Tara Scherner de la Fuente Promoted To Assistant Dean of UI&U's Cohort Ph.D. Program

CINCINNATI - Union Institute & University (UI&U), a private, non-profit university headquartered in Cincinnati today announced the promotion of Tara Scherner de la Fuente to assistant dean of the Cohort Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies program. In her role as Assistant Dean, Administration, Scherner de la Fuente will assume primary responsibility for key administrative tasks, including recruitment, budget management, and faculty services. She will assist in the ongoing development and implementation of program procedures and structure while continuing to develop administrative processes to help the university more fully realize the Cohort Ph.D. program’s current strengths and future potential.

“From the beginning, Tara demonstrated a willingness to take on, and began moving toward, a larger administrative role that we are formally acknowledging and making official,” said Dr. Larry Preston, Dean of the Cohort Ph.D. program. “Her experience as a leader in private corporations and higher education are just the right combination of knowledge and skills needed to more fully develop and administer the Cohort Ph.D. program.”

Scherner de la Fuente has completed the coursework for the Ph.D. in English at the University of Cincinnati. She has more than six years of teaching and administration experience at the UC, where she designed and taught a variety of undergraduate English courses. She also served as the recruiter for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and ran a conference center office in a small castle in the Alps of Austria. She holds a Master’s degree in English from UC and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Emerson College. She has published poetry and prose in several publications.

For more information about UI&U's Cohort Ph.D. Program visit www.myunion.edu/academics/cohort/ or call 1-877-533-6338.

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UI&U Announces Tuition Increase for 2010-2011 Academic Year

UNION INSTITUTE & UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES ONE PERCENT TUITION INCREASE FOR THE 2010-2011 ACADEMIC YEAR
Increase is well below the national average; UI&U remains committed to making higher education possible for every adult learner


CINCINNATI, OH – Union Institute & University (UI&U), a private, non-profit university headquartered in Walnut Hills today announced a one percent increase in tuition for the 2011 academic year that runs from July 2010 through June 30, 2011. The one percent increase is well below national average. According to the Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid, (FinAid.org) the average college inflation rate is 7% or 8% per year for the next ten years. (http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/208962.html)

Union’s provost, deans, enrollment managers, and financial administrators worked alongside UI&U trustees to examine options and to prepare a budget that would implement the smallest possible increase in tuition and fees. They considered a variety of factors, including information from the College Board and other national trends that lead to increases including the cost of energy, insurance, information technology, and library materials.

“Union Institute & University pledges to continue to offer the highest quality educational programs, and to make every attempt to control expenditures in order to serve the greatest number of persons who can benefit from our method of education,” said UI&U President Roger H. Sublett.

In its ongoing effort to make higher education possible for all adult learners, UI&U increased available scholarship dollars university-wide by more than $400,000 this year and to offset the small tuition increase, the university is engaged in efforts to find more scholarship opportunities for its learners. Recently, UI&U recently secured a $50,000 grant for female learners in Cincinnati through the Kellogg Foundation.

The university is also working out tuition offsets for those transferring from schools with which it has articulation agreements and has expanded library databases and services. This spring, UI&U will convert to a greatly improved student database system that provides learners 24/7 access to account and academic records. In addition, UI&U increased the availability of online courses and options, replaced much travel with audio and video conferencing, and, by changing the academic calendars, has been able to increase federal financial aid (loans and grants) available for several programs.

“We remain true to this goal and also remain committed to our cornerstones of inclusiveness and outreach to underserved populations that have been a part of our legacy and imperative components for our vision for the future,” said Dr. Sublett.

For more information, including detailed tuition and fees for each program, please visit www.myunion.edu/tuition or contact Nicole Hamilton, public relations manager at 513-487-1194.

UI&U Launches Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies Program

New post-graduate program prepares learners for licensure and helps them advance in their careers while focusing on their individual goals and interests

BRATTLEBORO, VT. - Union Institute & University, a private, non-profit university with two locations in Brattleboro today announced the launch of the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) with concentrations in Psychology and Counseling, a certificate program designed for post-graduate learners who want to continue their education and wish to expand on their previous training in the science of psychology and the art of the helping professions.

“The CAGS program offers rigorous academic processes for both licensure-bound learners, enabling them to meet increasingly detailed specifications for credentialing, as well as those advancing their career goals in non-licensure tracks,” said Dr. Nicholas Young, director of UI&U’s programs in psychology and counseling. “The post-graduate program is directed towards mastery in the field, and like all Union programs, the focus is on the individual goals and unique needs of learners.”

Learners in the CAGS program can chose concentrations that prepare them for licensure: professional counseling and counselor education and supervision; as well as non-licensure concentrations in human development and wellness, and psychology education.

The two brief residency options are sensitive to adults with busy lives. Those who live close to the Brattleboro Center or who desire more frequent face-to-face contact may opt for the Weekend Option, while those at a distance may select the National Option that meets for a week twice each year. For more information contact the UI&U Graduate Admissions Office at 1-800-336-6794 ext. 8900, or email BrattleboroCenter@myunion.edu.