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Greetings from Lipscomb's special counsel to the president for diversity and inclusion

We must not ignore the small daily difference we can make.

William Turner | 

William Turner at desk

As we continue to navigate our way through an unprecedented period in our global, national and local communities, where the global pandemic continually impacts the daily rhythms of our lives—and where the pain and angst of racial conflict and injustice incessantly gnaws at our collective spirit and soul, I am encouraged by the resilience of our Lipscomb community, the collective spirit to honor the common good and to act on long held principles of fairness and integrity, recognizing  that what impacts one of us impacts us all, and that we are stronger together than apart. 

As we chart our course forward, let us remain committed to the principles and values that remain central to the transformative experiences we hold dear here at Lipscomb:

  • A deeply held faith in God, an appreciation and respect for the wonderfully rich diversity of people, cultures and traditions that is humanity; 
  • To continue to strive to harness our intellectual capital to solve society’s most pressing cultural and social issues in this 21st century and beyond; and 
  • To continue to engage in courageous and honest conversations about our own legacies, histories and educational processes in ways that allow us to get proximate to one another. 

As Bryan Stevenson reminds us in his book, our Lipscomb 2020-2021 common read, Just Mercy, we do so in order to change the narrative so that we can strengthen our resolve to demonstrate the best that is Lipscomb University. 

As a university community, our mission is to promote the creation, preservation, instruction and application of knowledge grounded in service to God and humanity. We must not forget that the world we want to see is the one we help to make. 

Each of us has a role to play in creating a better world. As stated by Marian Wright Edelman in her book, The Measure of Our Success: “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

Blessings,

Dr. William Lofton Turner
Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Public Policy and 
Special Counsel to the President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion