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A different Battle of the Boulevard: Lipscomb and Belmont soccer clubs find community on the field
On Friday, Sept. 25, the soccer club hosted Lipscomb’s long-standing sports rival, Belmont, at the intramural field. Lipscomb won 7-0, however, the game was about more than competition. It was about camaraderie. Both soccer clubs are just over a year old. While Lipscomb’s started a semester before Belmont’s, the two groups have much in common. Both meet twice a week with the goal of competing against other schools. More importantly, both clubs have similar motivations. “For me and a lot of people, I think it’s just… we have the passion for the game,” said Jack Lowry, captain of Lipscomb’s soccer club. “It’s a great mental break.” These clubs are student-run.…
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Dr. Opoku-Duah named Chief of the Ashanti Community in Middle Tennessee
Dr. Stephen Opoku-Duah known for being a leader in the field of chemistry. As Lipscomb’s Paul B. Langford Endowed Professor of Chemistry, he is on the cutting edge of water decontamination research. But this fall, Opoku-Duah took on a new leadership title: Chief Nana Amansie Kwaku Duah of the Ashanti Community in Middle Tennessee.
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Lipscomb professors remember 9/11
Written alongside Chrissy Julien. 25 years ago, millions watched as planes hit the World Trade Center, taking thousands of lives. Among those watching the tragedy unfold were Lipscomb students and faculty. Some were in the middle of tests, others studying abroad. These are the stories of professors, from that day. Jimmy McCollum Jimmy McCollum thought it had to be a mistake. “I, and much of America, thought, ‘Oh, some poor private plane pilot got disoriented, or there must be some fog,'” McCollum remembered. Half an hour later, Dr. Mac cancelled his journalism class after a second plane hit the World Trade Center. “I remember telling (the class), ‘Your grandparents had…
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2026 and then: Ezell Center, built in 2006, changed campus life at Lipscomb
On a typical weekday at 8 a.m., the Ezell Center starts to fill up. Students and faculty walk in from all directions, headed to classrooms and offices. But before 2006, this structure wasn’t even here. The site was once known as Onion Dell, home field of the Bison baseball team. Then in the 2000s, after the Bisons moved to Ken Dugan Field, Lady Bison softball became the home team on the site between the Student Activity Center and Belmont Boulevard. Vice President Danny Taylor (center) cuts the ribbon to commemorate the Ezell Center When the Ezell Center opened in 2006, it completely changed how the campus worked. The 77,000-square-foot building…
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2026 and then: Junior college DLC became four-year school in historic shift 80 years ago
Long before Lipscomb offered doctoral degrees or professional programs in pharmacy and public policy, it was a small junior college with a vision. In 1946 Lipscomb made a huge change to the school by adding a junior year followed by a senior year in 1947. This would make the institution a four year school. The decision to become a four-year institution reshaped everything at Lipscomb. “Prestige-wise, it was a better move,” said Craig Bledsoe, provost and chief academic officer from 1997 to 2022 “It allowed the university to grow its programming and improve its academic reputation.” Bledsoe, now the director of the Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy studies program, is…
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Dr. Johnson and “The Genius of the American Founding”
America is turning 250 this year, celebrating her semiquincentennial. The word itself is a mouthful, but the country is celebrating her liberty, alongside her birthday. Dr. Tim Johnson has taught history at Lipscomb for 35 years. To close out his final semester with Lipscomb, Johnson gave a speech at Beaman Library’s event honoring America’s 250th anniversary. The topic of his speech? How America’s Founders created something, with the Declaration of Independence, that was powerful, unique and creative, and deserves to be honored and studied to this day. “We tend to look at great events of the past as if they were inevitable,” Johnson explained. “It seems obvious that the colonists…
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2026 and then: 30 years ago, Candice Hunter (now McQueen) was crowned Miss Lipscomb
Decades before she became president of Lipscomb University, Candice Hunter (now McQueen) earned another campus honor: being selected by her peers as the female senior who most embodies the ideals of Lipscomb. The title, of course, is Miss Lipscomb. (The corresponding male recipient is named Bachelor of Ugliness; Brent High earned that award in 1996.) Being nominated by faculty, staff and administrators, and then voted on by students, marked an achievement in 1996, but its meaning would take years to unfold. What felt like recognition in the moment would later reveal itself as something deeper: the early shaping of a leader whose influence would extend far beyond a single title. “I…
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2026 and then: London program celebrates 25 years of transforming students into global citizens
This year marks the silver anniversary of Lipscomb’s Global Learning program in London, which has transformed over time since its beginnings in 2001 as an eight-week summer internship program. “Students learn to get over being a tourist and become truly global citizens,” said Matt Hearn, a professor who has been a faculty leader for six years. The program started small, offering only post-graduation summer trips focused on international internships. Over time, student interest in the program grew. In 2014, Lipscomb launched its first full fall semester in London. After experimenting with both fall and spring offerings for two years, the university made it a permanent fall program in 2016. The…
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2026 and then: Men’s basketball celebrates 40th anniversary of 1986 NAIA championship
Players of Lipscomb’s 1986 championship team were honored Feb. 7, 2026, during a Lipscomb men’s basketball game at Allen Arena, marking 40 years since the program’s only national title. The team from David Lipscomb College won the NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship on March 18, 1986, defeating Arkansas-Monticello 67-54 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Led by Coach Don Meyer, the Bisons finished with a 35-4 overall record. Senior John Kimbrell was named the tournament’s most valuable player, scoring a total of 22 points. The season was filled with milestones. The Bisons opened with 18 consecutive wins – a school record at the time – and became the program’s first…
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2026 and then: 35 years later, ‘Doug’ creator reflects on Lipscomb’s creative influence
The iconic cartoon “Doug”, created by Jim Jinkins, premiered on Nickelodeon 35 years ago. Jim Jinkins was a 1975 graduate of David Lipscomb College with a double major in speech and art.He was known on campus as “Bison Man” and even won the title of Bachelor of Ugliness his senior year. During his time at Lipscomb, Jinkins was a cartoonist for The Babbler, the student-run newspaper, and he was a member of the social club Sigma Chi Delta. He was named the Alumnus ofthe Year in 1999. Although David Lipscomb College didn’t offer an animation major when he attended, Jinkinswas still able to showcase his talent. He worked on an…
