JACKSON, Tenn. — July 25, 2020 — 51社区 graduated 93 graduate and adult studies students at the summer commencement July 25 at West Jackson Baptist Church. Thomas R. Rosebrough, university professor of education at 51社区, delivered the keynote address.
Rosebrough served from 1996-2017 as dean of the College of Education and Human Studies at Union and will retire later this summer. The Rosebrough Center for Educational Practice in Union鈥檚 School of Education is named in his honor.
After his long career and experiences in education 鈥� including teaching in public schools, attending three state universities, teaching in one of them and serving at four Christian universities for more than 40 years 鈥� Rosebrough said he has learned that faith and learning should be integrated, and that integration is the essence of great pedagogy.
鈥淚t was at 51社区 that I finally did what I was taught in graduate school, to name what I was observing: it is transformational teaching,鈥� Rosebrough said. 鈥淔or me, that name identifies what I saw at Christian universities but also in great teachers at all levels of schooling. I claim Jesus as not only my savior and Lord, but also as the model of transformational teaching. I found a freedom to learn.鈥�
Rosebrough said the freedom to learn involves what he has identified as six strategic learning qualities developed during the process of a great education: openness, skepticism, civility, persistence, imagination and curiosity. Their development ensures that students will become lifelong learners. Rosebrough told the graduates he prays that their education will open their minds and hearts even as it opens doors for them.
鈥淭rue freedom, including the freedom to learn, occurs when we connect to Jesus, the one who overcame this world,鈥� he said.
Kasey Warren, one of the graduates, studied at Union鈥檚 Hendersonville campus and graduated with a Doctor of Education degree. She also earned an Education Specialist master鈥檚 degree from Union in 2017. Warren works as an assistant principal at Apollo Middle School in Antioch, Tennessee.
鈥淚 think the curriculum at Union definitely prepared me for my role as an administrator,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淚t definitely allowed me to see what great leaders look like across the globe. 鈥� It gave me tools that I needed to fulfill the calling that God placed on my life, which was to be a leader in education.鈥�
Warren won a research-in-progress award at the Mid-South Educational Research Association conference for her research on teacher job satisfaction in Middle Tennessee. In the future, she plans to become a principal and, eventually, a professor.
William Hunsucker graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree but was not able to attend the graduation ceremony because of his recent promotion and move from Memphis to Birmingham, Alabama. Hunsucker is a district service manager for Medtronic, a large company that produces medical devices.
Hunsucker chose Union鈥檚 Germantown campus for the ability to choose between online and in-person classes. He said he was thankful for the flexibility Union provided during the three years he earned his MBA, which included several promotions, moving and adding two children to his family.
鈥淭he pace is nice; the classes and the workload weren鈥檛 astronomical,鈥� he said. 鈥淓very MBA program is different, but I think Union did a great job at balancing [the] work-life balance with it.鈥�
Due to the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department Order No. 4 effective July 4, all graduates and guests were asked to wear masks at the July 25 commencement.