The new Student Government Association leadership for 2025-26 was elected recently, and the student body awaits the changes that come with it. Let’s remember what the current SGA has done and see how the election process turned out.

We talked to Candace Williams, who is the Dean of Student Engagement at Lipscomb, about the SGA for the 2024-25 academic year. She mentioned that they were “ lucky to have a vice president and president who have been in the roles for two years.” Since a lot of William’s work is making sure that everything in the student life and the SGA runs smoothly, she was glad to have people who already knew what was going on.

Some of the initiatives and efforts of the outgoing SGA president, Janeyah Anderson, and the senate have been improving communication between the student body and the student government, planning events and even celebrating a 100-year anniversary. Along with the social side of their work, the SGA established new connections and provided clarity on some aspects of student life.

One example that Williams mentioned that the SGA has worked on is consistent meetings with Sodexo – the company that provides food on Lipscomb’s campus. During those meetings, Sodexo would receive feedback on their services, which would improve the communication between the university and the company.

Another example of what the outgoing SGA leadership has worked on is the establishment of a service committee. Williams said, “Within the Student Government Association, we selected a service chair, and then there was a service committee to help us be more focused on service and philanthropy-type events.” 

Let’s shift our attention to this upcoming term and the goals that the new SGA leadership will strive to accomplish. Williams explained that it’s a time of uncertainty and settlement, so it’s hard to say exactly what those goals are. Not every SGA board and president have the same ideas as the previous leadership, and they will have to discuss their initiatives and ways to bring them to life. 

Lydia Knobloch, the newly elected SGA President, said she was beyond excited to step into her new role. “Being a student body president has always been a dream of mine,” said Knobloch. “Ever since I came on campus and transferred sophomore year, it was just always something I wanted to do. I'm passionate about this campus. I'm passionate about what SGA can do for students. And I just knew that if I was elected as executive body president, I can make this campus the best it can be, through a bunch of different things.”

If you are interested in the changes and updates that are going to come with the new SGA leadership, as well as their initiatives and promises, feel free to visit https://lipscomb.edu/.