“I support Union because it is my alma mater and because Union provides a top quality education in a Christian environment.”

Lynn Patton (’69)
Brentwood, Tenn.
Vice President of Willis Re, Inc. A supporter of the Union University Annual Fund since her graduation, along with her mother, Mary Haynes Patton (’33). Her late father, Tom Patton, was a Union trustee.

“I contribute to Union’s Annual Fund because I value the quality education I received at Union and the time I spent there with classmates and friends. Our daughter, Jennifer Collins Burns (’95) and I both enjoy our Zeta Tau Alpha associations and memories because of Union and I continue to support Union’s Annual Fund as well as the scholarship fund at Union that benefits students from my church.”

Gwen Phillips Collins (’63)
Retired teacher and entrepreneur
Carroll County, Tenn.

“We have always been fond of Union University. Union does such a good job preparing young people by teaching Christian values. We are proud to be a small part of what Union does. The world today is a difficult place. We’re glad Union University is training Christian young people to be our leaders in the future.”

Mr. and Mrs. C.T. Bennett
Friends of Union
Apopka, Fla.

 Justin Wainscott came to Union University in the fall of 1998 from his small hometown of Eads, Tenn. The Christian ethics major recently completed four years of challenging academic coursework, and graduated in May. Down-to-earth in his manner, and outgoing in every way with his peers, Wainscott has seen himself stretch and grow as a person while learning about himself, his God and his world, and says he now stands ready and well prepared for his next step – Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

Because of the faithfulness and generosity of Union alumni like Rick McCown, Justin and other students like him are able to receive a quality education with a Christian worldview.

McCown (’84), who works as a sales manager for Nationwide in Knoxville, Tenn., says that when he looks back on his years at Union, he realizes that Union played an enormous role in helping him prepare for his future.

“It’s not just the quality of education that Union provides, it’s how the professors and staff care about the students and their development, the friendships that are made and the overall Christ-centered atmosphere,” says McCown. “Union was a wonderful experience for me and it is my hope that through annual giving I can play a small role in allowing other young people that same opportunity.”

The annual fund supports student financial, academic programs, mission trips, computer information systems, library resources, and athletic activities. Without the benefit of the annual fund, says Louise Lynch, director of annual giving at Union, the university’s basic operations would be significantly impacted. The annual fund is an important component of the University’s financial picture. “Union offers young people an experience of a lifetime that will have long-lasting effects on the choices they make in life and how their lives will impact others,” says Lynch. “Union’s cause is helped greatly by many alumni and friends giving regularly, regardless of the size of their gift—all levels of gifts are necessary to advance the University and its mission.

She points out that one of the most important elements of annual giving is that annual gifts help Union students and their families by keeping tuition increases to a minimum. Annual gifts bridge the gap between what the student pays and the actual cost of a Union University education. “Student tuition alone cannot cover the cost of an academically excellent, Christ-centered education – annual support helps to make up the crucial difference,” says Lynch.

Currently, one of the goals of the university’s “Building a Future” Campaign is to broaden the base of annual, recurring gifts to the university. Over the course of the $60 million campaign, the university hopes to increase the rate of participation of alumni annual giving to a level of approximately 25 percent, requiring a near doubling of the current number of annual alumni donors.

For more information on giving to the Annual Fund, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 1-800-338-6644.


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