List of Thammasat University people

Transcription

Voiceover: By nearly every standard Union University is a picture of success in private higher education; surging enrollments for 15 straight years, expanding campuses, and state of the art faciities, wide-ranging achievements, accreditation and awards, and the highest rankings and recognitions the university has ever received. But Union views its work through a different and distinctive lens measuring success by the consistency of its mission; pursuing moral and intellectual excellence in our daily lives, seeking to know and practice God's truth, helping students discover God's calling on their lives, showing them how to think and act Christianly across all disciplines, opening eyes to the needs of a global world, visualizing the future, and preparing people who will make a difference, and finding partners who will join us in advancing this mission. We believe these are the standards that will extend God's Kingdom, and that is the focus of Union University. David: Union University is a place that is building a reputation for its commitment to faith in learning, to reclaiming the Christian intellectual tradition, and it's all grounded in a missional and kingdom focused approach. There are over 4,000 accredited institutions in this country about 700 of whom claim to be church related, but only 120 that have a Christ-centered mission. Of those with a Christ-centered mission finding those with high academic quality to be recognized by the various periodicals across the country narrows that focus considerably. Union University is able to participate in that approach to education because of our commitment to our kingdom focus. Gene: One of the ways that we glorify God is through excellence. That means we push students in directions they've never been pushed because Christ is not merely a matter of the heart. He's also a matter of the mind. Female: It's definitely been a challenge. It's definitely been worth it though because I think without hard work in life you don't learn much. Jason: We're all here to live the life of the mind, live a life of inquiry with the person of Christ at the heart of it all. Scott: What we have here at Union is the unusual combination of high octane intellectual challenge with at the same time a deep and abiding and robust commitment to intellectual discipleship, to being disciples of Christ who love God with not only our bodies, and our souls, and our strength, but also with our minds. Voiceover: It's a commitment to serious rigorous academics calling upon our students and faculty to work together engaging the great ideas of history and the issues of our day prepared to think Christianly about those matters. Ashok: Union was the first place that offered me the ability to follow Christ as well as do scientific research to the best of my ability. I have this whole freedom to go in and work hard and discover and understand all the scientific processes which are just small things in the whole realm of the creation. Haelim: What does prehistoric art have to do with our innate sense of wanting to create as in the image of God? I get chills when I get to say such things in classrooms. Todd: These students are encouraged to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind. Male: I love to learn and I love to study. I've found that this is a place where that is fostered and that is encouraged. I'm not just expected to do my homework and turn in my assignments. They're not just great minds and great thinkers, they're also great teachers. Female: People are really genuine here about what they teach, and they love to teach. Male: We believe teaching is central to what we are about. It's one of the reasons that our faculty has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the outstanding teaching faculties in the country. I believe they're as good as any teaching faculty that can be found on any campus in America. Hunter: There are many Christian faculty members at Union University who could teach at some of the more prestigious secular institutions, but they want to be at a place where their faith is part of the package. That's exactly what Union wants, and that's what Union students want too. Male: I feel like I have been challenged to think and to not be satisfied with the status quo, with the way things are now. Female: I just love the fact that you don't have to compromise in any area to come here. You're not going to have that problem here at Union. Voiceover: Union University is a very special community. It's a place where people love each other, where they care for each other, where they're committed to each other. Union is a university that inspires love like no other university I've been a part of. Kevin: You can tell they really do love the students as more than just numbers sitting in chairs. Female: My professors and just the faculty and staff at Union have poured so much into me that the lessons I learned have been priceless not just in the classroom, but outside the classroom as well. Female: I would have never dreamed of the doors that have been opened for me. This last summer I was in an internship working with people on Wall Street. I wouldn't have had those opportunities if I wasn't here, and if I hadn't been right in the center of God's purpose. Norm: If we just educate students and they go out and become great at whatever they do, but they're not doing it for God's glory then there is simply no eternal value to the work of their heart, their head, and their hands. Kevin: When I hear Union, I think trust. Gene: We view that responsibility, that trust as a sacred trust not just for their physical well-being, but for their intellectual well-being, their spiritual well-being, and even their relational well-being. Jeannette: We do take our responsibility very seriously because not only are they representing us as engineers, but they're also representing Christ. Lynette: They're teaching them to be ready to face this world when they graduate. David: Union University is a place that is grounded in a very distinctive mission. Female: I love the gospel more every day as a result of Union. Kevin: That's what Union does, a great balance of academics as well as a missional heart to help them stay focused on their ultimate purpose in being here. Lynette: They're just continuing to build that foundation we started in our home that God has a plan for your life, now how do we get from here to there? Male: Union provides so much more than just an education. It definitely helps you develop your world view, and it helps you. It not only changes you, but it helps you change the world. Female: We know the truth, and we know what the world needs to hear, but we also need to take it to the world where they are. Union really understands that, and we just look at everything from a global perspective. The list is incredible for the mission trip opportunities. Kelly: I remember one specific incident from our mission trip and one of our students last year came to me about halfway through the trip, and with big tears streaming down his face he said, "I thought I came on this trip "to help other people, "but now I realize that it was for me." Voiceover: Our students through global opportunities and study abroad programs have literally been around the world, and if we're going to really make a difference for the cause of Christ, then we have to see that world. Male: Going abroad and studying abroad in Morocco allowed me to put all these different pieces together, and then understand God's future for me. It has definitely given me the understanding of the world that I did not have originally when I first came. Gene: Sometimes I'll read a kid's name at graduation and I know that kid, and I know I want to look up and see that kid come across the stage, and receiving that diploma and then headed off into the world to make a difference. David: We are involved in intellectual discipleship as the academic arm of the Kingdom of God preparing people to think Christianly so that they can live Christianly and serve Christianly with a global perspective making a difference for time and eternity. (dramatic music) Dub: Welcome to Union University. I'm Dr. Dub Oliver, the 16th president of Union. Union is a great university with over 100 programs of study for our students. At Union we integrate faith in everything that we do both in the classroom and throughout all of the student life experiences. It's a blessing to be a part of a close-knit and tight community that's committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We're so blessed that the Lord led us to Union, and we hope that he'll lead you here as well. God bless you.