Convocation officially launches new school year
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
The 2016-17 academic year officially got underway after President’s Convocation marked the formal beginning of the new year Aug. 30.
More than 5,000 students from Lipscomb University and Lipscomb Academy’s middle and high schools joined representatives of the faculty, staff and administrators for the ceremony traditionally held in Allen Arena.
A parade of flags representing the 59 nations and 48 states of the academy and university student body, faculty in academic regalia, music by Nashville Pipes and Drums and messages by David Scobey, chair of Lipscomb’s Board of Trustees; Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry; Presidential Spouse Rhonda Lowry and Deborah Boyd, newly appointed dean of the College of Education, were among the morning’s festivities.
“We are today to kick off this academic year, to recognize the special nature of the academy and to understand what it means to be in community,” said President Lowry. “It’s great to have the middle and high school with us for this special morning.
“I try to tell the students that when they select a university to attend, they are not selecting a product — they are selecting a community,” he continued. “It’s about students saying to themselves, ‘what community do I want to place myself in where I will grow and will be formed and I will even be transformed for the rest of my life?’ So today we celebrate not only history but also that sense of community that we have here today.”
Scobey, former president and CEO of AT&T Southeastern Region and chair of Lipscomb’s Board of Trustees since November 2012, acknowledged the institution’s upcoming 125th anniversary on Oct. 5, 1891, and how much the world has changed since its founding.
“When we think about the past, it’s a lot different than today,” said Scobey. “But there are some things that have remained the same from 1891 to today, and that is the founding principles of this institution. James Harding and David Lipscomb had a vision to offer higher education in a setting of a Christian environment to train people in their chosen vocations to take teachings from the Bible and apply it to their work.
“That’s what we continue to do today,” Scobey continued. “Lipscomb wasn’t started as a preaching school, but as an academic institution to train people for vocation with a Christian emphasis. 1891 was a beginning. It was just that — a beginning. Had it not been for the vision of those two men 125 years ago, none of us would be assembled in this room today. Most of us probably would not even know each other. But it was a beginning that now you are a part of the history of. We can only imagine what God is going to do in the next 125 years.”
Boyd, who was appointed dean of the College of Education last month after serving as interim dean, challenged students to pursue excellence.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit,” Boyd said as she gave a paraphrase of a writing by Aristotle. “You’ve heard this from coaches and teachers alike, seen it in hallways, in locker rooms and on posters on classroom walls. When I was a principal, I had that quote on my door.
“I’ve used that many times with students, teachers and myself as a reminder that excellence is in the day-to-day effort we make to do everything well. Little things, big things, confusing things, frustrating things. All of them. All of our acts lead somewhere. So what we do and how we do those, day-by-day, pave the path to outcomes, to excellence.”
Rhonda Lowry celebrated the various cultures that were represented in the student body.
“Oh, the richness of the cultures and the lands,” she said. “The flags all around us symbolize the cultures from which we all come. Each of you could tell us about the people and the culture these flags represent. What this symbolizes is the diversity that God has brought into our community. We are incredibly blessed by the richness that every person brings to this community.”
One of the highlights of the 2016 President’s Convocation was a special presentation of “Amazing Grace” featuring bagpipers, a brass ensemble, vocalists from Lipscomb Academy and students who made a cross with purple fabric that spanned the arena floor.
Also included in the processional for the first time were members of Lipscomb's A.M. Burton Society. Comprised of supporters who have endowed scholarships or included Lipscomb in their estate plans, Burton Society members are responsible for nearly $1.4 million in scholarships awarded annually to students. They have also committed nearly $90 million to the future growth of the university.
Academy classes began on Aug, 17, with university classes starting on Aug. 22.
— Photos by Kristi Jones and Erin Turner