Lipscomb University awards degrees to seven Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center residents at graduation ceremony Dec. 11
Kim Chaudoin |
Lipscomb University awarded degrees to seven residents at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center on Thursday, Dec. 11, as it held its sixth graduation ceremony behind the bars of the prison. Lipscomb associate and bachelor’s degrees were awarded during the commencement ceremony.
During the commencement ceremony, Lipscomb awarded degrees to the residents who have earned them as part of Lipscomb University's LIFE program — The Lipscomb Initiative for Education. The graduation ceremony was a version of what took place on the university campus on Saturday, Dec. 13, during which more than 400 students received undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degrees. Faculty wore regalia and the graduates processed into the ceremony. The ceremony also included a prelude by Nashville Pipe and Drum as well as remarks from the graduates.
These residents or “inside students” have received face-to-face instruction from university professors and have studied side-by-side traditional Lipscomb undergraduate students — or “outside” students — at the prison each Wednesday night through the Lipscomb LIFE program. Both the "inside" students and the "outside" students earn college credit for these courses.
At the graduation ceremony four women received Associate of Arts degrees and three received Bachelor of Professional Studies degrees. These students are the sixth cohort to graduate through this program.
“This education has allowed me to become the best version of myself. Thanks to the Lipscomb community, I can lead from a place of healing and make a difference in the world around me,” said Alisha, who earned an Associate of Arts degree. “God has truly blessed us with this extraordinary experience.”
Vanessa, who also received her Associate degree at the ceremony, said the experience in Lipscomb’s LIFE program gave her confidence and said the program showed her what unconditional love is with “no judgement. There is nothing but open arms, open hearts and second chances.”
“We stand here not just as an individual who has earned a degree, but as a testament that even inside these walls we can still achieve big things,” said Misty, an Associate degree graduate. “This program has forever changed my life. It has shown me how to live intentionally.”
Molly, who earned her Bachelor of Professional Studies degree, thanked program founder and Lipscomb professor Richard Goode and the Tennessee Department of Correction for making the LIFE program possible. “I am so grateful to receive this degree and to those who have made this program happen,” she said. “This has been the best, worst thing that has ever happened to me. Being incarcerated allowed me the opportunity to earn my bachelor’s degree.”
Dr. Kenneth E. Williams, principal at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, carries in the mace.
“This is one of the best days of my life,” said Connie, who also received a bachelor’s degree during the ceremony. “The faculty have no idea how much they have meant to me. This experience shows me that I can do anything that I put my mind to as long as I put God first.”
“This is an opportunity that I never thought I would have, but I am here,” said Atlanta, who received her Associate of Arts degree in the ceremony. “I am thankful for the Lipscomb faculty who gave me this opportunity and believed in us.”
Brenda said she “treasured” her Wednesday nights when classes met and said completing her bachelor’s degree “showed others that anything is possible.”
This culminates nearly a decade of study and work for many of the women, many of whom have life sentences. To earn the Associate of Arts degree, the inside students had to earn 63 credit hours, following the Tennessee Board of Regents’ general education requirement. To earn the Bachelor of Professional Studies degree, students had to earn 126 credit hours. The LIFE program has also offered a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM) degree. Graduates also earned some college credit through the Lipscomb competency-based education program’s behavioral assessment, which awards college credit for prior learning and life experience.
DJRC Warden Jordan Clark addresses the graduates.
Kimberly McCall, associate dean of academics and director of the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society, gave the faculty charge and was also selected by the graduates to receive the Outstanding Teacher Award.
Lipscomb President Candice McQueen shared a charge with the graduates during the ceremony.
“It is truly an honor to celebrate the tremendous academic achievements of each of you today. You have been working on these degrees for years — one Wednesday night a week, one course at a time. Your tenacity and your desire to learn is an example for us all,” she said. “My simple charge to you today, ‘Remember, no one can take away your education. It is the best investment you can make. It has prepared you for this moment and the next and the next. So, keep going, I am so proud of you!’”
Kimberly McCall, associate dean of academics and director of the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society, gave the faculty charge and was also selected by the graduates to receive the Outstanding Teacher Award.
“We are here to celebrate you and your hard work and achievements,” said McCall. “You showed up. You were prepared and now you have achieved this goal. You brought a deep hunger for more knowledge and understanding. I encourage you to stay hungry. Continue to have a hunger for learning that expands your mind and opportunities. Let the education that you celebrate today not be an end, but a beginning.”
President Candice McQueen addresses the graduates.
Since the LIFE program was established in 2007, 25 inside students have completed Associate of Arts degree, 16 inside students have completed the Bachelor of Professional Studies degree and eight students have completed the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM) degree through the LIFE program. On average, it takes about ten years for a student to complete the academic requirements for a bachelor’s degree (which in a traditional college setting would take four to five years), about seven years to complete an associate degree (which in a traditional college setting takes approximately two years to complete), and about four years to complete a master’s degree (which in a traditional college setting takes approximately one year to complete).
Learn more about Lipscomb's LIFE program.
— PHOTOS: Kristi Jones