Union Institute & University Celebrates Graduating Over 170 Students at the Annual California Commencement Ceremony in Los Angeles

[ultimate_spacer height=”10″][ultimate_spacer height=”10″]Union Institute & University recently graduated over 170 adults, with over 100 of those graduates pulling from our Childhood and Adolescent Development undergraduate major on August 7^th at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Each graduate received their diploma as family and friends cheered with joy as they walked across the stage.[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]Graduates represented a variety of undergraduate academic disciplines including Criminal Justice Management; Child & Adolescent Development; Social Work; Business Management; Leadership; Psychology; and Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology. Graduate degrees were awarded in Health and Wellness and Organizational Leadership.[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]Dr. Roger H. Sublett, President of Union Institute & University, congratulated the graduates on achieving their academic goals and ushered them into the over 15,500 alumni association who benefit from a degree from Union.[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]“As you graduate and continue to work and serve, we look to each of you – in your own ways – to make a difference in your own communities and carry our 52-year legacy forward.

We also ask you to reach back to help others who will benefit from Union’s efforts to educate and serve those who want to make a difference,” said Dr. Sublett. “We have many who emulate us, but there is only one Union Institute & University – and what happens here is profoundly transformative. It not only transforms our lives, it can – and does – transform the world around us.”[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]Highlights of the ceremony included the procession of students led by Grand Marshal, site coordinator for the Child & Adolescent Development program, Dr. Guillermina Hernandez and the presentation of the colors by the Buena Park Police Department’s Honor Guard.

The keynote was delivered by Dr. Joseph Bock who shared his message of social justice in action. Dr. Bock is Director of the Ph.D. Program in International Conflict Management in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kennesaw State University, Georgia and a leading authority on peace and the mitigation and management of conflict.[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]The 2016 recipient of the Mark Dunakin Award for Extraordinary Achievement was Detective Corporal Sergio Lepe of the Buena Park Police Department, Buena Park, California. The award is given annually in memory of Sergeant Mark Dunakin, a Union student and officer with the Oakland Police Department who tragically lost his life in the line of duty in 2009.[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]The national commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 8 at the Cincinnati Hilton Netherlands Plaza in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each year, Union Institute & University graduates about 700 students around the nation.[ultimate_spacer height=”5″]If you would like to learn more about completing your degree, visit www.myunion.edu  and find the program that is right for you.[ultimate_spacer height=”10″]Pictures of the 2016 California Commencement:[ultimate_spacer height=”1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/3″][ultimate_heading main_heading=”California graduates pose after the commencement ceremony” main_heading_font_family=”font_family:Roboto Condensed|font_call:Roboto+Condensed|variant:300″ main_heading_style=”font-weight:300;” main_heading_font_size=”desktop:12px;” main_heading_line_height=”desktop:28px;” sub_heading_font_family=”font_family:Roboto|font_call:Roboto|variant:300″ sub_heading_style=”font-weight:300;” sub_heading_font_size=”desktop:12px;” sub_heading_line_height=”desktop:16px;”][/ultimate_heading][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/3″][ultimate_heading main_heading=”Don Lacher, M.S. Program Chair, Criminal Justice Management, Julie Crandall, M.A., Dean, Sacramento Academic Center and Dr. Roger H. Sublett” main_heading_font_family=”font_family:Roboto Condensed|font_call:Roboto+Condensed|variant:300″ main_heading_style=”font-weight:300;” main_heading_font_size=”desktop:12px;” main_heading_line_height=”desktop:28px;” sub_heading_font_family=”font_family:Roboto|font_call:Roboto|variant:300″ sub_heading_style=”font-weight:300;” sub_heading_font_size=”desktop:12px;” sub_heading_line_height=”desktop:16px;”][/ultimate_heading][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/3″][ultimate_heading main_heading=”Detective Sergio Lepe, recipient of the Mark Dunakin Award” main_heading_font_family=”font_family:Roboto Condensed|font_call:Roboto+Condensed|variant:300″ main_heading_style=”font-weight:300;” main_heading_font_size=”desktop:12px;” main_heading_line_height=”desktop:28px;” sub_heading_font_family=”font_family:Roboto|font_call:Roboto|variant:300″ sub_heading_style=”font-weight:300;” sub_heading_font_size=”desktop:12px;” sub_heading_line_height=”desktop:16px;”][/ultimate_heading][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner]