Union Alumni in the News

Congratulations to Union Institute & University’s alumni in the news. Do you have a story to share? Tell us about your recent accomplishments here:

Kathy M. B. Muhammad (Ph.D. 2009) repatriated to Ghana, West Africa in 2011. She is the coordinator and lead instructor of the Pan African History program at Ayensudo Akoma International Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAIAAS) in Ghana, West Africa. It is the only academy in the Ayensudo area that offers lessons spanning the vast history of Black/African people throughout the diaspora. Dr. Muhammad earned her Ph.D. in Arts and Sciences with a specialty in Africana Women’s Studies/Black Studies.

Jimmie R. McClellan (Ph.D. 1984) was featured in Virginia Connections Newspapers. Click here to read the full article. Dr. McClellan, from Alexandria, VA, is a seven-term member of Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission. He is also an author, an educator, and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Texas, the highest honor given by the university to any graduate. Dr. McClellan earned a B.S. in Political Science from University of Texas, a Master of Philosophy from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in American Policy and History from Union Institute and University.

Jack S. Russell (Ph.D. 1976) presented “The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arcadia: One Way to View Judy Taylor’s Trail Crew” at the Southwest Harbor Public Library in Maine. Dr. Russell has had a successful career in economic development and as a consultant. In 2006, he returned to Mount Desert Island, Maine. He is a Friends of Acadia board member and chairman of its advocacy committee and writes about the history, culture, and politics of MDI and Acadia National Park.

David R. Leffler (Ph.D. 1997) has been publishing articles in International News Magazine, including “Latin American Leaders Will Soon Command Invincible Militaries,"
“How Israel Can Have an 'Invincible' Military” and “Reducing Tension in the Middle East.” Dr. David R. Leffler, a United States Air Force veteran, received his Ph.D. in Consciousness-Based Military Defense from Union Institute & University. He served as an associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. He now serves as the Executive Director at the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS). Dr. Leffler has published articles in over 400 locations worldwide about the strategic military advantages of applying the TM technique and its advanced practices.

Anthony J. Clarke (Ph.D. 2006) was recently named Vice President of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer at Richmond Community College in Hamlet, NC. After serving as an officer in the army, Dr. Clarke worked with General Mills, Arthur Andersen LLP, and GE Aviation. He taught as an adjunct at Xavier University in Cincinnati before accepting a position as a project director at Gateway Community and Technical College in Kentucky. He later served as dean of workforce solutions at Gateway. Dr. Clarke holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Development with a specialization in Management.

The new online scholarly journal WritingUnderOath.com was created and launched by Kathryn Kurtz (Ph.D. 2006). Dr. Kurtz has taught as an adjunct professor at Fordham University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, and SUNY/Oneonta and SUNY/Albany Rockland Community College. She has served as an editor, reporter, and guest commentator on NPR Marketplace and has published many essays and articles. Ms. Kurtz has a Ph.D. in Arts and Sciences with a specialization in Creative Writing/Literary Nonfiction.

John Imhof (Ph.D. 1989) was recently appointed as adjunct professor of social work at Long Island University-Post in Greenvale, New York. Dr. Imhof is the founder and editor-in-chief emeritus of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. He has also served as vice president of behavioral health services at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. In 2003, he was appointed as the commissioner of the department of social services in Nassau County, New York. Mr. Imhof received a Ph.D. with a concentration in Psychology.

Rabbi Miriam S. Jerris (Ph.D. 2001) was interviewed by The Jewish Chronicle, for the article “Judaism without God?” Rabbi Jerris, from Huntington Woods, Michigan, was ordained through the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, and holds a doctorate in Jewish studies with a specialization in pastoral counseling.


Union alumna and International Alumni Association board member, Joyce A. Hayden-Seman (Ph.D. 1993) was named an Outstanding Professional Woman for 2012-2013 by the National Association of Professional Women. The award is in recognition of her leadership and academic and professional achievements. For the last 25 years, she has been focused on the development of the Ridgewood Institute for Integral Psychotherapy, a group clinical practice in New Jersey.

Dr. Linda Ostrander (Ph.D. 1994) recently published Between Mothers and Daughters: A Collection of Poems and Lyrics across Generations, which includes her commentary and poetry and work by her mother, daughter and granddaughter. Click here to learn more about Dr. Ostrander's book.

Lois Roma-Deeley (Ph.D. 2000) was named the 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year, Community College, by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Dr. Roma-Deeley is currently poet-in-residence and head of Creative Writing and Women's Studies at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona.

Joyce Kinley (B.A. 2009) was named chair of the Cincinnati Board of Health. Improving the health and wellness of Cincinnati citizens has been part of Joyce’s career. She previously served as director of Community Relations & External Affairs at UC Health, University Hospital and was a 2010 Hero of Health recipient from the Commission on Minority Health.

Marine-mammal biologist and Union alumna, Denise Herzing (Ph.D. 1993), was featured in the September 2012 issue of Outside magazine. As the leading authority on Atlantic spotted dolphin, she is trying to achieve something that has never been done before: two-way communication with a wild species. In the interview, Dr. Herzing shares insights from observing the dolphin’s complex culture for 28 years.

Union alum, and founding president and CEO of Age Wave, Ken Dychtwald (Ph.D. 1976) was featured in Aging Today. Ken is an expert on aging-related issues including lifestyle, marketing, healthcare and workforce. His compelling article outlines the five core ingredients for becoming and remaining a leader in this field. He also recently earned the prestigious Leadership Award at the Annual American Society on Aging Conference.

Taupouri Tangaro (Ph.D. 2004) was named a 2013 Educator of the Year by the Native Hawaiian Education Association—one of the most prestigious awards in Hawaiian education. Dr. Tangaro is an associate professor and chairman of the humanities department at Hawaii Community College.

Alice Skirtz (Ph.D. 2006) published Econocide: Elimination of the Urban Poor. Dr. Skirtz was director of social services for the Salvation Army from 1969 through 1999 and was one of the founding organizers of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, now know as the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. Learn more about Dr. Skirtz and her book in her interview with Cincinnati.com.

Connie Silver (Ph.D. 1983) was featured in Women’s Wear Daily. Her painting exhibition “People Treed” was displayed at Art Basel in Miami Beach. She generously donated all of the proceeds from her Art Basel sales to New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, where she taught for more than 20 years.

Annemarie Colbin (Ph.D. 2002) presented an informative TEDx 2013 talk "How to Think About Food" in Manhattan. She is the founder and CEO of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, the oldest natural foods cooking school in the US. Dr. Colbin’s Ph.D. studies explored how systems theory, complexity theory, and quantum physics could be applied to nutrition.


Author, Brown University professor, and the director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Dr. Anthony Bogues (B.A. 1989), presented two special lectures in Cincinnati as part of Union Institute & University’s July 2013 Ph.D. residency. Dr. Bogues' major research and writing interests are intellectual and cultural history, radical political thought, critical theory, Caribbean and African politics and literature. He has authored numerous works including Caliban's Freedom: The Early Political Thought of C.L.R. James (1997); Black Heretics and Black Prophets: Radical Political Intellectuals (2003); and Empire of Liberty: Power, Freedom, and Desire (2010). Dr. Bogues earned his Ph.D. in Political Theory from the University of the West Indies, Mona in 1994.

Jim Stapleton (Ph.D. 1986) created Henry & Emily: The Muses in Massachusetts, a play about an imagined encounter between Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson. Stapleton and his wife Diana Bigelow perform the lead roles in the production. After 15 years of touring the Pacific Northwest and Vermont, Henry & Emily opened at Stage Left Studio in New York City in April.

As part of the 2013 National Cherry Blossom Festival, Union alumna Sirkku M. Sky Hiltunen (Ph.D. 1998) presented a lecture and demonstration about Japanese Noh Theater in Washington D.C. Noh Theater retains its plays, choreography, costuming, music and chanting as they were originally created 600 years ago. The presentation was followed by a special demonstration featuring masks, fans, chanting and dance kata. In addition, two performances of Mask Vignettes 2013, directed by Dr. Sky, were hosted at the Art and Drama Therapy Institute in Washington D.C. In 1991, Dr. Sky founded the Art and Drama Therapy Institute, Inc. (ADTI) with fellow Union alumna Dr. Margaret “Muggy Do” Dickinson, (Ph.D. 1987). ADTI is a medically supervised, therapeutic day treatment center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities located in an economically-depressed area of Washington, D.C., less than three miles from the White House. Dr. Do serves as the company's CEO, president, and program director, while Dr. Sky serves as executive vice president and executive arts director. ADTI has earned local, national, and international acclaim, especially for the institute’s music and theater programs.

Steven Paul Lansky, who earned his B.A. with a focus in creative writing in 1988, continues to use his talents to develop poetry, fiction, and drama. The Miami University creative writing instructor recently released a new audio book Jack Acid. The story, about psychedelic culture and mental illness, is available on cdbaby.com.

Whitney Harris (Ph.D. 1987) was recently named executive director for diversity at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. His responsibilities at MCTC include managing the Educational Equity Task Force, developing diversity training and guiding changes in college policies, practices and culture that support the College’s goal of achieving educational equity.

Union board member and alumnus, Richard N. Aft (Ph.D. 2000) recently earned the first Rob Portman Leadership Award presented by the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati. Dr. Aft was recognized for his 17 years with the CDFGC, his service as the longest-running board member, and his outstanding fundraising, participation and leadership in promoting a drug-free Cincinnati.

Scott D. Miller (Ph.D. 1991) is a Union alumnus and the president of Bethany College in West Virginia. His recent article “Finding the Value in College Affordability” investigates what a college education is worth in a time of rising tuition and a recovering economy. Click here to read Dr. Miller’s findings.

Janet Sims-Wood (Ph.D. 1994) was featured on NPR in February as part of the series “Working Late: Older Americans on the Job.” Dr. Sims-Wood is a 67-year-old librarian at Prince George's Community College in Maryland. Click here to read or listen to the full story.

Florida Fall Admissions Open House

Saturday August 17, 2013

10am-1pm

Florida Academic Center

16853 N.E. 2nd Ave, Suite 102

North Miami Beach, FL 33162-1746

Our Florida Academic Center, located in North Miami Beach, will host an open house in August. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Union Institute & University’s flexible bachelor's programs including:

• education
• criminal justice management
• business management
• social work
• maternal child health: lactation consulting

University representatives will be on hand to answer your questions and discuss your educational goals. Classes are forming now. This event is free and open to the public.

RSVP/Questions?
Francis Francois 305-653-7141 x2179

admissions-mi@myunion.edu

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.