Update from the president

It has been about 75 days since our world changed on Feb. 5. We rejoice that God has blessed the Union community and enabled us to move forward together in so many ways and in so many areas across the campus.

We have three weeks of class remaining in this extraordinary semester. Our students have been amazing and our faculty and staff have been terrific.

Great progress is taking place with the repairs, the recovery, and the rebuilding efforts. It has certainly been exciting to observe. In the residence life area nine buildings are under construction. Each day brings new advancements.

We will continue to pray for the responses to the relief fund. It is with deep gratitude that we are able to report to you that we have gifts of $6 million and additional commitments exceeding $2.5 million more. Over 4,300 donors have contributed, as well as over 300 churches--and we have yet to hear the report from the April 6 offering across the Tennessee Baptist Convention. We are so thankful for these blessing and trust that they will continue so that the gap can be closed before the fall semester.

The prospects for new traditional undergraduate students are quite hopeful. Applications and deposits are both slightly ahead of where we were at this time last year. We will all continue to pray for these prospective students.

Congratulations to Richard Joiner and the Singers/Proclamation for their successful tour and their splendid concert at First Baptist Church of Jackson this past Sunday evening.

Congratulations to Andy Rushing and the golf team for their TranSouth Conference championship.

We rejoice that our injured students continue to improve. We continue to pray for David, Matt, and other students as well.

May God's blessings be yours.

Faithfully,
David S. Dockery
President, Union University

Wilson discharged from hospital; Kelley transferred to rehab center

Union University freshman David Wilson was discharged from Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation in Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 11.

Wilson, 19, who was seriously injured in the Feb. 5 tornado that hit the Union campus, is at home in Hixson, Tenn., and is doing physical therapy on an outpatient basis. He goes to the hospital every day for about an hour.

“I went a lot faster in inpatient therapy than they thought I would, as far as muscle strength,” Wilson said.

Wilson, a member of Union’s soccer team, plans to return to campus in the fall. He is unsure about when he’ll be able to play on the soccer team again.

Matt Kelley, a sophomore, is the only Union student remaining in the hospital following the Feb. 5 tornado. On March 31, Kelley was moved from his room on the dialysis floor of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital to the hospital’s rehabilitation center.

Both Kelley and Wilson sustained serious injuries to their legs after being trapped for several hours when the Watters commons building collapsed on top of them.

“We are thankful for the progress that both David and Matt have made in recent days,” Union President David S. Dockery said. “We continue to keep them in our prayers and ask God to speed their recovery.”

April 3 update from the president

This week is a very important one for the university community. The spring trustee meeting will be held on April 3-4. Many churches across the state and the nation will be taking an offering for Union University on April 6 to help us with our recovery and rebuilding efforts. Please join me in praying for God's blessings, guidance and favor for the week to come. We are grateful for the 3,600 donors and more than 250 churches who have already made a difference in the life of Union University since Feb. 5.

We want to congratulate Coach Mark Campbell and the Lady Bulldogs on their outstanding season. Their 35-1 season and a fourth straight final four finish has been absolutely amazing. We offer our hearty congratulations!

We welcome back Dr. Richard Joiner and the University Singers from their travels and give thanks for their ministry in recent days.

All of the renovation and rebuilding projects across the campus continue to move forward in a timely way. We applaud Gary Carter for his oversight and we thank the Facilities Management team for all of their support. It has been a blessing to observe the progress across the campus.

We continue to pray for our students, particularly those who still struggle with post-Feb. 5 injuries. We will trust that all of our students can re-engage upon their return from spring break and remain focused for the remainder of the semester.

I want to remind students and parents that the final day to file for FEMA assistance will be April 7. Let me encourage all who qualify to follow through with this process.

We will welcome Jay Ridenour in chapel this Friday. Please encourage students to attend. Many of you will want to reconnect with Jay.

We pray for God's provision, wisdom and enablement in our shared work during the remainder of this semester. May the Lord be with you.

Faithfully,
David S. Dockery
President, Union University
2 Corinthians 4:1,17-18

Volunteers needed March 26

A large number of volunteers are needed to assist with a mailing on Wednesday, March 26, from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. If you would like to help, please call Larry Vaughan at (731) 661-5160 or e-mail him at lvaughan@uu.edu.

Volunteers needed March 20

A large number of volunteers are needed to assist with a mailing on Thursday, March 20, from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. If you would like to help, please call Larry Vaughan at (731) 661-5160 or e-mail him at lvaughan@uu.edu.

March 18 update from the president

It has been six weeks since we started the recovery and rebuilding process at Union University. In some ways the time has passed ever so quickly. In other ways, the six weeks seem at least like six months. Our prayer that God would bring renewal out of the rubble is being answered. Good things are happening across this campus in the lives of students, staff, faculty, and administrators. We offer thanksgiving to God for His work among us.

The repairs for White Hall, Jennings Hall, and Hammons Hall are moving forward. Some repairs, like those in the Barefoot Building and the Blasingame Building, will not take place until later this spring or summer. We do hope that a visible difference will be seen in the work on the Dodd and Gray residence life facilities by the conclusion of spring break. Weather permitting, we hope to see large portions of those two buildings demolished as the efforts to repair and rebuild begin. Work on the Events Center/Banquet Facility continues. We are encouraged by these things.

Excitement grows as the new residence life facilities are starting to take shape. The framing process has started on some buildings. The foundation work and pad placement continues in other areas. Overall, we have four contractors, one architectural and engineering firm, and numerous subcontractors at work. Altogether there are are several hundred workers on campus each day.

Please let me remind everyone that the Walker Road entrance is reserved primarily for construction workers. The new "cut-through" roads from the Blasingame parking lot into the McAfee and Warmath lots have helped greatly. At certain times during the day we still face significant parking challenges. I remain ever so grateful for everyone's patience as we work through these challenges together.

Let me remind parents and students that the traditional housing policies will be back in effect for the fall semester. Any returning student who before Feb. 25 had signed an off-campus housing lease that extends into the fall should immediately contact Kathy Southall or Kimberly Thornbury.

I am thankful to report that we have now received a little more than $5.1 million from over 3,200 different donors toward the recovery and rebuilding process. The donors represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and a few countries outside the United States. We are thankful for how the Lord has touched the hearts of these people to help us in our time of need. For every gift, large or small, we are most grateful. We certainly pray for the special offerings for Union University that will be taken in hundreds of Baptist churches on April 6. The financial needs for Union University remain quite large, but we are so encouraged by the support that has already been provided.

We wish the Lady Bulldogs much success as they enter the NAIA national women's basketball tournament, which will be held in Jackson from March 19-25. We hope many of you can come out to support Coach Campbell and his outstanding team.

Spring break will begin on Good Friday. Classes will resume on March 31. I applaud those who helped revise the spring semester calendar for leaving the spring break week as it was originally scheduled. Everyone is extremely tired. We need to pray that the Lord will give us rest and renew our energies for the remaining weeks of this semester (Isaiah 40:31). We pray for students who will be serving and ministering over the spring break, especially for those who are going to other communities that have received tornado damage in recent weeks. Also, we will pray for Dr. Richard Joiner, the Union Singers, and representatives of the music department as they depart campus for their tour during the spring break.

We would ask for everyone to please continue to pray for our injured students and their families. We ask the Lord to do a special work in and among them. We pray for safety for all who are traveling over the break. Finally, we ask the Lord to be with our Board of Trustees as they prepare to gather for the spring meeting April 3-4.

As we approach Easter Sunday, we pray that the hope of the resurrection will bring grace, mercy, and peace to you and your families. For God's providential blessings, provision, and protection to the Union community over the past 42 days we are indeed grateful. May the Lord be with you.

Faithfully,

David S. Dockery
President, Union University

Volunteers needed March 19

A large number of volunteers are needed to assist with a mailing on Wednesday, March 19, from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. If you would like to help, please call Larry Vaughan at (731) 661-5160 or e-mail him at lvaughan@uu.edu.

Update from the president

We are grateful for God's grace to us over the past 35 days as we have moved from UU Emergency to UU Recovery to UU Rebuilding. While we have a long way to go, we certainly have much for which to be grateful.

The new residential life project is moving forward. The pads for six of the new facilities are ready to move ahead. We are pleased that Worsham Brothers out of Corinth, Miss., and Ken Brasfield from Jackson have agreed to serve the university on this important project. We are grateful to TLM for their expertise and for the valuable guidance of Gary Taylor, Bill Dement, Bob Campbell and Harry Smith. We will all pray for God's blessings on this important project.

The Trustee Board Executive Committee met this past Friday and continued to offer their full support for the challenges before us. We have had well over 2,300 donors respond to our recovery and rebuilding efforts. We thank God for every donor and every gift. Please join us in praying for God's provisions for our many challenges.

Barefoot's Joe is a marvelous addition to campus life. This new student lounge will provide a wonderful gathering place for students, staff and faculty alike. Congratulations to all who provided leadership for this project.

Congratulations to Mark Campbell and the Union Lady Bulldogs, who are now 32-0 following their TranSouth Conference Tournament championship on Monday night. We wish the best to the Lady Bulldogs as they head into the national tournament next week.

We celebrate markers of progress like the terrific scholars' weekend, the recent preview day for undergraduates and the preview day for the pharmacy school. These are all important indicators that we are moving forward together. Prospects for the fall semester are most hopeful.

We will have a campus-wide chapel service on Friday at 10 a.m. The Christian singing group "Shane and Shane" will present a benefit concert on campus on Friday night (March 14).

I can't say thank you enough to the dedicated efforts of the Union University faculty and staff over the past five weeks. Our students have been amazing. We celebrate God's good providence.

As we move forward into the spring semester we will seek to continue to serve our students with excellence and care. Particularly we will continue to pray for our injured students.

As we begin to turn our full attention to the Holy Days of the Easter season, we offer our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds, even thousands, of people who have offered prayers, encouragement, support and help in recent days

Faithfully,

David S. Dockery
President, Union University

Colson asks listeners to support Union

Chuck Colson devoted his daily “BreakPoint” commentary today to Union University and the Feb. 5 tornado that devastated the university’s campus.

Specifically, Colson tells the story of Union student Heather Martin and Union graduate Julie Boyer, who survived the storm without serious injuries after being trapped in a bathtub for nearly an hour.

“Heather and Julie were not the only ones to be miraculously spared,” Colson said. “All 1,200 Union students on campus survived the storm. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, and the EMT nurse quoted to Julie that night, ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.’”

Colson also appealed for his listeners to support Union’s disaster relief efforts.

“Union—a Southern Baptist university—is a premier evangelical institution,” Colson said. “What better proof is there that this school is training students to integrate their faith into all of life than the way these students responded to the storm? Now the only question remains is whether you and I will put our faith into action as well.”

The commentary can be read or heard in its entirety at www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=7612.

“BreakPoint” airs each weekday on more than 1,000 outlets with an estimated listening audience of 1 million people.

Union thanks area businesses for support

Among the many area businesses and ministries that have made contributions to our recovery and rebuilding efforts over the past few weeks, we would like to take opportunity this week to express our genuine gratitude to:

American Family Radio
AskOnline
Aruba Networks
CDW-G
Campbell Equipment Co.
Coca-Cola
Corporate Express
Datatel
Dell
Dement Construction
Dyer Baptist Association
Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Ferrilli Information Group
First Bank
First Tennessee
Gannett Foundation
Gary Taylor Investments
Interactive Solutions
Jackson Energy Authority
MG Construction
Spectrum Industries
Synergy Technology Group
TLM Architects & Engineers
West Tennessee Healthcare

We will try to offer thanks to a different group of friends and supporters each week. Please know of our genuine and heartfelt gratitude.

The Union University Community

Page challenges Southern Baptist churches to aid Union University in rebuilding effort

Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page called for Southern Baptist churches to give generously to Union University as the institution seeks to recover from more than $40 million in damages sustained in a Feb. 5 tornado.

Page issued his challenge Feb. 27 during his first visit to the campus since the tornado destroyed about 70 percent of student housing and caused extensive damage to other buildings on campus. Union University President David S. Dockery took Page on a tour of the campus during his visit.

“I’m a little bit shell-shocked as I look around,” Page said. “It’s unbelievable that this kind of devastation could occur, and yet not one single student lost their life. So for that, we give thanks to the Lord.”

Read the full story.

Weekly update from the president

For the Lord's most evident blessings and guidance for Union University this past week, we are most grateful. What an amazing week it was! The move-in process went extremely well. The Lord's presence was obvious at the worship service on Tuesday night. Everyone has adjusted rather easily to the new class schedules on Wednesday and Thursday. We experienced a historic day on Friday with the groundbreaking service. The packed gymnasium on Thursday night with two wins over our friends from FHU was certainly a "welcome back" highlight.

As one visitor from a west coast institution who was with us this past week said, "It doesn't feel like there was a tornado here; it feels like something very good and special has taken place." While that is quite an overstatement, it does point to the positive and hopeful spirit across the campus. The student retention is absolutely amazing, and something for which we should all rejoice.

Our journey forward will be long and challenging and not without a bump or two in the road, I am sure. With God's help and gracious enablement, we can take the next step . . . and the next one. Across all departments and areas on both the Jackson and Germantown campuses there is a renewed commitment to our shared work at Union University. I have had so many opportunities to tell people far and wide about the terrific staff and faculty that can be found at Union University.

We must continue to pray for God's blessings for Union. I am telling people that we need many prayers and many generous donors. We are thankful for small sacrificial gifts and several larger six-figure gifts. We are now praying for seven-figure gifts to help us take large steps forward. We should all rejoice, however, that in such a short time we have already received over $3.5 million from more than 1,500 donors. We will need almost six times that amount throughout the rest of this calendar year and we will trust the Lord to open the windows of heaven for Union University. Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page will be on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 27, to echo his call for churches across the SBC to join him in support for Union at this time. The generous responses from our colleagues in higher education and our friends in the churches have been heartwarming and meaningful.

I was privileged to have a wonderful meeting with our student leaders this past Wednesday night. They have asked if I would bring a similar update along with a question and answer session for other students who might wish to attend tonight. I look forward to meeting with students in the chapel this evening at 9 p.m. I hope the time will be informative and clarifying for all.

On Friday we will welcome almost 80 outstanding students who will be here for "Scholars' Weekend." We are hopeful for all of these to join another 400 or so who will make up the freshman class of Union University in the fall of 2008. This will be a very important weekend for them and for us. I remain very excited about those who will join the Union University community in the fall.

We are thankful for the privilege we have to watch the development of the campus in coming days. We remain grateful for all who have encouraged, supported and prayed for us over the past three weeks. Particularly, we want to ask our friends to continue to pray for our students, staff, and faculty in days to come.

Faithfully,
David S. Dockery, President, Union University

Union stories in Baptist Press

Yesterday's edition of Baptist Press was devoted entirely to stories about Union University, most of them written by staff members of the Cardinal & Cream, Union's student newspaper:

Post tornado, Union students, faculty return with optimism
Union to break ground for student housing
Union service marks new beginning
Precious possession emerges from rubble
Tornado unites Lady Bulldogs, rivals
Textbook donations exceed expectations
Collegians nationwide rally to help Union
FIRST PERSON: 'Union' speaks truth in its name

Union embarks upon ‘aggressive plan,’ breaks ground on new student housing complex

A 10-year plan for new student housing at Union University has become a 10-month plan, as the university broke ground today on a new residence life complex that will be finished no later than the spring 2009 semester.

The facility will consist of 14 buildings that will house more than 700 students when it is fully completed. Initial plans call for half of the facility to be complete by Sept. 1, providing plenty of campus housing for new students enrolling at Union in the fall.

“Today in what seems almost beyond comprehension, two weeks and three days after a tornado destroyed large portions of this campus, we gather together to give thanks to God for a new beginning and the opportunity to build again,” Union President David S. Dockery said in a chapel service preceding the groundbreaking ceremony.

Read the full story.

Union University to break ground on new student housing complex

Union University will begin immediate construction on a new student residence complex that will house some students as early as Sept. 1.

Representatives from Union’s board of trustees are still working on details with contractors, but Union will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 22, with site work scheduled to begin Feb. 25 and contractors beginning their work in early March.

Read the full story.