Dedication Day celebrates four new campus facilities in music, pharmacy, housing

Janel Shoun | 

Lipscomb University’s Dedication Day, Tuesday, Aug. 26, kicked off the fall 2008 semester with a marathon of ribbon-cuttings, receptions and tours to celebrate almost $21 million in new green construction on campus.

Local community leaders, alumni, friends of Lipscomb and the public at-large were all invited to campus to see the university’s four newest facilities:

Lipscomb students also celebrated the start of the new year with the exciting new facilities at the annual President’s Convocation, where Lipscomb President L Randolph Lowry declared, “There is a new spirit at Lipscomb,” noting that the university is on track for a record enrollment year in total, graduate and freshman enrollment.

Burton Health Sciences Center

Click here to see more photos of the Burton ribbon-cutting.

Lipscomb’s A.M. Burton Building underwent a $6.8 million renovation over the past year to become the home of Middle Tennessee’s first College of Pharmacy. The 61-year-old building kept its classic charm on the exterior, but has completely changed on the inside, now sporting three health care laboratories, classrooms specially designed for collaborative learning, and offices for the pharmacy faculty and staff.

“I am touched every morning to enter this lobby and think about the hundreds of students who will go out and serve the community,” College of Pharmacy Dean Roger Davis told the group gathered for the ribbon-cutting in the Baker lobby on the second floor. The first 74 student pharmacists began classes on Aug. 13.

The university expects to submit the Burton complex of facilities for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the end of the month. Burton’s green construction makes it one of the healthiest health science buildings in the Southeast, as advanced air filters, a computerized temperature control system, low-emission building materials and non-toxic pipe seals make the water and air quality superior to non-green buildings.

“It is a great day at Lipscomb. I want you student pharmacists to remember that behind every prescription, there is a person,” said Dr. Wayne Riley, president and chief executive officer at Meharry Medical College, who was the guest speaker at the ribbon-cutting. “Health care is a people business. Every person you serve has hopes, fears and dreams. I encourage you to always remember you are here to take care of people.

To read more about the “green” construction techniques in Burton click here.

To read more about potential LEED certification of Burton click here.

To see photos of the construction at Burton click here.

To read more about the College of Pharmacy click here.

Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium

Click here to see more photos of the Collins ribbon-cutting.
John Roberson, president of the Lipscomb University National Alumni Association, and former host of Singarama during his college days, reminisced about the meaningful moments he experienced on the stage of Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium during the ribbon-cutting for this renovated facility.

With an enlarged stage, brand new seating for 855 and a lighting system that makes the auditorium more of a multi-use facility, Collins Auditorium is primed for a new life hosting exciting events and productions, including this fall’s student musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

“The memories that we all share in this place are very precious to us,” Roberson said at the ceremony. “Sometimes our precious memories have to be showcased in a special way.”

Collins Auditorium fits the bill with $2.5 million in renovations. “I can’t wait to see what new memories will be made in this place,” Roberson said.

To read more about the “green” construction techniques in Collins click here.

To see photos of the construction at Collins click here.

Thomas James McMeen Music Center

Click here to see more photos of the McMeen ribbon-cutting.
Soon after arriving at his new job at Lipscomb, President Lowry declared, “We cannot be an outstanding university in terms of liberal arts without doing an excellent job in music, art and theater.”

The 10,000-square-foot new Thomas James McMeen Music Center, connected to the Burton Building and featuring nine studios and 12 rehearsal rooms, is a major step in the president’s goal to enhance the fine arts programs at Lipscomb, along with renovated performance space and new faculty, he said.

Joy Campbell, daughter of McMeen, who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees for Lipscomb, spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and noted how proud her father would be that his namesake facility sits adjacent to Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium, named for Lipscomb’s beloved president with whom he served for some years.

“He made a difference in lives, and that is my prayer for this university, to continue making a difference in lives,” Campbell said at the ceremony.

To see more about the “green” construction techniques in McMeen click here.

To see photos of the construction at McMeen click here.


The Village at Lipscomb University

Click here to see more photos of The Village ribbon-cutting.

The 48,000-square-foot Village at Lipscomb University is Lipscomb’s first apartment-style housing complex and the first student housing built since1983 when Yearwood Hall was constructed (Yearwood was later replaced by Allen Arena). The eight-building complex has beds for 168 students in four- and eight-person suites with kitchens and common areas.

The Village is designed for upper-classmen who desire an off-campus lifestyle with the convenience of on-campus living. It will also be used during the summer as housing for conference and seminar attendees.

“I’m grateful for what this building says about our expectations (of our students),” said Scott McDowell, dean of campus life. “I think about what will happen in the futures of the students who are living here now. We have high expectations, and you have given us another tool to meet those expectations and we are grateful.”

Student Britney Milton of Jupiter, Florida, also spoke at the ceremony, noting that students on campus are astounded at “how nice these apartments turned out.” All housing on campus is 96 percent filled this fall and The Village rooms are all filled.

To see more about the “green” construction techniques in The Village click here.

To see photos of the construction at The Village click here.