COVID-19 Update
Posted March 31, 2020 and sent to all Union students and employees on all campuses
Dear Union University community,
As promised, we are updating our plans as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the need for continued social distancing and safer at home directives, regretfully, we will complete coursework for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester online.
Thank you for your graciousness as faculty and staff have moved instruction online, and for your commitment to the continued pursuit of our Christ-centered mission. Even though the COVID-19 virus has disrupted our plans, it has not altered our mission.
Please be aware that you may receive additional instruction related to individual academic programs, so please be attentive to your department and program chairs who may need to provide such direction.
The University will continue to provide free academic tutoring via Zoom to traditional undergraduate students through the Center for Academic Success (CAS) webpage. Likewise, the Writing Center will continue writing consultations for all students via Zoom. Students can schedule an appointment through the Writing Center webpage. Tutoring for non-traditional and graduate students will be offered by CAS through TutorMe.com and can be accessed via the student’s Canvas dashboard. Additionally, faculty will continue to be available to students for office hours and advising through online and other means of communication.
Commencement
While the current directives from government officials are planned to end on April 30, there will likely be restrictions on large gatherings for some time after that date. As a result, Union commencement ceremonies scheduled for May graduates will not take place as they typically do. Be assured that, for students who are graduating this semester, degrees will still be officially conferred in May.
Understanding that an organization values what it celebrates and celebrates what it values, we are still thinking through the best way to honor graduates and their families. We may have a virtual commencement or we may postpone the event to a later date. We will communicate further when we have a more definitive plan.
Residence Halls and Dining
Students who have been living on campus will receive communication from Residence Life about plans for the remainder of the semester.
Union will offer a prorated refund for residential students who choose to not live on campus the remainder of this semester. A refund amount will be calculated and applied to the student’s account. Financial aid will be adjusted for those students who have scholarships or grants that cover room and/or board.
Residential students impacted by this process will receive a separate email from Residence Life and subsequently from the Business Office with further details. Thank you for your patience as we work through this process.
Union’s Mission
We have been careful in all of our communication not to use the words “Union is closed.” The reason is that even though most buildings are locked and the residence halls are almost empty, faculty and staff are working from home where feasible, and we are still pursuing our mission to provide Christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to Church and society. Even though it is not as we most desire it, Union is still operating.
And the Union community is helping in many ways as we walk through these days. A Union alumnus is on the USNS Comfort in New York today serving and caring for the sick just like the thousands of Union graduates who are health care professionals in Jackson, throughout Tennessee, and across the globe. Likewise, a similar number of Union graduates who are teachers have adapted to online formats to ensure that students have the opportunity to learn. Union alumni who are pastors and ministry leaders are seeking to serve their congregations and communities in the midst of great anxiety and uncertainty. Union graduates serving as missionaries around the world are ministering to their local communities in powerful ways. Union graduates who are engineers and business leaders are trying to bring solutions to this pressing problem. The mission is fulfilled as each of us does what we can as an expression of our love for Christ whom we serve.
May God’s grace be evident in each of our lives.
Faithfully,
Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, Ph.D.
President