Union Adventist University

09/08/2026

It's not everyday one of our alumni gets a statue dedicated to them, but it is happening tomorrow. Blind since birth, Livingston Wills left his home in Tennessee to study at Union, likely because of the college's connection to Christian Record. He left Union in 1948 and moved to Omaha where he began selling brooms door-to-door to support his life in ministry. Over the decades, he became a beloved and familiar part of Omaha life, and people across the city remember him as much for his smiles and whistling as for the brooms. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 91, and in 2016, his extensive collection of Braille books were donated to Union's library. Tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 9), the City of Omaha will dedicate a statue to the beloved "Broom Man" at 2 p.m. at Turner Park.

You can read more about Livingston Wills at Omaha.com or listen to a story at Nebraska Public Media:

https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-media/curious-nebraska-audio/standalone-audio-16513/reverend-livingston-wills-the-omaha-broom-man-50031972/

https://omaha.com/news/local/article_fc78a170-7341-4c71-aeb3-dd6731102426.html

There's also a book about him in Union's library, "The Blind Broom Salesman" by Barbara Atkins Watson.

More than a decade after it started, the Broom Man Project is coming to fruition with the dedication of a bronze statue of Omaha's self-described “poor peddler.”

09/08/2026

09/04/2026

Yesterday was Project Impact, a Union tradition since 1981. Students spread out across Lincoln to serve at more than 70 locations. Students painted, weeded, picked up trash, organized, sewed and so much more. There are a lot of photos, and more are still coming in from our photographers. To see the full gallery, visit our Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ucollege/albums/72177720335470629/

09/03/2026

Students are spreading out across Lincoln for the 45th Project Impact today. Union and George Stone students are in burgundy, College View Academy students are in blue, and the trees just keep getting bigger. We'd love to hear some favorite Project Impact memories from alumni!

09/01/2026

Saturday night slip-'n'-slide!

08/31/2026

Ask Troy Fitzgerald who he is, and his answer doesn’t begin with degrees or publications, but with relationships.

“I am a husband, a father, a grandfather, a son, a pastor,” he said, before adding with a smile, “and now a professor.”

That combination of ministries and relationships has shaped Fitzgerald’s career. For the last three years, he has served as pastor of the Wenatchee Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington. Before that, he spent 25 years as an associate pastor at the Walla Walla University Church, focusing on youth ministry, outreach and discipleship. As director of the Religion Program at Union, he will continue the central theme of his career: working with young adults.

Early in his career, Fitzgerald put his master’s degree on hold to serve as a chaplain and Bible teacher at Great Lakes Adventist Academy in Michigan. His life in ministry has moved between pastoring and education ever since. He has taught as an adjunct at Walla Walla University and Andrews University, directed a mentorship program for the University of Washington and served as Walla Walla’s head soccer coach.

When he received the offer from Union, Fitzgerald said, “I felt compelled and called to be with our students and in a campus setting where we can launch young people into life with grace and with a mission.”

There is a family connection, too. Fitzgerald’s eldest son, Cameron, is the young adult pastor at the College View Church. A move to Lincoln gives Fitzgerald, his wife, Julie, and their younger son, Morgan, the chance to live near his one-year-old granddaughter.

Fitzgerald says he’s not much of a writer; he just sometimes has ideas he needs to put on paper. Those ideas have become at least 14 books, devotionals and discipleship guides.

As he begins his work at Union, Fitzgerald hopes to bring the strands of his career — ministry, mentorship, teaching and service — together in one place, helping students discover not only what they believe but how they will live it.
“Ultimately, I’ve always been drawn to a campus that’s focused on people,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m so proud to be part of the beautiful mission of Adventist education.”

08/28/2026

The fall semester began with new faces and a lot of smiles. Our videographers captured the start of the new school year on Monday.