songwriting friends he developed around him resulted in his 11-song Christian album titled Broken, produced by fellow Lipscomb alumnus Caleb Dukes (BM ’24). The promotional video for the album has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. And of course there’s the preaching. “Hudson cares about Scripture and theology and is always up for a deep
conversation,” said Deron Smith, director of the accelerated pastoral leadership program. “Even more, Hudson loves God. He desires to practice what he is learning and preaching.” With such a diversity of experiences under his belt, Tucker is well-prepared to embark on his next chapter in life: pursuing his Master of Divinity at Lipscomb. Learn more about Tucker at lipscomb.edu/wal/hudson-tucker.
BISON NOTES
In Memoriam LIPSCOMB COMMUNITY
Ernest Benjamin “Toby” Quinn Jr. (BA) of Nashville died Jan. , .
Lindsey Pflueger (A ’), a master’s degree student of Smyrna, died July , . James “Jim” Creech (A) died on March , . Creech served in the Lipscomb University advancement office for many years
1961
Dr. Robert “Bob” M. Fulmer (BA) of Santa Barbara, California, died June , .
1962
Elizabeth Donnell Nelms (BA) of Columbia, Missouri, died Oct. , .
1941 Nancy Parman Long (A) of Nashville died Dec. , .
1946 Jean N. Dennison (A) of Nashville died May , .
1949
1951
Lewis D. East (BA, MA ’) of Homewood, Alabama, died Jan. , .
Larry Evans Morrow (BS) of Chattanooga died Jan. , .
Frank W. Batson (BS) of Florence, Alabama, died May , .
1952 James “Frank” F. Hollingsworth
(LA) of Nashville died March , .
1953
Thomas J. Trimble (BA, LA ’) of Scottsdale, Arizona, died Feb. , . He was a Life Regent and former Chair of the University Board of Regents at Pepperdine University.
John W. Rucker (BA, LA ’) of Kennesaw, Georgia, died Feb. , .
1963 Leland W. Biggs (BS) of Nashville died April , .
Judith G. Hayes (BS) of Thompson’s Station died May , .
1954 Marian F. Ezell (BS, LA ’) of Nashville died July , .
1956
Mary Anderson Chunn (A) of Nashville died June , .
Mary Anne Smith (BA) of Meridianville, Alabama, died May , .
1957 Ogle B. Hall (LA) of Murfreesboro died Jan. , .
1958
Lewis “Danny” Harless Jr. (BA) of Nashville died Feb. , .
1959 Shirley A. Lincoln (BS) of Franklin
Lynn “Clark” C. Shackelford (LA) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died June , . Charles F. Smith (BA) of Nashville died March , . Joan C. Stone (BA, LA ’) of Spring, Texas, died Feb. , .
1964 Randell E. Holt (LA) of Spring Hill died Feb. , .
James Michael McLean (BA) of Mount Juliet died Jan. , .
Dwinna H. Walker (BA) of Brentwood died Dec. , .
died Feb. , .
Dr. Larry J. Paulk Sr. (BA) of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, died March , .
1965 Patricia F. Beverstein (LA) of
Murfreesboro died Feb. , . Thomas “Tommy” Dawson (BS) of Nashville died March , . Larry Jurney (BA) of Edmond, Oklahoma, died Aug. , .
Lipscomb loses pioneering alumni athlete Kimberly Satterfield Van Atta (BS ’) of Nashville, died May , . Van Atta was a standout athlete who helped lead Mt. Juliet High School to the Class AAA state basketball championship. At Lipscomb she earned NAIA All-American honors and finished her career as the Bison’s all-time leading scorer with , points. In , she became the first female inducted into the Lipscomb Athletic Hall of Fame. She coached basketball at both the NAIA and NCAA Division I levels, including leading the University of Tennessee at Martin to their first OVC regular-season championship and postseason victory in Division I in . She was also an assistant director at the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, leading initiatives focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety and media partnerships. LIPSCOMB.EDU/NOW
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Lipscomb mourns loss of academic leaders this summer This summer, Lipscomb University lost two of its visionary leaders. Dr. Trace Hebert, associate provost for research and graduate studies and a longtime faculty member, passed away in July, and Joe Ivey, retired senior vice president of Hebert advancement and professor in the College of Business, passed away in September. Hebert joined the Lipscomb faculty in to lead the university’s newly developed Doctor of Education program. He also served the college in several leadership positions, Ivey including as associate dean and interim dean during the - academic year, before his appointment to his current role in the Office of the Provost in . Hebert was particularly devoted to doctoral education and to helping students develop the knowledge, confidence and character to become effective leaders. Hebert was also a respected scholar, nationally known for his research on enrollment trends among students from Churches of Christ attending affiliated colleges and universities, as well as broader population trends within the Churches of Christ. Since , Ivey poured himself into Lipscomb and into the lives of the people who make this community so special. From -, he oversaw several areas, including admissions, alumni, development, marketing and public relations. Teaching was one of Ivey’s great passions. In , he moved into a full-time faculty role. In addition, he held several leadership roles including executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and associate dean for graduate business programs. He brought extraordinary strategic business experience to the classroom, having served as president and CEO of three companies before coming to Lipscomb. His influence will continue through the Ivey Endowed Scholarship in Strategy, which Joe and his wife, Malinda, established to support future College of Business students. 46
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Nancy Hardison Jurney (BA) of Edmond, Oklahoma, died Nov. , .
1966
Fred Thomas Brown (BA) of Sparta died Jan. , .
1975 Bruce R. Rollins (BA) of
Farmington Falls, Maine, died July , . Ronald T. Scott (BA) of Rockvale died April , .
1979
Warren “Pete” R. Hutton (BA, LA ’) of Punta Gorda, Florida, died May , . Rita E. Johnson (BS) of Nashville died March , .
1967 Susan “Gayle” H. Foster (BA) of Brentwood died March , .
James “Jim” D. Luther (BS) of Brentwood died Feb. , . Nancy L. Morrow (BS) of Chattanooga died March , .
1980 Robert “Bobby” W. Bishop (BS) of Columbia died Dec. , .
1981 Timothy S. Johnson (BA) of Nashville, died June , .
Kalvin “Kal” K. Koenig (BS) of Inman, South Carolina, died Feb. , .
1982 Paul “Tommy” T. Breakfield (BA) of Rockledge, Florida, died Feb. , .
1985 Randall “Todd” T. Gregory (BS,
LA ’) of Brentwood died March , .
1969 John W. Parsons (BA) of
Nolensville died May , . Timothy “Tim” E. Ryan (BA, LA ’) of Brasstown, North Carolina, died Jan. , .
1987 Wendy M. Tompkins (BA) of Rockvale died Feb. , .
1989
Ellen Vaupel Nichols (BS) of Franklin, died July , .
1991
James Wallace Kerby (BA) of Nashville died Jan. , .
Gary W. Sparks (BA) of Holly, Michigan, died Dec. , . Wayne Youngblood (BS) of Mayfield, Kentucky, died Nov. , .
1970
David Ray Glasgow (BA) of Columbia died June , .
Clark Sanders Rees (BS) of Tullahoma died Jan. , .
Dan W. Kirby (BA) of Nolensville died June , . Kirby was a founding member of the Tau Phi social club. Charles “Charlie” I. Pearman (BS) of Franklin died June , .
1971
Wesley John Moore (LA ’) of Nashville died Jan. , .
1972 Wilson P. Burton (BA, LA ’) of Brentwood died April , .
Terry L. Frisby (BA) of Franklin died March , .
1973
Edward A. Hickman (BS) of Columbia died March , .
1974 Rhonda Selvage Ayers (BS) of
Acworth, Georgia, died May , .
Paula Sikes Rummage (BS) of Brentwood died Jan. , .
2015
ReAsha Frazier (A, BPS ’, MA ’) of Nashville, died May , .
2017 Laura E. Harbison (MEd) of
Nashville died April , .
Happy 135th Birthday, Lipscomb University A vision that has endured for more than 13 decades.
A
lot has changed since 1891, but not Lipscomb University’s faithfulness to the mission originally set out before it: “to teach the Christian religion as presented in the Bible in its purity and fullness; and in teaching this to prepare Christians for usefulness in whatever sphere they are called to labor,” as worded by David Lipscomb himself in The Gospel Advocate.
We’ve seen years of faithfulness to that mission that was set out by David Lipscomb and James A. Harding, and we carry that same mission today. From its beginnings on Oct. , , then-called the Nashville Bible School with nine students and three faculty members, Lipscomb University has grown today to more than , university students, just over full-time faculty and a college preparatory academy with more than , students from age to th grade. From its early days (the historic photo shows the three buildings that existed on campus in ), the school has been innovative: admitting both men and women, adding a medical doctor to its staff
and offering primary and secondary education as well as a university degree. Today Lipscomb is ranked among the top tier of national universities by U.S. News and offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs among other academic offerings. But its greatest accomplishment is the nearly , graduates and countless others who have been welcomed, served and formed since its founding. David Lipscomb dreamed about innovative and Christ-centered approaches to education, and his vision and pioneer spirit continue to be reflected in the essence of the university today.
Read more of Lipscomb’s 135 year history by scanning the QR code.
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01
02
A season full of Bison moments
03
04
Fall may bring Bisons Weekend, but Lipscomb’s Office of Alumni & Parent Engagement stays just as busy in the spring and summer, filling the calendar with plenty of joyful Bison moments in between.
volunteers were on hand to meet the graduates and offer real advice for their first few weeks after Lipscomb. The event marked a full-circle moment, connecting new alumni with those who walked the same path years before.
This year marked the first time alumni joined the Be A Bison Tour, the university’s admissions recruiting trips to Chattanooga, Knoxville (05), Chicago, Louisville and Memphis. Alumni volunteers met with prospective students at each stop, sharing what Lipscomb meant to them and offering a perspective admissions counselors alone couldn’t provide. Hearing a Bison’s story firsthand carries a different kind of weight, and prospective students noticed.
This summer’s biggest gathering was Lipscomb Night at the Sounds (01, 04), where more than 400 alumni, parents and friends filled First Horizon Park for a night of baseball and Bison pride. Hayden Sears (LA ’13, BS ’17) (02), a mechanical engineering graduate who worked on Orion, the spacecraft that carried four astronauts to circle the moon earlier this year, threw out the first pitch, and current student Hannah Varghase, sang the national anthem— fitting reminders that the Lipscomb family spans generations and continues to grow.
In March, alumni gathered for the first time at GEODIS Park to cheer on the Nashville Soccer Club (06). Attendees received their own custom Lipscomb-NSC co-branded scarf (07) and were able to see Nashville play Orlando City, the team that includes Lipscomb’s own Tyrese Spicer (A ’24), a former Lipscomb Bison and top MLS draft pick.
Most recently in October, Bison families gathered at Middle Tennessee’s alumni-owned Walden Farm for an afternoon among the pumpkins —a simple, easy day of fall air and community that captured the spirit of the season.
In May, the office hosted another Senior Send-Off to celebrate the newest class of graduates (03). Students picked up their regalia and received their first official alumni T-shirt, and for the first time, alumni 05
06
07
None of these moments needed a big production to matter. A recruiting stop, a graduation gift, a ballpark, an afternoon on a pumpkin farm… each opportunity was another chance for the Bison family to show up for each other. And this fall, that spirit will continue at Bisons Weekend, Nov. 5-8 (see details on page 35). Pre-register at lipscomb. edu/bisonsweekend.
Your Legacy, Their Future Protect Your Family While Empowering Students Through planned giving your gift becomes: • A bridge between calling and education • Tax advantages for your estate
• A living testimony of faith and generosity • A legacy shaping future leaders for Christ
Imagine students walking our campus decades from now—their education possible because you made your values permanent.
Your Legacy. Their Calling. One Faithful Decision. Scan code to download a free estate planning guide
Paul Stovall Senior Director of Gift Planning Center for Estate & Gift Planning 615.966.5251 paul.stovall@lipscomb.edu
Save the Date Lipscomb University’s 2026-27 Presidential Signature Series We hope you will make plans to join us for the remainder of this series of special opportunities as we elevate scholarly conversations and illuminate significant work in the pursuit of flourishing!
lipscomb.edu/planmyestate
Don R. Elliott Distinguished Presidential Lecture Speaker: Greg McKeown, Best-Selling Author, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most
November 5, 2026 Landiss Lecture & McClure Lecture on Faith and Science Speaker: Dr. John Wellons, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery and Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Associate Surgeon-in-Chief, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital
February 9, 2027 Fred Gray Lectureship Speaker announcement coming soon!
March 23, 2027
Learn more about upcoming lectures and events by scanning this QR code.
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