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Billy Hensley, Ph.D., a Union College graduate, returned to his alma mater to give the keynote address at fall convocation. |
Union Marks Beginning of 131st Academic Year
Union College officially signaled the beginning of a new academic year September 3 when it celebrated its annual fall convocation.
Union President Edward D. de Rosset welcomed an undergraduate population of over 730, telling them “we would have to go back before most of you were born to find a time when there were more students on campus.”
The entire student body of undergraduate, graduate and Union College – London Center students stands at nearly 1,500.
Before officially proclaiming the college’s 131st year underway, de Rosset asked Janet Tarry, a “legacy pioneering leader” of the college, to introduce the featured speaker. Billy Hensley, Ph.D., a 1998 Union graduate, returned to his alma mater from Colorado to deliver the convocation address.
A Leslie County native, Hensley first came to Union in 1990 as a participant in Upward Bound, a federally funded program brought to Union by Tarry. The program works with low-income high school students whose parents did not graduate from college, factors that lead them to be considered at-risk for not seeking or completing a college education. Hensley returned for four years of Upward Bound before choosing to enroll at Union after high school.
Hensley earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Union before leaving for the University of Cincinnati. There he earned a Ph.D. in educational studies. During the course of his studies, Hensley worked in the field of college access, which is also the subject of his doctoral research. He now serves as an educational consultant based in Colorado.
The former at-risk student, to whom college access was so critical, brought words of wisdom for Union’s undergraduates.
“I challenge every person in this room not to shy away from the things you want to accomplish,” he said. “Even more importantly, I encourage you to reach out to others to assist you in your journey. Some people say we “make it” when we grow out of relationship and do something on our own, but I say we make it when we grow into relationship with others and attain our true potential. I am not the person I am because of what I have been able to accomplish on my own. I am who I am today because of what I have been able to accomplish with the support and assistance of others.”
Both Tarry and de Rosset praised Hensley’s willingness to take advantage of every opportunity offered when he was a Union student. Hensley encouraged current students to do the same, and said Union’s personal approach to education will help them find many opportunities for growth.
“I have worked with and on several college campuses,” he said. “You may find a place that has a more active night life or a bigger city or similar class sizes, but you will not find an institution that works so diligently to have a soul and to sincerely create an atmosphere where life is truly one to one.”
