Union Institute & University

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This article is about the Union Institute & University in Ohio. For other institutions of this or a similar name, see Union College (disambiguation).

Union Institute & University is a private college specializing in distance learning programs. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the University operates academic centers there as well as in Montpelier and Brattleboro, Vermont; Miami, Florida; Los Angeles, California; and Sacramento, California. It received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission in 1985. Union currently enrolls approximately 2,000 students from all 50 states and more than 20 countries worldwide.

Currently, Union Institute & University offers the following degree programs: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Science; Master of Arts; Master of Fine Arts; Master of Education; Ed.D. in Educational Leadership (K-12) and Higher Education; Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology; and Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies.^[1]

[edit] History

Union Institute & University traces its origins to 1964, when a group of ten liberal arts colleges established a consortium called "The Union for Research and Experimentation in Higher Education." The consortium, headquartered at the campus of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, included a number of schools experimenting with alternative education philosophies during the period, including Antioch; Sarah Lawrence College; Bard College; Hofstra University; Goddard College; Franconia College; and Nasson College. Renamed the "Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities" in 1969, the consortium directed its focus toward providing educational opportunities for non-traditional students whose needs were best served by a non-residential college experience.^[2]

The consortium later became an independent degree-granting institution calling itself "The University Without Walls" (1971), and then "The Union Institute" (1989). After acquiring Vermont College in Montpelier, Vermont from Norwich University in October, 2001, it was renamed Union Institute & University.^[3] The purchase of Vermont College added several master’s degree programs and an Adult Degree Program to Union Institute & University’s existing undergraduate and doctoral programs, providing a progression of degree opportunities, along with certificates in advanced graduate study. U.S. News and World Report lists Union Institute as a fourth-tier National University.^[4]

Since 2002, Roger H. Sublett serves as Union Institute & University’s fifth president.^[5] Under Sublett, who made a name for himself as director of the Kellogg Foundation from 1991-2001,^[6] the institution has undergone major academic and structural changes, designed to reposition the Union Institute as a premier long-distance and low-residency university.^[7]

[edit] References

^ “Degree Programs,” Union Institute & University < http://www.tui.edu/programs/prospective.asp >.
^ David Bates, “A Brief History of the Union Institute and University”(2002) < http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~hendra/Briefhis.html >.
^ ”Vermont College Forges New Union,” Vermont Business Magazine (1 August 2001) < http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3675/is_200108/ai_n8960495 >.
^ "Union Institute and University" America's Best Colleges 2007. U.S. News and World Report. Accessed 14 March 2007.
^ “Meet the President,” Union Institute & University < http://www.tui.edu/history/president.asp >.
^ Kellogg Foundation < http://www.wkkf.org >.
^ “Union Institute Rules Get Stricter,” Cincinnati Enquirer (27 March 2004) < http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/27/loc_union27.html >; “Union Institute To Sell 2 Historic Buildings,” Cincinnati Enquirer (4 July 2006).