It’s hard to believe how quickly my first year at Union has flown by, but it’s been said that it only takes a minute to fall in love. For me, it took just a “New York minute” to fall in love with this extraordinary job. Much of that love is inspired by our amazing students. What a wonderful, fascinating lot they are — from all walks of life and reflecting a diverse and almost dizzying array of interests. Witnessing their evolution into effective, faithful religious leaders is profoundly satisfying to me, as is watching our faculty work so lovingly and prodigiously to affect this transformation. Union is a lively place to be these days. This fall, we welcomed the largest class of MDiv students in recent memory — 102 exceptional women and men eager to devote their life’s work to congregational leadership, social justice and religious pluralism as we prepare them for progressive Christian ministries. Returning students, faculty, staff, and trustees are more energized than ever about Union’s future. There’s a hum of important things in the air. As a member of the Union community, you are an important part of this dynamic atmosphere of change, just as much as you represent our 174-year-long commitment to fostering positive change through progressive ministries. You share our belief that social change is inextricably linked to ecclesiastical enrichment of America’s soul. And you recognize that a single advocate for change, no matter how historic or visible isn’t enough to move us forward. We need hundreds ... thousands ... even millions of strong, informed voices and uplifted spirits pressing for change. That is why, as 2009 draws to a close, I am asking for your especially generous gift to Union’s extraordinary work — your contribution is critical to Union’s institutional vitality in the year ahead. We are counting on your participation to achieve our Annual Giving goal of $2.0 million, so that we may continue in 2010 with a fiscal strength equal to our philosophical ambition. As our country continues to grapple with making the notion of “change” more than just a political slogan or rallying cry, it is Union’s job to fill the pulpits of churches and other centers of worship and social communion with spiritual leaders able to inspire true change from the ground up; alive, soaring and forceful voices that speak directly to hearts and minds and move them to inspire and embody change as a daily part of their life’s expression. And with your support, we are molding those leaders each and every day. Each member of our current class chose Union over other seminaries because of our academically stellar history, our grounding in the great urban metropolis of New York, and our unparalleled relevance to the urgencies and opportunities of today’s world. They came to absorb Union’s mission so that they can one day personify, execute and make it their own. Our students are passionate, well-informed, creative and resolved. They want to serve and inspire. They see, as we do, the profound need for a religious awakening in our country. To draw people away from the church of cable news and the isolation of cynicism and hopelessness, and engage them in a communal effort to change the world and redirect its disquieting course. Their task is daunting. Unemployment and economic recession have shattered lives and given once secure people real fear about the future. And while those used to being on the underside of the economic divide have more company than ever, their hope is more fragile as well. Where are we headed? What are we to believe in? How can we reclaim a sense of faith in ourselves as individuals, as faith communities and as stewards of our society? Union is confronting those questions and nurturing the spiritual leaders who will illuminate the answers. Your financial support is an integral part that process, and I urge you once again to send it today, as generously as your means and commitment allow. With your support, Union will advance our new five-year plan, Focusing the Vision, Ordering the Priorities. It reaffirms Union’s four core commitments: - love and knowledge of God;
- preparation of religious leaders;
- academic excellence;
- and prophetic public service.
With those as our guideposts, the plan confronts five pressures that demand our bold and strategic response: - the financial pressures facing all academic institutions, and seminaries in particular;
- competitive pressure to attract diverse and talented MDiv students who have other appealing options;
- shifting demographics – economic, cultural and otherwise – that have altered the pool of students and the aspirations to which Union must appeal;
- upgrading our technological infrastructure to keep pace with a digital world; and
- building collaborative and nimble administrative practices to ensure our institutional health and integrity for generations to come.
These pressures do not simply confront Union; they confront the very foundation of religious education and influence in America. They confront me, and you, as important participants in both. Your support today, at the end of this momentous year, will enable Union to move forward through each of them in the year ahead. This moment offers Union an opportunity to strike a course that creatively and intelligently positions us as one of the innovative theological educators of this new reality, where the world’s most able leaders are smartly and faithfully trained to be at the vanguard of theological service and progressive change. That is our calling, and will be the result of your contribution to Union today. With deepest gratitude, Serene Jones President
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