Union Life

Alumna reflects on the day after Feb. 5, 2008

February 5, 2021 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

The following is a reflection written by Kendal Conner, a 2011 Union graduate who works as a groups minister at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Kansas City, Missouri.

—

Although I often tell the story of Feb. 5, 2008, I rarely tell of Feb. 6.

Yet, when I was recently asked to describe “one snapshot from my life that shaped who I am today,” I could have chosen from a dozen formative moments in my life. But this is the story that came to mind.

It was the morning after the tornado. I will never forget my mom arriving to Jackson early that morning and us heading over to campus in the small hope I might be able to retrieve anything I owned. Only a few hours earlier we had received the news that every student made it out alive. As we ascended the hill from Pleasant Plains Road, I will never forget seeing the view.

Less than 24 hours earlier, I was running across campus through this same rubble in my $2 Old Navy flip flops. But now, seeing it illuminated by the light, my heart sank. For the first time in 24 hours, my mind stopped rushing and the true weight of what had happened finally sank in.

This is what I see when I think of a moment that shaped who I am. This moment — seeing the immensity of the destruction, yet officially knowing that the 200 body bags brought to campus that night had left campus that morning — EMPTY! In this moment, I thought, “This, THIS, is the Lord our God!”

Even if the outcome had been different, I know he would have shown his faithfulness in other ways. But I am forever changed because God chose to work the way he did that night — in the rescue from the rubble. I am who I am today because, that morning, the Lord tangibly reminded me that I am not promised tomorrow. It is today that we have been called to — God owns tomorrow. I chose in that moment to give all I have to the Lord. My life is not my own anyway, so I would use it however the Lord led. Because if this is our God, then to what else could I possibly desire to give my life?

Top 10 Photos of 2020

January 4, 2021 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

Despite being such an unusual year, 2020 did provide us with some wonderful moments to look back on. We hope you enjoy this set of our top 10 photos from the year. We look forward to making more memories with our Union family in 2021!

We started the spring semester with a tiny Tennessee snow!

In late February, our Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs played Lee University. The game was broadcast on ESPN.

Our spring theatre production was “You Can’t Take It With You,” which was unfortunately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the university went to online classes for the remainder of the spring semester, we tried to find beauty on campus to keep our spirits up.

Spring graduation was postponed, so Dub Oliver, president of the university, recorded a personal message for each graduate as he signed their diploma.

Graduates were finally able to have their commencement ceremony in late June.

We began our fall 2020 semester as normally as possible.

Buster joined students on Move-In Day to help get our new students settled on campus.

Many professors chose to have classes outdoors when possible.

Professors and students wore masks during classes. Betsy Caceres and her students conduct a lab experiment.

Art, engineering departments collaborate on 3D printing project

October 23, 2020 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

By Sarah Goff

Union’s Department of Art and Department of Engineering collaborated on a 3D printing project and plan to continue working together on future projects.

Paige Ward, 3D shop technician and 3D instructional staff, gave the art students in her “Introduction to Sculpture” class an assignment of creating a miniature landscape out of mixed media that included a 3D printed component. On Oct. 20, the sculpture class met in the engineering department’s 3D printing lab where Georg Pingen, professor of engineering, showed the art students how to set up their 3D models on the printers.

Daniel Howe, sophomore art major, said using the 3D printers helped him think through and learn new techniques of creating three-dimensional objects.

“It’s really interesting, actually, to learn about the slicing program and how it splits the whole model into different layers, and then how to get that to the printer,” he said. “There’s a lot of nuance in making sure the model will print correctly.”

The collaboration idea began this summer when Ward volunteered to help with the engineering department’s 3D printing camps for children in the community. Ward said that Lee Benson, university professor of art and department chair, wanted to incorporate 3D printing in the art department, and they had recently bought a small 3D printer. Since Ward had some digital fabrication experience from graduate school, she wanted to refresh her skills to help introduce the printer to art students.

Through volunteering in the camp Ward learned more about the printers, and it also gave Ward and Pingen the opportunity for a conversation between their departments about how art and engineering could partner together in the future. Ward said Pingen generously offered the use of the 3D printing lab for the sculpture class and to help the students learn how to use the printers.

“The engineering department’s goal is really to have these printers available to students or other departments to use them,” Pingen said.

The department purchased two new 3D printers in the spring of 2019, and between departmental usage needs, summer camps and printing face shields for health care workers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are now 12 new printers. Pingen said most of the time, there is enough capacity for the printers to be used by multiple departments.

Three years ago, Pingen began teaching a 3D printing class that is offered every other year. The class is intended for interested students of any discipline, but each time it has been offered, only a few non-engineering students have participated. Pingen said he thinks this is because of the barrier of the class being listed as an “engineering” class.

“If we really want 3D printing to be more approachable and more open to a wide variety of students, I think collaborating with the art department could be one way to achieve that, because I think collaborating … might move us a little bit from having mostly technical engineering examples for the 3D printing class to having some more creative and artistic examples,” Pingen said.

He said they may even cross-list the class as a general education or art course. Three-dimensional printing is a very useful technology, Pingen said, and more and more people will begin to have 3D printers at home. The power and strength of a 3D printer for students is to be able fairly quickly and inexpensively to try something out, he said.

“You can quickly get some ideas that you can visualize and get as 3D models that you can touch and feel and move and turn around,” Pingen said. “It can help students get a bit of three-dimensional spatial awareness and hopefully foster overall creativity.”

Ward said through this project, she hopes her students will see what is possible with new technology and gain a competitive edge for their future careers. She also wants to show her students the value of working with others who have different expertise — which will be helpful for their future as artists who one day may collaborate with people who specialize in metal fabrication, woodworking or masonry.

“I hope that it shows them that collaboration is a good thing, that it’s good to go to someone who’s better at something than they are,” Ward said.

She is grateful for the engineering department’s offer to help and share resources for this project, and she hopes the art department can help engineering with projects or lending equipment in the future. Ward is currently working with some engineering students who are designing ceramic water filters to see how the art department might assist with their project.

Ward plans to display the sculpture students’ final mixed media pieces in the Penick Academic Complex main hallway in January.

“The future is coming, and so we’re going to have to know how to do this type of stuff,” Howe said. “It’s good that we have an engineering department that’s willing to help us learn.”

Union’s Class of ’63 proclaims Barefoot as honorary member

August 4, 2020 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

By Sarah Goff

On behalf of Union University’s Class of 1963, class members John Adams and Roy Jones presented a Proclamation to Hyran Barefoot on July 10 making him an honorary member of the Class of ’63. Barefoot served Union in various positions, including as the university’s 14^th president, for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1996.

The reason behind this proclamation is “just out of love and appreciation to Dr. Barefoot, out of love and appreciation for Dr. Barefoot. We wanted to do something that would express that,” said Adams, who served for almost 19 years as Union’s vice president for religious affairs and special assistant to former President David S. Dockery, as well as a Union trustee for five years.

The Class of 1963 will also place a brick with an inscription about Barefoot at Union’s fountain area, “The Circle,” near where the class’ own inscribed bricks reside. Upon his retirement, Barefoot and his wife, Joyce, were also presented with the Honorary Alumnus Award. The Class of ’63 has been an active and involved Union alumni group, said Teresa Rosson, assistant director for alumni and annual fund.

“Truly they are an exceptional class,” she said.

Their gifts to Union have included building the fountain area on their 25^th class reunion, providing the flag poles at the Pleasant Plains entrance on their 50^th reunion and presenting the university with an $100,000 check for student scholarships in 2019. Adams said Barefoot supported and contributed to all of those projects.

The Class of ’63 also recently implemented a prayer group program that assigns class members to check on their classmates on a monthly basis and accumulate a list of prayer requests to send to the whole group.

“What a perfect example of our core values — Christ-centered and people focused,” Rosson said.

Tips for Students Transitioning to an Online Learning Environment

April 7, 2020 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

Post by Stephanie Hawley, programming coordinator for the Vocatio Center

Social distancing, safer-at-home orders and shortages of toilet paper. This isn’t what you thought 2020 would look like, is it? You may be feeling overwhelmed, uncomfortable, sad, angry, stressed … you name it. It’s OK to feel these things. A pandemic was not in any of our plans for this year.

Though we may not be physically present with you, the faculty and staff of Union University are allied with you as we move through these uncharted waters together. We’ve compiled some tips, strategies and resources to help you successfully navigate this period of social distancing and remote learning.

Keep track of changes

How do I access that class online again? What link do I need? When is that paper due? Put all of your key dates, big changes and important links in one place to help you stay on top of things. This might feel like a no-brainer, but if you haven’t yet compiled the course changes in one place for easy reference, go ahead and try it. Things might start feeling a whole lot more manageable.

Make a schedule and stick to it

You might find that you are suddenly operating with very little structure. While at first this might feel freeing, it might also leave you feeling more scattered and less productive. Create some structure in your day, scheduling time for your designated online class meetings and video lectures, for research papers and projects to complete by specific due dates and for exercise and rest.

Avoid multitasking

Multitasking often tricks us into thinking that we’re being more efficient, when we really might be taking longer to accomplish those tasks because our attention is divided. Try to limit your distractions and focus on one thing at a time. Realizing that you need some help with your time management skills? Consider a method like the Pomodoro Technique, or check out the other resources compiled by the Center for Academic Success for time management tips, study skills and more.

Limit screen time

It’s so important to put a limit on your screen time, especially now that everything is online. By charting out your week’s schedule and giving yourself plenty of time to virtually attend classes and to study, you’ll also find that you’re left with time to eat, rest, exercise and maybe even read a book. Find some great book recommendations on the Library’s blog.

Adapt routines

Are there ways to adapt your usual routines to your new environment? Do you need to strategize and create new routines? One of the best things you can do right now is to stick with that school schedule you were used to; get up and dressed as if you are physically going to class. Start the day ready to go.

Do you study best in a comfy chair with light music or do you need a desk, good light and no noise? Do you study best with a partner? Host a virtual study group with your classmates. Check in with your friends and share ideas.

Practice healthy rhythms

There’s a lot to think about as we adjust to these new routines and rhythms. Remember to be kind to yourself, and be kind to others. We’re all adjusting and adapting to this new period together.

Take a walk and exercise daily. If you’re living in a community under safer-at-home directives, you might find that tensions start to run a little high after being cooped up at home. Follow @uucampusrec on Instagram for some at-home workouts and nutrition tips to help you work out your stress and stay healthy.

Engage with your spiritual community. Is your church offering online services? Is there an online community group or Bible study you can join? Follow @uu_ministries and @uu_mobilization on Instagram as they help us engage spiritually through this time of social distancing, and be sure to tune in to chapel each week as it streams online.

Practice good mental health and coping techniques. There’s so much that we can’t control right now, and it can be really helpful to name those things and then limit the time we spend thinking about them. Rather than dwelling on all that we can’t control, shift your focus to what you can control, and then start doing those things. Check out Counseling Services for more helpful mental health tips and resources, and to learn more about their services during this time.

Listen to music, like the Gospel Coalition’s playlist, Songs of Comfort for Anxious Souls. This playlist is available on Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music, and includes some of our most beloved hymns and worship songs.

Ask for Help

One of the most important things you can do right now is ask for help. There are so many resources available to you, even from home. Check out the list of departments and services below, and let us know how we can help you!

Academic Resources: Writing Center; Library; Center for Academic Success

Student Life support services: Counseling Services; Health Services; Disability Services

5 Tips for K-12 Teachers who are Teaching Online Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 26, 2020 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

Post by Dr. Eric D. Marvin, professor of education

A few short weeks ago, you probably never envisioned that you’d now be teaching without your classroom. Sure, you may have taken an online class, but you may have never taught one! In the wake of COVID-19, many K-12 teachers, like you, have been tasked with converting face-to-face lessons into online instruction.

At the surface, it’s OK if it seems a little daunting, or novel, to say the least. After all, feelings of uncertainty during times of change are natural, but deep down, you know you’ve got this! As an educator, “adaptable” is your middle name, but even so, a few tips never hurt. In the midst of the pandemic in which you find yourself, Union University is here to offer some support. Here are five tips that can guide you during this non-traditional time of instruction as you teach your students from a distance:

1. Good instruction is good instruction, regardless of the format. The good news is that you already understand the components of effective instruction. You know how to write objectives, create and facilitate strategies, and check for understanding with various means of assessment. Similarly, you already understand that your objectives, strategies and assessments must align. This doesn’t change as you move to an online format. So, don’t let the idea of online instruction misdirect you from what you already know and do. Rather, for each objective, ask yourself: what online tools will enable me to help students achieve this objective? Don’t consume your time with a blind search for online tools and technological solutions without first considering your objectives. Doing so puts the cart before the horse. Keep your attention on the components of effective instruction. Then, find specific tools to enable you to help your students achieve your specified objectives.

2. Use free resources. As a teacher, you are already likely a king or queen of finding free resources. Most of your freebies, however, have likely focused on content and not instructional tools. One tool that may be especially helpful as you aim to provide online instruction to your students is Screencast-O-Matic. This tool allows you to record, edit and share video content with students and parents, and best of all, it’s easy to use. Keep in mind that this tool can be used to record a mini-lecture, provide assignment instructions and communicate with parents. For older students, you could even ask them to record their own screencast with this powerful tool. Finally, if you are looking for some additional content-related freebies, check out: the live cameras at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, educator resources from the National Archives and the video archive from PBS Learning Media.

3. Online learning doesn’t require students to complete assignments online. In the absence of meeting in your traditional classroom, it may be easy to assume that online learning requires student work to occur online. Nothing could be further than the truth! What needs to be online is your communication with students and their submission of assignments to you. With social distancing, students can, however, be tasked with completing assignments with tangible objects in their home, around their yard or in their neighborhood. Similarly, they can call or Facetime grandparents to learn more about their lives. What a great time for such an interview project. After all, everyone is home and perhaps in need of some conversation. Your goal is to establish the guidelines and expectations. As always, be creative and see where you can take your students during this opportunity brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Relationships remain important, even when at a distance. More than anyone else, you know that relationships matter with your students. They know you care about them and want what is best for them. Now that you have been geographically separated from your students, it’s important for students to know you are continuing to think about them and their educational needs. Panorama Education offers a free online survey tool that can help your students learn about each other and build stronger classroom relationships. Additionally, sending a brief video message (see Screencast-O-Matic above) to students can help to bridge the gap. If you want to talk with them about COVID-19, the CDC offers some guidelines here.

5. Follow the guidelines provided by your district. Due to COVID-19, it is very probable that your district has a continuity of instruction plan and specific guidance in place related to your work and the legal parameters in which you can and should function as an educator in the online world. Now is not the time to press the limits or extend beyond such boundaries. Your school administrators are concerned about the situation at hand and need your prayers, support, cooperation and collaboration.

Union University’s School of Education is praying for and thinking about you as a K-12 educator. To learn more about the School of Education and its degree offerings, please visit uu.edu/education.

6 Ways to Pray for Union Students During the COVID-19 Interruption

March 25, 2020 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the United States, our Union University students, like all of us, are facing unexpected changes, anxiety and uncertainty as they navigate how this affects their lives and studies. Joe Ball, University Ministries’ director for discipleship and ministry, and Ken Litscher, dean of student life, both shared some ways that you can pray for Union students during this time:

1. Pray for a smooth transition to online learning

To help protect the health and wellbeing of those in our community, Union moved all classes to an online or alternative delivery format from March 16-April 10. Please pray for our students and faculty as they all adjust to a new method of learning over these next few weeks.

2. Pray for a restful and healthy spring break

Pray that students who have returned home this week will value the extra time they have with their families, and pray that students who are unable to return home will have others reach out to them and provide a sense of community.

3. Pray for opportunities to share hope

Ask God that our students would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and look for opportunities to share the love and hope of Christ with a scared and hurting world.

4. Pray that they will invest in community online

For our traditional students, pray that they will use their status as “digital natives” to lead the way in investing in real community online while they are separated physically.

5. Pray that they will trust God

Pray that our students will trust God to see them through this time, and that they would have a renewed understanding of God’s care for each of them.

6. Pray for protection from fear

In the midst of so much uncertainty, pray that our students will not be anxious or fearful, but instead that they will cast their cares on the Father and cling to the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

We at Union are so thankful for your support and prayers during these unprecedented times as we face the coronavirus and its implications. Please keep lifting up the Union community as we continue to provide Christ-centered education so our students can be transformed as servants of Christ and society.

Visit uu.edu/covid-19 for the most recent updates on Union’s coronavirus response

Top 10 Photos of 2019

January 6, 2020 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

Each year, we take time to look through our photos from the past 12 months at Union University and pick out our top 10 favorite images. It’s wonderful to be reminded of how our students learned, thrived, succeeded and were transformed at Union in 2019! Please enjoy scrolling through these photos and reading a little of the story behind each one.

1. Lauren Blodgett, business administration major, defies gravity during Kappa Delta’s winning performance of “Alice in Wonderland” in the 22nd annual Student Activities Council Variety Show, April 6. Photo by Joey Echeverria

2. Undergraduate students walk past The Logos during Union’s 194^th annual spring commencement, May 18, where about 625 graduates received their degrees. Photo by Kristi Woody

3. Students play basketball during Welcome Week’s SAC Fest in August, which included fun activities for new students like volleyball, cornhole, inflatables and snacks. Photo by Kristi Woody

4. Steve Halla, associate professor of art, sits and talks with students near the fountain. Union professors know students by name and want to build relationships with them. Photo by Kristi Woody

5. Blake Watkins, chair and professor of pharmaceutical sciences, works with pharmacy students in a lab. At Union, students are prepared to be excellent in their field. Photo by Kristi Woody

6. Christian singer and songwriter Chris Tomlin performs the song “Is He Worthy?” with help from the Union University Singers during the 22^nd annual Union University Scholarship Banquet, Oct. 15. Photo by Kristi Woody

7. Students laugh and enjoy great fall weather on our beautiful campus. At Union, we value one another and live in a close-knit community. Photo by Kristi Woody

8. Beautiful fall colors were on display outside of The Logos, Union’s three-story, 53,000-square-foot building that houses a modern library built to promote academic success. Photo by Kristi Woody

9. All three Busters — our live mascot, team mascot and campus landmark — pose together for a photo. Ayo Bulldogs! Photo by Sarah Goff

10. Students compete in the Residence Life Half-K, a fun and silly 0.31-mile race that promotes community and fellowship for our students on campus. Photo by Nikki Grim

Pharmacy students show Christ’s love through medical mission trip in Egypt

August 20, 2019 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

Story by Sarah Goff

Six Union pharmacy students spent a week this summer as part of a medical mission team that served in Cairo, Egypt. The students — Bailee Esch, Hunter Hanson, Payton Pulse, Firas Quran, Brooke Sanders and Ali Ward — spent four days working in medical clinics, each day in a different local Christian church, as well as spending two days sightseeing during their July 12-21 trip.

On the very first day of clinic, Pulse, a second-year Doctor of Pharmacy candidate from Bolivar, Tennessee, met a mother and her three children. The first two children had common, easily treatable cases of parasites. The mother expressed concern for her youngest child, a small 3-year-old boy who was sleeping in her arms. A few months ago, she explained, he had undergone surgery for an intestinal issue.

She then showed them his incision: it had burst open, and his intestines were protruding from his abdomen. Shocked, the team worked quickly to get the family to the emergency room.

“My heart hurt for this family, but at the same time it was bursting at the seams with happiness because we helped make an impact on someone, and possibly saved a life just by using our skills God blessed us with,” Pulse wrote in a blog post about the day.

This trip was the culmination of the Medical Missions class taught by Adrian Cross, adjunct professor of pharmacy practice at Union and registered store manager at the Walgreens Community Specialty Pharmacy on Skyline Drive in Jackson. This trip was in partnership with Englewood Baptist Church of Jackson, where Cross has been a member for 24 years. The mission team consisted of a veterinarian, dentist, schoolteacher and pharmacist in addition to the pharmacy students.

A local Christian ministry in Cairo helped set up the clinics, provide translators and bring in patients. The medical mission team offered an eyeglasses station, pharmacy stations, a health education station and a station to entertain waiting children.

In the Egyptian healthcare context, the role of a pharmacist is different than in the United States — they are the ones who diagnose common issues and then send the patient to the local pharmacy, where they dispense the needed medication. This was an answer to prayer, Pulse said, since the team did not include a doctor or nurse who typically would have examined and diagnosed patients.

This made the trip different from his 16 years of medical missions experience, Cross said. They were able to interact more with the patients and pray with them, too.

For Pulse, this trip was out of her comfort zone. She had never been outside the U.S. before and had never even considered going on an international mission trip. Although it is easy for pharmacy students to be consumed with their studies, she said it is important to venture out and experience new things.

“It’s definitely impacted the way I look at these disease states that we’re learning about and look at the drugs that treat them,” Pulse said. “It makes you appreciate what you’re learning and appreciate the patients you’re going to be helping more.”

Cross said he loves to see young professionals get involved in missions and use their talents to help people. He encourages students who feel called to go on a medical mission trip to pray about serving.

“If you go and you make yourself available, God will use you in ways that you would never imagine, and I think that happened this year with each one of the students,” he said.

Learn more about Union’s College of Pharmacy at uu.edu/pharmacy.

Sophomore Wesley Jennings serves those in need on mission in Honduras

July 30, 2019 by unionuniversity Leave a Comment

Post by Corey Morris

This summer, Wesley Jennings, an incoming sophomore at Union University, followed the charge in James 1:27 to serve those in need while being different from the world. While many young men his age would be looking to advance themselves in this world and spend the summer relaxing, Wesley has shown his true faith and altruistic nature.

As a member of our Honduras Mission Team, Wesley served in the impoverished regions of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in various capacities. Our church in McMinnville, Tennessee, partners with Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa. We visit Honduras for one week each summer to help in humanitarian, medical, dental and evangelical efforts and to share the love of Christ to those around us. As a vital member of our team, Wesley went above and beyond in his call of duty to help serve the underserved.

While with our missionary group, Wesley jumped in full-force in many ways. He helped on construction teams to build homes given only a few nails, a hammer and a chainsaw as his tools of the trade. In addition, he helped in our dental clinic doing various tasks, from trying to make a crying child laugh with puppets to helping sanitize extraction instruments.

Wesley also helped assist in our medical clinic by triaging over 170 patients (in two days) without medical care to be seen by our medical missionaries. He was involved in the intake of these patients and taking their vital signs. The professionalism he showed, as well as the care he gave to patients, was unmatched with someone his age.

Not only did Wesley help these fellow brother and sisters in Christ with their immediate medical and survival needs, he also assisted in their spiritual needs. When Wesley wasn’t working hard in our clinics, you could see him playing with children who don’t regularly receive attention. He didn’t let a language barrier stop him, and you could see the love of Christ reflecting through him.

Wesley also helped assist with our Vacation Bible School for these children. He is an honorable young man, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to have served with him. Union University is doing something right in developing Christ-centered individuals, and I’m glad I was able to see that education through one of Union’s students.

Corey Morris is a medical student at Lincoln Memorial University’s DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, Tennessee, and a missionary with Westwood Church in McMinnville, Tennessee.