What does my gift to The Union Fund support?
Every part of campus is impacted by gifts to The Union Fund. Click on the headings to read about a few examples of the thousands of ways your support makes the Union experience possible.
Student Scholarships
Supporting student scholarships is one of the most powerful ways you can shape the future. When you give, you’re not just helping students pay for school, you’re unlocking opportunities, sparking ambition, and lighting the way for someone’s dreams to take flight. Scholarships do more than ease financial stress. They speak volumes. Your gift says, I see your potential. I believe in you. That kind of belief? It’s magic. It fuels confidence, inspires perseverance, and helps students rise above the noise of doubt to focus on what matters: learning, growing, and becoming the kind of person who changes the world. When you support a scholarship, you’re not just writing a check — you’re writing a new chapter in someone’s story. And it’s one filled with hope, purpose, and possibility.
Laboratory Equipment
Micropipettes may sound like a band name from a groovier time, but science students would be lost without them. These measuring tools can get surprisingly expensive, but so can just about everything else needed for chemistry labs and research. From microscopes to stirrer hot plates (for science, not ramen) and a Van de Graaff generator for those shocking moments of discovery, applying science beyond the textbook takes a lot of equipment and supplies. Union’s science professors keep lists of urgent as well as less-urgent needs: a book-length catalogue of chemicals, protective equipment and laboratory glassware. As curricula change to keep up with an ever expanding understanding of our world, The Union Fund keeps the beakers bubbling.
When you add up all the supplies nursing students use in the skills lab — basics like gloves, syringes, medications, and gauze — the price tag is more than $13,000 per semester. That's just one program.
Field Trips
Field trips at the university level are even more fun than they were in elementary school — everyone in your major is actually interested! The Psychology Program takes an annual trip to The Glore Museum in St Joseph, Missouri, to learn about psychological and psychiatric treatments from the past. Meanwhile public health master’s students visit the Lincoln Water System treatment plant, graphic design majors get their portfolios critiqued (and a few job offers) at Meet the Pros in Omaha, and communication students rub elbows with media ministries and PR professionals at the annual Society of Adventist Communicators conference. Academic travel supported by The Union Fund puts the “ah-ha” into learning theory.
Campus Life
Your gifts to The Union Fund support the experiences that make college life memorable, like providing working musical instruments for band and orchestra.
When a tuba needs a tune-up, The Union Fund is there. The Music Program is the heartbeat of campus, and a stuck slide or loose fingerboard shouldn’t hold anyone back from joining in. Regular repairs and upkeep take performances to the next level, and keep Union’s musicians in perfect harmony.
Campus Infrastructure
When you think of student life at Union, your mind probably jumps to classes, activities, and friendships — the fun stuff, right? But let’s be real: most students spend up to half their college experience in the dorms. No one thinks too much about residence halls until something goes wrong. Suddenly, BAM! The shower isn't working, the heater sounds ready to launch into space, and there’s a leak in the ceiling. It’s rarely a good thing when housing gets its moment in the spotlight — and guess what? It all adds up to money. Gifts to The Union Fund keep the lights on, and not flickering!
Faculty Enrichment
Union faculty's are always striving to improve and stay ahead of the curve, whether that’s through attending workshops, earning new certifications or maintaining licenses. But, as you can imagine, all of this professional development comes with its own set of fees that can add up faster than you can say "conference swag!”
Fortunately, The Union Fund is here to save the day! This investment not only helps faculty stay sharp and current in their fields, but also ensures they continue to provide the best possible experience for Union's students. When our faculty thrive, so do our students — let’s keep the learning cycle going strong!
Tutoring
Some students need a little extra help to reach that ah ha! moment when everything starts making sense. At Union, other students offer a helping hand to get there.
Union is not a sink-or-swim school. Every student has access to tutoring for any class — at no cost to the students. Your philanthropic support pays peer tutors who act as life vests for many struggling students.
Technology
Advising software is like a GPS for students — guiding them through the maze of classes, requirements, and deadlines without the risk of getting lost in a sea of sticky notes and paper planners. But let’s face it: the cost of this software can be a bit steep! The Union Fund provides financial resources for advising software and is an investment in smoother, more efficient advising, where less time is spent juggling spreadsheets and more time helping students navigate their academic journeys. After all, if we’re going to guide them to success, we might as well have a map that doesn’t need updating every semester!
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Other Frequently Asked Questions
For more answers, please contact:
Janya Mekelburg
Annual Giving Director
3800 S 48th St
Lincoln, NE 68506
402.486.2503
janya.mekelburg@ucollege.edu