Union and Stark State College Form Articulation Agreement

Stark State College in North Canton, Ohio, and Union Institute & University, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, have created a relationship that benefits students seeking bachelor’s degrees. The two Ohio colleges have formed an articulation agreement that will offer students a seamless transition from Stark State College’s associate's degree program into Union Institute & University’s bachelor's degree program.

“This is a great collaboration between two wonderful institutions that allows Stark State College students who earn their Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree to continue to climb the degree ladder and to become even more viable in our ever-changing economy,” said Para M. Jones, Ph.D., president of Stark State College.

The new articulation agreement is structured around a “3+1” model, allowing Stark State students who have earned their associate’s degree to take a third year through Stark State at Stark State tuition rates. The fourth year is then taken online through Union Institute & University and upon completion; the student will earn a Union Institute & University bachelor’s degree in one of six majors. Bachelor’s programs in business administration, business management, criminal justice management, early childhood studies, emergency services management, and leadership are available as part of the articulation agreement.

Union Institute & University has, for nearly 50 years, served thousands of students who have completed their associate's degree and seek flexible solutions to continue their education to better position them in the job market. Union has extensive transfer credit and tuition agreements with universities, organizations, and institutions across the country. Stark State College students can advance from their two-year program into the bachelor’s degree program and transfer their previously earned credit hours. Students can complete their bachelor's degrees via Union Institute & University’s convenient online courses and accelerate their completion time when possible. This allows Stark State students to remain in the Northeast Ohio community while earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited and reputable university.

“We are very excited about this new partnership with Stark State College. Union’s academic programs are designed for busy adults who, like many Stark State students, may not have the time for a traditional classroom schedule due to job, family, or community commitments. We look forward to welcoming Stark State students, serving them as they complete their bachelor’s degrees, and providing them with the flexibility they need and the attention they deserve,” said Dr. Roger H. Sublett, president of Union Institute & University.  

Stark State College offers more than 230 associate degrees, options, one-year and career enhancement certificates in business and entrepreneurial studies; education and human services; engineering, industrial, and emerging technologies; health sciences; information technology; liberal arts; mathematics; and sciences. Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Applied Business, and Associate of Technical Studies degrees are offered.

Union Institute & University is a non-profit, accredited, private university specializing in adult and distance education since 1964. Union strives to engage, enlighten, and empower students in a lifetime of learning and service. The university’s transformational and socially relevant programs promote creative and critical thinking, and connect scholarship with real-world practice. Flexible online classes, brief residencies, classroom experiences, and hybrid models of instruction lead to undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Union graduates, including 14 college presidents, leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, members of the United States Congress, and the first female prime minister of Jamaica, promote Union’s legacy of utilizing education to transform lives and communities.

Early Childhood Studies Evening in Cincinnati

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

5:30-8:30pm

Union Institute & University

440 E. McMillan St.

Cincinnati, Ohio 45206-1925

Please join us for a night devoted to the field of Early Childhood Studies. Special guest speaker and President of Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education, Eileen Cooper Reed, B.A., Esq. will deliver a compelling and insightful presentation.

Discover how to enhance your skills and knowledge from Early Childhood professionals. Learn about the early learning education reforms in Ohio affecting children ages newborn to five years. Union’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean, Department Chair, Program Advisor, faculty, and enrollment counselors will be available to answer your questions and discuss your academic goals.

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP by July 3, 2013 to juanita.johnson@myunion.edu or (513) 487-1163.

Learn more about Union Institute & University's Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Studies.

From the President's Desk

Leading with Integrity
June 5, 2013

While it can sometimes be difficult to be objective about ourselves and how we interact with others, an effective leader must be both honest and aware of his or her strengths and limitations. Of course, as leaders, we are honest with ourselves all the time. Of course, we make every decision with the best interest of the people who may be impacted by our decisions. Of course, we are sensitive to the needs of others at all times. Of course, we are not afraid to make the tough decisions, and, of course, we are never wrong in our decision-making. If we believe we are right all the time, we cannot lead with integrity. We will lead; however, it probably will not be with integrity.

Leadership is relational. It is about how we relate to others and how we are able to motivate followers to do their very best each day to fulfill the goals of the organization. It is about how we carry out the vision and mission of the organization in everything we do. It is about approaching each task with a determination to do the very best that we possibly can in serving others. Even organizations that produce widgets need people to determine the quality of the widgets, and it is the leader who determines the quality of life for the people who produce those widgets. If you focus on widgets, your goal might be to produce a lot of money and decent widgets, but if you focus on people, you are more likely to be regarded as a wise and visionary leader and a person of great integrity. 

Several years ago when I had the privilege of working with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we began an exploration of what a major funding project in the Mississippi Delta might look like. The “Delta” at that time covered 57 counties across three states and was widely regarded as one of the most poverty-stricken regions of the United States. Eight of us spent a week traveling around the Delta in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We met people from all sectors—from major corporations and foundations to colleges and universities, from non-profit organizations to just simple folks who wanted to make a difference in their communities. As we approached the end of our trip, we convened a meeting in Helena, a small community located in southeastern Arkansas. We met in a church that served as the gathering place for the community. I remember an elderly African-American gentleman looking at us quietly. He then spoke up, saying, “Thank you for coming to visit with us. We are most appreciative that you are present today, and we need your assistance. But, if you are coming to the Delta to tell us what we need to do, please don’t bother. We have other foundations that do that every day. However, if you want to come to the Delta and listen to our voices, then we extend our warmest greetings to you.” His comments were not intended to be unappreciative of the work of other foundations in the region; instead, it was a plea for us to really hear the concerns of the people. He may have been familiar with the words that Mr. Kellogg used to create the mission of the foundation in 1930: “to help people help themselves through the application of knowledge.” To actually help people help themselves, you have to assume that people generally know the problems they are facing and if they know their problems, they may have some solutions to those problems. Mr. Kellogg had great faith in the spirit of each person; he truly believed that to change organizations, institutions, and communities, you had to invest in people and their ability to dream the future they envisioned. I am not sure that I have ever witnessed the coming together of two like minds from such different worlds than what happened in that conversation in a small church in the Delta. Two men from two very different worlds—one with wealth and the power that wealth provides who wanted to use both in responsible ways; the other steeped in poverty but also empowered through his intellect, experiences, actions, and beliefs in the infinite capacity of the human spirit. What brought this humble gentleman and Mr. Kellogg’s minds together was their common belief in the innate power of the human spirit in the service of others. Both men led with integrity and focused their energy on the betterment of society and the improvement of individual lives. This experience was—and remains—a powerful moment in my own leadership journey.

Those of us from the Kellogg Foundation that day could have walked away from that conversation because the group told us was what the Delta needed was “economic development” and the Foundation did not fund economic development programs. But, when we reported back to the leaders at WKKF about the conversation, a new initiative was created: “listening teams” that would travel to the Delta to personally hear what the people had to say. These listening teams empowered the voices of poverty, and in the process, all of us were inspired by the creativity, vision, and passion of people dedicated to a way of life and a region most of us did not understand and most would avoid. The Delta received several million dollars of economic development funding that would never have been approved had it not been for the voice of integrity on the part of one individual—an individual with the courage to stop us in our tracks, to cause us to listen, and to have us hear the true needs of the region and its people. I relate this story to demonstrate how a leader can, with integrity, change a society, a region, a state, a nation, and indeed, the world.

At Union Institute & University, we try each day to provide leadership with integrity. Of course, we achieve this goal better on some days than others. But, along the way, I am confident that we are learning to:

• Be honest with ourselves and be honest at all times, regardless of the issues or challenges
• Understand our strengths and limitations
• Listen to diverse voices within the organization
• Work with the entrepreneurs among us who serve as change agents
• Establish feedback loops that include all parties in the process of growth, change, and improvement
• Clearly articulate and enact the vision, mission, and purpose of Union each day
• Make the tough decisions in a timely manner and explain those decisions as many times as it takes to make sure that there is understanding throughout the organization
• Be respectful of others at all times and celebrate small and major victories
• Create a culture of success based on the creativity of the human mind and spirit
• Build a unifying culture that stretches across all our centers and brings together all of our services in support of our students and employees
• Be transparent in our financial, academic, and intellectual interactions
• Celebrate and honor all of those who have the privilege of calling Union their home away from home
• Be present each day in service to others
• Take time to be silent and reflective of our actions

The list could be extended, and I encourage each of you to add to this list and apply your own approaches to your job and your life each day. Only you will determine how you can best lead with integrity. It is not something that others can define for you. When we get up each morning, we dress ourselves for the day; however, if you have the confidence in your own abilities, it is not necessary for you to put on a cloak of integrity; integrity can become  a part of who you are, and it will be apparent to all with whom you interact each day.

Lead with integrity each day!

Roger H. Sublett

President

Union Institute & University

Union's Cincinnati Center Partners with Tom Geiger House

Union staff members with paper product
donations collected for Tom Geiger House.

In the true spirit of helping their neighbors, employees at Union Institute & University’s Cincinnati academic center have been organizing generous donations of items for the Tom Geiger Guest House. The program is part of the community service project Union Has Heart, which aligns with the university’s mission and vision.

Tom Geiger House helps the homeless and those in transition, serving mostly mothers with small children. They come seeking relief from poverty, neglect and abuse, and to build a brighter future by completing their education or job training. Geiger House is truly a neighbor, located within a mile of Union Institute & University’s Walnut Hills-area headquarters. The Union has Heart donations will be used in Geiger House welcome bags, including products such as toilet paper, garbage bags, soap, tissues, paper towels, dish soap, bleach, cleaning supplies, bedding, and gift cards.

Sophie Stanford, a transcript specialist in Union’s registrar’s office, helped organize the partnership with Tom Geiger Guest House. She notes “Geiger House families are moving into apartments, they are on the path to self-sufficiency and they need basic necessities. While Tom Geiger House provides resources and support, Union’s donations will go a long way to create a positive effect, improving lives and thereby, communities.”

A large box has been set up in the Cincinnati academic center lobby for staff and faculty to easily and conveniently donate items needed by Geiger House residents.  Each month a different category of product has been collected. Since the beginning of February, the Union has Heart campaign has amassed stacks of soap, paper products and personal care items that have gone directly to the Geiger House. 

“We truly appreciate Union Institute & University taking on this special project for the benefit of the people we serve in this facility. They are indeed a great community partner for us,” said Rob Festenstein, Individual Giving Coordinator with Talbert House, which operates Tom Geiger House.

“In order to truly engage, enlighten and empower, we must each reach out where we can to be a beacon of hope and help. We are empowering people in a small way to improve their lives,” adds Stanford. “I believe that organizations such as Tom Geiger House are some of the true gems in any community. They are a beam of light when things seem so bleak for some. This is why I am so very happy that we, as an academic center, can extend a helping hand to them. The work that they do is invaluable.”

Learn more about how Tom Geiger Guest House serves the Cincinnati community.

Read Soapbox Cincinnati's coverage of this story: UIU Employees Team Up to Support Women in Transition.

Returning To College as an Adult

Ben Mitchell, M.F.A.

Affiliated Professor of Writing and Literature

Union Institute & University

 

Although there are clearly many challenges when returning to college as an adult, there are real benefits on two distinct levels: one financial and the other more human. Going back to school requires a serious commitment of time, resources and money. For most people it also requires taking on debt. For adult students with children and a full-time job, a full load of traditional classes can be nearly impossible to balance. This is why Union’s Bachelor of Arts program succeeds. Through independent study adult students can juggle all of their responsibilities.

Let me start by sharing my experience of returning to college. Having struggled in college in the 1980s, I later returned, enrolled in Union’s Bachelor of Arts program (Norwich University at the time) and graduated in 1995. I remember the time before returning to school—the feelings of failure, hopelessness, and trying to survive in a bad economy. I felt like a loser. I was a loser.

Most of us can place ourselves somewhere on the continuum between winners and losers. Is this the core motivation of our culture, to move from the losers’ end of the continuum, to the winner’s circle? Are we becoming a winner take-all-society?

During the recent Occupy Wall Street movement, the notion of the 99 percent versus the one percent became popular. Richard D. Wolff, professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts highlights data that suggests that one percent of the population in this country controls 43 percent of the wealth. That is striking. Even more compelling is that 93 percent of the accumulated wealth of our country is controlled by 20 percent of the people. In other words, two people out of 10 control almost all the benefits of our collective economy.

This helps to emphasize the economic value of graduating from college. A college degree significantly increases your odds of becoming part of that 20 percent. Furthermore, a college degree will statistically double your income over the course of a lifetime. A 2010 U.S. Census Bureau report suggests that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect to earn, on average, $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and $2.5 million with a master's degree. Earning a degree will statistically increase your chances of earning a decent living. It will move you along the continuum toward that winner’s circle

My bachelor’s degree from Union Institute & University made it possible to gain a position that, for the first time in my adult life, provided health insurance. This degree made it possible for me to get paid vacations and paid holidays. When you get paid to go on vacation, you are a winner, right?

But, I also have a mind.

Now by mind, I don't just mean some hunk of gray tissue animated by electrical activity. To me a “mind” is something much more; something George Hegel might call “Geist.” The Christians call it Soul.  Hindus call it Autman -- spirit incarnated into flesh. There is something in a living cell that is not in a dead cell, not just electricity but life. Life itself is the great mystery.

It is this mind that truly concerns us. Here at Union Institute & University’s bachelor program we take a somewhat radical approach. We ask: "Who are you? What do you think? What is your understanding, your spirit?” We want you to think critically, to challenge assumptions, to question deeply the very structure of what we know. We are not concerned with making students regurgitate memorized information and fill in bubbles. In the bachelor’s program, as you learn more and assimilate material, you will come to trust and value your own insight, your own perception, and your unique flashes of genius. These are the pearls, the real treasures of our species.

Real knowledge is constructed when new ideas and information are sifted through real life experience. New ideas challenge our ideas, our cherished assumptions and beliefs and then we create a new understanding; we actually create a new model of the world within the mind. In order to do this we must start with what we already know. No one comes to Union Institute & University as an empty brain to be filled. Each student brings a great wealth of understanding and knowledge earned over years of struggle, failure, and success. We will challenge your ideas, inspire you, push you, and you will create a new understanding that is truly yours. Rather than just learning random material to pass a test, our students engage with the questions at the core of their life, creating meaning from the truth of what we know.

The independent study model makes it possible to be a student and parent, while working full time and doing all the things adults have to do. The self-designed curriculum allows you to choose subjects to which you connect personally. Not only does this make it much more meaningful, and easier to make the time for school in a busy life; it also means our students explore the material on a much more essential level, often working at a level usually associated with graduate school. In fact, many of our students go on to excel in graduate school because they are already accustomed to working at that degree of inquiry.

With all this in mind, I respect the challenges that adult students face as they wrestle with the decision to return to school in this uncertain economy. But it is also from this perspective that I can say that the bachelor’s degree program at Union Institute & University is a truly remarkable option. Is there a guarantee that graduating from Union Institute University will make you one of the winners? No. Does it statistically increase the odds? Absolutely. Our graduates have the power to think critically about the world, to challenge the assumptions of our culture and to construct a new understanding. These are tools that enrich your life and provide you with benefits impossible to calculate numerically. This we promise to all of our graduates.

Learn more about the bachelor degree programs at Union Institute & University.

Ben Mitchell, M.F.A. is an affiliated professor of writing and literature at Union Institute & University. He is the co-founder of Student Mentoring Services, a groundbreaking educational consulting firm that helps learning-disabled students transition to a university experience. Previously, Mitchell worked for 13 years at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont and authored and edited a series of Landmark Press books about learning disabilities. Mitchell holds degrees in both education and writing from Goddard College.

From the President's Desk

Washington, DC; West, Texas; and Boston, Massachusetts
April 24, 2013

It has been a rather dreary, rainy cold week in Cincinnati, which is probably appropriate given the dramatic recent events in the United States. From the defeat of gun controls in the Senate, to the explosion of the fertilizer plant in Texas and the bombings at the Boston Marathon, President Obama summed it up at a White House news conference when he said, “This has been a difficult week for the United States.”

As I think about all of the events above, I know that many of our students at Union are not only affected, but also impact crises of this type each day. From first responders to members of police departments, to those who serve in the military, and volunteers across the nation, Union’s students are often on the front lines of helping others survive in an increasingly violent society. 
 
Approximately 52 percent of our undergraduate students are enrolled in Criminal Justice Management. They are risking their lives each day for all of us. I thought of them when we learned that 14 first responders, mostly volunteer firefighters, lost their lives in West, Texas when the fertilizer plant exploded. News reports indicated that they knew that the plant would explode, and they were fighting the fire in an effort to give a nearby nursing home time to evacuate residents. They sacrificed their lives for others. They went into the fire.

Regarding Boston: I think we are all still struggling to make sense out of the chaos, damage, especially the deaths and devastating injuries of innocent people who gathered together to celebrate the competitors, the competition, and Patriot’s Day. And again, I was inspired by the instant heroes who reached out to those who were injured, providing lifesaving efforts until professional medical personnel arrived. They could have run from the sites of the two explosions and the ensuing melee; instead, they ran in place to assist where they could. They ran in. This is America at its best.  

What is not America at its best is the issue surrounding gun legislation and background checks; an issue which approximately 90 percent of the American people supported. It died in the Senate from a serious lapse of courage and conviction and the power of lobbying influences. I agree with President Obama that it was a day of “shame” in D.C. We need courageous leadership in Washington right now – people who will ‘run in,’ – and instead we continue to get bickering, finger-pointing, and partisanship that is eroding American’s confidence in government. Where are our heroes in Washington?

In cases like the Boston Marathon bombings, we all want to know who, how, and why. We apparently know who and how, but the why question is the haunting one and will probably never be answered completely to our satisfaction. The young bombers changed the city of Boston for a brief time and many lives forever; however, life in Boston is already beginning to resume. The city will grieve for its victims and the city will heal. In time, the city may ultimately forgive the perpetrators. Individuals with grievous injuries will heal over time and face their altered lives with courage. There are no victors in these kinds of incidents—only victims. We will discover the “why” in due time, and the other important question is how we will prevent these senseless acts from happening in the future. If these events are based on a lack of understanding of differences; then, we have to learn to understand that we are all different and we all come from very different backgrounds, religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and intellectual perspectives. We should begin each day with the clear understanding that diversity is the one thing we have in common, and we should celebrate it each day. What is it about human nature that we so often turn to violence to settle our differences?

For those of us who are older, it is worth remembering that we have experienced senseless violence in the United States before, and much of it came in the 1960s – a decade of upheaval, violence, and change. We experienced the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and Robert F. Kennedy; we witnessed civil rights marchers beaten in the streets of our cities; we watched the use of fire hoses and the releasing of attack dogs on American citizens who were only demanding recognition, equality, respect, and human dignity. Reacting to these dramatic challenges and tragic assassinations Americans persevered and worked together to build a stronger and more open society. While we have made progress, we have a long journey yet to undertake, and we need to be aware of how we perceive one another and how the rest of the world perceives the United States.

Much of the violence and disenchantment of the 1960s came as a reaction to a different foreign war – the war in Vietnam. It appears that the actions in Boston may have emanated as a misguided reaction to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Americans, we are still shocked by the death of innocent people. We have not become so hardened in our beliefs that we engage in hatred or revenge in seeking to understand the “why.” That probably is a good thing because it indicates that the soul of America, while a bit damaged, is still healthy. And yet, the lack of civility that is brought into our homes each evening by 24-hour news programs where people engage in shouting over one another is damaging the way that civilized people communicate around differences. I understand first amendment and second amendment rights, and I know I also have the right to turn off the television each evening. I usually do. I also have the choice not to own a gun. At the same time, I am appalled at the numbers of violent deaths that occur through the use of guns in the U.S.— far more than in any other civilized country in the world. Why do we tolerate this level of violence? That is another “why” question that I think Americans need to find answers to as well.

There are no easy answers to these questions, and no easy answers to what happened in Boston and why, but the American people must stop and listen to reasonable voices, hold elected officials accountable at the ballot box, and demand cooperation and collaboration among our leaders who must start acting on behalf of the best interests of the American people. 

What we can do at Union is to support all of our first responders, criminal justice management students, alumni, and faculty, as well as the hundreds of veterans who have served in foreign wars and helped keep our nation so safe since 9/11. We need to thank them each day for their service, and for representing Union – their university – throughout the nation. These folks are creating the courageous legacy that represents the very best of the human spirit each day.

Please join me in expressing our collective appreciation to Union folks who work for our safety and security each day so these ‘difficult weeks’ are kept to a minimum.

Roger H. Sublett
President
Union Institute & University

President Dr. Roger Sublett Celebrates 10 Years of Service

Congratulations to Dr. Roger Sublett who has served as Union Institute & University’s president for ten years! Faculty and staff at the Cincinnati academic center celebrated the milestone anniversary on April 23, 2013 with a surprise reception, complete with desserts, poems, and a proclamation of “Roger Sublett Day” presented by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. Well wishes, cards, and notes from the five academic centers were compiled into a special book commemorating Dr. Sublett’s years of service.



Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls presents a proclamation of “Roger Sublett Day”

 



Well wishes, cards, and notes from the academic centers in Vermont, Ohio, Florida and California were compiled into a special book.

Director of Field Education Carole Stokes-Brewer presents a poem about Dr. Sublett.

Dr. Roger Sublett enjoys a creative poem by Outreach Counselor Kim Cotton.




Dr. Roger Sublett (left) with Trustee Don Feldmann (right).