JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 10, 2021 — Union University trustees ushered in new leadership, approved a remodel of the Brewer Dining Hall and made minor changes to the university’s bylaws during their Sept. 10 meeting on the Union campus.
Chad P. Wilson, who has served as the Board’s chairman for the last three years, presided over his last meeting in that role and handed leadership off to Robyn Hari, who has served as the Board’s vice chair for the last three years.
Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said university trustees have consistently provided strong, steady leadership, and he expressed gratitude to Wilson for his leadership and service as Board chairman.
“Chad is an alumnus who has cared well for Union University since his student days,” Oliver said. “He was the Board’s vice chair for three years, stewarding our finance and audit committee so faithfully. Now he has served as chairman during a time that has been incredibly challenging. His thoughtful, steadfast and capable leadership has been a blessing to Union.”
Wilson said serving as chairman of the Union Board of Trustees is one of the greatest privileges of his life.
“I love Union University, and I have since I was a student,” Wilson said. “It’s been an honor to serve the institution in this role, and to help advance its mission of providing students with an excellent, Christ-centered education. With Robyn Hari now taking over leadership, I’m confident that the Board is in excellent hands in the days ahead.”
Hari, a 1986 Union graduate, is the managing principal for the Nashville office of Diversified Trust Co., a comprehensive wealth management firm. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of ClearView Baptist Church in Franklin, Tennessee.
Hari and her family received the Union Family Legacy Award in 2019. Her father, Bob Agee, served as a Union dean and vice president before assuming the presidency of Oklahoma Baptist University. Hari and her husband Rod, a 1985 Union graduate, live in Brentwood, Tennessee, and have two daughters who are both Union alumni.
“Union University has been part of my family’s life for four generations, and it is an institution that is dear to me,” Hari said. “I’m thankful for Chad Wilson’s leadership over the past three years, and I trust that the Lord will enable me to continue the trend of excellent leadership by Board chairs. God has been faithful to Union for nearly 200 years, and we are looking forward to the university’s future.”
Trustees elected Jeff Perkins as vice chairman and re-elected Josh Dougan as secretary.
The Board also approved up to $2 million from the university’s cash reserves to remodel Brewer Dining Hall. The work will begin after the fall semester ends, and plans are for the project to be completed by the beginning of the spring semester.
Serving lines will be redone, with more visible food preparation, and all seating and furnishings will be redesigned.
“We have great food, and now we’re going to have a great facility to match,” Oliver said.
As part of a regular five-year review of the university’s bylaws, trustees made minor amendments – such as inserting Scripture references in Union’s statement of faith and adding two sentences to the statement of faith section on humankind: “God created only two genders and He fashioned each one of us as either male or female. Sexual relationships are designed by God to be expressed solely within a marriage between a man and a woman.”
“These additions demonstrate that our convictions flow from God’s Word,” Oliver said. “We are an institution and will continue to be an institution that is characterized by a firm commitment and obedience to Scripture.”
In his report to trustees, Oliver cited a strong fall enrollment of traditional undergraduate students and a positive financial status for the end of the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
During their meeting, trustees also hosted an appreciation reception for Union faculty and staff. During a Sept. 9 dinner prior to their meeting, trustees welcomed new full-time faculty members and recognized trustees who are concluding their service on the Board: Bill Dement, Rod Parker, Danny Sinquefield and Wilson.