Sacramento, CA Open House

Friday, November 9, 2012

11:00am - 1:00pm PST

Meet our professors and learn more about Union Institute & University degree programs. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

For more information call (916) 564-3100 x1511

Union Institute & University
Sacramento Academic Center
160 Promenade Circle, Suite 115
Sacramento, CA 95834

California Commencement Honors Fallen Officer; Mayor Quan to Speak

Union will present a new graduate with the Sergeant Mark Dunakin Award for Extraordinary Achievement

SACRAMENTO, CA – Students from Union Institute & University’s (UI&U) Sacramento and Los Angeles Academic Centers will converge July 24th at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Sacramento to participate in the Union Institute & University California Commencement. The new graduates have earned undergraduate or graduate degrees from the private, non-profit university that, since 1964, has provided higher education opportunities for adult learners. The Honorable Mayor Jean Quan, the first woman and first Asian-American to be elected mayor of Oakland, will deliver the keynote address.

The commencement also marks the inauguration of the Mark Dunakin Award for Extraordinary Achievement, to be presented at the California Commencement each year to a law enforcement officer and graduate of the university’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Management program. The award, given to an officer who represents the best in his or her field, was established in honor of Mark Dunakin, a sergeant with the Oakland Police Department and graduate of the Sacramento Academic Center’s CJM program, who was killed in the line of duty in Oakland in March of 2009.

Mayor Quan was elected to her current position after serving for eight years and two terms on Oakland's City Council. Throughout her public service career, she has championed several public safety initiatives. As a city council member she expanded neighborhood crime prevention programs, CORE (Citizens Organized to Respond to Emergencies) training, and added new services for sexually exploited minors and victims of domestic violence.

“As an advocate for public safety and higher education in Oakland and beyond, Mayor Quan’s participation at our California commencement is a testament to Sergeant Dunakin and the valuable work our students and alumni in California do every day to uplift and improve their neighborhoods and to keep residents safe,” said Dr. Roger H. Sublett, president of Union Institute & University. “Mayor Quan shares Union’s commitment to empowering lives and communities. We are deeply honored that she will serve as our commencement speaker.”

Union Institute & University’s California Commencement will begin at 11 a.m., July 24, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, 6151 H Street, in Sacramento. For more information contact Nicole Hamilton, PR Manager, at Nicole.hamilton@myunion.edu, or at 513-487-1194.

Wanted by Cops: UI&U's Criminal Justice Program

SACRAMENTO, CA – Union Institute & University’s (UI&U) Sacramento Academic Center is now making degree completion even more accessible for law enforcement professionals in Northern California - by bringing higher education to them. The university recently launched sites at the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Regional Training Center and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department in support of its growing Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Management (CJM) program – the university’s largest and most popular BS program.

The private, non-profit university has plans to grow the CJM program into large metropolitan areas including Fresno and the Bay area. Dr. James Rocheleau, associate provost of special projects and former dean of the California Centers, says his goal is to open two new CJM sites in California each year.

“The sites in Stanislaus and San Mateo are a testament to how popular – and successful – our criminal justice management program has become,” said Rocheleau. “We listened to what law enforcement professionals wanted and created a program that is convenient, accelerated, academically rigorous, and affordable.”

More than 350 learners are currently enrolled in the CJM program and four current California sheriffs, including Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, are graduates of UI&U’s CJM program. Law enforcement professionals seek UI&U’s CJM program because they can earn advanced credit for police academy training, complete courses in eight weeks, and learn from former police officers who have extensive experience in criminal justice management.

As an alumnus, Sheriff Christianson has been looking forward to bringing the program to Stanislaus County. “This is an excellent partnership and a unique educational opportunity for members of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department,” said Sheriff Christianson. “Union's program is tailored to the needs of those working in criminal justice today and it sets the stage for them to advance and become leaders in public safety.”

In addition to these new sites in northern California, UI&U now has a total of 10 sites throughout California, including locations in San Bernardino County, Arcadia, Brea, Orange County, and Palmdale, all in response to growing demand for CJM degree completion programs. The LA center already has successful agreements with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

For more information about the Sacramento Academic Center’s new sites contact Dr. James Rocheleau, associate provost for special projects at 888.862.9950, x1518 or x1710, or james.rocheleau@myunion.edu.

California Commencement July 19

UNION INSTITUTE & UNVERSITY JULY 19 COMMENCEMENT TO HONOR GRADUATES FROM ACROSS CALIFORNIA

Dr. Hanmin Liu, president of San Francisco-based Wildflowers to deliver keynote;
fallen officer to receive posthumous degree

SACRAMENTO, CA – Learners from across California will converge at the Lionsgate Garden Pavilion July 19, in McClellan, CA, to participate in Union Institute & University’s California Commencement. The new graduates, ages 24-63, are learners from UI&U’s Los Angeles and Sacramento Centers who have earned undergraduate or graduate degrees from the private, non-profit university that provides higher education opportunities for adult learners.

Dr. Hanmin Liu will deliver a keynote address that focuses on living a life dedicated to service and community activism. His Francisco-based Wildflowers Institute, an organization he founded in 1997, believes the best way to address social problems is to help communities identify and leverage existing social and cultural assets to empower the community to take ownership of a direction and a culture that are aligned with its economy.

Dr. Liu, a UI&U Board of Trustee member, is himself a graduate of UI&U, having earned his Ph.D. from the university in 1978. He is also a former admissions counselor, who brought an innovative approach to his work as Union recruited learners on the West Coast. “Union gave me the space fundamental in the development of my life as a social activist,” said Dr. Liu. “I’m very grateful for this. It is still a platform that I grow from and it really exemplified the work I’m doing now.”

The university will also bestow a posthumous degree to the family of fallen Oakland Police Officer Mark Dunakin. Officer Dunakin was just a few months away from earning his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management from UI&U’s Sacramento Center when he and three fellow officers were fatally shot in the line of duty in March. His degree will be presented to the Dunakin family by UI&U President Dr. Roger H. Sublett.

“Sergeant Dunakin is an inspiration to the entire Union community by living Union’s mission to give back to the community in a life of service,” said Dr. Sublett. “We are honored to celebrate his life and his graduation alongside his family and fellow learners.”

UI&U, a private, non-profit university that provides higher education opportunities for adults, is headquartered in Cincinnati, and has centers in Vermont and Miami, as well as Sacramento and Los Angeles. The July 19 commencement will take place at 11 a.m., at the Lionsgate Garden Pavilion, 3410 Westover St., McClellan.

For more information contact Tahlya Cox at Tahlya.cox@myunionedu or at 800.486.7049.