December graduation awards most graduate degrees in university history

Janel Shoun | 

In addition to plenty of happy faces and pomp and circumstance, Lipscomb University’s 2008 December graduation featured a couple of first-time milestones:
  • The largest number of graduate students in the university’s history (121) receiving their degrees, and
  • The inaugural Young Alumnus of the Year Award presented.
 

Michael Shane Neal
Close to 250 students participated in the Saturday, Dec. 20, ceremony, hearing comments from the 2008 Young Alumnus of the Year, successful portrait artist Michael Shane Neal, a charge from the Director of the Beaman Library Carolyn Wilson and finally the traditional charge from President L. Randolph Lowry.
 
“We all can think of places that are interwoven into the tapestry of our lives,” Lowry told the graduates and the assembled audience. “My hope for you is that you take the spirit of this place with you. The spirit of place is reflected in the people, the experiences and the community of this educational institution. I hope that you recognize this place as something special. May you take our spirit and His spirit with you.”
 
Valedictorians for the December 2008 class (those with a 4.0 GPA) were: Kathryn L. Maxwell, Joseph Gapare Pumilia, and Bethany Cosand Todd.

Neal (’91) is an award-winning portrait artist in Nashville whose portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will hang in the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. His portrait of Senator Arthur Vandenberg hangs in the Senate Reception Room of the United States Capitol, and his portrait of Senator Arlen Specter hangs in the Yale Law School alumni reading room.
 
Neal told the crowd of new graduates, "I love this university. It has meant so much to me. It's where I found my career. It's where I found my wife. It's where I found my friends. It set me on a path that I still follow today.

"There are several challenges I have for you. First, discover what your passion is and see if you can find a way to make a living doing it. Second, set goals. Put your mind to it and work through the obstacles. Focus and be patient. The most successful people don't let obstacles stop them. Next, be yourself. Know who you are and stay firm in that identity.
 
“Finally, You've gotten a good Christian education here. God will be a firm foundation for you no matter where you go. So, start with your passion. Draw a straight line to your goals. Work through the obstacles and build good relationships with God and your family.”

At the ceremony, Wilson was celebrating the graduation of the fourth generation of her family to earn a degree from Lipscomb: her own father, herself, her children and a granddaughter, who graduated at this ceremony.

”Traditions are very important to our lives. They build a bridge from our heritage to our future,” Wilson told the graduates during her faculty charge. “I hope you will build your own traditions and amazing stories. Tell these traditions to your children and your children's children. And, continue to tell our (Lipscomb's) story and make it your own.”

Lipscomb’s December 2008 commencement included:
  • The university’s first three graduates in the Masters of Science in Psychology;
  • The first 3 graduates to earn a Masters of Arts in Conflict Management:
  • 69 Bachelors of Science;
  • 52 Bachelors of Arts;
  • Six Bachelors of Business Administration;
  • One Bachelor of Music in Music Education;
  • 28 Master’s degrees in business fields;
  • 74 master’s degrees in education fields; and
  • 11 master’s degrees in Biblical and religion fields.