Union at a Glance

Location: Jackson, Tennessee (area population: 100,000), 80 miles east of Memphis and 120 miles west of Nashville. Forbes magazine recently ranked Jackson as one of America’s top 150 cities for business and careers.

Student Body: More than 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students from 44 states and 33 countries.

Student to Faculty Ratio: 11:1

Percentage of Faculty with Highest Possible Degree in Field: 84%

Emphasis: A private, four-year, coeducational liberal arts-based university offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.

History: Founded in 1823, Union is the oldest institution affiliated with Southern Baptist life.

Technology: Each residence apartment is equipped with filtered Internet and cable connections. In addition, wireless network access is available in residence commons areas, as well as in each academic building and the Student Union Building. Students receive a Union e-mail account and private file storage space on the Union network.

Activities: More than 50 major student-produced music and theatre events each academic year; 60 campus clubs, societies, fraternities, sororities  and other organizations; Cardinal & Cream student newspaper, The Torch literary journal, and "Jackson 24/7" daily television news program.

Campus: Union University’s main campus in Jackson and its extension campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville cover 360 acres. The wooded Jackson campus features pine groves, sycamores, a variety of oaks including Shumardi oaks lining the great lawn, elm, dogwoods, sweet gums and cherry trees.

There are more than 40 major buildings and excellent athletic facilities. More than $120 million in new campus construction has been completed during the past decade, including several new Georgian-Colonial classroom buildings that support state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. Most of Union’s on-campus housing was constructed in 2008. Student-suggested design features were incorporated in each new building; all residence buildings include a private bedroom for each student.

The campus is situated along the U.S. 45 bypass in north Jackson and is adjacent to one of Jackson's largest concentration of retail establishments and restaurants.

Campus Visits: Visit our campus anytime to meet with faculty or visit a class. You are also invited to join us for a Union Preview Day. This year’s Preview Days schedule is found at http://www.uu.edu/campusvisits or call 1.800.33.UNION. Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., first and third Saturdays of the month from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Major Recognitions

• U.S.News & World Report
  Union is ranked as one of only 56 schools nationally "where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching." Union was listed among 46 "schools to watch" across the nation. Overall, the magazine ranks Union 15th among regional universities in the South, which means Union has been classified as a Top Tier institution each year since 1997 and has ranked among the top 20 regional universities in the South for five consecutive years. Editors also identify Union as an "A+ option for serious B students."
• Princeton Review
  Princeton Review ranks Union among the top schools in the Southeast. Nationally, 623 schools received this regional ranking, which is only accorded to about 25% of the nation's colleges and universities.
• Chronicle of Higher Education: Great Colleges to Work For
  After a survey of 44,000 employees at 310 colleges and universities, the magazine chose 30 four-year institutions for its honor roll of Great Colleges to Work For. Union not only made that short list, but was also among only three schools to be recognized in 11 separate rating categories.
• America's 100 Best College Buys
  An objective and independent research company surveys more than a thousand U.S. colleges and universities each year, then analyzes the information to find out which schools offer the best education for the dollar based upon academic performance indicators and comparative costs.
• President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
  Initiated in 2006, this award recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs. Union is among a select group of institutions that has made the list in each of the years it has been compiled.
• College Access and Opportunity Guide
  Union is listed among 284 U.S. colleges "committed to serving and supporting today's first-generation, low-income and traditionally underserved college-bound students." Union is one of only four Tennessee institutions so honored.
• Colleges of Distinction
  Union and the other schools chosen for inclusion in this guide exhibit four distinctives of superior colleges and universities: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes.
• Templeton Foundation
  Union is listed in the Foundation's guide entitled Colleges that Encourage Character Development. Schools included in this listing have "exemplary programs, presidents, and colleges and universities that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives."

Current Programs of Study

Art*

• Ceramics
• Digital Media Studies
• Drawing
• Graphic Design
• Painting
• Photography
• Sculpture

Biology*

• General Biology
• Cell Biology
• Zoology
• Conservation Biology

Business Administration*

• Accounting
• Actuarial Science
• Business Administration
• Economics
• International Business
• Management
• Management for Non-Business Professionals
• Marketing

Chemistry

• Biochemistry
• Chemical Physics
• Chemistry*
• Medical Technology

Communication Arts

• Advertising
• Broadcast Journalism
• Digital Media Studies
• Film Studies
• Journalism
• Media Communications
• Photojournalism
• Public Relations
• Speech
• Theatre and Speech*
• Theatre

Computer Science

• Computer Information Systems
• Computer Science
• Digital Media Studies
• Information Technology

Education*

• Elementary Education
• Learning Foundations: Grades Pre K-3, K-6, 4-8
• Special Education: Modified and Comprehensive
• Teacher Licensure, Secondary Areas

Engineering

• Mechanical Concentration
• Electrical Concentration

English*

• Literature
• Creative Writing

History*

Honors

• General Honors
• Discipline-specific honors

International & Intercultural Studies

• Global Studies
• Regional Studies
• Study Abroad

Language

• Applied Linguistics
• French*
• Spanish*
• Teaching English as a Second Language*

Mathematics

• Actuarial Science
• Mathematics*
• Statistics

Music

• Church Music
• Christian Studies
• Communication Arts
• Music Management
• Music Marketing
• Music Education
  • Band*
  • Choral*
• Music Theory
• Performance
  • Organ
  • Piano
  • Voice

Nursing

Physical Education, Wellness and Sport

• Athletic Training
• Health Education*
• Physical Education*
• Sport Communication
• Sport Management
• Sport Marketing
• Sports Medicine and Wellness
• Sport Ministry

Physics*

• Engineering Physics
• Physical Science
• Physics

Political Science*

Pre-professional Programs

• Chiropractics
• Cytotechnology
• Dentistry
• Dental Hygiene
• Health Information Management
• Medicine
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant
• Podiatry
• Veterinary Medicine

Psychology

Social Work

Sociology and Family Studies

• Family Studies
• Sociology

Theology & Missions

• Biblical Studies - Languages
• Christian Ministry and Missions
• Christian Studies
• Christian Thought and Tradition
• Philosophy
• Sport Ministry

*Teacher Licensure Available

Graduate Programs of Study

• Doctor of Education
• Doctor of Pharmacy
• Doctor of Ministry
• Doctor of Nursing Practice
• Education Specialist
• Master of Arts in Education
• Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Christian Studies
• Master of Education
• Master of Science in Nursing
• Master of Social Work
• Master of Urban Education

History

Union University traces its roots to three antebellum Tennessee schools-West Tennessee College and its predecessor, Jackson Male Academy, both located at Jackson, and of Union University, located at Murfreesboro. Union is currently the oldest school affiliated with Southern Baptist life.

West Tennessee College originated in the mid-1840s when supporters of the Academy secured a charter for a college and received an endowment from the state to come from the sale of public lands. West Tennessee College continued until 1874, when at a time of depressed economic conditions, the trustees offered the College's buildings, grounds, and endowment to Tennessee Baptists in the hopes of attracting a southwestern regional university planned by the state's Baptist leaders.

Southwestern Baptist University, the immediate predecessor of the present Union University, originated because of a desire by Tennessee Baptists for greater unification.

In 1907, Dr. T. T. Eaton, a trustee at Southwestern from its beginning, bequeathed his 6,000 volume library to the college. He was a former professor at Union University at Murfreesboro, where his father, Dr. Joseph H. Eaton, had been president. Shortly thereafter the name of Southwestern Baptist University was changed to Union University to honor the Eatons and others from Union at Murfreesboro.

Because of an aging and landlocked campus, Union University moved in 1975 from near downtown Jackson to a new campus north of the city along Highway 45 Bypass.

During the administrations of President Robert Craig (1967-85) and President Hyran Barefoot (1987-1996), enrollment increased from less than 1,000 students to more than 2,000; the multi-purpose Penick Academic Complex was enlarged several times; many additional housing units were erected; and the Blasingame Academic Complex (1986) and the Hyran E. Barefoot Student Union Building (1994) were completed.

When David S. Dockery was elected as the fifteenth president of Union University in December 1995, he introduced a compelling vision to build on a great tradition while taking Union to the next level of regional and national prominence in Christian higher education.

The progress that has been made during this time has been remarkable: fall enrollment increased from 1,972 (in 1996) to 4,205 (in 2011). During that time, Union also received 17 of the largest gifts in its history.

Union started an extension program in the Memphis suburb of Germantown in 1997. Enrollment on the Germantown campus is now nearly 900 students. Classes began at an extension campus in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville in 2008, with a campus building schedule for completion in 2012.

In the past decade, more than $120 million in improvements to the Jackson campus have been completed, including 19 residence halls, the Miller Tower, Jennings Hall, Hammons Hall, Fesmire indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, Smith Soccer Complex, White Hall, Providence Hall and the Carl Grant Events Center.

In addition, plans are underway for a new library building at a cost of at least $18 million.

Undergraduate majors have been added in political science, physics, theology, digital media studies, church history, ethics, sports management, sports medicine, engineering. There are new graduate programs in education (M.U.Ed., M.Ed., Ed.S., and Ed.D.), nursing (MSN with tracks in education, administration, nurse practitioner, and nurse anesthesia), intercultural studies (MAIS), social work (MSW), and pharmacy (Pharm.D.). Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) programs.

Union has achieved national recognitions, including a Top Tier ranking from U.S.News & World Report each year since 1997. At the start of 2011-12, that publication named Union one of 46 national "Universities to Watch" and one of only 56 schools "where the faculty has an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching."

Accreditation

Union University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, education specialist, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Union University.

Normal inquiries about the institution, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc., should be addressed directly to the institution and not to the Commission's office.

Discipline Specific Accreditations:

• The Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org
• American Chemical Society
• Commission on Accreditation for Athletic Training Education
• Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Council on Social Work Education
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• National Association of Schools of Music
• Teacher Education Program of the Tennessee Department of Education
• Tennessee Health Related Boards

Affiliations:

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
• Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
• Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education
• Council of Independent Colleges
• Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
• Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences
• Council on Undergraduate Research
• International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities
• National Art Education Association
• North American Coalition for Christian Admission Professionals
• Service Members Opportunity Colleges
• Tennessee Association for Counseling and Development
• Tennessee Baptist Convention
• Tennessee Independent College and Universities Association

Athletics:

Varsity Sports

• Baseball (men)
• Basketball (men and women)
• Cheerleading (men and women)
• Cross Country (men and women)
• Golf (men - women in 2012-2013)
• Soccer (men and women)
• Softball (women)
• Volleyball (women)

Recently offered intramural sports

• Basketball
• Bulldog Madness (free throw, hot shot and three-point content)
• Cornhole
• Fantasy Football
• Flag Football
• Frisbee Golf
• Indoor Volleyball
• Ping Pong (singles and doubles)
• Punt, Pass, Kick
• Racquetball (singles and doubles)
• Sand Volleyball
• Soccer
• Softball
• Strong Man
• Ultimate Frisbee