Union University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Union University
Motto	Religio et Eruditio
Established	1823
Type	Private
	David S. Dockery
Faculty	227
Undergraduates	3,100
Postgraduates	752
Location	Jackson, Tennessee, USA
Campus	Urban, 290 acres
Nickname	Bulldogs
Colors	Cardinal & Cream
Website	www.uu.edu

Union University is a four year institution located in Jackson, Tennessee. The University is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention and relates to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Union University is the heir of some of the oldest universities in the country and is notable in the sports world as the place where Bear Bryant, the winningest coach in NCAA football, began his football coaching career. The school is a union of several different schools: West Tennessee College formerly known as Jackson Male Academy, Union University of Murfreesboro, Southwestern Baptist University, and Hall-Moody Junior College of Martin, Tennessee.

Jackson Male Academy was founded in 1823 just after the state of Tennessee was opened for settlement[1]. Only five years earlier in 1818 was the land purchased from the Chickasaw Indians.

The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and it is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

Contents 1 Rankings 2 History 2.1 Early History 2.2 The Craig and Barefoot Administrations 2.3 David S. Dockery's Administration 3 Campus 3.1 Facilities 3.2 Housing 3.3 Sports 3.4 Greek system 4 Publications 4.1 The Cardinal and Cream - campus newspaper 4.2 The Torch - award winning literary and arts publication 5 Guest Lecture Events 5.1 The Union Forum - Union's annual speaker series 5.2 Annual Scholarship Banquet 6 The Germantown campus 7 Notable alumni 7.1 Academic 7.2 Clergy 7.3 Government 7.4 Musical 7.5 Professional 8 Notable faculty 9 External links

[edit] Rankings

Union University has ranked as one of the South’s top tier universities for the 10th straight year by U.S.News & World Report.

Union also ranked in 6 subcategories:

• 3rd in “faculty resources” category (includes classes with fewer than 20 students, faculty salary and the proportion of professors with the highest degree in the field).

• 4th in the “percent of classes with fewer than 20 students” category - 73%.

• 4th (tied) for SAT/ACT score category.

• 5th (tied) for the “student/faculty ratio” category (ratio of 12/1), placing Union in the top 18 southern universities in this category.

• 7th (tied) in “selectivity rank,” which includes test scores and class rank for incoming students.

• 9th (tied) for “freshmen in top 25 percent of high school class"; 66 percent of freshmen meet that description.

Union is also recognized in:

• Peterson's Guide to Competitive Colleges;
• The Templeton Foundation Guide for Colleges That Encourage Chartacter Development;
• America's Best College Buys and
• America's Best College Scholarships.

[edit] History

[edit] Early History

In 1907, Dr. T. T. Eaton, a trustee of Southwestern Baptist University, left his 6,000 volume library to the college. Eaton was a former professor of Union University at Murfreesboro, where his father, Dr. Joseph H. Eaton, was a former president.

Southwestern soon changed its name to Union University in honor of the Eatons and others from Union at Murfreesboro who had impacted Southwestern as faculty, administrators, trustees, and contributors.

In 1925 the Tennessee Baptist Convention secured a charter that vested the rights, authority, and property of Union University in the Tennessee Convention. This charter included the election of the University’s trustees. Two years later, the Convention consolidated Hall-Moody Junior College at Martin (1900-1927) with Union University.

In 1948 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Union University accreditation.

In 1962 Union developed a nursing program with the assistance of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital at the request of local physicians.

In 1975 Union moved from downtown Jackson, Tennessee to a new campus located near the Highway 45-Bypass in north Jackson.

[edit] The Craig and Barefoot Administrations

During President Robert Craig (1967-85) and President Hyran Barefoot's (1987-1996) administrations:

• enrollment increased from fewer than 1,000 students to more than 2,000;
• the Penick Academic Complex was enlarged several times;
• additional housing units were erected;
• and the Blasingame Academic Complex (1986) and the Hyran E. Barefoot Student Union Building (1994) were constructed.

During the early 1950’s to the early 1970’s, Union operated an Extension Center in the Memphis area. From 1987-95, Union offered the degree completion program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN track) in Memphis. At that time there were over 300 graduates of this program.

[edit] David S. Dockery's Administration

David S. Dockery was elected as the fifteenth president of Union University in December 1995. Dockery brought a desire to take Union to a regional and national prominence in Christian higher education. Thus far he has realized:

• headcount increase from 2200 (in 1996) to more than 3500 (in 2004);
• increased giving to Union, including ten of the largest commitments in Union history;
• construction of two residence halls, Miller Tower, Jennings Hall, Hammons Hall, Fesmire Field House and the new White Hall science building;
• successful completion of the $60 million comprehensive “Building a Future” campaign (1998-2005) (now at $69 million);
• renewed commitment to scholarship and research among Union faculty-part of Union's new Center for Faculty Development;
• new undergraduate majors in political science, physics, theology, digital media studies, church history, ethics, sports management, sports medicine, engineering; and graduate programs in education (M.Ed., Ed.S., and Ed.D.), nursing (MSN with tracks in education, administration, and nurse anesthesia), and intercultural studies (MAIS);
• SAACS Level V accreditation was achieved;
• added programs in undergraduate research;
• Addition of LIFE group programs, student retention programs, student mission involvement, giftedness assessment program for freshman students;
• the establishment of an extension campus in Germantown, TN, which now has almost 700 students;
• the establishment of the Carl F.H. Henry Center for Christian Leadership;
• the establishment of the Charles Colson Chair for Faith and Culture;
• the establishment of the annual Scholarship Banquet (1997-2004);
• achieving top tier recognition in U.S. News and World Report and other important listings.
• Implemented the $110 million "Union 2010" plan that includes the future addition of new tennis courts, new intramural fields, and an ampitheatre, which has already included the completion of a second soccer field, and the Fesmire Fieldhouse, with construction to be completed on a new, state-of-the-art science building, White Hall, to be completed in the Spring 2007 [2].

[edit] Campus

[edit] Facilities

The new campus is 290-acres and includes a 2,200 seat fieldhouse, dormitories for men and women including a married housing complex, separate lodges for the fraternities and sororities, academic halls, an administration center, baseball and softball parks, two soccer fields, an indoor swimming pool, and Wellness Center.

[edit] Housing

Union has apartment-style living. Each student has a separate private bedroom that shares a common living space with as many as four to five roommates. Apartments feature private phone lines and high-speed Internet connection, and many of the apartment living spaces are equipped with a kitchen unit. All private living spaces have a window and the common areas have cable access.

[edit] Sports

The school sponsors intercollegiate sports teams that participate in the NAIA's TranSouth Athletic Conference.

Men's Sports: Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball, Baseball, Golf

Women's Sports: Soccer, Volleyball, Cross Country, Basketball, Softball, Cheerleading

They won national championships in women's basketball during the 1998, 2005, and 2006 seasons.

[edit] Greek system

Union has a Greek system which consists of three men's fraternities:

• Lambda Chi Alpha
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and
• Alpha Tau Omega

Union also has three women's fraternities/sororities:

• Chi Omega
• Zeta Tau Alpha, and
• Kappa Delta

Each of these groups is relatively large in size relative to the size of the institution and consistently contributes to philanthropies, both regionally and globally.

[edit] Publications

[edit] The Cardinal and Cream - campus newspaper

[edit] The Torch - award winning literary and arts publication

[edit] Guest Lecture Events

[edit] The Union Forum - Union's annual speaker series

Union's Forum has brought several national figures to Union including:

• Peggy Wehmeyer,
• William Kristol,
• Michael Medved,
• Robert Novak,
• Stephen Carter,
• Morton Kondracke,
• Clarence Page,
• Margaret Carlson.

[edit] Annual Scholarship Banquet

Union's Scholarship Banquet has also brought prominent national figures to Union including:

• George H.W. Bush,
• Colin Powell,
• Mikhail Gorbachev,
• Margaret Thatcher,
• Bob Dole,
• Rudy Giuliani,
• John Major
• Winston S. Churchill, Grandson of the Former British Prime Minister.

[edit] The Germantown campus

Since the 1990's, Union has operated a branch campus in Germantown, Tennessee (suburban Memphis) offering graduate degrees in business, education, religious studies & nursing.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Academic

• Dr. Joshua F. Drake - Musicologist, hymnist and assistant Professor of Music and Humanities at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Member of Lambda Chi Alpha.
• Dr. George H. Guthrie - Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible and chair of the School of Christian Studies , Union University; one of the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible Translation Review Scholars. An expert in Greek Exegesis and writer known for his analysis and expertise on the Epistle to the Hebrews.
• Dr. L. Thomas Strong III - Dean of Leavell College and Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek in Leavell College at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

[edit] Clergy

• Dr. Steve Gaines - Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN.

• Dr. Monroe E. Dodd -- Pastor of First Baptist Church of Shreveport, Louisiana, 1912-1950; founder of Dodd College for Girls; and radio minister.

[edit] Government

• Joshua Trent - Chief of Staff of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fellow at the C.S. Lewis Institute. Member of Lambda Chi Alpha.

[edit] Musical

• Chris Rice - Christian recording artist

[edit] Professional

• John Dancy - Former NBC News Correspondent.
• Timothy Tucker - President-Elect of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Former president of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), president of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy, and Speaker of the House for TPA for more than 10 years. Member of Lambda Chi Alpha.

[edit] Notable faculty

• David Gushee - ethicist
• George H. Guthrie

[edit] External links

• Union University
• See What's Inside

TranSouth Athletic Conference
Bethel • Blue Mountain • Crichton • Cumberland • Freed–Hardeman • Lambuth • Lyon • Martin Methodist • Mid–Continent • Trevecca • Union