Student News
Spring 2023
Breanna Edmiston, a 2023 spring-semester graduate with a history major, will begin teaching history at Northeast Middle School in Jackson, Tennessee, in the fall and begin pursuit of Master of Education in History online at Liberty University.
Patricia Dawson, who graduated with a history major in 2013, finished her Ph.D. in Native American history at the University of North Carolina this spring. The title of her dissertation was "Our Hearts Are Straight: Cherokee Clothing in Early America." She will begin a full-time, tenure-track teaching position at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts in the fall.
Katie (Allison) Heatherly, a 2020 history major graduate, completed a Master of Arts in history at Baylor University this spring. She will begin a Ph.D. program in history at Notre Dame University in the fall.
Abigail Hobson, who graduated this spring, served as an archival intern in the Union University archives during the spring semester.
Luke Sower, who graduated with a history major in 2020, received a law degree from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University this spring.
Fall 2022
Makayla Baker, a junior history major, worked as an archival intern in the Union University archives during the fall semester.
Spring 2022
Anne Adams, a spring 2022 graduate with a double major in history and applied linguistics, received an assistantship from the University of Memphis to pursue a master's program in speech therapy starting in the fall. She won the spring semester Academic Excellence Medal in History.
Sandra Allen, a history major who graduated in May 2022, will begin a Master of Arts in Education program at Union University in the fall. She will also work as an employee of the Hardeman County Schools.
Walker Beasley, a May 2022 graduate with a history major, became the executive assistant to State Senator Paul Rose in the Tennessee General Assembly on June 1, 2022.
Elaura (Highfield) Guttormson, a history student from the Class of 2012, received her PhD in public history at Middle Tennessee State University in May 2022. She is the director of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum in Nashville.
Jack Jenkins, a junior history major, was the history archival intern in Union's library in the Logos during the spring semester.
Nicholas Terra, a May 2022 graduate with a double major in history and philosophy, will attend The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville in the fall to pursue a Master of Arts in theological and Biblical studies.
Fall 2021
Anne Adams, a senior majoring in both history and applied linguistics, worked as the history department's archival intern in the Union University library in the Logos during the fall.
Joseph Gee, a history minor who graduated in December 2021, will start teaching history classes at Horn Lake High School in Horn Lake, Mississippi, in the fall of 2022. He will also serve as an assistant coach for the school's soccer and baseball teams.
Jackson Waters, a December 2021 graduate with a history major, won the fall semester Academic Excellence Medal in History. He will attend the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Blue Bell, PA, in the fall of 2022 to pursue Master of Divinity degree.
Spring 2021
Walker Beasley, a junior with a double major in history and political science, spent the spring semester as an intern at the Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville as part of the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program.
Matthew Latham, a May graduate with a history major, will start a master's degree in history at Middle Tennessee State University in the fall.
Addison Osborne, a December 2020 history and political science graduate, works as a deputy scheduler in the Washington D.C. office of U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee.
Noah Ross, a graduating history major, will attend law school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville beginning in the fall. Savannah Wright, a graduating history major, will begin a master's program in the fall in library and information science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Fall 2020
Addison Osborne, spent the fall semester in Washington D.C. as a White House intern in the Office of Political Affairs.
Spring 2020
Leah Atkins, a graduating history major, will pursue a Master of Arts in Classics at the University of Oregon in the fall.
Macon Bullock, a senior history major, will teach eighth-grade social studies at Lakewood Middle School in Buchanan, Tennessee, in the fall and also pursue an online master's degree in history at the University of Memphis.
William Hazlerig, a graduating history minor, will begin law school at the University of Tennessee in the fall.
Megan Ledbetter, a senior history major, will be the middle school history teacher at Zion Christian Academy in Columbia, Tennessee, in the fall.
Mikayla Simpson, a graduating history major, will work for the Family Research Council in the fall, writing on public policy for life, culture, and women's advocacy. She will begin a master's program in apologetics at Bob Jones University Seminary in the spring of 2021.
Luke Sower, a May graduate with a history major, will attend the law school of Arizona State University in the fall on a scholarship.
Savannah Wright, a junior history major, worked as a history intern in Union University's archives during the spring semester.
Fall 2019
Katie Allison, a senior history major, defended her honors thesis on "Biblical Feminism: An Oxymoron? A History of Evangelical Feminists' Understanding of Biblical Justice and Biblical Authority" on December 9.
Leah Atkins, a senior history major, defended her honors thesis on "Poisonous Women: Gender and Power in Ancient Rome" on December 9.
Addison Osborne, a junior history major, served as a history intern in the Union University archives during the fall semester.
Luke Sower, a senior history major, defended his honors thesis on "The Lords of All Creation: Environmental Transformation in the Rise of Tenochtitlan" on December 3.
SPRING 2019
Audrey Cagle, a junior with a double major in history and business administration-marketing, represented Union University at a Division II Super Regional Student Athlete Advisory Committee conference in Orlando, Florida, on April 12-14. The meeting involved instruction in leadership, discussions of athletic issues, and networking among the represented athletic departments. Cagle, a member of the Union University women's varsity volleyball team, was among 150 athletes who attended the conference
Will Choate, a May 2019 graduate with a minor in history and major in English, will pursue a Master of Library Science degree at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville beginning in the fall.
Patricia Dawson, a 2013 history graduate, was awarded a Phillips Fund for Native American Research Grant from the American Philosophical Society to support her work on Cherokee clothing and identity prior to and including the time of their removal from the southeastern United States. Dawson is a Royster Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina.
Elizabeth (Blevins) Eubanks, a 2011 history graduate, successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in April 2019. She received her doctorate in American history at the school's spring commencement. Dr. Eubanks will work as a course lecturer at UTK in 2019-2020.
Megan Ledbetter, a junior history major, served as a history intern in the archives at Union University's Library in the Logos during the spring semester.
Addison Osborne, a sophomore with a double major in history and political science, received a 2019 summer internship working in the office of United States Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Avery Parks, who graduated with a history major in May 2019, will work as a pastoral intern at the Cornerstone Community Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
Cooper Thompson, a spring 2019 graduate with a history minor and a Christian ministry and missions major, will work this summer as a pastoral intern at First Baptist Church in Harrisburg, Illinois.
FALL 2018
Luke Sower, a junior history major, worked as a history intern in the Union University archives located in the school's library during the fall semester.
Spring 2018
Katie Allison, a sophomore history major, worked as a history intern in the archives at Union University's Library in the Logos during the spring semester.
Colby Benefield, a 2014 history major graduate, earned a Master of Business Administration degree at Union University in May.
Holden Bennett, a spring 2018 graduate with a history major, will begin a Master of Arts in Education program at Union University's College of Education this summer.
Byron Elam, a history major graduate of 2016, will begin a Master of Divinity program at Drew Theological School in New Jersey in the fall.
Mary Ellen Poe, a 2013 graduate with a history major, completed a Master of Divinity program at Princeton Theological Seminary in May.
Seth Reid, a 2018 history major graduate, received the Academic Excellence Medal in History from Union University in May. He will begin law school with a scholarship at Washington University in the fall.
Ali Renckens, who graduated in May 2018 with a history minor and double major in English and journalism, began work shortly after graduation as a corporate content coordinator for Jabil, a global manufacturing services company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jeff Williams, a history major who graduated in 2017, will complete his Master of Education at Union University in July and begin teaching history at Germantown High School in August.
Fall 2017
Lauren Butler, a junior history major, spent the fall semester studying at Oxford University in England.
Seth Reid, a senior history major, successfully defended his history honors thesis titled "The Votary of the Blue Flower: A Historical Reflection on Hope in the Life and Thought of C. S. Lewis" on December 8. He was also accepted with a scholarship at the law school of Washington University in St. Louis for the fall of 2018.
Spring 2017
Beth Adams, a spring 2017 graduate with a double major in history and English, will begin teaching 7th grade science in Como, Mississippi, in the fall.
Faith Bagley, a history major from the Class of 2015, earned an MA in public history at Middle Tennessee State University in May.
Jeremy Ebert, who graduated in May 2017 with a double major in history and business administration, started a human resources internship at TBDN Tennessee Company in Jackson right after graduation.
Patricia Dawson, a 2013 history graduate, earned an MA in American history at Oklahoma University in May. She also received a prestigious Royster Fellowship from the University of North Carolina, where she will pursue a PhD in American history beginning in the fall.
Byron Elam, who graduated with a history major in December, 2016, was elected the chair of the Madison County Democratic Party in April.
Elaura Highfield, a history student from the Class of 2012, will begin a PhD program in public history at Middle Tennessee State University in the fall.
Stephen Lewoczko, a May 2017 history graduate, will begin a Master of Education program at Union University in the fall.
Emily Littleton, a May 2017 graduate with a double-major in history and journalism, won Union University's spring academic excellence medals in both of her majors. She will commence a Chinese university language program in the fall that focuses on Mandarin Chinese.
Kathryn Mitchell, a spring 2017 graduate with a psychology major and history minor, will start a master's degree program in clinical mental health counselling at Austin Peay State University in the fall.
Priscilla Porter, who graduated in May 2017 with a major in theater and a minor in history, will begin work on a master's degree in theater performance at Louisiana Tech University in the fall.
Seth Reid, a junior history major, worked as a history intern during the spring in the Union University archives.
Luke Trammel, a 2014 graduate with a double major in history and political science, graduated from the law school of the University of Alabama in May.
Lowell Van Ness, a 2014 history graduate, completed his MA program in international relations at Texas A & M University in May.
The following history students were named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in the spring of 2017: Stephen Lewoczko, Emily Littleton, and Jordan Sellers.
Fall 2016
Beth Adams, a senior double-majoring in history and English, worked as the department's archival intern in the Union University Logos during the fall. She also participated in an archeological dig in Oklahoma in the summer of 2016.
Byron Elam, a December 2016 history graduate, started work as a case manager at the State of Tennessee's American Job Center in Jackson right after graduation.
Emily Littleton wrote feature stories for The Jackson Sun as a journalism intern.
Gideon Ragland, a December 2016 graduate with a history major, won the fall semester Academic Excellence Medal in History.
Spring 2016
Hannah Conway, a graduating accounting major with a history minor, was accepted at the University of Virginia to pursue a master's degree in accounting starting in the fall of 2016.
Lauren Geary, a senior English major with a history minor, was hired by the McDonald Group, an insurance and investment firm in Jackson, Tennessee, to begin work right after graduation.
Stephen Lewoczko, a history major, served as an intern in the Union University Archives in the spring.
Fall 2015
Jordan Sellers, a history major, worked as an intern in the Union University archives during the fall.
Olivia Winters, a history minor, served as an intern at the Madison County Archives in the fall.
Spring 2015
Faith Bagley, a spring 2015 graduate with a history major, will start a master's program in public history either at Middle Tennessee State University or Central Florida University in the fall.
Kayla Ketner, a spring 2015 graduate with a double major in English and political science and a history minor, will start an MA program in international policy at the University of Georgia in the fall. She worked as a history intern during the spring in the Union University archives located in the Emma Waters Summar Library. She also completed the discipline-specific honors program in political science this spring.
Evan Kunz, a Christian Studies major and history minor who graduated in the spring of 2015, will begin work on a Master of Divinity program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in the fall.
Bree McCuin, who graduated as a political science major and history minor in May 2015, completed the discipline-specific honors program in political science this spring.
Kensie Zills, a May 2015 graduate with a teaching and learning major and history minor, will start teaching 7th grade science and social studies classes at White Station Middle School in Memphis in August.
Hollie Wilson, a junior teaching and learning major who is a member of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, won the Miss Lauderdale County Pageant in April.
Lowell Van Ness, a 2014 graduate with a history major, will begin studies in the fall toward a master's degree in international affairs at Texas A & M University. He received funding from the university to support his study program.
Patricia Dawson, a 2013 graduate with a history major, will start an MA program in Native American history at Oklahoma University in August. She received a half-time assistantship and free tuition from OU to support her course of study. She will spend the summer of 2015 working at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., as the winner of a paid internship.
Mary Ellen Poe, who graduated in 2013 with a history major, will pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary in the fall. The seminary provided her a full tuition scholarship and the President's Fellowship that pays for room, board, and other expenses.
Caitlin Roach, a 2012 graduate with a double major in history and English, completed her MBA at Union University this spring. She works as a marketing services coordinator at Younger and Associates in Jackson, Tennessee.
Fall 2014
Faith Bagley, a senior history major, worked during the fall as a history intern in the Union University archives located in the Emma Waters Summar Library.
Nathan Handley, a December 2014 graduate with a major in journalism and a minor in history, will move from a part-time to a full-time job as a journalist for The Jackson Sun.
Shelby Pace, a December 2014 graduate with a history major, will begin pursuit of a master's degree in education at Union University in the spring of 2015.
Spring 2014
Colby Benefield, a spring graduate who had a double major in history and psychology, served the second half of his term as senior class vice president during the spring semester. He was also the recipient of an internship from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for the summer of 2014.
Haley Dauer, a history minor who graduated in May, will begin a nursing program at Union's Hendersonville campus in the fall.
Allie Durham, who graduated in May with a double major in history and French, will begin teaching French at the University School of Jackson in the fall.
Kenan Keller, a junior history major, traveled to France, Austria, and Italy in January as a part of a Union University travel/study group.
Grace Morriss, a May graduate with an engineering major and a history minor, has a job working as an automation specialist at Prime Controls in Dallas, Texas.
Charles Snow, a May history major graduate, worked as a history intern during the spring semester in the Union University archives located in the Emma Waters Summar Library.
Rachel Thomas, a history minor who graduated in May, will teach English in Madrid, Spain, during the 2014-2015 academic year.
Zach Thompson, a spring graduate with a double major in history and Biblical studies - languages, will start a year-long internship at a Jackson church in the fall.
Luke Trammell, a spring graduate who majored in political science and history, will begin his first year of studies at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in the fall.
Fall 2013
History major Colby Benefield, elected as senior class vice president in the spring of 2013, served the first part of his term in office during the fall semester.
Allie Durham, who has a double major in history and French, spent a part of the summer of 2013 studying French at the Catholic University of the West in Angers, France.
Heather Stricklin, a senior history major, worked as a history intern during the fall in the Union University archives located in the Emma Waters Summar Library.
Graduating history major Lowell Van Ness completed the Discipline-Specific Honors Program in History in January 2014. He was the first department student to do so. He also received the fall semester Academic Excellence Medal in History.
Spring 2013
Patricia Dawson, a history major who graduated in May, worked as a history intern at the Madison County Archives during the spring semester.
Danny Linton, a May graduate with a history minor, will work on a master's degree in Biblical exegesis at Wheaton College beginning in the fall.
Will Miller, a history minor who graduated in May, will attend Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville in the fall.
Elizabeth Shaw, a May graduate with a history major, worked in the Union University archives at the Emma Waters Summar Library during the spring semester as a history department archival intern.
Logan Smith, a history major and spring graduate, will begin a course of study toward a master of divinity degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary this fall.
Fall 2012
David Conway, a December graduate, received the fall semester Academic Excellence Medal in History.
Colton Gebben served as an history intern during the fall semester in the Union University archives located in the Emma Waters Summar Library. He also began work in the discipline-specific honors program in history.
Lowell Van Ness started a course of study in the history department's discipline-specific honors program.
Spring 2012
Rebekah Anderson, a history major and a spring graduate, will pursue a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, in the fall of 2012.
Reid Benson, a history minor who graduated in May, will attend the Nashville School of Law in the fall of 2012.
Graduating history major David Conway, worked as a history intern in the archives of Union's Emma Waters Summar library during the spring semester.
Cody Dew, a history major who graduated in May, had an outstanding 2012 season as a relief pitcher on Union University's varsity baseball team. As a result, he was named a first-team TranSouth all-conference pitcher in late April, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) made him an All-American Honorable-mention selection in early June. Cody will pursue a master's degree in education at Union University in the fall of 2012 and work as a graduate assistant for the baseball team.
Danny Grimm, a history minor and political science major who earned a bachelor's degree in May, had an exceptional 2012 season as the starting shortstop on Union's varsity baseball team, and he received several recognitions as a result. He was a first-team TranSouth all-conference infielder, and he was named to the TranSouth Conference Scholar Team. In early June, he was named a Capital One Academic second-team All-American and an NAIA baseball scholar-athlete (3.5 GPA or higher). Finally, Danny was honored at the Jackson/Madison County Hall of Fame Banquet on April 19 as the 2011-2012 male athlete of the year at Union University.
Elaura Highfield, a May history major graduate, received a teaching assistantship from Middle Tennessee State University to work on a master's program in public history beginning in the fall of 2012. She was also the winner of the 2012 A. F. Zimmerman Scholarship worth $1250 from Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society to do graduate work in history.
Kaleb Noblett, a spring history major graduate, won a scholarship from the University of Louisville to attend law school there in the fall of 2012.
Mary Ellen Poe, a junior history major, spent the spring semester studying at Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, in England.
Caraline Rickard, a history major and May graduate, will begin law school at Vanderbilt University in the fall of 2012.
Fall 2011
Elaura Highfield, a senior history major, worked during the fall semester as a history department intern in the archives of Union University's Summar Library.
Grant Kelley, a December graduate and a history major, was accepted at Wheaton College to begin work toward a master of arts in the history of Christianity.
History major Samuel Wiggin, who graduated in December, was the recipient of Union University's fall semester Academic Excellence Medal in History.
Spring 2011
Hunter Bragg, a graduating history major, received a major scholarship from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, where he will begin work toward a master of divinity degree in the fall.
Betsy Davis, a graduating senior with a double major in history and English, was accepted into the law school of the University of Kentucky, where she will begin her studies in the fall. She completed her term as president of the senior class during the spring semester.
Savannah German, a junior history major, worked as a history intern in the Union University archives housed in the school’s Emma Waters Summar Library.
Katie Mohler, a graduating senior history major, spent the spring semester working as an intern in the office of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Katelyn O’Roark, a graduating senior with a history minor and biology major, will continue her studies in the fall in the doctor of physical therapy program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Fall 2010
Senior history major Betsy Davis, elected senior class president in the spring of 2010, served the first part of her term in office during the fall semester.
Camille McCullar, received Union University’s Academic Excellence Medal for the history major based on students graduating in December.
Megan Winters, a junior history major, worked as a history intern in the archives of Union University’s library. She focused on the Tennessee Baptist Collection.
Spring 2010
Noah Arnold, a graduating history major, won the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society's prestigious Thomas S. Morgan Memorial Scholarship to pursue a master's degree in history. Noah will start his studies for an M.A. in history in the fall at the University of Mississippi.
Lauren Bogdan, a graduating history minor, has been accepted at Wheaton College for an M.A. program in Biblical archaeology. She will begin the program by participating in a 2010 summer archaeological dig followed by a fall semester of study at Jerusalem University College in the Middle East.
Shelby Johnson, a graduating senior with a double major in history and English, will pursue an M.A. in English literature in the fall at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Emily Stephens, a graduating history minor, has been accepted at the University of Arkansas for Medical Services to pursue a master's degree in the fall in public health policy and administration.
History major Mary Alisa Techentin spent the spring semester studying in Madrid, Spain.
Cameron White, a graduating history major, received a half-time assistantship from the Department of History at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville to do graduate work in history beginning in the fall of 2010.
Fall 2009
Elizabeth Blevins, a junior history major, spent six weeks in the summer of 2009 in Norway studying at the University of Oslo International Summer School as an international Rotary Club scholarship winner.
Cameron White, a senior majoring in history, worked part-time as a history intern in the archives of Union University located in the school's Emma Waters Summar Library.
Spring 2009
Joshua Abbotoy received a fellowship that covers all his educational costs to pursue an M.A. and Ph.D. in medieval and Byzantine studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He will begin his work there in the fall. Joshua also successfully defended on May 13 an Honors Thesis titled "How Political Fragmentation Impacted Byzantine Imperial Ideology, 1300-1453."
Sarah Conway, a history minor and chemistry major, was accepted to begin Ph.D. work in chemistry in the fall at the University of Texas at Austin.
Kathleen Cooper was accepted into the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University beginning in the fall.
Carl Harken was named All-Conference First Team as a pitcher in the TranSouth baseball conference. Carl had a 9-4 won-lost record and an ERA of 2.93 for the 2009 season.
Joshua Hays, a history minor and Christian ethics major, was accepted to begin work on a M.Div. at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in the fall.
Chad Keathley, a history minor and theology major, was accepted at the Beeson Divinity School of Samford University to pursue a M.Div. beginning in the fall.
Nathan Tilly was accepted at the University of Tennessee College of Law to begin studies there in August.
Fall 2008
Joshua Abbotoy, a member of Union's cross country team, was named a 2008 NAIA Scholar Athlete for having a Grade Point Average above 3.5.
Noah Arnold worked part-time as a history intern in the archives of Union's library.
December graduate Nick Brown will begin work as a legislative intern at the office of a U.S. Congressman in January, 2009.
Hannah Holliday attended summer school at Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria.
Spring 2008
Joshua Abbotoy, a junior majoring in history and English, spent the spring semester studying at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Turkey, as a part of a study abroad program at the State University of New York at Binghampton.
Marielle Dirkx, a May graduate with a minor in history, accepted a full scholarship to attend the law school of the University of Mississippi in the fall.
Carl Harken, a junior history major, was named the TranSouth Conference Baseball Co-Pitcher of the Week for the week ending April 6. The TranSouth Conference also honored Carl at the end of the regular season by naming him to the All-Conference second team as a pitcher.
Mary Beth Johnson, a double history/English major who graduated in May, was admitted to the law school of American University in Washington, D.C., for the fall of 2008.
May graduate Racheal Pressnell, who double-majored in history and English, was accepted into a master's program in literature at the University of Virginia for the fall semester.
Fall 2007
History major Joshua Abbotoy is working as an intern in the Union University library archives. The focus of his work is the Tennessee Baptist Collection.
Mary Thompson is doing as an internship at the Green Frog Historic Village in Alamo, Tennessee.
Union University history major and senior cross country team member Douglas Martin received NAIA All-American honors in cross country at the national championship meet in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in mid-November.
The NAIA named Union University cross country runners Joshua Abbotoy and Douglas Martin 2007 Scholar Athletes for having Grade Point Averages above 3.5.
Spring 2007
History major Mary Thompson is spending the spring semester studying at Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria. Union University granted her a Study Abroad Scholarship to help finance her expenses.
John Crawford, a senior history major and president of the Delta-Psi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, was accepted for admission to the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. He will begin working on a master's degree there in the fall of 2007.
Fall 2006
Department students Cameron Armstong, Matt Kuchem, Derrick Lambert, John Mark Walls, and Rachel Winford were among a group of Union students who served as representatives at the annual Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature on November 9-12, 2006. TISL provides an opportunity for college students to learn about the operation of Tennessee state government through participation in a mock legislature at the state capitol. Josh Clarke of Union served as the 2006 governor.
Derrick Lambert, a senior political science major, won a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, which is worth up to $26,000 for one year of graduate study in a foreign country. Rotary International sponsors the graduate scholarship program, which is intended to promote international understanding and good relations among people throughout the world. Derrick will spend the 2007-2008 academic year studying at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.
History major Abby Carpenter is spending the fall semester studying at Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria. She received a $1500 Study Abroad Scholarship from Union University to help finance her trip.
Spring 2005
Students Take Field Trip to State Capitol
On April 6, 2005, Dr. Judy LeForge accompanied her Tennessee History and Government class on a field trip to the State Capitol in Nashville. While there, the group met with State Representatives Jimmy Eldridge, Mark Maddox, and Chris Crider; took a guided tour of the Capitol; had their picture made with Governor Phil Bredesen; and observed a legislative session of the House of Representatives.
Dr. Judy LeForge and students meet with Tennessee
Governor Phil Bredesen. Those present include (front row, left to right)
Wesley Smith, Patricia Henry, Governor Phil Bredesen and Dr. Judy
LeForge; (back row, left to right) Emily Stopher, Christopher J. Turner,
and Garrett McElroy.
Department Students Spend Spring Semester Off
Campus
Political Science majors Jenny Buffington and Clayton Sanderson are working as government interns this spring, while history major David L. Frugé is studying in Europe. Jenny is a Tennessee state legislative intern working for the Senate Judiciary Committee in Nashville. Clayton has an internship at the State Department in Washington, D.C. where he serves as a White House liaison. David, meanwhile, is studying at Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria; he received a Study Abroad Scholarship from Union's Institute for International and Intercultural Studies to help finance this experience.
Fall 2004
Department Students Study in Austria and China
History major Mariann Martin and political science major Rachelle Haskins are spending the fall semester of 2004 studying overseas. Martin, the winner of a J. M. Powell Memorial Scholarship for Study Abroad and a Study Abroad Scholarship from Union's Institute for International and Intercultural Studies, is spending the semester at Salzburg College in Austria. She is studying German, Austrian literature, and European history. Haskins, who also received a scholarship from Union's Institute for International and Intercultural Studies, is taking Chinese language and political science courses at Inner Mongolia University in Hohhot, China.
Spring 2004
History Students Win Recognition at Civil Rights Conference
Kevin Vailes and Melissa Cartwright, both history majors, recently received recognition at the Fourth Annual Civil Rights Conference held at the University of Tennessee at Martin on February 23 - 28, 2004. They competed in the Second Annual Jo Helen Imani Beard Competition for scholarly papers on civil rights history. Kevin won first place, which included a certificate and money award, for his paper on "We Shall Overcome: A History of Racial Desegregation within the Catholic Church in the Southern United States.: Melissa, who wrote on "Wade Hampton Bolton," earned an honorable mention. Kevin presented his paper during a paper-reading session at the conference on February 27.
Kevin Vailes receives his first-place award for his civil
rights paper on the desegregation of the Catholic Church in the South
from Dr. David Coffey, Chair of the Department of History and Philosophy
at the University of Tennessee at Martin
Political Science Major Wins Witherspoon Fellowship
Adrienne Briles, a junior political science major at union, is spending the spring semester in Washington, D.C., as the recipient of a Witherspoon Fellowship. She is the second Union student to receive this prestigious award, which is a full-time paid internship with the Family Research Council, whose offices are in the nation's capital. Adrienne divides her time between work at the Council center and classes for political science credit. As a part of her responsibilities, she is doing a study on the life of William Jennings Bryan.
History Major Wins Two Scholarships for Study Abroad
Mariann Martin, junior history major, has been awarded the 2004 J.M. Powell Scholarship for Study Abroad. She will be studying at Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria during the fall semester 2004. In addition to this scholarship she was also awarded a $3000 Study Abroad Scholarship by the Institute for International and Intercultural Studies.
Fall, 2002
Students Work as Interns in London, Washington, D.C., and Jackson
Several department students — currently enrolled and recent
graduates — and one non-department student are working as interns in a
variety of settings. Sara Holmes and Emily Lavenue, both 2002 graduates,
are in London, England, working as interns for Labour Party Members of
Parliament. Sara is assisting Labour M.P. Martyn Jones by doing research
that will help in the formulation of opinions on different issues. Emily
is contacting constituents about issues for Labour M.P. Jane Griffiths.
Closer to home but still far from Union, junior history major David
Patterson is spending the fall semester helping serve as a link between
Republican organizations at the local level in ten states and the White
House; his responsibilities include following media reactions to the
president's agenda and writing briefs for the president. In Jackson,
Kevin Vailes, another history major, is working in the Tennessee Baptist
Collection at Union's library; his work is archival-related. Finally,
Rachel Watson, a Christian Studies major, is doing a political science
internship by working on the campaign staff to re-elect Bobby Carter as
a state senator from West Tennessee.
History Major Wins J.M. Powell Scholarship to Study Abroad
Adam Graig, a junior history major from Millington, Tennessee, has
won a J.M. Powell scholarship worth $1500 to study abroad in the fall of
2003. Adam will spend the semester in Salzburg, Austria, taking history,
German, and other courses at Salzburg College. The scholarship is based
on a student's academic record, which must include a cumulative GPA of
at least 3.0; a strong commitment to studying abroad; and the student
returning to Union for a minimum of one more semester of full-time work.
2002 Graduates Go to Law School, Graduate School
Tammi Gauldin, a political science/social work major, and Mary Beth Haltom, a history major, have started law school this fall at the University of Tennessee — Knoxville. Michael Burgett, meanwhile, has enrolled at the University of Memphis to begin work on an M.A. in history.
1999-2000 Graduates with History or Political Science Majors
- Brian Johnson, Billy Mauldin, Chad Perkins, and Jonathan Stewart are first-year law students at the University of Memphis.
- Matt Thomson is in his first year of law school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
- Brandon Byrd works in the archives and at the circulation desk of the Union University Library.
- Jason Dennis teaches history at Hardin County High School in Savannah, Tennessee.
- Steven Gream teaches history at North Pemiscott High School in Portageville, Missouri.
- Christopher Hosick is an officer with the Tennessee State Highway Patrol.
- Bruce McCartney is a teacher of history/government/economics at Dyer County High School in Newbern, Tennessee.
- David Meadows teaches eighth-grade social studies at Bolivar Middle School, Bolivar, Tennessee.
- Adrianne Perkins is employed at Porter-Cable in Jackson, Tennessee.
- Jeramee Rice is a legislative assistant in the Washington, D.C., office of United States Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.