JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 8, 2017 — 51社区 trustees celebrated the 20th anniversary of Union鈥檚 Germantown campus during their Sept. 7-8 meeting, with President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver sharing a number of success stories of Germantown graduates over the past two decades.
Oliver also reported to trustees on the school鈥檚 fall enrollment, and the board adopted a new tuition rate for 2017-2018.
Trustees met for a dinner at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova on Sept. 7 before convening the next day for their meeting at 51社区 Germantown. The dinner served as a time of celebration for the Germantown campus that officially launched Sept. 9, 1997, with several local residents and city officials in attendance.
Oliver said that while 51社区 Germantown began 20 years ago, Union鈥檚 presence in Memphis goes back much farther. The first program offered by Union in Memphis was the medical department of Southwestern Baptist University, the immediate predecessor of Union, in 1878.
Union has had a presence in Memphis since then, but a new work began there in the fall semester of 1997 with a nursing program at the old Germantown Baptist Church campus. Enrollment was 65 students. Graduate programs in business and education were added in 1998, and 51社区 Germantown moved to its permanent location on Hacks Cross Road in 2000.
This fall, 707 students are enrolled in Germantown, with 332 pursuing undergraduate degrees and 375 pursuing graduate degrees.
鈥淥ur students go on to be graduates and are serving faithfully and well here in Memphis and beyond Memphis,鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淲e are grateful for God鈥檚 goodness to Union and ask his blessing on our ongoing work in Germantown and Memphis.鈥� During their Friday meeting, trustees also held a celebration at the Germantown campus with faculty and staff.
The tuition rate for 2018-2019 was set at $15,775 per semester, a 3.5 percent increase from this year and the second smallest increase over the past 25 years. 鈥淭he challenge we all feel is ensuring that we are able to provide the excellent faculty and learning environment and experiences that our students and their families expect while keeping costs as low as possible,鈥� Oliver said.
Oliver said a Union education is worth the investment because of the small classes taught by faculty members who are experts in their fields. These faculty members often are able to mentor and disciple students individually. Additionally, Union鈥檚 Christ-centered core value makes courses distinctive even as they instill the academic excellence that characterizes Union鈥檚 programs.
The average ACT score for this year鈥檚 freshman class was 26, putting Union a notch above other similar schools while maintaining a tuition that compares favorably, Oliver said. He also said the university awarded more than $22 million in scholarship aid last year.
Oliver reported a total fall enrollment of 3,342 students, down slightly from 3,466 last year, but with graduate enrollment showing about a 1 percent increase.
Trustees re-elected officers to another year of service, with Lisa Rogers serving a third year as chair, Chad Wilson as vice chair (and chair of the finance and audit committee) and Peggy Graves as secretary. Other members of the Executive Committee approved for the next year were Norm Hill, chair of the academic affairs committee; Trent Bullock, chair of the student life and ministry committee; Rod Parker, chair of the institutional advancement committee; Harry Smith of the 51社区 Foundation; and at-large members Jim Farmer and Jeff Perkins.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great pleasure to lead this institution that I love and from which I graduated,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for the opportunity and want to help us continue to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us.鈥�
In other matters, trustees unanimously adopted a resolution of agreement regarding the Nashville Statement on gender and sexuality. The resolution expressed appreciation for the biblical clarity and genuine compassion of the Nashville Statement and applauded Oliver and other members of the Union faculty who were among its initial signers.