Union Bible College opens its doors & welcomes crowd

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

Tuesday evening, Aug. 27, Union Bible College and Academy opened its doors to members of the Westfield Washington Historical Society and the community at large.

“We didn’t anticipate this large of a crowd,” said Philip Hoard, vice-president of institutional advancement.

Approximately 70 guests ranged from those who said they have lived in Westfield for their entire lives but had never been inside any of the Union buildings to those whose entire families attended and graduated from Union Bible Seminary.

Union leaders welcomed attendees into the chapel for a presentation of the history of the school by Union Librarian Shannon Buckler, daughter-in-law of Union President Adam Buckler.

The younger Buckler told of the committee that raised $2,000 to build a two-story brick building to house Union High School which opened Jan. 7, 1861, with 65 students.

By 1885, the Friends’ grade school had joined Union High School to become Union High Academy. Having quadrupled in students, leaders decided to build an addition to the front portion of the building creating the main structure that exists today.

In 1911, Union High Academy had only 11 students and was $1,100 in debt. The school closed, but only briefly.

“It was decided that a school was needed for a higher purpose to train ministers and missionaries,” Buckler said.

Union Bible Seminary opened in September 1911 under the direction of William M. Smith.

In the late 1980s, the school changed its name to the current Union Bible College and Academy to better reflect its K-12 school and four-year college offering degrees in such areas of study as business, education, ministry, music, and leadership.

“Whether or not students came as a Christian or left as a Christian, they left with a good education,” Buckler said.

UBCA staff, students, and alumni celebrate the school’s heritage as being co-ed from the beginning, a multicultural, multi-ethnic institution that is the oldest high school still operating in the state of Indiana. At least one tunnel, possibly more, accessible through at least the 1960s, indicates that UBCA was most likely a stop on the Underground Railroad, and it is rumored that Abraham Lincoln may have even given a speech from the steps.

Dr. Adam Buckler said the academy currently has 75 to 80 students in kindergarten to 12th grades and 230 students enrolled in the college, with around 100 attending classes on campus and 50 living in campus dorms. Around 50 faculty and staff members work for 20 to 30 percent less than what they would make in a secular university, according to Dr. Buckler.

“They work for the mission, not the money,” Dr. Buckler said. “They’re here because they want to make an impact, an internal and eternal impact.”

Following the presentation, Hoard and Public Relations Director Clayton Plemmons led two groups on tours throughout the academy and college classrooms and around the grounds, which covers most of the block bordered by Roosevelt Street, South Cherry Street, East South Street, and South Union Street. The school also gave away copies of Union Bible College and Academy: A Heritage to Remember, A Heritage to Keep published in 2011 for the 100th anniversary of Union Bible College and the 150th anniversary of Union Bible Academy.

The school is in the process of building a new cafeteria, the first in more than 100 years, and is seeking donations for its completion. Future plans also include renovating the Estes House, which has served as the president’s home and a dormitory in the past but is now used for storage.

Dr. Buckler invited guests and the public to the UBCA annual fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. There will be a huge tent along Roosevelt Street with food, music, live auctions, pony rides, bounce houses, and more. Dr. Buckler said the event usually draws around 700 people each year.

“It’s a privilege to serve you even if you don’t realize we’re doing it,” Dr. Buckler said.