Union College Campus Profile

 

Union College
310 College Street, Barbourville, KY 40906

http://www.unionky.edu

 

CAMPUS AT A GLANCE & KEY FACTS

---

Since its origin in 1879, Union College has ignited students from throughout Appalachia, and all over the country, with a collegiate experience to ensure lifelong success. Union is grounded by four pillars that define our focus as an academic institution: service to each other and our communities; our Appalachian culture and heritage; our core affiliation with Methodism and the liberal arts academic experience. The four pillars highlight Union’s strengths, values, mission and identity.

 

BONNER PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

---

The Union College Center for Civic Engagement has been established to honor our mission and our college family’s desire to serve our community. It serves as a tool for Union students to become better world citizens and to assist them in organizing opportunities for community service and social justice. Throughout their work, students develop an understanding of leadership, the process of leadership and development of leadership skills as related to serving the community while gaining an appreciation for civic engagement and community building.

The Center for Civic Engagement serves as a clearinghouse for all community service and civic engagement involving Union College, connecting community needs with Union’s resources. The mission of the Center for Civic Engagement is to engage our students, faculty, and staff in developing relationships with our community through service; addressing individual and community needs, analyzing the social and economic factors which impact these needs, inspiring sustainable growth, and establishing a framework for life-long commitment to civic engagement.

 

Type of Program:  Bonner Leaders Program

Year Began:  2015

Bonner Program Website:  http://www.unionky.edu/departments/center-civic-engagement

Application Deadline for 2017: 

Where is the Bonner Program located: Center for Civic Engagement

Number of Bonner Students:  8

Highlighted Bonner Specific Programs:

 

• Clearfork Community Institute: Union College is the closest college to Eagan, Tennessee, the birthplace of Mrs. Corella Bonner and where you find Clearfork Community Institute ("Clearfork").  Clearfork is a primary community partner of the Union College Bonner Leader Program and of the Center for Civic Engagement, and students are involved with Marie Webster, Director of Clearfork, in developing a program in which Union Bonner students will provide services to children from the same neighborhood as Mrs. Bonner.  

 

• Bonner Orientation Begins With a Trip: In August 2015, Union College welcomed its first group of freshmen into the Bonner Leader program.  Orientation began within a few hours of students moving onto campus, at which time we loaded vans and headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where we spent time in a beautiful cabin, hiked, and got to know each other.  Leaving so soon for our trip was not our first choice but was in fact necessary to accommodate other scheduling needs of the campus.  The 2015 Bonner freshmen had a great time and have decided that loading the vans for a trip within a few hours of moving onto campus is exactly the way it should be, so we plan to make this a tradition. 

 

CAMPUS-WIDE ENGAGEMENT AT A GLANCE

---

• The Golden Can: The Golden Can Food Drive Campaign is a competition between colleges in our region, sponsored by Kentucky Harvest Southeast, an organization who moves food from people who give it to people who need it.  The college campus who collects the most food is awarded possession for one year of a "traveling" gold trophy made from a very large food can.  The Union College campus becomes excited about this event and has won the trophy for five years in a row which is every year since the competition began!

 

• The Facing Project: The Union College Center for Civic Engagement has partnered with The Facing Project organization, a nonprofit that connects people through stories to strengthen communities. The Facing Project provide tools, a platform, funds, and inspiration so communities can share the stories of citizens through the talent of local writers, artists, and actors.   “Facing Addiction, It’s Our Move” is a multi-year, multi-phase project. The first phase of the project began during academic year 2012-2013 and resulted in the publication of a book by this title in which 11 short stories were gathered, but due to continued campus and community interest in project as well as the continuing problem in our area, we have decided to expand on the original project.  In March 2016, students involved with this project saw President Barack Obama speak about addiction in Atlanta, Georgia at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit.  Coming phases of the project include a student-written play and the collection of oral  histories from individuals whose lives have been impacted by addiction.