UI&U Board Elects New Chair and Trustee

CINCINNATI – Union Institute & University (UI&U) today announced that Virginia Ruehlmann Wiltse, Ph.D., was elected chair of its board of trustees at its annual meeting on Friday, January 27, 2012. Trustees also approved Union’s new executive committee which includes Dr. Wiltse as chair; Cincinnati-based Don Feldmann, president and CEO of Rippe & Kingston Capital Advisors, Inc., as vice-president and treasurer; and Union President Roger H. Sublett, Ph.D. as secretary. Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D., author of Ethical Intelligence and host of Ask the Ethics Guy on Bloomberg Businessweek online, was elected to serve as a trustee, joining 13 others.

Wiltse, who succeeds Dr. Betty Overton Adkins, is co-founder and director of the Caring Response Madagascar Foundation (CRMF), the Cincinnati-based non-profit that creates and supports programs in education and healthcare for the poor in Madagascar. Wiltse and her son David Wiltse, launched CRMF in 2001. Among the multiple projects launched since its inception are the WomanWorks Initiative micro-lending project; adult literacy and native language books projects; and a creative arts initiative to teach sanitation and hygiene practices to the urban and rural poor. In November 2011, CRMF partnered with U.S. and Malagasy organizations for their largest project to date that provided specialized training, equipment and supplies to Malagasy physicians and midwives to prevent postpartum hemorrhage and handle pre-term and low-birth weight babies.

As the former development director for Seton High School, Wiltse played a pivotal role in a $13.5 million expansion and renovation project that features state-of-the-art science and technology facilities, an enhanced fine arts program, and a 1,000-seat gymnasium. She also previously served as foundations committee chairperson for the Seton capital campaign.

Wiltse has more than 20 years’ experience as a freelance writer, presenter, and multi-media producer. She began her earlier career in broadcast news working for WLWT, AM/FM, Cincinnati WTIC-TV, AM/FM, in Hartford, Connecticut WFSB-TV, Hartford, Connecticut.

Wiltse served for nine years as a trustee of the Sisters of Charity Ministry Foundation and was a member of the fundraising steering committee for the order’s Bayley Place Wellness Center for mature adults. Her numerous honors over the years include the Mother Seton Award for service to the Sisters of Charity and the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award for service to Seton High School. In 1984 the Cincinnati Enquirer honored Wiltse as a Woman of the Year for her achievements and community service.

Wiltse earned her Ph.D. from Union in 2000. In addition to her doctorate, she holds an M.A. and a B.A, both in history, from the University of Cincinnati.

Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D.

Union’s newest trustee is nationally recognized ethics consultant and author Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Weinstein currently hosts the series Ask the Ethics Guy on Bloomberg Businessweek online, where he also writes an ethics column. His clients include the National Football League, the National Guard (South Carolina Division), the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the National Business Aviation Association, Help Desk International, Vistakon/Johnson & Johnson, Pri-Med Continuing Medical Education, the Eastern Michigan University College of Business, and more than 300 other schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Weinstein has appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CNN’s, “Anderson Cooper 360,” CNBC’s “Power Lunch,” MSNBC’s “Live,” and many other national television programs.

Weinstein’s most recent book, Ethical Intelligence: Five Principles for Untangling Your Toughest Problems at Work and Beyond (New World Library, 2011), was recently listed as a top five business book on WashingtonPost.com and a top ten business book in WirtschaftsBlatt, Austria’s only business daily. Weinstein’s work has been published in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Investor’s Business Daily, and Family Circle. He was profiled in the in-flight magazines of American Airlines, Delta Airlines, USAirways, and United Airlines. His previous book, Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught? (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, 2009), shows tweens and teens how to solve many of the ethical dilemmas they face at school and with family and friends.

Weinstein received a B.A. in philosophy from Swarthmore College, a Ph.D. in philosophy and bioethics from Georgetown University, a certificate in film production from New York University, and is the recipient of a national fellowship from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He maintains the website, TheEthicsGuy.com.

Lower Tuition Announced for M.Ed. Program

CINCINNATI – As part of its ongoing mission to offer socially relevant and transformational degree opportunities and make them more accessible, and in effort to reach more teachers seeking higher education, Union Institute & University (UI&U) today announced a substantial reduction in its tuition for the Master of Education program, a one-year, accredited, online degree program.

Effective for the April 30, 2012 start date, students enrolled in the M.Ed. online program will pay $399 per credit hour, a reduction of $158 from the original cost of $557 per credit hour. This 28 percent reduction allows M.Ed. students to save more than $5,600 in tuition costs throughout their time in the program.

“Union certainly understands the value of education and how great teachers can impact future generations,” said UI&U President Dr. Roger H. Sublett. “This lowered rate helps us to promote our goal to reach and support great teachers and school districts across the country with a more affordable M.Ed. program, and also to offer a program that encourages and prepares them to become great teachers and great leaders.”

Union’s M.Ed. curriculum embeds National Board core propositions, and has an in-depth focus on social responsibility and leadership. Its online delivery allows students to pursue their graduate degree while maintaining professional and personal responsibilities and follows a 16-week trimester calendar, divided into two eight-week sessions. Students may be eligible for transfer credits and, once graduated, are prepared to participate in the certification process offered through the National Board.

The university is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2012 trimester that begins April 30. For more information about UI&U’s M.Ed. online program contact Josefina Rosario, M.Ed. admissions counselor at 888-828-8575, ext. 2172, or josefina.rosario@myunion.edu.

Got Pie? Brattleboro Center Hosts Pie Palooza Feb. 23

BRATTLEBORO – Union & University’s (UI&U) Brattleboro Center will host their second annual pie making contest, Pie Palooza, from 5:30-7 p.m., February 23, at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro. The event will feature free pie tastings and hot drinks, live acoustic music by local songwriter and singer Ernesto Sanchez, and games for the kiddies - compliments of the university and Vermont Country Deli.

Pies entered in the contest can be dropped off at the River Garden between 3 and 4:30 p.m. on the 23rd, or pick-up can be arranged by calling UI&U before 5 p.m. on the 22nd. Please arrive at 5:30 p.m. for tastings and introduction of our special judges, Carmen Derby from United Way, Tim Johnson from WTSA Radio and Greg Lesch from the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce.

The top pie winner, announced at 6p.m., will receive a $50 gift certificate to a Brattleboro business of their choice and the prestigious ‘Pie Palooza’ trophy. Additional prizes for the 2nd and 3rd place runner-ups will also be presented. The night will continue on with more tastings, music, and children’s games including musical chairs, twister, and a bean bag toss. Join us for this family-friendly event during winter carnival week – you won’t be disappointed! The event is free, but all donations will go to United Way.

For more information contact the Brattleboro Center at brattleborocenter@myunion.edu, or at 802-257-9411.