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The Nursing Program and Enrollment Services have collaborated to make Union's Nursing Program more attractive to prospective students. In the first phase, the team identified barriers that were holding back qualified candidates from choosing Union. The research led to changing admission criteria, improved scholarships (particularly for transfer students), implementing rolling admissions, and changes in campus living requirements for local students. 

Competition for nursing students in the Lincoln area is strong, and the next stage is changes to curriculum to speed degree completion. These are still pending approval of accrediting bodies. Union has also increased advertising the nursing program in less competitive markets, such as on the West Coast. Results from these campaigns are expected to be seen beginning in 2026.          

This was a problem …

Do you know which one was our logo from 2003 to 2021? A lot of perspective students, parents, alumni, and even our accreditors struggled to tell the schools apart. People sometimes say “Union College is the best kept secret,” but we don’t want to be a secret! It’s very hard to build name recognition when so many other institutions share your name.

In most of the world, if you searched for “Union College” on Google, we didn’t show up until the second page of results. In 2021, we launched a new logo, new color scheme with a brighter red and switched fonts, all to avoid confusion with other “Union Colleges.” Our goal was to be bold with our brand. It helped reduce confusion, but was far from eliminating it.

In 2024, we made the even bolder step to change our name while keeping the other elements of our visual identity and messaging the same. We still may not have high brand recognition, but at least someone looking for information about us now find us, and not a school in New York, Kentucky or New Jersey.

Almost a year into the new name, we’ve stopped having hockey players sending our athletic director demo videos. We’ve had no complaints from parents that the online calendar lists the wrong dates for vacations since they now find our calendar and not another school’s. People whose first language isn’t American English no longer think we are a high school. And the Adventist Accrediting Agency didn’t tell us our website isn’t “Adventist” enough. These are all things that used to happen regularly.

We are still in transition, and many alumni will never make the switch in their heads. That’s OK. We love our history too. This rebranding plus the name change has given us a foundation upon which we can grow awareness. There is only one “��������,” and it perfectly sums up who we are and what we offer. We are a university, we are Adventist, and we are in this together. 

This is a solution ...

Students in Union's psychology program can now start careers in counseling directly after graduation without waiting to finish a master's degree. By becoming provisional licensed alcohol and drug counselors during their undergraduate experience at Union, students can begin work right away in any inpatient or outpatient facility that provides services related to substance abuse. Under supervision, they then complete the on-the-job hours required to become a fully licensed counselor. Learn more about PLADC certification at Union here. 

Human Resources, in consultation with stakeholders across campus, completed the employee onboarding redesign in 2024 and has implemented it with success. Over the years, the process had become cumbersome with many departments requesting to meet with new employees. Scheduling so many meetings sometimes delayed the process for months. The redesigned the onboarding process includes only six required department visits to gather or provide information for only the most critical aspects for the new employee’s success. Other important information is saved for an orientation held once a semester. The result has been a 100% completion rate.

Following pandemic, the employee mentorship program needed a jump start. The program is now administered by a committee rather than the President’s Office. The committee assigns mentors and provides funding for one meal a month. Beginning in the fall, they will also be providing more formal training for mentors. 

Work has continued on Union's residence halls since 2019 thanks largely to alumni donations and the eager assistance of Maranatha Volunteers International. 

From 2019 to 2021, 63 out of the 170 dorm rooms in Rees Hall were remodeled with new flooring, paint and cabinets. 

“Normally the east wing has been an area that the ladies avoided, and they would want to stay on the west wing,” said Emily Patterson, one of the women’s deans, in 2021. “Our east wing is completely full right now, and that is a first ever in all my years here.” The dorm renovations have a great impact on students, making them feel safer and more at home in their living space. “They’re sleeping, hanging out with their friends, and studying in the dorm rooms — that’s where they spend the majority of their time on campus, so it’s really important they have a nice place to stay.”

Approximately half of Prescott Hall rooms were updated in the summers of 2023 and 2024. The renovations also extend to the hallways of the updated floors, which are getting new paint and carpet, and the downstairs rec room, which has been remodeled to provide more space for socializing.

This school year, sophomore Lucas Mamier was eager to move into one of the remodeled rooms, particularly appreciating the durable vinyl flooring. “The new f loors are more forgiving if you accidentally knock over a cup and much easier to clean than carpet,” he said. “My room is going to feel fresh and clean!”

Dean Santi Fernandez expressed gratitude for the alumni and donor support. “Union has always been a strong community, and it is reassuring to have people who give so our students feel that spirit of care,” he said. “Last August, I walked a student to one of the updated rooms, and when I opened the door, his mouth dropped open. He looked at me and asked, ‘Is this really my room?’ He was so happy and grateful for the opportunity to live in such a nice dorm room that he got emotional. I am personally thankful to the alumni and friends of �������� who have made him and so many other students feel valued and loved.”

Work on this project is ongoing and relies heavily on the generosity of alumni.          

Photo of a remodeled room in Rees Hall. Note the durable vinyl flooring and new custom cabinets.

If you walk through a dorm hallway or common area at �������� on any weekday night, you’ll likely see a group of students praying, studying the Bible, crafting or exercising — and often mixing three or more of those activities. Since 2023, the Residential Life team and Campus Ministries at Union have been emphasizing small groups as a way of creating low-anxiety social connections. 

Gen Z has been dubbed “the anxious generation” and “the loneliest generation,” with surveys suggesting that nearly a third of 12-27 year olds experience strong social anxiety. Many struggle with the large and loud student events Gen X and Millennials enjoyed as students. Students have expressed an appreciation for the limited size of their group, which allows them to feel comfortable opening up and participating in whatever activity the group is focused on. 

Eight groups meet in and around the women’s residence, Rees Hall:

• Pop-In is a casual craft-based small group where members can “pop-in,” make something, and enjoy conversations with others. The event meets Tuesday mornings and is led by Stacy Stocks, dean of students, and Emily Patterson, associate dean of women.
• Sweat Squad is an exercise group led by students Olivia Sweet and Kylee Anderson on Tuesday evenings.  They are focused on healthy living, exercise, and prayerful meditation. They meet in the Rees lobby but usually walk to other places on campus for varied activities. 
• Flowers and Prayers meets in Rees Hall on Wednesday evenings. Led by students Madison Prokosch and Abby Ottinger, the group delivers flowers and handwritten prayers to other students in the dorm. 
• Organized by students Annie Cobaxin and Calista Covel, Baking and Bibles meets in the Rees Hall Club Room Kitchen. Every Wednesday evening, members bake something and have a Bible study while waiting for their oven timers to go off. 
• Students Katie Zeismer and Cam Burgos lead Hooked on Happiness on Thursday evenings in Rees Hall. They knit and crochet together while sharing devotional thoughts. 
• The WWJD group (Worship and Workout Joyfully Done) gathers on Friday mornings to exercise, bond and study the connection between health and faith. Student Ashira Campbell leads the group in the basement of Rees Hall. 
• Picnic and Prayer has been meeting in front of Rees Hall on Friday afternoons while the weather has been pleasant. Led by students Annie Cobaxin and Calista Covel, food is always provided so there’s no need for other students to bring anything. 

Five groups meet in and around the men’s residence halls, Prescott and Culver:  

• Kicking with Christ and the Endzone of Faith meets on Sundays in Culver Hall. Organized by Benie Kiyala, the students pre-game with a Bible study then watch sports together. 
• The Disc Golf group meets every second Tuesday evenings to play disc golf. They play at locations across Lincoln, and student leaders Jonah Zwiefel and Caleb Tam bring extra discs for new members and prizes for winners.
• Bible Reading is a group led by students Ethan Needles and Fernando Montes-Lopez. The students are currently focusing on reading the Pentateuch together in short and casual meetings. 
• Led by students Braden Essex and Lucas Mamier, Interactive Bible Study brings together residents of the second and fifth floor of Prescott Hall for Bible study, prayer and discussion each Wednesday evening. 
• Time to Question is a Friday evening Bible study in Prescott Hall led by Moises Cruz-Lopez. Participants work through questions they have in a spirit of collaboration and honesty. 

These are in addition to even more small group Bible studies organized through Campus Ministries with names like “Christ on Demand,” “Band of Brothers,” and “Evidential Faith,” as well as groups based around understanding specific books of the Bible. during the 2024-2025 academic year, students had at least nineteen small group opportunities on the calendar each week to connect socially and spiritually. And if none of the existing groups sounds interesting, the Residential Life deans and the campus chaplain are always looking to support students who want to start new small groups. 

The Safety Committee identified five priorities:

1. More widespread use of electronic door locks,
2. Adding exit sensors,
3. Ensuring doors are closed and locked,
4. Increased camera coverage,
5. An additional Campus Safety employee.

In less than one year the Safety Committee fundraised, purchased, and installed the equipment needed to successfully mitigate the second safety priority on campus: installing request to exit sensors at five different entrances into buildings across campus. Those sensors allow a person in a wheelchair, or anyone who is physically unable to push on a crash bar to open a door, to safely exit a building after it is locked. The request to exit sensors override the locking mechanism on the doors and allow the doors to be opened with the button even though the building is already locked.