Issue: Spring 2018 | Posted: June 1, 2018
Ken Newman ('62)
Alumnus of the Year Award
Presented to a Union University graduate for distinction in his/her profession, service to mankind, and/or contribution to Union University.
Ken Newman said teaching at Union was a lifelong dream of his, and he has been able to live that dream for 18 years.
Newman joined the faculty at Union in 2000 after nearly 40 years working in public education. He received his bachelor’s degree from Union in 1962, completing the education program in three years.
“I entered Union as a very naive youngster, who probably wasn’t ready for college,” Newman said. “Even though I finished Union in three years, I grew tremendously during those years. When I was hired to teach, I was only a couple of years older than many of my students, but I feel I was prepared for the task.”
Newman said one professor at Union, Helen Blythe, was a great influence as he began teaching English in the classroom.
“She made literature come alive,” he said. “To this day, I find myself modeling myself after Mrs. Blythe.”
Newman taught English and French at North Side High School for seven years. While there, he received a Master of Education degree from Memphis State University. He then received his library certification and served as a school librarian for more than two decades. Newman received his doctorate in 1994 and continued working in public education for the next six years, serving on the Tennessee Board of Education from 1996 to 1999.
Newman said Blythe and other professors during his time as a Union student showed him the unique value of teaching at such an institution and gave him a desire to teach at Union. During his time at the university, Newman has served as M.A.Ed. director and Ed.S./Ed.D. director, but he has always remained a classroom teacher.
“All I ever wanted to do was teach,” Newman said. “Thanks to my degree and training from Union, I’ve been able to do just that. When I’m asked when I will stop, my response is, ‘When I no longer enjoy teaching.’”
