Lifelong Learning Lipscomb University

We firmly believe the old adage: “You are never too old to learn something new.”

Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Engagement, the Lifelong Learning program offers people of retirement and semi-retirement age an opportunity to expand knowledge and explore new ideas in an informal, non-competitive environment.

Learning occurs in a pleasant social atmosphere in classes with your peers—without exams, grades or credit hours! Plus, no previous educational requirement is needed. Select one or more of the courses offered, and engage in the ongoing work of learning.

Fall 2025 Semester

The frequency of Lifelong Learning courses for Fall 2025 ranges from four to 10 sessions. Class formats are either in-person only, hybrid (in-person and Zoom) or Zoom only. Check the Class Offerings page for specific details. Three video-only courses that each consist of five sessions are also available in on-demand format. Links will be provided for viewing the video-only courses and any Zoom courses before classes start. Also, check out the Special Gatherings page for details about one-day learning experiences that are separate from regular courses.

Class Location

Unless otherwise specified, all in-person classes and Special Gatherings "lunch and learn" events will meet at Longview Mansion, located at 811 Caldwell Lane in Nashville, Tennessee. Free parking is available on-site at Longview Mansion. We look forward to seeing you this fall!

Fall 2025 Kick-Off Reception: Aug. 19, 2-3:30 PM CT

Join fellow Lifelong Learners on Tuesday, Aug. 19 at Longview Mansion, located at 811 Caldwell Lane, Nashville, Tennessee, for the Fall 2025 Semester Kick-Off Reception! Learn more about the upcoming semester of classes for Lifelong Learners! Enjoy refreshments as we meet and hear from the professors.

No charge to attend the reception, but registration is required by Aug. 13. Parking is available on site.

Lifelong Learning Faculty

Leon Alligood

Leon Alligood is an award-winning journalist who’s recognized for his human-interest stories. A veteran of both the Nashville Banner and the Tennessean, Alligood is a member of the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame. Most recently he was a journalism professor at Middle Tennessee State University.

Larry Bumgardner (’77)

An emeritus professor at Pepperdine University, Larry Bumgardner is an attorney and retired executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Center for Public Affairs at the Reagan Presidential Library.

Mary Nelle Chumley (’53)

Mary Nelle Chumley’s unbroken legacy of volunteerism at Lipscomb began when she and her husband returned to the university in 1958 after a period during which he taught in Indiana. In those days at small colleges, faculty had wide-ranging responsibilities beyond the classroom.

Jackie Edwards-Henry

Jackie Edwards-Henry is professor emeritus of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Mississippi State University, where she also served as coordinator of Group Piano for more than 20 years. She has also served as an adjunct collaborative pianist at Lipscomb University since October 2023.

David French (’91)

David French is a columnist for The New York Times. A graduate of Harvard Law School, David was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is a former constitutional litigator and a past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Richard Garman (’76)

Dr. Richard Garman is a retired primary care physician with more than four decades of service to the Nashville, Tennessee community. Although retired from private practice, he continues to contribute to the healthcare field as medical director of a local hospice—a role he has held for over 20 years.

Cory Kronheim

Cory Kronheim is the founder and CEO of SM Advisors, a values-first AI advisory and enablement firm dedicated to helping organizations unlock potential through strategic, responsible innovation.

Heather Lenzy

Heather Lenzy has spent the last 14 years working at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, where she is the manager of the Forensic Biology and CODIS units in the crime lab. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and computer information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Janet McMahan (’75)

Janet McMahan has worked as a professional pianist since she was 16 years old. She's also worked as a writer, performing artist and producer of music, audiobooks and dramatic works.

Russell Moore

Russell Moore is editor-in-chief of Christianity Today and the Bill and Crissy Haslam Endowed Distinguished Visiting Professor of Faith and Reason Lipscomb University. Moore is the author of "Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America" (Penguin Random House).

Mattie Ree Neal

Mattie Ree Neal is a Nashville based artist. Mattie trained primarily with her father, Michael Shane Neal (’91) and his mentor, the late renowned artist Everett Raymond Kinstler. Mattie was recently on the 2024 faculty at the Portrait Society of America conference. She is currently the Artist in Residence at Lipscomb University.

Paul Prill

Paul Prill taught at Lipscomb for 42 years, and he served as director of the Honors College for the last 22 of those. He was also the minister of the Acklen Avenue Church of Christ from 1981-2011.

Linda Peek Schacht (’72)

Linda Peek Schacht has advised government, business and nonprofit leaders on communication and strategy for over 40 years. A veteran of the Carter White House press office, she has held the top communication positions for a national Presidential campaign, USA Today, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate and the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

J.T. Thompson

J.T. Thompson serves as executive director of the Lotz House and is also a historian and licensed appraiser.

Karon Uzzell-Baggett

Certified and Licensed Occupational Therapist; Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force

David Webb

David Webb is a longtime publishing professional who graduated with honors with a degree in journalism and motion picture studies from Ball State University. Webb is also co-author of the "What We Believe" series, an award-winning biblical worldview curriculum for families

John Williams

John P. Williams is a Nashville attorney who has written the first biography of Montgomery Bell, the legendary 19th Century Tennessee ironmaster for whom Montgomery Bell State Park and Montgomery Bell Academy are named.

Kay Wyatt (’69)

Kay Wyatt, a teacher and educator for 25 years, has led eight “As the Page Turns Book Clubs” in the Lifelong Learning program since 2014.