JACKSON, Tenn. — Dec. 3, 2021 — 51社区 trustees welcomed five new members to the board and received a clean audit report during their Dec. 3 meeting on the university campus.
Beginning their tenure as Union trustees were Adam Dooley, senior pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson; Kay Griffin, a Union graduate and retired English teacher with the Jackson-Madison County School System; Willie McLaurin, vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention鈥檚 Executive Committee; and Ramona Yates, a Union graduate and retired owner of Machine Tool and Supply Corp.
Jeff Perkins, a Union graduate and business and ministry leader from Greenfield, Tennessee, returned to the board after a year鈥檚 hiatus following his previous nine years of service.
Clay Hallmark, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Lexington, Tennessee, also joined the board as an ex-officio member after his election last month as president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so grateful for these faithful individuals who love Union, want to advance our mission, are committed to our core values and see the importance of Christ-centered higher education,鈥� Union President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淥ur trustees are godly men and women who serve Union well, and we are thankful to God for their leadership and service.鈥�
In addition, trustees approved four new members for the Union Foundation board: Al Da Silva, Greg Parsons, Neal Rager and Laura Williams.
The audit report from CapinCrouse showed that net assets for the university increased from $159.2 million in 2020 to $174.5 million in 2021. The university also operated in the black in 2021, with a surplus of $3.6 million of revenue over expenses.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always grateful when the university鈥檚 audit report is a positive one,鈥� said Robyn Hari, chair of Union鈥檚 Board of Trustees. 鈥淥ur desire is always to carefully steward the university鈥檚 resources. We鈥檙e thankful for the way the Lord has provided over the past year, and we鈥檙e committed to doing everything we can to keep the university in a strong place financially.鈥�
In other matters, trustees approved a 3.44 percent increase in tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year. Oliver said that even with inflation growing, the university is committed to keeping tuition increases as low as possible.
Trustees approved changes to Union鈥檚 athletic training program after the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education鈥檚 mandate that all athletic training education programs move to the graduate level by May 2025. To comply with this mandate, Union will offer a pre-athletic training major for undergraduate students and a Master of Athletic Training degree, pending approval by the university鈥檚 accrediting body.