Cole and Hitchcock named Miss Lipscomb, Bachelor of Ugliness

Lydia Coffman | 05/03/2022

A longstanding tradition at Lipscomb University is for two seniors to be selected by their peers who most embody the ideals of Lipscomb University. Miss Lipscomb and the Bachelor of Ugliness honors are awarded to students who are nominated by faculty, staff and administrators, and chosen by the student body.
 
Alexis Cole has been elected Miss Lipscomb 2022 and Grant Hitchcock is the 2022 Bachelor of Ugliness. 
 
Cole, a theology and ministry major from Bristol, Virginia, has been involved in numerous activities and organizations at Lipscomb. She served as a Quest team leader for two years, serving as the spiritual committee chair for one year. Cole was also chaplain for the Black Student Union this year and was an active member of the African Student Association. In addition, she served as an intern for Lipscomb’s Office of Vocation and Spiritual Formation. 

“It is an amazing honor to be named Miss Lipscomb. More than that, I am honored to be the first black woman to be named Miss Lipscomb,” says Cole. “It makes me think about how far I've come. I remember standing in front of Elam as my parents pulled off to go back to Bristol. I was so scared and emotional that I just wanted to go back home to be with my family. But God has carried me through and I have realized all that can be accomplished as I simply trust in Him and use all that He has put within me to serve in the areas that I have the privilege of serving in on campus.” 

“Being named Miss Lipscomb has felt like the epitome of being seen and valued,” she continues. “I wouldn't be who I am without God and all that He has done in my life and in my heart, and this honor simply shows that doing my best to be faithful even in the small ways pays off. I still have many more ways to improve, but it is encouraging to see how much I've grown since I was that small, scared freshman girl. It is empowering to know that faculty, staff and my peers see this in me too.” 

Cole says the most recent experience that has made her time at Lipscomb impactful was the recent Beautiful Day that was part of the student activities during the celebration of President Candice McQueen. “It was probably one of the best days I'd had since becoming a student at Lipscomb,” she recalls. “It was perfect because it occurred during a time of the year when stress becomes high and a lot of big assignments are due, so it was great to get to have a day when we could just enjoy life with the community.” 

Several College of Bible & Ministry faculty, including assistant professors Lauren White and Aaron Howard have been especially impactful during Cole’s time at Lipscomb, she says. 

“Dr. White was the first professor to encourage me to continue my education when I was a freshman. She was very encouraging to me (as were many professors), and she was the only female professor I'd had in the College of Bible & Ministry so it felt like we were bonding over girl-power!,” she says. “When Dr. Howard was hired I made a point to get to know him because he was the first African American professor that I saw in the College of Bible & Ministry and he has previously worked in private Christian schools as a Bible teacher, which is what I hope to do. Ever since then he has been an encouraging mentor as I have worked to discern my next steps.”

She says she is also grateful for students with whom she served in various organizations on campus “and all the close friends that I've met during my time at Lipscomb.” 

Cole will return to Lipscomb in the fall to earn her masters of divinity from the Hazelip School of Theology. 

Hitchcock is a bioscience and philosophy major from McMinnville, Tennessee. He has also been very active on campus and served as Student Government Association president for the 2021-22 school year and as a junior senator last year. In addition, Hitchcock was involved in Questweek, resident assistant in High Rise for his sophomore and junior years and was involved in intramurals throughout his time at Lipscomb. 
 
“It is an amazing honor to be granted this title by my peers,” says Hitchcock. “It is very encouraging and reassuring that I represented my classmates well as SGA president this year. There were many deserving candidates and I am very thankful to be named Bachelor of Ugliness.” 
 
Hitchcock says he is “very thankful” to have had the opportunity to represent the student body as SGA President and that “the amount of support” he has received this year “has been incredible.” 
 
He is also thankful for the faculty who encouraged him during his college career. “Dr. (Alan) Bradshaw, Dr. (Jon) Lowrance, and Dr. (Lee) Mayo have all had a major impact on me throughout my time at Lipscomb,” says Hitchcock. “They have been amazing teachers both inside and outside of the classroom and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to have all of them in class.”
 
Hitchcock is graduating in May and plans to spend the following year in Nashville to work while preparing to further his education.

This spring, a committee of administrators, faculty and staff selected seven female nominees for Miss Lipscomb and six male nominees for Bachelor of Ugliness. Miss Lipscomb nominees in addition to Cole were Schyler Jones, Haleena Kabtimer, Madeline Lillicrap, Bailey Pihera, Lauren Scott and Jordan Williams. In addition to Hitchcock, Bachelor of Ugliness nominees included Grant Bobo, Scott McKenzie, Trey Phillips, Jesse Russell and Zach Walker. The undergraduate student body voted for these candidates on April 7 and the recipients with the most votes were announced on April 8. 
 
The Bachelor of Ugliness award came to Lipscomb nearly a century ago after its origin at Vanderbilt in 1885. At the time, the title was given to a member of Vanderbilt’s all-male Bachelor’s Club. The Miss Lipscomb honor was added for the top female superlative. Today the recognition is given to students who are nominated by faculty, staff and administrators, and chosen by the student body.