As the College neared its 200th birthday on February 25, it was the happy recipient of a flurry of major gifts:
- Gordon Gould '41, the inventor of the laser, gave the College $1.5 million to establish an endowed chair in physics. Although the chair will bear his name, Gould made the gift to honor Professor Frank Studer, who was his mentor.
- The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Union a $575,000 challenge grant, one of the largest of thirty grants the foundation made nationwide. When the challenge is met, it will mean nearly $3 million for the renovation and expansion of Schaffer Library.
- The National Science Foundation made matching grants of nearly $450,000 for three projects that will greatly enhance research opportunities for both students and faculty at the College.
- The GE Fund awarded $191,000 to the College to create an innovative teacher training center to help mathematics, science, and technology teachers in the Schenectady City School District.
- Doug Seholm '57 and his wife, Barbara, pledged $250,000 to establish an endowment for the maintenance of Jackson's Garden.
Details about all the gifts will be found in the “Bicentennial Campaign” news section, which begins on page 10.