Issue: Summer 2014 | Posted: June 2, 2014

Old School

David and Diane Black aid Hendersonville campus

David and Diane Black (second and third) with Larry Vaughan (first), Carla Sanderson (fourth) and Charles Lea (fifth)

Laboratory technology on the Hendersonville campus got a boost late last year from a three-year partnership between Union University and Aegis Sciences Corp.

Aegis is a forensic toxicology and health care sciences laboratory headquartered in Nashville. The funding from Aegis that’s part of the agreement will improve the science laboratory, which is now named in honor of the company.

Union’s commitment to faith and excellence in education sparked an interest from founder and CEO David Black, along with his wife Diane Black, who serves in the U.S. Congress as a representative from Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District.

“The value of Union is in not only the education quality of their students but also the emphasis on character and Christian values,” David Black said. “The Aegis culture is the foundation of our success. And our business culture is based on traditional Christian values.”

Union University Hendersonville’s science laboratory will be used by more than Union students, according to Charles Lea, executive director of Union University Hendersonville. The donation will provide high school students an opportunity to use the laboratory for scientific demonstrations and experiments. Local nurses also will have access to the laboratory for additional training.

“Both Congressman Black and Dr. Black are active community leaders and generous supporters for the development of science education in our area,” Lea said. “They are keenly supportive of and interested in anything that advances the study of the sciences.”

Union representatives are hopeful that the relationship with Aegis can continue long after the three-year agreement is completed.