The Most Amazing Medium of Communication

The age of telecommunication has taken some amazing strides in my generation.  I remember growing up with the 50-foot telephone cord in the kitchen that could stretch to every corner of the house.  Then came the answering machine and “cordless” phone.  It was always fun to see how far in your front yard that you can go before you loos the signal.  Then came the pagers.  I still can’t figure out that one.  Perhaps we can chalk that one up as a step backwards, but don’t tell that to the tweenager in the 90’s who was convinced that having at least two of them qualified you for being a really important person. 🙂

With the advent of the cellular phone, things picked up rather quickly.  We moved from being able to talk over the cell phone to being able to communicate through instant messaging, text messaging, and phone calls through the Internet.  Speaking of the Internet, not only could you call, but you could video chat, including conference calls, and livestream from anywhere in the world.  Of course, the world of social media opened up ways of communicating through Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, turning our lives into a communications hub for the world around us.  If I factored all the ways I communicate on a weekly basis, it is truly remarkable (cell phone, text, email, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, livestream, and video chat).

But this morning it hit me.  I’m talking about the most amazing medium of communication.  What am I referring to?

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Message from President David Dockery at Union University

An open letter from President David Dockery to the friends and family of Union University:

Dear parents and friends of Union University:

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, the Union University campus was devastated by serious tornadic activity, resulting in extensive damage to the facilities. Following a nearly five-hour emergency effort, all students — including the 13 who were trapped in the fallen rubble — were rescued. Fifty-one students were taken to the hospital, nine of whom suffered serious injury. By God’s providence, no lives were lost.

Seventeen buildings received some kind of damage. Approximately 40 percent of the dorms were destroyed, and another 40 percent were severely damaged. Additional damage has been observed in other academic and administrative buildings. The damage from this storm exceeds the impact of the 2002 tornado by 15-fold.

Classes will not begin again before Feb. 18. We encourage all Union friends to stay in touch with us through the Union Web site at http://www.uu.edu.

We currently are working on a five-fold strategy:

1. Today is a day of assessment.

2. Initial efforts to help students return to their homes or to a safe place also have started today and will continue throughout the week.

3. A major clean-up project will start on Thursday.

4. An intermediate strategy to help us begin classes on Feb. 18 is underway.

5. Plans to regroup and rebuild the campus will help focus us for the future. The rebuilding efforts will be lengthy and extensive.

At this time, we want to thank everyone who has given help, provided service and offered ongoing prayer on behalf of Union University. We thank God for His providential care. With the help of God, we will move forward together.

Finally, I want to offer highest commendations for our students and the Student Life Team, who have handled this challenge in amazing ways. For your friendship, your support and your ongoing prayers for Union, we are most grateful.

Faithfully,

David S. Dockery
President
Union University