Union Institute & University Moves National Headquarters to New Cincinnati Location

Union Institute & University President Karen Schuster Webb and the Board of Trustees announced the move of its national headquarters to Baldwin 500, 2090 Florence Avenue in Walnut Hills.

“On behalf of the Union Institute & University, I am pleased to announce this important and exciting milestone for UI&U,” President Webb said.

Union Institute & University (Union) is selling its 440 East McMillan Street property to the University of Cincinnati, pending approval of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management Controlling Board in late May.

“Three things drove this process,” said President Webb. “It was important that we stay near downtown Cincinnati, with a preference to remain in the Walnut Hills neighborhood. We would only sell our property to another non-profit organization. In addition, we needed a new home for Union’s headquarters that would be worthy of our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees. We have achieved all three criteria: We sold the building to a sister university, and with our new building, we will remain in Walnut Hills and occupy one and a half floors of a beautiful and grand structure.”

“We did not make this decision lightly. Union has called this building our home since the mid-1990s, but the building is large – too large for our current needs. As a pioneer in distance learning, over the years Union has found that our online and low residency instructional models no longer require the same amount of square footage for instructional space,” Dr. Webb said. “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was also a factor in the Union decision to move. A significant number of Union’s staff and faculty, system-wide, are effectively working remotely and will continue to do so. This move allows us to better allocate our resources to better serve our students.”

Sandra Mills, Union’s Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, led the negotiations for the sale of the East McMillan Street building, and the lease for the new headquarters building.

“The selection of Baldwin 500 building reflects Union’s commitment to keeping our flagship center in Cincinnati, and specifically in Walnut Hills,” Mills said. “Union’s new location in the Baldwin 500 building, near Eden Park Drive, provides 38,000 square feet in a state-of-the-art building with enhanced technological services. Its location off I-71 will provide more visibility for Union and easy access for visitors.”

Dr. Webb and Ms. Mills also expressed appreciation to the Corporex organization, owners of Baldwin 500, for their assistance with the relocation. Corporex is a Covington, Kentucky-based national development and investment firm, with a 55-year history of developing world-class hotel, office and mixed-use developments in 15 states across the U.S.

Union Institute & University purchased its current location in the former Procter & Collier/Beau Brummel Tie building in the mid-1990s, renovating it and securing its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Union also renovated and occupied the 401 Gruen Watch building across McMillan Street, and sold that building in 2008 to Lighthouse Youth Services.

Union hopes to complete its move by early July 2021.

As a national university, Union has also leased academic centers in Hollywood, Florida, as well as Los Angeles and Sacramento, California. Union enrolls about 1000 undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and certificate-seeking students across the nation and internationally, and has more than 20,000 alumni worldwide. In addition, Union is Ohio’s only Hispanic Serving Institution with Minority Serving Institution status.

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