News

Union College will not have classes Monday, Jan. 15 in memory of Martin
Luther King, Jr. Union's Multicultural Committee encourages students,
employees and the community to have "a day on, not just a day off."

Celebrations around the city will include a
youth rally at 8:45 a.m. and a
presentation by Jane Elliot, an internationally known teacher and
diversity educator, at 2 p.m. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will
host both of these events. Click here
for information about other events remembering Dr. King this week at UN-L.

"There are many celebrations throughout the city on Monday morning and
Monday evening," says Joann Herrington, Union College education
professor and member of the Multicultural Committee. "If you can't
attend those events, please find a way to give your time and service in
some way as a means of making Lincoln a better and more peaceful place."

At Union, chapel on Tuesday will focus on the life of Dr. King. Deah
Harriott of Allon Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church will lead the
praise team in song and Pastor Marlon Perkins of the Philedelphia
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Des Moines, Iowa will speak at 10:30
a.m. in the College View Church.

On Thursday, Chris Blake and Oscar Harriott will moderate a "Lunch and
Learn" discussion from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Presidential Dining Hall
of Union Market located in the Ortner Center. Anyone interested in
participating may join for this lunch-time forum. Meals will be
available for purchase in Union Market.

LINCOLN—Images from the Union College photography class will be on display Dec. 3–22 in the McClelland Art Gallery.

"I have some very talented students in this class," said Bruce Forbes, associate professor of Art and Graphic Design. "The photos I've seen make me excited. I expect this to be an extremely varied show."

When Dr. Joe Allison, chair of the Division of Human Development at
Union College, was first contacted by a producer of the ABC show “Wife
Swap,” he thought it was a joke. His wife, Cindy, wasn’t joking when she
told him her opinion: “We’re not doing it!” He assured her after a bit
of teasing that the reality show producers were not interested in their
marriage.

What New York-based RDF Media hoped to find was a small-school
environment for Cody Mink, an 11-year-old boy who stars with his parents
in the Rhinestone Ropers, a traveling cowboy-style show. According to
the producers, the “swapped” mother in this episode wanted Cody to have
a classroom experience to contrast with his home school education. The
Rhinestone Ropers’ September schedule included several performances in
Lincoln where the Minks were accompanied by the “Wife Swap” filming crew.

The production company’s research for a small-school setting in Lincoln
led them to the phone number for George Stone Elementary School, a
one-room, two-teacher school on the campus of Union College. Allison is
the principal of the 25-student elementary school, which also serves as
a learning lab for Union College education majors.

“Of course, we notified parents of the unusual request and allowed them
to choose if their child participated,” Allison said. “ The students who
were involved had a fun time meeting Cody and seeing the
behind-the-scenes process that leads to a television show.”

In contrast to the show’s provocative name, in a letter to parents from
a producer, “Wife Swap” was described as “a family reality show that
introduces two families from very different backgrounds and allows the
mother figures to trade places and learn how other families live.”

“The request from the producers was to provide a classroom setting where
a visiting student would feel comfortable,” Allison said. “Welcoming
Cody was a natural fit for us.”

In addition to interacting with Cody in a school setting, including
class time and recess, Cody invited some of the George Stone kids over
to play a few days later.

“He was a really sweet and talented kid,” said Jackie Simpson, lower
grades teacher at George Stone and mother of two of the students who
played with Cody. “At first we were all a bit overwhelmed by being a
part of a television show, but in the end, it was just fun to get to
know Cody.”

Allison says that the school has no guarantee how the footage taken on
the Union College campus will be used or if it will be used at all. With
or without the television coverage, he says Union College’s George Stone
School is getting noticed.

“Superintendents from across the country seek out Union College
graduates because they have experience with the multi-grade classroom
setting,” Allison said. “The onsite opportunity to develop teaching
skills makes Union’s education program unique.”

Union College presents Christian folk artist Andrew Peterson in concert
at the College View Seventh-day Adventist Church (4801 Prescott Ave.)
Friday, Oct. 27, 2006. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the concert begins at
7:30 p.m. The concert is free to the public and a free will offering
will be collected to support Peterson's ministry.

Peterson has recorded seven albums and his music has been reviewed by
USA Today and Christianity Today, among others. He is known for his
down-to-earth style and vivid observations.

For more information on the artist, visit
http://www.andrew-peterson.com/. Questions about the event can be
directed to the Union College Campus Ministries at 402.486.2508.

The paintings of Jim McClelland will be in Union College’s McClelland
Art Gallery Oct. 20–Nov. 10, 2006. The watercolor and oil paintings will
depict a variety of scenes including birds, animals, landscapes, flowers
and still life.

“Artwork is meant to be shared,” says McClelland, professor of art at
Union College. “I hope people will be inspired by the creative genius of
God, expressed not only in the paintings themselves, but in the talents
He gives people.”

He has displayed his work across the United States and even taught art
workshops in seven other countries. McClelland has won numerous “Best of
Show” awards and his paintings have been used as illustrations in four
books including Hummingbirds of North America, by Dr. Paul Johnsgard.

The McClelland Art Gallery is in the Ortner Center on the Union College
campus, 3800 S. 48th Street. Enter the campus from Prescott Avenue. The
art gallery is free to the public and open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, contact the Ortner Center at 402.486.2545.

The Lincoln Community Forum invites the community to attend a discussion
on Church and State addressing the question, “How can religion and
politics work together?” This forum will take place Tuesday, Oct. 3 at
St. Mark’s on the Campus Episcopal Church located on 1309 R Street.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event will start at 7 p.m. Chris Blake,
Union College professor of English and communication and author of
Searching for a God to Love, will be the moderator and facilitator of
this event.

Blake has a special passion for this topic: “Anytime I hear religious
beliefs infused with life, I find it attractive,” Blake said. “Many
people are concerned about the abuse of religion and politics. Others
are concerned about the misuse of politics in religion.”

The Church and State forum will open a discussion about the role
religion plays in today’s politics. The goal of the forum is to foster
discussion, educate people about the perspectives, and build community
among all of the participants. The audience will be invited to
participate in open discussions on this topic.

This event is hosted by the Lincoln Community Forum in partnership with
St. Mark’s on the Campus Episcopal Church, the Lincoln Interfaith
Council, the Lincoln Secular Humanists and Union College.

LINCOLN—Missi Paul, a national award winning artist from Lincoln, Neb., is currently displaying transparent watercolors at Union College's McClelland Art Gallery until Oct. 1.

"These are not your grandma's faded watercolors," Paul says of the vibrancy in her paintings.

Unlike ink, pencil or oil painting, once a watercolor has been added it cannot be removed from the painting, and the color seeps into the paper as it wills. "Watercolor is technique first," Paul says. "It has a lot of personality and is hard to control."

LINCOLN—Union College’s Multicultural Committee presents, “Woman’s
Work,” a one-woman show performed by professional actress Pippa White,
Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m. The free show will take place on the lower level
of the Everett Dick Administration Building, at the center of the Union
College campus, 3800 S. 48th St. “Women’s Work” is a combination of
short monologues that use humor and insight to explore the lives of
working women in the past 15 decades.

White is in her 12th year as a solo performer. She calls her One’s
Company Productions “part storytelling, part history.” Audiences call
them unique and captivating. White has toured 26 states and been
featured at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines in their Applause
Program for six consecutive years, the only artist with this distinction.

As Jack Timm, president of the Sioux Falls Museum Alliance, wrote to
White, “The depth of your research, your dedication to accuracy and your
wonderful talent of presentation bring history and live theater together
in a way that is entertaining, educational and, above all, memorable.
Seeing any of your programs is not merely a treat, it is a must!”

Past venues include the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Joslyn Art
Museum, the Connecticut Hospital Association, San Diego State University
School of Nursing and several storytelling festivals. For more
information about One’s Company Productions or Pippa White, visit
www.pippawhite1co.com. For more information about this performance at
Union College, contact Joann Herrington at 402.486.2173.

Click
here for the 2008 rankings.

LINCOLN, Neb.— For the first time, Union College has been ranked in the
top tier of schools for its category in U.S.News America’s Best
Colleges 2007 released in August. Union is ranked as 46th in the
Midwest Comprehensive Colleges—Bachelor’s category.

“We are grateful and excited the U.S.News ranking reflects
some of the many positive areas of progress at Union College,” said
Union College President David Smith. “While no one ranking system can
capture the spirit of this campus, we are honored to be recognized as a
top pick among our peer institutions.”

The U.S.News rankings are created annually as a service to
parents and prospective students as criteria in selecting colleges. This
year, 320 comprehensive colleges, divided into four regions, are
included in the report. The comprehensive college category includes
colleges that offer a range of degree programs in professional fields
such as business, nursing and education with liberal arts degrees
accounting for fewer than half of the bachelor’s degrees conferred.

LINCOLN—Opening more sections of freshman courses, finding creative
solutions for student housing, having about 100 more students volunteer
to serve the community than in previous years: these are the sorts of
problems Union College administrators and student leaders rejoice in.
Union College’s enrollment is the highest it has been since 1983. The
total student body grew to 982 with a full-time equivalence of 927.8, up
from 930 students and 863.3 FTE last fall. The number of first-time
freshmen this year is 194 compared to 177 in fall 2005.

“The national trend in enrollment growth has been an increase of
non-traditional students,” said Malcolm Russell, vice president for
Academic Administration. “However, our growth has been among traditional
students, ages 18-22. Young people across the country and literally
around the world appreciate the values that Union stands for: small
classes, teachers who know their names and academic advisors who care
about a student’s progress in life, not just meeting graduation
requirements.”

Union’s campus has become a home-away-from home for a diverse group of
students from 46 states and 30 countries. Four out of five Union
students are from outside of Nebraska, and about nine percent of the
student body came from outside of the United States. That’s a higher
percentage of non-resident students than any other college in the state.

The increased enrollment coincides with the implementation of more
stringent admissions standards. All regularly admitted students must now
have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and an ACT score of 18.
While these are not as high as elite universities, they are higher than
most of the schools pulling from the same demographic of high school
graduates as Union College. “Attracting 352 new students to our campus
and raising our admissions standards in the same year is really
exciting,” said Rob Weaver, vice president for Enrollment and Student
Financial Services.

Academic areas that experienced the most growth were in the Division of
Health Sciences and the Division of Human Development. According to
Weaver, 49 new students declared an international rescue and relief
major, the only bachelor’s program of its kind in the United States. Of
the more traditional fields, psychology experienced the greatest
percentage of growth, with 18 new students opting for that major
compared to four new psychology majors last year. Growth in the health
sciences will continue in the spring as well; the nursing program will
double enrollment as the department begins admitting students at the
beginning of both semesters, rather than solely in the fall.

“Union’s climb in enrollment is one of many indicators that the campus
is blessed with the momentum of progress,” said David Smith, Union
College president. “Enrollment growth is energizing all areas of campus,
and I am grateful for the efforts of the many people who made this
possible.”