Students from Lipscomb University's Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice, and Society had more than just a theoretical lesson in the American legal system—twenty-seven of them spent a weekend in November immersed in the real thing in Washington, D.C. They met with legal professionals, visited key governmental institutions, and wandered between the storied walls of national monuments and archives. According to Lipscomb University’s news release, this trip is designed to set the students on a path for future networking and internship opportunities.
"This was our largest group of students in several years," Kimberly McCall, associate dean of academics, mentioned about the student group's size. The Washington D.C. excursion is baked into the Introduction to American Law course, typically offered during the student's sophomore year. Their journey began at the National Archives with a view to the documents that laid the foundational stones of the nation: the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
The students' packed itinerary also included an atmospheric moonlight tour of key landmarks, led by McCall, Brent Culberson, and Joseph Williams—all significant figures in Tennessee's civic and educational echelons. Culberson holds the vice president seat at Lipscomb for government, neighborhood, and community relations, while Williams serves as chief of staff for the state's governor, Bill Lee. The details of these events were conveyed through Lipscomb's announcement.
On a Sunday morning filled with reverence and reflection, the group witnessed the solemn Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, an experience delivered with a visceral weight that textbooks cannot replicate. Following this, students stepped through the harrowing narrative recounted by the Holocaust Museum, then ended their day on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to discuss the day's profound experiences. Meanwhile, five peers engaged in the cerebral combat of a regional Moot Court competition in the same city, participating in a similarly enlightening facet of legal education.
