Lipscomb's 117th year opens with President's Convocation, Willard Collins honored

Janel Shoun | 

Related Links: Photo feature of the 2007 President's Convocation

Lipscomb University students, faculty and staff celebrated the start of the 117th year of classes with plenty of pomp and pageantry, including a parade of flags, a special honor for former Lipscomb President Willard Collins and a balloon drop.

Nashville Pipe & Drum played at Convocation.
President Randy Lowry said we are a grateful, engaged and blessed community.
Former President Willard Collins, 92, was honored at Lipscomb's first chapel service of the 07-08 year.
Many of the faculty who worked under Collins are still teaching at Lipscomb today.
President Randy Lowry addressed the university students, high school students and faculty and staff from the university and campus school at the President’s Convocation, the traditional first chapel of the academic year.

Faculty marched into Allen Arena, dressed in regalia, to the tunes of Nashville Pipe and Drum. Selected faculty also carried 52 flags representing the home states and nations of all the 2007-08 students. Nations as far away as China and Russia were represented in the parade.

“What a wonderful morning it is as we start our 117th year at Lipscomb University,” said Lowry as he began his address. “We’re glad God has blessed us in so many ways.”

Among the blessings Lowry mentioned were:
  • The $18 million in facilities improvements currently ongoing on campus;
  • The recent announcement that Lipscomb now ranks as number 25 in the U.S. News and World Reports listing of the best master’s level universities in the southern region;
  • Seven new graduate programs started in the past 11 months; and
  • An on-campus Starbucks in the Bennett Student Center open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (the students’ favorite blessing.)

Numerous special guests from the community attended the President’s Convocation this year, including six descendants of David Lipscomb and various CEOs, company presidents, representatives of elected officials, guests from local universities and officers in local non-profit and service organizations.

President Lowry also honored former Lipscomb President Willard Collins, who served as president from 1977-1986, but spent 50 years of his life in and around Lipscomb.

Collins first came to Lipscomb as a student in 1934. His term as Lipscomb’s president is marked by the sale of the A.M. Burton property which boosted the university’s endowment, several national sports championships and his habit of spontaneously calling off classes by announcing in chapel – “It’s a beautiful day!”

“I spent about 50 years here and I wish I could live them over again, I enjoyed them so much,” said Collins, who was accompanied by his daughter and sons-in-law. Collins’ wife Ruth passed away in July.

The Convocation ended with a balloon drop and President Lowry’s wish that God bless everyone for the coming year.

The beginning of the 2007-08 academic year is also marked today by The First Day We Pray, when selected faculty and staff, along with drop-in participants, begin an all-day and all-night prayer session in Doris Swang Chapel. Every student, faculty member and staff member will be prayed for by name – along with many other prayer requests.

Prayers will continue until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, when students, faculty and staff will all gather in Bison Square for the final prayer of the 24-hour session.

Related Stories
President's Convocation honors the old, rings in the new, 08-28-06