Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

UNION TRUSTEES APPROVE $95M BUDGET

Union University news office

JACKSON — Union University trustees celebrated the 25th anniversary of the McAfee School of Business, approved a $95 million budget and granted tenure and promotions to several professors during their April 9 meeting on the Union campus.

In his report to trustees, Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver updated them on the status of the university’s “United in Spirit. Grounded in Truth.” strategic plan, which was adopted in 2015. 

Oliver shared success stories from each of seven strategic themes that the plan emphasizes: bearing witness to the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, expanding enrollment across the university, enhancing operational effectiveness and efficiency to advance the mission, revising the liberal arts core curriculum, supporting meaningful research among faculty and students, developing leaders for the future, and bolstering student life and building community. [Read more…]

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UNION, SOUTHERN SEMINARY LAUNCH PARTNERSHIP FOR MBA, M.DIV. DEGREES

Union University president Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, right,  and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. sign a partnership agreement between the two institutions at a March 16 signing ceremony. Certain credits earned by students in Union’s Master of Business Administration program will also count toward a Master of Divinity degree at SBTS. Likewise, students in the Master of Divinity program at SBTS can earn credits toward their MBA degree at Union. The partnership essentially reduces the time it takes for students to complete both degrees. — Photo by Kristi Woody.

JACKSON — Union University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary have signed an articulation agreement in which certain credits earned by students in Union’s Master of Business Administration program will also count toward a Master of Divinity degree at SBTS.

Likewise, students in the Master of Divinity program at SBTS can earn credits toward their MBA degree at Union. The partnership essentially reduces the time it takes for students to complete both degrees. 

Union president Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver and SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr. officially signed the agreement on the Union campus March 16.   [Read more…]

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UNION’S CLASS OF 2020 PLACEMENT RATE AT 98 PERCENT DESPITE DIFFICULT YEAR

Union University news office

JACKSON — Ninety-eight percent of Union University’s class of 2020 were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of receiving their degree, according to an “Undergraduate First-Destination Survey” conducted by the Vocation Center for Life Calling and Career.

The placement rate for Union’s class of 2019 was also 98 percent. For the classes of 2018 and 2017, placement rates were 95 percent, and in 2016 it was 91 percent. 

These studies were conducted in compliance with standards of the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Union’s 98 percent placement rate is about 12 points above NACE’s national placement rate average of 85.7 percent in 2018 (the most recent available data).

“The year 2020 has been an unusual and difficult year for everyone, but with 98 percent of the class finding placement within six months of graduation, our May 2020 graduates have shown an incredible resilience and persistence as they were sent out into a challenging economy and shifting work force,” said Alex Huguenard, director of the Vocation Center.  [Read more…]

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‘MK’ FROM ITALY FINDS NICHE AT UNION

By Sarah Goff
Union University news office

Emma Worthy, a freshman at Union, grew up in Italy, where her parents are IMB missionaries. — Photo by Kristi Woody

JACKSON — Like so many seniors, Union University freshman Emma Worthy’s last year of high school looked very different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes her story different is she was separated from her family by hundreds of miles and a few countries.

Worthy’s parents are International Mission Board missionaries in Tuscany, Italy. She was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but her family moved overseas when she was 18 months old. She grew up in Italy and considers Naples her home.

Emma and her older sister, Micah, were studying at Black Forest Academy, an international Christian boarding school in Germany, when lockdowns due to the coronavirus started to take place in early March. The school shut down and tried to get all the students back to their families.

“We tried to get home, but we couldn’t because Italy had already locked down,” Worthy said. “It was really, really bad. My family didn’t leave the house for 63 days.”  [Read more…]

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UNION MOURNS LOSS OF FORMER FIRST LADY JOYCE BAREFOOT

Union University news office

Joyce Lynn Barefoot was the wife of Union’s 14th president, Hyran Barefoot.

JACKSON — Former Union University First Lady, Joyce Lynn Barefoot, wife of Union’s 14th president Hyran Barefoot, died Jan. 23 at Maplewood Nursing Home in Jackson at age 93.

“Joyce Barefoot was a Union treasure,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “Her graciousness and encouragement were hallmarks of her faithful life. Her service to Union University and, more specifically, the people of Union cannot truly be measured this side of heaven. Even still, we give thanks to God for all of the lives she impacted in Jackson, Tennessee and around the globe by her hospitality and friendship.” 

Mrs. Barefoot graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in Monroe, Louisiana, and continued her education at Louisiana Tech University. She earned her degree in elementary education in 1948 and immediately began teaching in the Ouachita Parish Schools. [Read more…]

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TOP 10 MOST-READ STORIES OF 2020

Baptist and Reflector Staff

FRANKLIN — The Baptist and Reflector website, launched in 2016, is the digital counterpart to the print edition.

The site inlcudes stories, information and photos that are published in the print edition of the B&R, and is also the home for breaking news that pertains to Tennessee Baptists.

This past year, the B&R website experienced its biggest year to date (see below for a look at the increases in numbers).

The chart below recaps the most-read stories from 2020 based on website views.

Spotted on the list are feature stories, hard-news stories and opinion columns. Interestingly, some of the stories were published before the start of 2020, but still received a high amount of views this year. [Read more…]

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UNION TRUSTEES APPROVE NEW DEGREE IN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP, WELCOME NEWCOMER

Union University News Office

Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver (left) visits with new trustee Chuck Baker prior to the Union Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 4.
-Photo: Kristi Woody

JACKSON — Union University trustees approved a new bachelor’s degree in Christian leadership, received an annual audit report and welcomed a new trustee during their Dec. 4 meeting on the university campus.

The meeting was the first for new trustee Chuck Baker, of Hixson. Baker recently retired as vice president of advancement at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. He previously served as vice president of Unum Corp., a Chattanooga-based insurance company, and as president of Bethel Bible Village in Hixson. [Read more…]

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PASTOR EXPLORES RISE OF BAPTIST AMERICA

By Sarah Goff
Union University news office

Eric and Candace Smith

JACKSON — At Union University, Eric and Candace Smith were preparing for their life in ministry. Eric and Candance met as sophomores while Eric was studying theology and Candace was studying nursing. They both graduated in the spring of 2008.

Today, Eric is the senior pastor of Sharon Baptist Church in Savannah. The Smiths have served at the church since 2013. Candace is a stay-at-home mother to their three children who are 9, 7 and 5 years old. Eric earned his master of divinity and doctor of philosophy from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for Union University,” Candace said.

Eric not only has a heart for serving and leading his church, but a passion for writing, as well. His new book, Oliver Hart and the Rise of Baptist America, was published by Oxford University Press in August 2020. He is also the author of Order and Ardor: The Revival Spirituality of Oliver Hart and the Regular Baptists of Eighteenth-Century South Carolina published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2018. [Read more…]

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UNION AWARDS DOCKERY 2020 DODD AWARD

Union University news office

Former Union University president David S. Dockery was awarded Union’s M.E. Dodd Denominational Service Award. — Photo by Adam Covington

JACKSON — Union University has presented former university president David S. Dockery with its M.E. Dodd Denominational Service Award.

The Dodd Award is the highest denominational service award Union gives. It is named for the man who was a 1904 Union graduate, served as president of the SBC and who was the father of today’s Cooperative Program, the method by which Southern Baptists pool their resources to fund their mission and ministry efforts.

The award, voted on by Union trustees, is given to a leader within the SBC who displays excellence and leadership in Southern Baptist life, as well as friendship and commitment to Union University. 

Past recipients include such leaders as Tennessee Baptist Mission Board president and executive director Randy C. Davis, as well as Jimmy Draper, Adrian Rogers, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Steve Gaines, Paul Chitwood and others. 

Dockery was Union’s president from 1996-2014 and now serves as distinguished professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where he also edits the Southwestern Journal of Theology and is theologian in residence at the B.H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission. [Read more…]

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UNION TRUSTEES KEEP STRATEGIC PLAN IN PLACE

Union University

JACKSON — Union University trustees extended the university’s strategic plan during their Sept. 11 meeting on the Union campus.

“Our trustees provide consistently strong leadership, and they have continued to do so in the midst of a global pandemic that has disrupted so many lives, plans and activities,” said Union president Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. 

Originally adopted by trustees in 2015, Union’s “United in Spirit. Grounded in Truth.” plan emphasizes seven strategic themes that have guided the work of the university over the past five years. [Read more…]

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