Join us for the Inauguration Celebration in-person or via live stream.
Monday, March 28
All guests are welcome to attend all inaugural activities on Monday.
Symposium
The symposium, "How to Be A Light in Today's World," consists of several events, lectures and panel discussions on how to elevate our faith in our diverse areas of service and work. Topics will explore "being a light" in business, healthcare, entertainment, education and the public square.
Symposium Breakfast – Welcome and Introduction
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Shinn Event Center
Registration is required.
Sign up here
Opening Panel: Be A Light in the Public Square
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. | Shinn Event Center
- Dr. Candice McQueen, moderator
- Governor Bill Haslam, panelist – Former Governor of the State of Tennessee
- Senator Raumesh Akbari, panelist – Tennessee General Assembly
Living, working and participating in the public square with our faith on display can be full of both opportunity and challenge. In this panel, participants will share their own experiences serving faithfully in the public square and encourage attendees to consider how they can answer this calling in their own communities.
Breakout Panel: Be a Light in Education
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. | Ezell Center, Doris Swang Chapel
- Dr. Candice McQueen, moderator
- Janet Ayers, panelist – President, Ayers Foundation
- Dr. Adrienne Battle, panelist – Head of Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools
- Hank Staggs, panelist – Director of Accelerating Character Education Development, NIET
- Representative Mark White, panelist – Tennessee General Assembly
- Jamie Woodson, panelist – Founder and Principal, Tristar Strategies
This panel will discuss how educators can "be a light" in the classroom and impact the lives of students for generations to come.
Breakout Panel: Not Business as Usual: Being a Light in the Marketplace
10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. | Stowe Hall, Swang Center
- Cyntoia Brown Long, moderator
- Patrick Leddin, panelist – WSJ best-selling author, speaker, and podcast host
- Winston Justice, panelist – Former NFL, Alliance Berstein
- Mignon Francois, panelist – Founder and CEO, The Cupcake Collection
Panelists will demonstrate what "being a light" in the marketplace can look like in corporate, financial, and entrepreneurial spheres of business.
Breakout Panel: Imagine House - Igniting the Light of the Next Generation of Storytellers
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. | Allen Arena Mall Stage
- Brown Bannister, moderator – Grammy-winning producer
- Bart Millard, panelist – Lead Singer, Mercy Me
- Mike Nawrocki, panelist – Co-creator of VeggieTales
- Charlotte Poling, panelist – Fashion Executive in Residence
- Beth Morrow, panelist – Director, School of Hospitality and Entertainment Management
- Dr. Aaron Howard, panelist – Director, Lipscomb Gospel Choir
This panel will introduce Imagine House and its mission to provide a new educational experience, revolutionizing arts training and preparing the next generation of believers to "be a light" in the entertainment industry.
Breakout Panel: Be a Light through Healing Presence
11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. | Ezell Center, Swang Chapel
- Dr. Quincy Byrdsong, moderator
- Dr. Morgan Wills, panelist – CEO, Siloam Health
- Dr. Regina Offodile, panelist, Co-Director of the Interprofessional and Inter-institutional Collaborative, Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
- Joanna Conley, panelist, CEO – HCA/TriStar Southern Hills
- Dr. Parker Panovec, panelist - Chief Medical Officer, Faith Family Medical Center
- Dr. Gavin Pinkston, panelist – Partner, Medical Group of Columbia
This panel will explore how Lipscomb University's College of Pharmacy and Health Science engages with community health partners to advance healthcare in Nashville and the region.
Symposium Luncheon - Light on Trial: A Lawyer's Case Against Darkness
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Shinn Event Center
Mark Lanier is recognized as one of the leading trial lawyers in the United States and the author of Christianity on Trial and his latest book, Atheism on Trial. Lanier, a Lipscomb alum, will mix stories of his most interesting court cases with the challenges of making a case for the existence of God and the supremacy of Jesus Christ. The session will close by allowing Lipscomb students to put Lanier himself on trial, peppering him with questions on existence and faith.
Sign up here
Campus Showcase
Many of Lipscomb's standout colleges, schools and programs highlight their facilities and stories in the Campus Showcase. Happening concurrently, guests can visit Campus Showcase locations for brief presentations and demonstrations, as well as an opportunity to talk to faculty and students. A Campus Showcase Guidebook is available at Inauguration Guests Services during registration.
- 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. various locations across campus (repeats on Tuesday from 12:30-2 p.m.)
- Author Showcase highlights faculty authors and their recently published works: Holly Allen (Christian Ministries and Family Science), Spiritual Formation for Children; Dana Chamblee Carpenter (English), The Bohemian Trilogy; J. Caleb Clanton (Philosophy), Nature and Command, and Great Ideas in History; Jan Elaine Harris (English), Priorities in Crisis; Tim Johnson (History), Tennessee in the Mexican-American War; and Wille Steele (English), W.P. Kinsella, Ezell Center lobby
- Live demonstration with former Disney animator and founder of Lipscomb’s animation program Tom Bancroft, McFarland Animation Studio
- Live demonstration with Professor and Fashion Department Chair Sissy Simmons, McFarland Art & Engineering Innovation Lab
- Exclusive presentation of gallery exhibit by artist Melissa Newman (Monday only); on Tuesday, engage in conversations with visual art faculty, students and guests, Hutcheson Gallery Beaman Library
- Live orchestral recording session with Ben Blasko, professor in the School of Music, and the Lipscomb Wind Ensemble and Chamber Strings, McMeen Music Center
- Live rehearsal of a cappella music group Sanctuary, led by Associate Dean and head of the Worship Arts program Randy Gill, CEA Shinn Studios
- Live demonstration by engineering students of the 3D printers and laser cutting/etching machine, Fields Engineering Center
- Live discussion between Lipscomb faculty as they analyze the relationship between Christian faith and scientific inquiry, McClure Faith & Science Center in McFarland
- Explore the nutrition lab (Room 303), experience the strength and conditioning lab (Room 130) and body composition room (Room 310), home of the BodPod, in Lipscomb’s newly accredited Exercise Science program, Hughes Center
- Live demonstrations of high fidelity simulation mannequins, the perfusion simulator and the heart/lung machines. Q&A to follow, Nursing & Health Sciences Center
- Open house at the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center where our students and faculty specialize in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic research, Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center
- Tour our historical sterile compounding lab, Burton Health Sciences Center
- Engage with IDEAL program students and staff to learn more about the mission and work of this program designed for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities, Elam Hall
- Explore the world of biblical archaeology through the LCA’s collection of 1,000 ancient artifacts while also engaging with advanced students. Presentations given throughout the day spotlights research that stretches from the Nile to the Silk Road, with six projects spanning across three continents in five countries, Beaman Library, East Wing
- Listen to a panel of students answer questions and share their LIFE experiences through Lipscomb’s higher-education-in-prison program Lipscomb Initiative for Education, Ezell Center, Doris Swang Chapel
Inauguration Block Party
A festive atmosphere, celebrating the incredible Lipscomb University and Academy community. Food and activities accentuate fellowship, as the Lipscomb faculty, staff, students, alumni, Nashville community, local neighbors and friends gather together.
- 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Allen Arena Mall
Worship and Prayer on the Steps of Collins
A special time for our community to gather in Bison Square and on the steps of Collins to worship and pray for President McQueen and her family.
- 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Bison Square and the Steps of Collins Alumni Auditorium
Special Event: Lipscomb Past, Present, Future
A very special Tokens Show will feature the vision of David Lipscomb and James A. Harding, still strong and compelling more than 130 years after they first dreamed of educating students with both academic teachings and opportunities for spiritual growth. The Tokens Show, a highly entertaining Nashville-based variety show that began on the Lipscomb campus more than a decade ago, is hosted by Lee Camp. A variety of artists and others will be featured, including Matt Maher, Nichole Nordeman, Melinda Dolittle, Odessa Settles and Settles Connection and the Lipscomb Academy Chorus.
- 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tokens Show, "In A Different Light: Lipscomb Past, Present, Future" Collins Alumni Auditorium
Register Here
Tuesday, March 29
Prayer Breakfast
An appropriate beginning to an important day. Guests from all faith backgrounds and the diversity within our community will join Dr. Candice McQueen, trustees, university leadership, ministers and others from the community to bring Lipscomb before the Lord in prayer.
- 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. by invitation
Inauguration Ceremony
The formal installation ceremony of Lipscomb's 18th president, Dr. Candice McQueen. An inspiring and memorable experience in Allen Arena. Open to all guests, the ceremony will include delegates from universities, organizations, members of the board of trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the Nashville community.
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. all guests are welcome
Inauguration Luncheon and Campus Showcase
Following the formal ceremony, all guests are invited to attend a luncheon. The luncheon will be located in various places around campus. Concurrently, the Campus Showcase will take place and food will be available near the showcase locations.
- 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. all guests are welcome
- 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Campus Showcase - various locations across campus
Inauguration Celebration
An evening dinner and program. Special guests join university leadership and trustees for a celebration of the inauguration and the vision for Lipscomb's future.
- 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. by invitation
Wednesday, March 30
Mustang Alumni Awards Luncheon
Lipscomb Academy leadership, trustees and guests recognize this year's alumni honorees at a special luncheon.
Other Special Events: TBD
