Union University News Office
JACKSON — Union University has instituted a new scholarship designed specifically to benefit students from West Tennessee. The West Tennessee Heritage Scholarship will provide an automatic $1,500 scholarship to any student from West Tennessee who attends Union, with a minimum high school grade point average of 2.0. “This is where we’re rooted,” said Dan Griffin, Union’s vice president for enrollment management.
“This is where 60 percent of our students come from. This is who we’re committed to. Union isn’t where it is today if it’s not for the people of West Tennessee.”
John Windham, Union’s director of student financial planning, said the generosity of donors to the university makes it possible to offer the scholarship.
“Union University has a rich heritage that comes to us from West Tennesseans through many generations,” Windham said. “We are very connected to West Tennessee, so we are excited to take this opportunity to demonstrate our connection back to West Tennessee.”
Griffin said Union values students from West Tennessee and wants them to see Union as their institution, especially since Union’s rankings set it apart as the top academic school in the region.
He cited recognitions such as U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger’s Best College Values, and Union’s regular inclusion as one of America’s 100 Best College Buys. Union has also maintained its accreditation in good standing with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since it was first accredited by that body in 1948.
“We are the academic beacon in West Tennessee,” he said. “We’re consistently ranked high, and I think that speaks to our faculty and our academic integrity.”
