Lipscomb University
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Lipscomb University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville; it also maintains one satellite location called "Spark" in Downtown Nashville to serve the business community.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Total student enrollment for the fall 2022 semester was 4,704, which included 2,955 undergraduate students and 1,749 graduate students. Lipscomb has been rated the #3 Best College in Tennessee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Lipscomb University was founded in 1891 by David Lipscomb and James A. Harding. The campus grounds consist predominantly of the former estate of David Lipscomb, who donated it to the school. The school was always intended to function as a Christian liberal arts institution. It is still affiliated with the Churches of Christ and a seminary is part of the university.
In an early catalog, the founders expressed their views about providing a liberal education that included Christian underpinning:
Several prominent Church of Christ ministers received at least a portion of their higher education here. The university remains thoroughly affiliated in the Churches of Christ: potential full-time, undergraduate faculty must prove their membership in a Church of Christ before being hired.<ref name="University Faculty">Template:Cite web</ref>
Its original name was the Nashville Bible School, which was changed to David Lipscomb College, then to Lipscomb University. Lipscomb graduated its first senior class in 1948. In 1954, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Lipscomb its first accreditation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1988, Lipscomb attained Level III (master's degree-granting) status and became known as Lipscomb University.Template:Citation needed
Some academic buildings were built with tax-exempt municipal bonds, and, because Lipscomb is a Christian school, this led to an extended lawsuit on the basis of whether or not a private religious institution is allowed to use public bonds. This case was debated for many years and ultimately made it to the Supreme Court.<ref>Template:Cite court</ref>Template:Better source needed
In September 2020, Lipscomb announced that it would be merging with the Austin Graduate School of Theology in Austin, Texas. The merger would become official in January 2021, with Lipscomb managing all of AGST's affairs and expanding their course offerings. Later, AGST folded due to financial troubles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Presidents

There have been 14 superintendents or presidents of Lipscomb over 18 administrations.
- James A. Harding (1891–1901)
- William Anderson (1901–1905)
- J. S. Ward (1905–1906)
- E. A. Elam (1906–1913)
- J. S. Ward (1913)
- H. Leo Boles (1913–1920)<ref name="tennesseanobitboles">Template:Cite news</ref>
- A. B. Lipscomb (1920–1921)
- H. S. Lipscomb (1921–1923)
- H. Leo Boles (1923–1932)<ref name="tennesseanobitboles"/>
- Batsell Baxter (1932–1934)
- E. H. Ijams (1934–1943)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Batsell Baxter (1943–1946)
- Athens Clay Pullias (1946–1977)
- G. Willard Collins (1977–1986)
- Harold Hazelip (1987–1997)
- Steve Flatt (1997–2005)
- L. Randolph Lowry III (2005–2021)
- Candice McQueen (2021–present)
The Nashville Bible School was co-founded in 1891 by college founders David Lipscomb and James A. Harding. David Lipscomb never served as president, but as chairman of the board of trustees. James A. Harding served as the school's first superintendent.
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Campus


The James D. Hughes Center houses all the university's health-science programs and the physician assistant program. The Nursing and Health Sciences Center next door houses the graduate College of Nursing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lipscomb has announced plans for a new College of Business building and a new performing arts center.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
Student life

Lipscomb does not have fraternities and sororities. Rather, it has social clubs, which are local and unique to Lipscomb University and are not part of any national Greek system.<ref name="socialclubs">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Babbler is the defunct student newspaper and was published weekly during the spring and fall semesters. The title of the publication came from Acts 17:18 which in part says "What does this babbler have to say?"<ref name="babbler">Template:Cite web</ref> The Backlog is the school's yearbook and is published annually. The Lumination Network, the school's converged student media outlet, replaced the weekly Babbler and is tied heavily with the academic program of the Department of Communication and Journalism.<ref name="lumination">Template:Cite web</ref> "Lumination Network is Lipscomb University's official student news service."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An independent student newsletter, the Lipscomb Underground, provided unfiltered student opinion for the campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The LU originally ran from 1994 to 2008, resurfacing in 2016, and persisting on Twitter until 2018. The name Lipscomb Underground comes from the musical Les Misérables which in part says "Make for the sewers, go underground!"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Student body
Template:As of, Lipscomb University had 39% male students and 61% female students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Athletics

Lipscomb athletic teams are the Bisons. The university is a member of the Division I level of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the ASUN Conference.Template:Citation needed
Lipscomb competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.Template:Citation needed
The university has an ongoing sports rivalry with Belmont University, just Template:Convert down the road from Lipscomb. Traditionally, basketball games between the two schools are called the "Battle of the Boulevard". In 2006, the rivalry reached a new level when Belmont and Lipscomb advanced to the finals of the Atlantic Sun tournament at the Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, with the winner earning its first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. Belmont won 74–69 in overtime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lipscomb was invited to the National Invitation Tournament as the regular-season conference champion, "the program's first-ever post-season appearance."<ref>the program's first-ever post-season appearance</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2019, Lipscomb made the NIT basketball finals, falling to the Texas Longhorns.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable alumni
Academia
- Michael F. Adams (1970), retired president of the University of Georgia, former chancellor of Pepperdine University
- William S. Banowsky, fourth president of Pepperdine University
- Richard A. Batey (H.S. 1951, David Lipscomb College 1955), New Testament scholar
- Lee C. Camp (1989), Distinguished Faculty Fellow, Center for Vocational Discovery at Lipscomb University<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Douglas A. Foster (1974), author and scholar known for his work on the history of Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement
- Judy G. Hample (1969), former Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE)
- David Edwin Harrell (1954), historian at Auburn University
- Candice McQueen, current president of Lipscomb University, past Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education
- Howard A. White, fifth president of Pepperdine University
- M. Norvel Young, third president of Pepperdine University
Athletics
- Casey Bond (2009), actor, former professional baseball player
- Rex Brothers (2011), professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves
- Caleb Joseph (2010), professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles
- Garrison Mathews (2019), professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets
- John Pierce (1994), college basketball all-time/all-division scoring leader with 4,230 points<ref name="tshf">Template:Cite news</ref>
Medicine
- J. Ridley Stroop (1921), psychology and biblical professor, known for his interference research in experimental psychology known as the Stroop Effect
- Edwin Trevathan (1977), physician and public health leader, currently director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> former national center director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), former provost at Baylor University.
Music and arts
- Kelsea Ballerini (2012), country music singer and songwriter
- Pat Boone (H.S. 1952), singer
- John Craton (1977), classical composer
- Jim Jinkins (1975), creator of the animated Doug series
- Dustin Lynch (2007), country music singer and songwriter
- Michael Shane Neal (1991), portrait artist
- NIKI, Indonesian singer and songwriter
- Monty Powell (1984), multiple award-winning country music singer, songwriter and producer
- Thomas Rhett (2011), country music singer and songwriter
- Marty Roe (1984), lead singer of the country music band Diamond Rio
- Ray Walker (1956), bass singer for The Jordanaires quartet
Politics
- LaMar Baker (1938), former U.S. Representative from TN-03
- David French (1991), (political commentator)
- Beth Harwell (1978), former Tennessee State Representative, first female Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, candidate for governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election
- James Lomax, member of the Alabama House of Representatives
- Kerry Roberts (1983), Tennessee State Senator
- David Sampson (1978), former United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce
- William R. Snodgrass (1942), former Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
- Jason C. Stephens, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, State Representative from Ohio’s 93rd house district,
Religion
- Robert Henry Boll, German-born American preacher in the Churches of Christ
- Charles R. Brewer (1918), professor, preacher, poet, and leader
- G. C. Brewer (1911), author, preacher, and teacher
- B.C. Goodpasture (1918), preacher and writer
- George Eulan Howard, 1958 Head of Dept. of Religion University of Georgia, New Testament scholar, author
- Ira L. North (1941), preacher and author
Other
- Cyntoia Brown (2015), a woman whose murder conviction at age 16 was a national controversy; she was granted clemency in 2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Savannah Chrisley, reality television personality and pageant queen
- W. Mark Lanier (1981), founder of The Lanier Law Firm
- Barry Stowe (1979), CEO, Jackson National Life<ref name="Tennessean">Template:Cite news</ref>
References
External links
- Lipscomb University
- 1891 establishments in Tennessee
- Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
- Private universities and colleges in Tennessee
- Seminaries and theological colleges in Tennessee
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ
- Universities and colleges established in 1891
- Universities and colleges in Nashville, Tennessee