Looking Back on 2011: Another Year of Growth

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COLUMBIA, Ky. -- A record fall enrollment, a record graduating class, the largest faculty in college history and two new buildings were among the highlights of 2011 at Lindsey Wilson College.

"Lindsey Wilson College has never been stronger. ... It's pretty clear to me that there is no college in Kentucky that has experience the kind of transformation we have experienced," LWC President William T. Luckey Jr. said in April at the Columbia-Adair County Chamber of Commerce spring banquet.

Since Luckey became LWC's eighth president on July 1, 1998, he has presided over the largest expansion in the college's 108-year history. More than two dozen buildings have been added to the A.P. White Campus, the budget has almost tripled, and enrollment has almost doubled.

But as Luckey noted in his April speech, one of his greatest achievements has been expanding the college's full-time faculty from 42 to its current level of 113.

"I think the most dramatic and the most important change at the college is occurring with our students and the interaction they experience with our faculty," he said.

Here is a chronological review of 2011 at Lindsey Wilson:

JANUARY
LWC Community Celebrates King's Legacy with Day of Service: Before the 2011 spring semester got under way, students, faculty and staff spent a day on campus living the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life of service. Click here to read about it.

Nursing Students Celebrate Historic White Coat Ceremony: A group of 22 students were the first to participate in the college's first white-coat ceremony, marking their official entry into the LWC baccalaureate nursing program. The students will earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing in May 2013. Click here to read about it.


FEBRUARY
Thompson Named Vice President of Development: Kevin A. Thompson, who has been a LWC since 1992, was named head of the college's fund-raising program, which includes the alumni relations, the annual fund, grant-writing and planned giving. Cick here to read about it.


MARCH
Record Residential Enrollment Leads to New Residence Hall: A near doubling in the college's residential population from 1998-99 to 2010-11 led the LWC Board of Trustees to building a new residence hall. LWC opened '10-11 with a record 1,052 students living on campus. Named Jerry and Kendrick McCandless Hall, the one-story 16,100 square-foot residence hall includes 52 rooms and a resident hall director's apartment. Click here to read about it.

Energy Technology Career Academy Students Begin Plans to Make Alternative Fuel with Biodiesel Processor: Students in the Energy Technology Career Academy spent most of the year trying to make biodiesel fuel from recycled vegetable oil waste from area restaurants. In March, the program acquired a 40-gallon biodiesel processor, and in December began a partnership with Newcomb Oil Co.'s FiveStar stores. Cick here to read about the processor; click here to read about the partnership with Newcomb Oil.


APRIL
Fred Smith Sr. Leadership Symposium: Leadership and integrity in an age of conflicting values were the topics of a two-day symposium for LWC students. Sponsored by the popular Breakfast with Fred series, the symposium featured nine leaders from the business world who interacted with students during their two days on campus. Click here to read about it.

LWC & Elizabethtown Community & Technical College Announce Expansion of Educational Partnership: Elizabethtown Community & Technical College and LWC formed a partnership to expand educational opportunities for Kentuckians. The agreement provides for the seamless transfer of academic credits between ECTC's associate's degree in applied science degree in human services and LWC's bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling. LWC has similar partnerships with a total of 25 community colleges in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Click here to read about it. Click here for LWC's partnerships with community colleges.

Elizabeth Lowe Whitfield House of Student Financial Services Dedicated: The financial aid building was named the Elizabeth Lowe Whitfield House of Student Financial Services in honor of 1949 alumna and trustee emeritus Elizabeth Lowe Whitfield of Bowling Green, Ky. Click here to read about it.

President Luckey Challenges Community to Raise $100 Million for Endowment: At the annual Founders' Day dinner, President Luckey challenged LWC supporters to increase the college's endowment to $100 million. Click here to read about it.


MAY
College Graduates Record Class: LWC awarded a total of 158 degrees -- 141 undergraduate degrees and 17 graduate degrees -- at its spring commencement. Combined with the 365 degrees awarded at the 2010 winter commencement ceremony, the LWC Class of 2011 was a record 523 graduates. Click here to read about it.


JUNE
Bonner Program Makes a Difference In Region, Earns State Award: The LWC Bonners Leader program received the 2010 Youth Volunteer Service Award, presented at the Governor's Awards for Volunteerism and Service awards ceremony. Click here to read about it.


AUGUST
Enrollment Reaches Record 2,600: The 2011-12 school year opened with a record 2,600 students enrolled. Click here to read about opening week. Click here to read about the record enrollment.

18 Added to Get to 113 Record Number of Full-Time Faculty: The 2011-12 school year also opened with a record number of faculty: 113. Since the 2007-08 school year, LWC's faculty has expanded by 37 full-time members. Click here to read about it.

Montgomery Named to Lead School of Professional Counseling: Jacquelyn Montgomery was named associate dean of the School of Professional Counseling, LWC's largest academic program. Click here to read about it.


SEPTEMBER
Second Year of LWC Football: The LWC football program began the second year of its revival. The Blue Raiders finished the season 7-3. Since football has resumed, the program has a 12-9 record. Click here to read about it.

Blue Raider Marching Band's Second Year: The Blue Raider Marching Band began its second year under the direction of the legendary Tim Allen. Click here to read about it.

TV Show Debuts: The student-produced Lindsey Wilson News Magazine debuted in the fall. Produced in partnership with DuoCounty Telecom, the monthly program features news, events and people of LWC. Click here to watch it.

Robert L. Miller Drive Dedicated: The drive leading into the Lindsey Wilson Sports Park was named in memory of the late Robert L. Miller of Campbellsville, Ky., a trustee who helped make the park a reality. Click here to read about it.

Thousands Served During Malvina Farkle Days: Students on the A.P. White Campus and several community campuses participated in Malvina Farkle Day, a day of service to local communities. Click here to read about it.

Singers Perform Before Reds Game: The Lindsey Wilson Singers performed the national anthem before the Sept. 20 Reds-Astros game at Great American Ball Park. In December, the Singers were one of the featured performers at Mammoth Cave's 32nd-annual Cave Sing. Click here to read about the Reds game. Click here to read about the Cave Sing.

Center for Entrepreneurship Seminars: The Center for Entrepreneurship offered a series of free monthly seminars during 2011, designed to assist small businesses in the region. Click here to read about the fall schedule.


OCTOBER
LWC Dedicates 2 Buildings, Gets $400,000 Grant: Members of the LWC community dedicated the Jerry and Kendrick McCandless Hall and Dr. Robert and Carol Goodin Nursing and Counseling Center, and college officials received a $400,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Click here to read about it.

LWC's Methodist Heritage Celebrated: The LWC community celebrated its ties to The United Methodist Church at the annual church celebration day. Click here to read about it.

Four Honored at 80th Homecoming: Three alumni and one longtime LWC staff member were honored by the Lindsey Wilson National Alumni Association at the college's 80th homecoming. Click here to read about it.


NOVEMBER
Bicycle-Friendly Decals Raise Worldwide Awareness: What began as an idea to help LWC cyclists in Adair County has attracted a worldwide following. Click here to read about it.

Robert Brock Leads Lindsey Wilson Players: It was a busy year for Assistant Professor of Theatre Robert Brock. He directed the Lindsey Wilson Players in A Midsummer Night's Dream in the spring; The Crucible in the fall; gave a one-man performance of Mark Twain in November; a production of James Still's Jack and the Wonder Beans for area school children; and collaborated with Director of Choral Activities Gerald Chafin to produce a madrigal dinner for the Christmas season.

Record Crowd Hears Dakota Meyer at Veterans Appreciation: Sgt. Dakota Meyer of Columbia spoke to a record crowd at the college's annual Veterans Appreciation. Click here to read about it.


DECEMBER
Men's Soccer Team Wins Program's Ninth NAIA National Title: The men's soccer team capped a perfect season with a 3-2 overtime win in the NAIA national title game. Click here to read about it.

287 Degrees Awarded at Winter Commencement: The second largest winter commencement was held in Biggers Sports Center. Click here to read about it.

LWC Tied for 7th in Directors Cup: The LWC intercollegiate athletics program finished 2011 tied for seventh place in the Learfield Sports Director's Cup standings among NAIA schools. Click here to read about it.