Haslams fund Lipscomb professorship

Lipscomb University has announced the establishment of the Bill and Crissy Haslam Endowed Distinguished Visiting Professor of Faith and Reason.

According to a release, the professorship is funded by a gift of an undisclosed sum from the Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation. Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and his wife Crissy Haslam oversee the foundation.

The purpose of the endowed professorship is to attract the nation’s top thought leaders and scholars to Lipscomb in an effort to integrate faith and reason into academic and public life. A national search is underway for the Haslam Distinguished Professor, who is expected to be in place this academic year.

This is the second distinguished professorship established this summer at Lipscomb. Last month, the university announced the new Turner Family Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy, funded by a gift from the James Stephen Turner Family Foundation (read here). New York Times columnist, former constitutional litigator and Iraqi War veteran David French is the first appointee to that professorship, housed in Lipscomb’s College of Leadership & Public Service.

“We are immensely grateful to the Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation for this significant gift,” Lipscomb President Candice McQueen said in the release. “This endowed professorship establishes a vital position in perpetuity, serving countless students and our city for generations to come. It is a testament to the Haslams' enduring commitment to education and service to Tennessee.”

The Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation focuses on education, faith-based initiatives and work that impacts the Haslam’s hometown of Knoxville.

Lipscomb University is a Church of Christ-centric liberal arts university with an enrollment of nearly 5,000 students.

This article was first published by our sister publication the Nashville Post.