Herd Media
  • Feature,  Sports

    Masha Dolzhenko’s historic run anchors a new era for Lipscomb Tennis

    The Lipscomb University women’s tennis program is no stranger to rewriting its own record books. Over the last few seasons, the Bisons have stacked up historic milestones like clockwork, climbing into the national team rankings, dominating longtime conference rivals, and consistently churning out double-digit win seasons. But what happened at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships (Oct. 8–14) at the Lindner Family Tennis Center didn’t just add to that resume. It completely elevated the program to the national stage. For the first time in program history, Lipscomb sent two players to the tournament quarterfinals, spearheaded by a historic, deep-bracket run from senior Masha “Mariia” Dolzhenko, who shattered the school’s previous ceiling to finish…

  • Feature

    Meet the dietitian: Tara Parsons is here to serve

    This fall, pictures of a new face appeared on cafeteria napkin dispensers. Tara Parsons joined the dining team as a district campus dietitian for Sodexo, Lipscomb’s dining service, in July. With a Master of Science in nutrition, along with the credentials of registered dietitian nutritionist and licensed dietitian, Parsons is qualified to serve not only Lipscomb students but also students at Trevecca, Fisk, UT Martin and Lee universities.

  • Feature,  Sports

    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.…

  • Campus Life,  Feature

    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…

  • Campus Life,  Feature

    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…

  • Campus Life,  Feature

    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…

  • Feature

    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…