A student meets Rep. John Lewis on the steps of the U.S. Capitol

College of Leadership & Public Service

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Where Tennessee Turns for Leadership

To be a transformative, innovative leader in today’s world requires more than knowledge. You need the confidence, practical experiences, and most importantly, the integrity and heart to lead others toward a common goal and a better future. Lipscomb’s College of Leadership & Public Service is “Where Tennessee Turns for Leadership” by intentionally addressing local, national and global issues to prepare leaders to navigate, shape and steer the direction of matters affecting communities and people around the world. Our college is comprised of four institutes and one school, all of which focus on both outreach and academics. Through our distinctive approach to leadership and public service, built on a model of civil discourse, innovation and bold action, you will graduate ready to speak your mind and advocate for new ways to serve others. You will be ready to take immediate action that makes a lasting difference.

A student at an event

Undergraduate Programs

Be ready to affect change. Our undergraduate programs model the highest standards of professional practice, public service and community engagement. By choosing a discipline within our College of Leadership & Public Service, you will receive the specific skill sets, theoretical foundations and practical expertise that will prepare you to successfully live out your calling as a leader in communities around the world.

View Undergraduate Programs
Students studying

Graduate Programs

Our graduate programs in conflict management, leadership and public service, and sustainable practice offer experiential academics and skills that will help you succeed in serving the common good. We offer graduate awards in transit and mobility, education policy, diversity and inclusion, immigration, civil discourse and regional prosperity.

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Class in Nashville

Regional Scholars Program

To equip leaders and prepare them to govern in rural areas and small communities, the Regional Scholars Program gives public servants from various regions across Tennessee the opportunity to earn a discounted master’s degree and take their education back to their communities to better serve their constituents. Our aim is that communities would be changed and lives transformed across Tennessee through this program.

About the Regional Scholars Program
Alum Grant Mathis with community members

Reaching the Community

The College of Leadership & Public Service provides a number of opportunities for you not only to get involved in organizations within the community, but also to develop innovative solutions and compassionate action to address problems affecting our city. We serve the region and nation by partnering with national leaders, providing citizen education through seminar training, offering conflict management training and much more.

People

Meet the key people that make up the College of Leadership & Public Service.

  • Steve Joiner headshot

    Steve Joiner

    Executive Director ICM and Dean, College of Leadership and Public Service

    Steve Joiner is the Dean of the College of Leadership and Public Service and Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management at Lipscomb University. Joiner also serves as Professor...

    Meet Steve Joiner
  • Laura Encalade headshot

    Laura Encalade

    Executive Director School of Public Policy/Assistant Professor

    Laura Encalade is an experienced educational leader with deep expertise in strategic planning, innovative program design and implementation, and consulting. She is passionate about supporting communities and organizations to advance...

    Meet Laura Encalade
  • Dodd Galbreath headshot

    Dodd Galbreath

    Professor and Director, Institute of Sustainable Practice

    In the Fall of 2007, Professor Galbreath founded the Institute for Sustainable Practice, the Southeast's first, comprehensive, academic sustainability program. As the director of graduate programs, his teaching primarily focuses...

    Meet Dodd Galbreath
  • Emily Stutzman Jones headshot

    Emily Stutzman

    Associate Professor

    With a M.S. in rural sociology and Ph.D. in forestry from Auburn University, Emily Stutzman joined the Institute for Sustainable Practice in January 2015 as our full-time Academic Director. She...

    Meet Emily Stutzman
  • Kimberly McCall headshot

    Kimberly Mccall

    Associate Dean of Academics and Director of Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society

    Kimberly L. McCall was named the Academic Director for the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice and Society effective January 1, 2021. In March 2023, McCall was named Associate...

    Meet Kimberly Mccall
  • Randy Spivey

    Randy Spivey

    Adjunct Faculty

    Randy Spivey serves as an adjunct professor for the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society. Spivey began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge David...

    Meet Randy Spivey
  • Barry Stephens

    Barry Stephens

    Barry Stephens, D.Min., is an Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Conflict Management at Lipscomb University where he has taught the Conflict in Religious Settings and Readings courses since 2012....

    Meet Barry Stephens
  • William Turner headshot

    William Turner

    Distinguished Professor

    Turner holds a Distinguished Professorship in the College of Leadership and Public Service and is Special Counsel to the President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. An expert in family, community,...

    Meet William Turner

News

Kristen Judd
Students
December 5, 2023

MPA degree reveals the versatility of public administration
Karen in a solo picture
News
December 5, 2023

Graduate Spotlight: Pionero scholar returns to elementary school to teach
MPA students in Washington, D.C. 2023
Academics
November 30, 2023

Lipscomb confers first MPA degrees Dec. 16
CW4 Bernier photo taken in front of the American and Tennessee state flags
Academics
November 16, 2023

Graduate Spotlight. Empowering Tennessee’s military leaders: Scarlett Bernier’s mission for education
More News

Events

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Blog

Increased Enrollment and Faculty in the School of Public Policy

The School of Public Policy continues to grow. The fall semester brought 49 new students to Lipscomb's School of Public Policy across the two graduate programs in Leadership & Public Service and Public Administration.  Within the M.A. in Leadership & Public Service, the Tennessee National Guard cohort doubled in size with the...

Mon, 11/13/2023 - 09:37
Posted by Grace Evans

Reframing Conflict: A Simple First Step Toward Embracing Conflict

Advice from an Institute for Conflict Management graduate Written by Christi Beth Adams, Institute for Conflict Management alumna   “But I hate conflict!” I protested as I sat across from a professor from Lipscomb University Institute for Conflict Management. We had met for coffee to discuss the program and why he thought it...

Wed, 11/01/2023 - 10:12
Posted by Grace Evans

Accepting Change and Moving Forward

Written by Cynthia Greer, ICM professor and Rule 31 instructor For the past 18 months, I have worked with many organizations and cities that are experiencing tremendous growth, limited resources, and conflicted personnel.  In some instances, the employees may be the deciding factor as to whether these entities will be successful...

Mon, 10/02/2023 - 16:37
Posted by Grace Evans

More Blog Posts

Undergraduate Programs

Discuss and engage with current issues through the many academic and outreach opportunities offered by our College of Leadership & Public Service. Our programs also feature events and visits from national and international leaders related to the work of the college. This unique, creative engagement approach to undergraduate education will help prepare you for successful leadership, no matter what field you pursue.

Graduate Programs

Lipscomb’s College of Leadership & Public Service offers degree programs that will prepare you for a multitude of impactful, action-oriented careers from day one, including careers in policy, advocacy, elected offices, community engagement, corporate social responsibility and more.