Union In Action – UI&U Alumni Are Leaders in Higher Education

 “Union Institute & University stands with the larger society in recognizing the transformational impact that higher education has on the individual and the world around us. It’s only natural that when our learners graduate they seek to transform others through the power of education”
-Union Institute & University Provost Dr. Richard S. Hansen

What do Drs. Grace Jones, George Pruitt, Judy Walters, Maravene Loeschke, Scott Miller, Charles Simmons, Barbara Vacarr, and Mark Schulman all have in common?

They are all presidents at some of the country’s leading higher learning institutions.  And they are all graduates of Union Institute & University.

The total number of Union alumni/ae who today serve as presidents of higher education institutions stands at 16, and hundreds, even thousands more are changing the higher education landscape as provosts, deans, and top administrators, as well as faculty at colleges and universities across the country. These Union graduates are taking the knowledge they acquired at Union and applying to create lasting change as higher education administrators.

There is a reason so many Union graduates go on to be leaders of colleges and universities, says Dr. Arlene Sacks, dean of Education at UI&U. “For almost half a century, Union has served as a great cultivator for leaders in higher education administration because we follow two very clear paths: one, a mission of social justice, and two, a focus on ethical leadership. When we embed these areas into each of our seminars, whatever the area of study, our learners graduate with very definite theoretical and practical bases for application to positions requiring very thoughtful, high level decision-making skills. These attributes provide our graduates with the ability to be part of policy development for their own academic environments as well as to make decisions impacting the greater global community.”

 One can clearly see Union in action in the work of two college presidents: Dr. Mark Schulman and Dr. Judy Walters.

Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont was struggling when Mark Schulman assumed leadership of the college in 2002. He swiftly put together and implemented a successful strategic plan, and under his leadership, the college was able to grow, reestablishing itself as a thriving liberal arts institution.

Schulman gives the credit of saving the higher learning institution to three things: a little bit of luck, his team at Goddard, and the education he received at Union Institute & University.

“What Union was doing 40 years ago, thousands of college and universities are doing today. I’m proud to be a part of the change,” said Schulman, who earned his Ph.D. from UI&U in 1985. “Union helped me hone my abilities to think strategically. It gave me the capacity to set priorities and the motivation to make a difference.”

In fact, for Schulman – like many other college presidents who attended Union - it wasn’t just his academic course of study at UI&U that empowered him - it was the process itself. “Union taught me how to communicate effectively and to really understand group dynamics. It allowed me to become the kind of communicator and listener that has been very helpful in my career.”

Schulman recently stepped down from his leadership position at Goddard to serve as president of Saybrook University, paving the way for fellow Union alum, Dr. Barbara Vacarr, to take the helm at Goddard. (Read more about Dr. Vacarr in the next edition of @UI&U)

Dr. Judy Walters, president at Diablo Valley College (DVC) in northern California, is clear about her mission: to enhance the quality of life for her students. She credits this drive as being a direct reflection of her studies at Union.

Dr. Walters came to Union with a background in organizational management within higher education, and focused her studies on appreciative inquiry. She has used this organizational management philosophy in her work at DVC, and has since led the college through a series of defining moments, including the recent plans for the college commons area that is designed to meet LEED gold certification for buildings and green space. Groundbreaking is scheduled for Spring 2011.

“It was certainly a defining moment when we presented the designs for the campus commons project. The college foundation, donors, and external community people were here to see what we’ve started,” says Walters, who earned her Ph.D. from UI&U in 2006.

“My doctoral work at Union gave me the opportunity to explore how important the language and the stories that people tell each other is, and the role that these stories can play in an organization,” Said Dr. Walters.

At Union, learners become leaders. As the university continues to prepare learners to make positive and lasting change in their communities, more will go on to become leaders at colleges and universities across the country, applying both first-hand and academic knowledge in their efforts to transform higher education.