JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 25, 2023 — Union University celebrated its 25th annual Scholarship Banquet Oct. 25 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson with a concert by Christian recording artist CeCe Winans.
With more than 1,500 donors, students and community members in attendance, the 2023 Scholarship Banquet was the largest event to date.
“What we do at Union matters. And the reality is, we can’t do it without people who support us,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “We want students to have a transformative, Christ-centered experience.”
Union’s first Scholarship Banquet was held in 1997 with featured speaker Lou Holtz, former football coach at Notre Dame. Since then, the banquet’s keynote guests have included such world leaders and entertainers as George W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, George H.W. Bush, Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev, Condoleezza Rice, Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin and many others.
The banquet was not held in 2008 following a campus-ravaging tornado and in 2020 during a global pandemic.
“There’s no doubt that Union has had a proud and prestigious history through the course of these past two decades of Scholarship Banquets,” Oliver said.
He recognized those who had been sponsors of 20 or more banquets since the event began -- Ken and Sandra Brasfield, City Lumber Co., FirstBank, Gil and Judy Fletcher, Bill and Peggy Graves, Rod and Amy Parker, Regions Bank, Kenny and Lisa Rogers, West Tennessee Healthcare and Rainey, Kizer, Reviere and Bell.
FirstBank and Elite Contractors were the lead sponsors for this year’s Scholarship Banquet.
Winans, the bestselling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, said she was grateful to be part of an event that raises support for student scholarships.
“I’m so glad that there are people who care and people who understand the importance of being generous,” she said. “We serve a God that teaches us how to give, how to love.”
Prior to her concert, Oliver led a panel discussion with two professors, one student and one alumna from Union’s McAfee School of Business about the mentorship and discipleship that takes place at Union. Oliver referenced a new building under construction on campus that will house the McAfee School of Business and the departments of computer science and engineering.
“We get really excited about these new buildings that we’re building, but we get even more excited about what happens inside the buildings at Union,” Oliver said. “Because at Union, we believe in the transformative power of mentorship and discipleship. Our students are not nameless faces to us. They’re not people who just walk our halls and sit in our classrooms. They are individuals who are made in the image and likeness of God.”
Santhosh Abraham, associate professor of accounting, spoke about volunteering as an internal auditor for Wycliffe Bible Translators, work that took him to Malaysia and Thailand in the last year.
“One important part of accounting is making sure that people are good stewards of the resources they have,” Abraham said. “On all my trips, I usually make it a point to take a student with me. This is an awesome opportunity to see how business works in practice and how a lot of what you’re talking about in class actually comes into play in real, practical situations.”
Union senor Evan Thompson accompanied Abraham on his most recent trip and said the experience taught him a valuable lesson.
“I could do things for the kingdom with my accounting knowledge,” Thompson said. “I felt like that was very influential.”
Colene Trent, associate professor of economics, said she appreciates the opportunities for mentorship that Union provides.
“I think professors can find students who need mentorship by being authentic in the classroom,” Trent said. “So, I always make sure that my students know my passion for economics and that they get to know about me, they get to know about my family. I find that those students who want to be mentored will come forward. … Coming alongside those students and helping fulfill their God-given purpose is what I’m able to do through Union.”
Jennifer Tibbs, a 2020 graduate and a bank examiner with the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, said Trent provided perspective and friendship that began during her undergraduate years and continues to the present.
“She always made it a point to say no matter what you do, no matter the field you choose, you can use your God-given talents and glorify him in the workplace,” Tibbs said. “Dr. Trent pushed me personally to be a better person in Christ, and I believe if you’re the best person in Christ, you’re going to be the best professional in the workplace that you can be.”
