Commencement features largest group of students, Pat Boone leads alma mater

Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 | 

Lipscomb University will mark another milestone Saturday, May 2, with the largest number of students participating in a spring commencement in the history of the school with 781 participants, which includes May and August graduates.

Graduate and doctoral commencement will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Allen Arena, followed by undergraduate commencement at 3 p.m. A reception for all graduates and their families will take place from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Allen Arena Mall. 

On Friday, May 1, undergraduates and their families are invited to a reception at 4:30 p.m. in the Burton center and a baccalaureate ceremony at 5:00 p.m. in Collins Alumni Auditorium.

Friday’s baccalaureate and Saturday’s commencement ceremonies will be streamed live at www.lipscomb.edu/ets/live-events.

Lipscomb is expected to award 367 undergraduate degrees, 250 graduate degrees, 40 graduate certificates for May graduates and 80 undergraduate degrees and 79 graduate degrees for August. The largest number of graduate degrees will be the Master of Education degree with 98 recipients and the largest number of undergraduate degrees is the Bachelor of Nursing with 69 graduates.

Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry will give a charge at both ceremonies. Allison Duke, associate dean in the College of Business, will give a professional charge to graduates during the graduate and doctoral commencement.

Highlights will include:

  • Programs graduating students for the first time include those receiving Master of Management, Master of Information and Analytics and Master of Science in Health Care Informatics.
  • Entertainer Pat Boone, a 1952 graduate of Lipscomb Academy who also attended Lipscomb University, is the composer of the institution’s alma mater and will lead the audience at the 3 p,.m. undergraduate ceremony in singing the alma mater.
  • Harry Kellum, a 1968 graduate and the first African American to graduate from Lipscomb, will be honored during the 3 p.m. undergraduate ceremony. He completed his course work and degree, but never had the opportunity to participate in commencement exercises in 1968. So, Kellum will walk across the stage and officially receive his diploma on Saturday.
  • Veteran Ben Maenza, of Brentwood, who was in the field in Afghanistan for only three weeks before both his legs were injured by a land mine, will receive his undergraduate degree Saturday. A double amputee, Maenza has competed in the Boston Marathon several times and is known for raising money to help other wounded veterans by competing in various marathons and other athletic events.

With the awarding of degrees on May 2, the university will have awarded 1,349 for the academic year, including August and December 2014 graduates, the most degrees awarded in a school year in the institution’s history.