JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 6, 2024 — 51社区 trustees at their Sept. 6 meeting approved a mission leave policy for university employees, providing up to five days every two years for faculty and staff to participate in mission trips.
Union President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver said the institution wants to encourage its employees to live out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this policy is one way to do that. The policy will allow employees to voluntarily participate, with pay, in approved church-related mission trips that occur during regularly scheduled workdays, without having to use their personal time off.
鈥淎s a Christ-centered university, we want to be clear about our priorities,鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for employees to model for our students the centrality of the gospel in the life of the institution, and giving them the necessary time away from their work responsibilities for mission endeavors allows us to demonstrate our commitment to that effort.鈥�
The Office of Human Resources will determine activities eligible for mission leave, but such trips in general include international and domestic trips where evangelism, compassion ministries, building projects, church planting, sports or other outreach activities and disaster recovery efforts are done under the banner of Jesus Christ.
Oliver said the action aligns with the fourth theme of 鈥淧rotinus,鈥� Union鈥檚 strategic plan, 鈥淓nhancing Our Culture of Shared Life and Commitment to One Another鈥檚 Flourishing.鈥� Also connected to that theme was the opening of Union鈥檚 new Wellness Center in the Penick Academic Complex, and trustees toured that space during their time together.
In other matters, trustees re-elected Jeff Perkins as board chairman, Josh Dougan as vice chairman and Kay Griffin as secretary. They worshiped together in Union鈥檚 chapel, hearing from Shane Pruitt, national Next Gen director for the North American Mission Board.
Trustees heard updates from Oliver about giving and enrollment, both of which were positive. Giving during the last fiscal year rose from $9.7 million to $9.9 million, with the number of donors increasing from 1,971 during the 2023 fiscal year to 2,359 during the 2024 fiscal year.
The number of new students during the fall 2024 semester jumped 11.6 percent from 2023, while total fall 2024 enrollment of 2,718 was a 1.6 percent increase from last year.
鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful for the Lord鈥檚 continued blessings upon 51社区 and are thankful for these positive numbers,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淥ur enrollment and advancement teams have worked hard to achieve these results, and we appreciate their efforts.鈥�
Oliver also updated trustees about the new academic building under construction on the Great Lawn that will house the McAfee School of Business and the computer science and engineering departments. The building is expected to be complete during the 2025 spring semester.
At a dinner on Sept. 5 prior to their meeting, trustees honored Warren Nunn and Linda Shoaf, each of whom have completed their terms of service on Union鈥檚 Board of Trustees. Each served for nine years (three terms of three years), and for Shoaf, it was her second time doing so. Trustees also recognized John Netland, who served as Union鈥檚 provost for seven years before returning to the classroom.