Lincoln’s Union College will become Union Adventist University

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Union College will soon change its name.

The board of trustees voted Monday to change the school’s name to Union Adventist University.

“We believe this name will better communicate Union’s scope as we broaden our graduate offerings,” board chair Gary Thurber said in a press release. “It also allows us to be distinct from the other colleges named Union while reaffirming our connection to a faith that puts service first and welcomes all who want to experience an outstanding Christian education.”

The change is set to take effect in May.

There are three other institutions in the nation called Union College and one called Union University.

Officials said the name change will help the Lincoln school differentiate itself.

They also think “university” carries more weight with people than “college.”

“We have moved to the point of not just having programs that reflect the name university, but we have to acknowledge the fundamental shift in society that recognizes that the name university holds a higher value than the name college,” Ben Holdworth, professor of religion, said in the release.

The name change also makes clear that Union is a religious school.

The college is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Christian denomination that observes Sabbath on Saturdays.

But President Vinita Sauder emphasized that anyone is welcome.

“Union offers a Christian environment and worldview, and students of all faiths are welcome to join our campus family,” she said in the release.