For years, George Guthrie met with puzzled looks at national meetings for biblical scholars when he told people he was from Union University.

Lately, though, reaction has changed from “Where’s that?” to “What's happening there now?”

The answer: a lot. Enrollment is booming, new buildings are going up across campus and students are signing up for an array of new courses. Efforts to incorporate rigorous Christian thinking across the curriculum have drawn praise from nationally-known religious leaders, including Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson.

Guthrie, who chairs the Christian studies department, is quick to credit the changes to David S. Dockery, who became the school's 15th president in 1996.

“David Dockery is the most significant thing to happen in the school’s history,” Guthrie said. “It’s an exciting time to be here.”

Under his leadership, the school has set out to appeal to the larger evangelical community while remaining true to its Southern Baptist heritage.

The 50-year-old Dockery is also raising the school's profile by bringing in world-renowned leaders and pundits to speak at community forums. Most reflect his conservative views.

Recently appointed to the board of directors of Christianity Today International, he also has been named vice chairman of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

Late last year, he oversaw the release of “Shaping a Christian Worldview,” a book of essays by Union faculty members on applying faith to various disciplines. The book is part of a push to get people thinking about their faith in ways that extend beyond personal piety.

While Dockery wants Union to retain its emphasis on teaching, he’s encouraging faculty to do research and has recruited top-notch scholars for new positions. There are new programs in physics, ethics, intercultural studies and other areas. In 1997, the school opened a branch campus in Germantown, Tenn. For the past six years, Union has been listed among the top tier institutions in the South.

Claude Pressnell, Jr., president of the Tennessee Independent Colleges & Universities Association, said the changes at Union in recent years have been remarkable. The growth is a result of the clear mission school leaders have fostered that blends solid academics with robust faith, he said.

“They know clearly who they are and what they're doing, and people are attracted to that,” Pressnell said. “There are a number of colleges struggling with identity and finding a niche. There’s a danger in the higher education community to try to be all things to all people.”

Pressnell said evangelical schools nationwide are interested in replicating what Union is doing.

In Jackson, people are taking notice of Dockery’s interest in building bridges with different groups in the community.

“He understands the responsibility that higher education has to the community,” said Melvin Wright, a black dentist whom Dockery recruited to sit on an advisory committee at Union. “If he asks you to do something, you do your darndest to do it.”

Wright said he’s impressed with the school’s efforts to make minorities feel at home at Union. He also has been struck by the big-name speakers who have come to Union, something he said is unusual for a city the size of Jackson.

The line-up has included political leaders such as Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Colin Powell and commentators such as William Kristol and John Leo. Dockery made headlines in 2000 when he invited former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to speak at Union.

The forums “speak well for the school as well as the community,” said Clark Shaw, president of Casey Jones Village.

Gorbachev dined on Tennessee country ham at the Old Country Store at Casey Jones Village during his visit to Jackson. Today, his chair from the dinner is displayed on the wall in the Heritage Room along with pictures of past United States presidents and Confederate soldiers.

In an essay defending bringing Gorbachev to the school, Dockery said Christians need to become more educated about the world and get out of their “evangelical ghetto mentality.”

That Dockery has accomplished so much in a short amount of time comes as no surprise to R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

“He has a very bold vision for Christian higher education and that's what drives him,” Mohler said.

Before coming to Union, Dockery served at the seminary as a professor, dean of the school of theology and as vice president for academic administration. Mohler said Dockery’s sharp mind, administrative skills and ability to work well with people make him a rarity.

His admirers at Union say they respect his intelligence and his ability to communicate his ideas with clarity and patience.

Kina Mallard, who chairs the communication arts department, said Dockery’s leadership has influenced her to stay at the school longer than she had intended.

“He makes it hard to leave,” said Mallard, who came to the school more than 10 years ago.

Mallard said Dockery sets high standards while also boosting people’s confidence.

Among the newer faculty members is Don Van, who came to Union two years ago to serve as the department chairman for the school’s new engineering department.

A former manager of environmental affairs for the Pfizer Corporation in New Jersey, Van wanted to give something back to society and work in a Christian environment.

“I definitely found that here,” said Van, who learned about Union while browsing the Internet. “I can't wait to come to work in the morning.”

Then there’s Richard Joiner, the music department chairman who came to Union last year from Mississippi College, a sister Baptist institution.

Nearing 60, Joiner had been at Mississippi College for 22 years. Making the decision to leave was tough, he said, but he was drawn by the chance to work with people with common views.

“Union was so focused, I found it refreshing,” he said. “It's difficult to get a college full of Ph.D.’s to espouse such a singular idea.”

That doesn't mean there’s not an opportunity for discussion, he said.

“There’s room for thought and exploring different ideas about why we believe what we believe."

Evangelical schools have long contended with the image that they have stifling atmospheres and fail to produce well-rounded students. Some of the most stinging criticism has come from within their own ranks.

In 1994, Wheaton College professor and historian Mark Noll published a book called “The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.” In the book, Noll took his fellow evangelicals to task for being too parochial and failing to develop a broad base of learning. Wheaton College is a nondenominational Christian school in Illinois. School leaders who try to broaden their curriculum sometimes meet with resistance, Noll said in an interview.

“A new focus is going to cause new questions,” he said. Noll said he thinks Union University has good personnel in place and is well-positioned to make a difference.

Wilson writes for The Jackson Sun. This article first appeared on Feb. 16, 2003 and excerpts are published with permission. E-mail the writer at unionite@uu.edu.