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ADVANCE, Quest and Initium kick off new students' fall semester 2013

Janel Shoun-Smith | 

Lipscomb University sprang to life on Monday, Aug. 19, as classes for more than 4,000 students began. But the campus was buzzing long before Monday with freshman and transfer students attending Advance, Quest and Initium, and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences holding its annual White Coat Ceremony and First Day We Pray.

While new students learn about academic integrity, campus life, service opportunities and global learning, they also have plenty of time to get to know one another and upper classmen through off-campus excursions, music and movie events, a formal dinner and fun games. Volunteer faculty and students pray for the entire student body, employees and Lipscomb supporters during the 24-hour First Day We Pray event in the McCaleb Missions Center, and everyone will continue the fun even on Monday as free barbecue will be served in the evening after classes.

Check out how Lipscomb’s newest students spent their time in the week leading up to the 2013-14 school year:

ADVANCE
Quest Week
White Coat Ceremony
Initium
First Day We Pray

 

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ADVANCE
Aug. 12 & 13

ADVANCE is a summer orientation program for first-time Lipscomb students and their parents. At ADVANCE, students learned about campus life, met with an academic advisor, enrolled for classes and began to develop friendships with other new Lipscomb students.

Parents who attended ADVANCE met university personnel, toured the campus, interacted with other parents and attended sessions on everything from financial aid to the adjustments they will face as the parents of a college student.

“The most important thing about ADVANCE is the opportunity for all of the freshmen to be able to come on campus and start meeting their future classmates, and to help them get excited about coming to school here in only a few months.” said Johnathan Akin, associate director of admissions.

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Quest Week
Aug. 13-17

Quest Olympics 2013
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Lipscomb’s new student orientation program, Quest Week, provides freshmen and transfer students with plenty of opportunities to get to know the campus, the city and each other through learning, fun and activities.

In just the first day, students got a chance to meet Lipscomb’s President L. Randolph Lowry at a picnic in Bison Square, to participate in the Quest Olympics on the intramural field, to hear talented students perform in the amphitheater and to enjoy the latest food craze in Nashville – a selection of food truck offerings.

Field trips to Nashville tourist destinations, a retro skate night in Brentwood and a trip to the county fair familiarized the students with the city of Nashville. On Thursday, Quest Service Day sent hundreds of new students out to 27 local nonprofits to volunteer for an afternoon. Quest Service Day gave the students their first taste of a long-standing tradition at Lipscomb: generous community service.

Friday brought the on-campus resource fair, where students learned more about global learning, service-learning, social clubs, intercultural opportunities, student government, missions and performance opportunities.

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College of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony
Aug. 16

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Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy students begin each year with a round of orientation and centering activities such as the First Day We Pray, held on Wednesday, Aug. 14 -- the first day of classes for student pharmacists. On Friday, the new class marked the beginning of its clinical studies with a formal ceremony where student pharmacists received their very own white coat. Guest speaker was Lucinda L. Maine, Ph.D., executive vice president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Students and their families were treated to a welcome lunch after the ceremony.

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Initium
Aug. 18

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All new students were invited to Initium – a formal candle-lighting ceremony and induction into the Lipscomb academic community. Sunday, the night before classes started, freshmen and transfer students gathered at Collins Alumni Auditorium to hear messages from faculty and President Lowry. Faculty lit the candles of the new students, and as a symbol of the fresh start for every student, each received a small slate tile – or a “blank slate” – as a memento.

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First Day We Pray
Aug. 19

Beginning at 11 a.m. on Monday, volunteer students, faculty and staff conduct a 24-hour prayer in the McCaleb Mission Center, where every student, faculty member and staff member will be prayed for by name, as well as prayer requests submitted by the Lipscomb community. The 24-hour prayer concludes as students gather at 11 a.m. Tuesday for the fall semester's first Gathering, the university's weekly chapel service for all undergraduate students and employees.

In addition, the School of Health Sciences held its own First Day We Pray event, with all the health sciences students, faculty and staff gathering in front of the Nursing and Health Sciences Building to pray for blessings and spiritual support for all involved in the 2013-14 school year.