Donor impact initiative launched with event featuring President George W. Bush
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
President George W. Bush was the featured speaker Monday night as Lipscomb University launched a new program designed to recognize its “associate” level donors with an annual event that will bring leaders from around the world to Nashville to engage the community in topics of local and global importance and to share their stories and unique perspectives.
The program, Imagine, annually will bring a key leader to campus and its donor community. But the event will go a step further by initiating a series of discussions involving the community following the event.
“Lipscomb University has a reputation for being a neutral convener of significant conversations in our community,” said John Lowry, vice president for development and external affairs at Lipscomb. “Imagine gives us the opportunity to expand that to topics of national and international importance. With this initiative, we are taking what we do well and being more strategic with these ‘deeper-dive’ conversations so that they have a greater impact. We want Lipscomb to be a positive, successful force for collaboration and change.”
Bush, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry joined Lipscomb University President L. Randolph Lowry for the program, which examined this year’s theme — “Nashville: An Emerging City with Global Significance.” The initiative will continue throughout the spring with a series of working group conversations and will culminate with a published report of findings.
“We thought about an event like this to talk about how to think more globally,” said President Lowry. “And the word Imagine just kept coming up as the definition to have a sense of vision to see beyond what it to what could be. Imagination is something we do every day at Lipscomb. When we meet students for the first time, we imagine what might transform their lives. We imagine the impact we can have in community and what that will have on the world. So imagination is how we think about what is important and will have impact into the future.”
Lipscomb Associates, donors of $1,000 or more annually, and their guests comprised the 2,000-person crowd for the invitation-only event in Allen Arena to learn more about the Imagine initiative and to hear Bush’s perspective on leadership, global impact and his presidency. As of Feb. 1, associates have contributed more than $3.6 million to the university this fiscal year.
Bush shared stories from his life, political career, family and his faith as well as his leadership philosophy in a question-and-answer session with President Lowry. One of the most memorable moments during the Bush presidency was the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He shared the events of that day and lessons that all leaders can learn in a time of crisis. The former president also answered questions about his work fighting AIDS in Africa, the presidential election, immigration and his newest hobby — painting. 
His visit was the second time a U.S. President has come to Lipscomb. In November 1985, Gerald Ford spoke to students in a special event in McQuiddy Gym.
Michael W. Smith entertained guests with a performance of “A New Hallelujah” and his new release “Sky Spills Over.” Nashville’s Odessa and Calvin Settles began the evening with a rendition of “God Bless America.”
Barry welcomed guests, and said she believes Lipscomb’s Imagine initiative will continue the university’s significant impact on the city.
“I am grateful that President Bush is at Lipscomb to share in the conversation about how Nashville is emerging as a global city,” said Barry. “I am proud that we are a global city, and Lipscomb has played an important role in making that happen. Nashville is lucky to have Lipscomb and the 
leadership of President Lowry, and I look forward to how the university will continue to make a difference in the community in the future.”
Haslam said Lipscomb University also has an impact globally.
“I love what Lipscomb has become. A great university is a wonderful thing. It’s a great thing for a city and a state and a country. A great university has a global reach. And that’s what we are here to learn about tonight — Lipscomb University’s global reach,” Haslam told the crowd. “It not only has a global reach, but it is also very comfortable and welcoming in its own community. I see all sorts of different groups who come to Lipscomb and use the university as a way of helping grow this community that we live in and this state that I love being a part of. I’m here today because I look forward to hearing the 43rd president of the United States, but also because I love Lipscomb’s vision for being totally a part of our community but also having arms that reach across the globe to expand its influence.”
Earlier in the evening, more than 600 Lipscomb Academy and Lipscomb University students were selected to participate in a student forum with Bush, at his request. Jordan Beale, Student Government Association president, and Justin Avila, a student veteran, led the question-and-answer session with Bush. The student body raised funds for Lipscomb’s veterans services program, global missions and the IDEAL program through this initiative to also show a commitment to making an impact on the community and beyond.
“Hearing President Bush speak was very encouraging, especially as someone very interested in politics, but also as a millennial who remembers his leadership after 9/11 and throughout the war on terror,” said Whitney Smith, a junior double majoring in journalism and new media and political science. “Hearing someone so powerful be honest and lighthearted in front of a group of students is not an experience I'll forget.”
“He ran the entire country and yet he was very down-to-earth, which I wasn’t expecting at all,” said Morgan Murphy, a sophomore law, justice and society major. “I liked how real he was.”
“I didn’t really know how faith based he was so I loved hearing about it,” said Savannah Stewart, sophomore journalism major. “I usually tend to stay away from politics but this made me very interested in it.”
Lipscomb Associates are a key university donor group that provides significant funding for institutional initiatives and operations.
“Lipscomb Associates are the university’s core partners who make scholarships, special initiatives, academic enrichment and more happen,” said John Lowry. “Today, students stretch and work hard to provide financial support that, despite their families’ sacrifices and dedication, covers only about 75 percent of the cost of an education. Associates fill in the essential gap. We are looking to our associates to be key partners in this new initiative to help Lipscomb students imagine a better world, and we need them to help Lipscomb make the world a better place by partnering with us at the highest level.”
To learn more about the Imagine initiative or giving opportunities at Lipscomb University, visit www.lipscomb.edu/giving/associates.
— Photos by Kristi Jones, Jamie Gilliam
— Also contributing to the story: Lacey Klotz, Haley Coble