About
Herd Media is Lipscomb University’s official student media group. We are students from all majors who desire to inform, investigate, and capture stories directly affecting the Lipscomb community. We desire to represent not only our community student body and employees but also those on the margins of our community. We actively seek to tell stories with FAITH (fair, accurate, interesting, thorough, and human).
Herd Media publishes news across multiple platforms. Take a moment to view our other social media sites as well.
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Micah Barkley serves as Herd Media’s editor-in-chief and chief sports photographer. She is a senior Journalism major with a minor in German and a passion for photography. This is her fourth year on Herd Media’s staff, having started as an assistant editor, then becoming the features editor, before being promoted to editor-in-chief. Outside of writing and learning languages, she enjoys riding horses, music, basketball, swing dancing and line dancing, and spending time with her friends, among other things. She has writing experience with The Numismatist – a publication of the American Numismatic Association – and The Williamson Scene and is an aspiring author with two books currently published under the pen name Summer Ryland. When not at Lipscomb, she lives on a communal cattle ranch in the great state of Texas.
Senior Sports Writer
Alaina Morris is a senior who joined Herd Media in 2022. She also covers Vanderbilt basketball for 247Sports and commentates a variety of sports on The Bison and ESPN+. Her favorite teams are the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Senior Staff Writer
Ashlen is a senior majoring in Journalism and New Media from Chapel Hill, TN. She is an aspiring news reporter and works as a resident assistant in the dorms. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, horseback riding, and photography.
Social Media
Madelyn is senior Public Relations major from Nashville Tennessee. She joined the Herd Media team as a photographer and journalist. In her free time she loves to read, practice her photography skills and spend time cuddling her cat Kenny.
Contributors
Arlie is a sophomore English and International Relations double major. An aspiring journalist, she is passionate about telling stories that foster connection. She loves running, traveling, reading, and Indy, her golden retriever.
Will Blackmon is a sophomore sports media major from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. He enjoys commentating all sports for Lipscomb, and specifically commentates basketball for The Bison Radio station. Besides being a student, Will spends his time as the Public Address announcer for the Lipscomb Academy football team, and works as an analyst for ESPN+ on Lipscomb’s campus. Some of his best accomplishments include receiving the Most Listened Broadcast Award and the Aspiring Journalist Award from Lipscomb University’s School of Communications. Will hopes that someday he will work at the ESPN headquarters or become an NBA broadcaster.
Faculty Advisors
Dr. Jimmy McCollum is professor of communication and journalism at Lipscomb University, where he has taught since 1989. He directs the Tennessee High School Press Association, based at Lipscomb.
Dr. Lois Jones is an assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Lipscomb. Her primary focus is public relations, but she has worked in journalism for over 10 years. Prior to working as a professional in journalism, she also worked on her school paper, which was a weekly print edition in addition to web content, and earned many awards. During her undergrad and grad degrees she served as photo editor, assistant features editor, and assistant opinion editor. Her passions are photojournalism with a focus on sports, along with feature writing.
About the School of Communication
The School of Communication stands at the intersection of digital ethics and innovative media. We believe emerging technologies deeply connect with audiences through the art of storytelling. New media also presents new ethical challenges. Our creative community meets these challenges through hands-on experience informed by a strong liberal arts core. We prepare students to become excellent communicators, thoughtful listeners, critical thinkers, cutting-edge leaders, and responsible storytellers. Our students are challenged to meet new media boldly while building essential principles and values. Learn more about our program here.