A Welcome from the ProvostThe heartbeat of Union University is student learning. The mission of this University is to provide a Christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to Church and society. Student learning is broad and multifaceted; we sometimes say it is both curricular and co-curricular, traditional and non-traditional, graduate and undergraduate. Union University is a comprehensive University with much learning activity. Yet, there is a centrality to it all. Union University recognizes that student learning is best done in relationship, a dynamic relationship between student and teacher. When we say we provide Christ-centered education we mean that we strive toward an understanding of the truth that all knowledge is held together in the person of Jesus Christ. And we also mean that we do this in the context of relationships where members of the Union University student body, faculty, staff and administration seek to live unified in Christian community. READ MORE
The teaching role is primarily a function of the faculty but is well supported by a surrounding team of men and women who are contributing to student learning in a myriad of ways. Under a concept we call Learning Community, student learning is taking place in classrooms, laboratories, community agencies in Jackson and around the world, clinical settings, and mission fields. Learning is taking place as well on athletic and intramural fields, in residence life apartments, in coffee shops, and in the chapel. There is not a place on campus that is NOT considered a classroom.
The Office of the Provost is a hub, a center of activity designed to enhance student learning. Much of that activity is done at the hands of a faculty team working together across disciplines, exploring what it means to articulate and advance a distinctively Christian education as a comprehensive, liberal arts based institution of higher education.
In the pages of this website I present to you the Union University faculty. Leading the way with widely recognized scholarship in theology and worldview development is the University's 15th president, both an outstanding academician and a highly sought after leader in Christian higher education and denominational life, David S. Dockery. You will read about the work of faculty through roles in teaching and service, and particularly about the advancement of knowledge in many traditional disciplines through noteworthy faculty scholarship, published and presented widely. You will read about the University's Centers, highly co-curricular in nature, where faculty and students are promoting ideals and intellectual discipleship, all for the purpose of equipping us all to engage today's most pressing issues. You will see the faculty's work with students through the endeavors of undergraduate research and intercultural study at home and abroad.
The faculty of Union University is privileged to take its place among colleagues from other very fine institutions as together we strive to educate future generations of responsible, intellectual, and moral individuals ready to take up the cause of Christ for future generations. Thank you for taking the time to explore the team of faculty at Union University who is accomplishing much toward that end.
Faculty scholarship is highlighted in the website's regular "Faculty Spotlight" segment; faculty receiving awards/recognitions are noted in the "Faculty Newsmakers" column.
Ann Singleton
Associate Dean of Education and Professor of Special Education
Walt Padelford
University Professor of Economics
Accustomed to teaching courses in his specialty, economics professor Dr. Walton Padelford was surprised when several years ago he was asked to teach a course in business ethics. Little did he know at the time that this new teaching venture would afford him the opportunity to cultivate his interest in and appreciation for the life and works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and result, ultimately, in the writing of his recently released book Bonhoeffer and Business Ethics.
While teaching business ethics, Padelford realized that the established method of case study analysis and examination of standard ethics works would be enhanced if viewed through the eyes of faith. Acknowledging that his own teaching did not reflect the unique contribution of Christianity to ethics, Padelford redesigned his course to include Bonhoeffer's seminal work Ethics. Having incorporated Bonhoeffer's theories into his teaching, Padelford hopes that his students will be encouraged to be real disciples of Christ in the workplace, seeing their jobs as a place of sanctification.
When asked what advice he would give faculty regarding the relationship between their scholarly interests and their teaching, Padelford stressed the importance of staying involved in your discipline through reading and staying involved in discipleship. Eventually the two may come together and present a good writing opportunity. Padelford also encourages faculty to find a fellow scholar who can provide a fresh perspective and serve as a sounding board. For him, his former student and now colleague Landon Preston served in this capacity.
Bonhoeffer and Business Ethics was published by BorderStone Press and is available at Amazon.com and at the LifeWay store on campus.
