Brattleboro BA Program Open House and Commencement Weekend

Saturday’s Open House features presentations by new graduates; Rickey Gard Diamond, founding editor of Vermont Woman, to serve as Sunday’s commencement speaker

BRATTLEBORO - Union Institute & University (UI&U), a non-profit, private university that offers degree programs designed for the busy adult with two centers in Brattleboro, will host an Open House, from 1-3 p.m., Saturday, April 24, at the Brattleboro Academic Center, 3 University Way. The Open House is in conjunction with the BA program’s commencement taking place at 11:45, Sunday, April 25, in the Community Room at the Vermont Academic Center.

Rickey Gard Diamond, contributing editor and founding editor of Vermont Woman, will serve as the commencement speaker. Vermont Woman was voted the New England Press Association’s Newspaper of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and its writers, including Diamond, have won individual awards. Diamond has also published a novel, Second Sight, and numerous short stories, including “Black Bears,” which placed in Glimmer Train’s 2008 Fiction Open. She lives in Montpelier and is a professor at Union Institute & University.

“Most of our commencers are adult learners who did not find satisfaction at traditional schools, but who flourished at Union, where they were able to do independent and self-designed study,” said Sharon Sprague, assistant director of the BA Brattleboro program.

At the Saturday Open House, many of the graduating learners will give presentations based on their studies in the BA program. For example, in her talk, “Ethical Dilemma of Dementia,” learner Mary Daigle - a care giver on a dementia unit in a long-term care facility - will discuss how dementia is viewed by persons of different ethnicities around the world and explore some of the key reasons why some cultures may hesitate at seeking help outside of family for their loved one.

The open house will also feature UI&U BA faculty, Acting Dean Dr. P. Neal Meier and Associate Dean Dr. Ann Stanton.

Union Institute & University’s Brattleboro BA, MA and CAGS programs are located in the Vermont Agricultural and Education Center on Old Guilford Road. The PsyD program is based out of the Marlboro Graduate Center downtown. For more information about the Brattleboro BA programs and the Open House please contact the Brattleboro Academic Center at 257-9411. For information about Union Institute & University visit www.myunion.edu.

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