Grants and Writing Resources for Lipscomb University

Lipscomb's 15th annual Student Scholars Symposium in April 2026 drew more than 350 students, and 35 of its 207 presentations were named outstanding in their groups. Graduate participation rose to 52 students. That spring, an archaeology master's student was named a Fulbright finalist for an English Teaching Assistant post in Athens, Greece, the 20th Fulbright finalist in Lipscomb's history. Finished archaeology dissertations are published in the Lanier Center's Doctoral Dissertations collection.

Presenting Research

The Student Scholars Symposium is held every year under the Office of the Provost. Students can enter a 15-minute paper, a poster, a performance such as a reading of a short story or poem, or an exhibit. Top undergraduate presenters in each category receive awards, and one award goes to the best graduate presentation. Past presentations are kept in the Student Scholar Symposium collection in Lipscomb's digital repository.

Each fall, Faculty Research Day gives students a chance to meet possible mentors. The Undergraduate Research page lists faculty mentors by research area and the courses with research built into them, where enrolling is the only requirement.

Research Funding

Lipscomb's spring 2026 academic honors name several research awards for undergraduates. The Langford-Yates Fellowship for the Advancement of Science, started by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in 2007, pays for summer research with a faculty mentor. Ward Society Summer Research Fellowships go to pre-health students in biology and chemistry, and the Herman G. LaVelle Research Grants give stipends to pre-health students with financial need who do university-directed scientific research, with preference for first-generation students. A history major was the first recipient of the Parker Humanities Research Award, which funds travel for conferences or research.

Honors College students who complete a research or creative project can present at an academic conference with financial assistance, according to the Undergraduate Research page. Ask the Office of the Provost for the details.

Writing Prizes and Publications

Lipscomb English majors compete off campus. At the 2024 Southern Literary Festival, two Lipscomb students took first place in creative nonfiction and in the formal essay, and ten students had work accepted for the Sigma Tau Delta national conference that year. In 2025-26, English students placed poems and essays in literary journals that include The Blue Route, Widener University's undergraduate poetry magazine.

Where Theses Are Published

The Carolyn Wilson Digital Collections hold graduate and senior work from several programs. Among them are the Hazelip School of Theology's Master's Theses, the Lanier Center for Archaeology's Doctoral Dissertations, DMin project theses, and senior capstone papers in social work and sociology. Several departments keep their own student-work series there too.

Help With Writing

The Writing Studio, part of Lipscomb's Center for Speaking and Writing, works with undergraduate and graduate students. Book a 25- or 50-minute session through WCOnline, in person at Beaman Library or online with a webcam and microphone. Consultants give feedback on your work; they don't edit or proofread papers. Graduate consultants are on staff.

If you'd like an editor's eye on a thesis chapter or a research paper before it goes out, we can help. See our Lipscomb University dissertation and thesis editing and Lipscomb University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.