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Lindsey Wilson University Student Commissioned for Student Success Center Art Projects

Tezon Mitchell '27 creates bibliophilic Blue Raider Bob to inspire fellow students.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (09/02/2026) — For his latest public art project, Lindsey Wilson University student Tezon Mitchell '27 wanted to send a message as well as improve the look of an interior space on campus.

Step into the university's Student Success Center on the top floor of the T.D. and Rowena Everett Building, and you'll see Mitchell's latest inspirations and creations. Inside the 5,800-square-foot building, the art and arts administration double major from Greensburg, Kentucky, painted a mural, wall lettering and a wall sign.

The six-foot mural -- the third of Mitchell's burgeoning art career -- features a studious Lindsey Wilson mascot Blue Raider Bob wearing glasses and holding a book. The lettering on a wall to the left of Blue Raider Bob features "Every Student, Every Day," the essence of the Lindsey Wilson mission. And a wall sign in the stairwell reads "LW + U = Success," which Mitchell took from a handmade sign on one of the building's desks.

The idea for the mural project came from an increase in Lindsey Wilson students using the Student Success Center, which was renovated in 2024. Services offered to students on the top floor include peer tutoring for all subjects, test proctoring for students with documented accommodations and placement testing. The area is also a popular location for students to study and meet. The building's lower level houses the university's student success counselors, who provide academic coaching and first-year advising.

"We have seen a dramatic rise in students utilizing the Student Success Center since the renovation," said Krystal Cundiff, director of student success and Title III. "This prompted us to use a mural to inspire our students to achieve their goals."

Mitchell said the project was another opportunity to learn that "all projects have very special problems that I encounter."

"My job is to find a way to solve them while delivering what they want," he said.

Mitchell said the stairwell sign is a reminder that "Lindsey Wilson is not complete without the individual student."

"It says that Lindsey Wilson is not complete without you, and Lindsey Wilson will help you succeed," he said.

Mitchell said he decided to feature Blue Raider Bob holding a book based on the commission from the Academic Support Center. It also pays tribute to the building's original purpose. When it opened in 1947, it was Lindsey Wilson's first building dedicated to the school's library, which had been housed in the L.R. McDonald Administration Building for the previous 43 years since the opening of Lindsey Wilson.

"The project was that they wanted Bob, and they wanted him to be studious," said Mitchell. "I think what I created fits more in line with our Bob designs -- it's more comic book in its style."

Mitchell said he intentionally left the book's cover and spine blank.

"He could be reading anything," said Mitchell, adding that he hopes students will project their favorite book on the mural when viewing it. "I didn't want to force him down a lane."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

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Lindsey Wilson University student Tezon Mitchell ’27 works on the six-foot tall Blue Raider Bob mural on the top floor of the T.D. and Rowena Everett Building, which houses the university’s Student Success Center.

Lindsey Wilson University student Tezon Mitchell ’27 stands next to the finished six-foot tall Blue Raider Bob mural on the top floor of the T.D. and Rowena Everett Building, which houses the university’s Student Success Center.

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