Posted on Nov 8, 1996

Jessica Bernstein, Autumn Cohen, Zane Reister and Suzanne Robinson are Union finalists for the Thomas J. Watson Traveling Fellowship. They will advance to competition with about 200 finalists from 49 other liberal arts colleges. Sixty winners will receive
stipends of $16,000 for a year of travel outside North America.

This year, 23 Union seniors applied for the Watson. Winners are expected to be announced in March. Union has had 40 Watson Fellows since 1969, the year the program began.

Bernstein, a philosophy major, has planned to study Tae Kwon Do in South Korea, England
and Norway to explore the extent to which the ancient male-dominated discipline has
included women. Cohen, a women's studies major, would like to travel to the Netherlands,
England and South Africa to examine the role of the midwife in women's childbearing
experience. Reister, a political science major, plans to use photography, interviews and
historical research to examine the architectural similarities between Renaissance and
Baroque churches built between 1550 and 1750 and Beaux-Arts train stations built between
1880 and 1990 in Italy, France and the U.K. Robinson, a civil engineering major, would
like to examine island ecosystems in the Indian Ocean, South Pacific, Eastern Caribbean
and North Atlantic to see how island cultures have adapted technologies to the
environment.

Members of Union's selection committee are Ann Anderson, mechanical engineering; J.
Douglass Klein, economics (committee chair); Amanda Leamon, French; Steve Leavitt,
anthropology; and Seyfollah Maleki, physics

Posted on Nov 8, 1996

Kenneth T. and Thelma P. Lally of Schenectady have made a gift of $1 million to establish a reading room in the renovated and expanded Schaffer Library, it was announced by President Roger H. Hull.

“The Kenneth T. and Thelma P. Lally Reading Room, in recognition of two of Schenectady's leading benefactors, will be a key element of the library that is the intellectual hub of the Union campus,” Hull said. “Just as importantly, the
Lally Reading Room will make valuable resources more accessible to the Schenectady community.”

The Kenneth T. and Thelma P. Lally Reading Room will be a centerpiece of the renovated
and expanded building. It will be used extensively by students, faculty and members of the
local community who wish to browse new books and periodicals, or access a range of
collections through on-line technology.

“The Lally's gift couldn't come at a more appropriate time,” Hull said.
“We are completing the fundraising, and we look forward to embarking on the
renovation and expansion of the library.”

The Lallys have been long-time benefactors to a number of organizations in the Capital
District. Mr. Lally began his career as an engineer at General Electric and went on to be
president of a number of technology companies including Gurley-Teledyne, Coradian Corp.
and Testamatic Corp. Mrs. Lally, who retired as a teacher in the Niskayuna School
District, is active on a number of community boards.

Posted on Nov 1, 1996

Since the beginning of the Bicentennial Campaign, 110 endowed scholarships have been established representing more than $8 million in gifts. Such support is especially welcome at a time of declining support from other sources of financial aid.

In recognition of Union's scholarship tradition, once a year the College hosts a luncheon on campus bringing together the recipients and donors of all the named scholarships. This gives the donors and students an opportunity to get to know one another and often is the beginning of a life-long relationship.

Nothing has a more profound impact on the character and credentials of each entering class than the amount and kind of financial aid the College can offer. Few gifts to the College have as long an impact as an endowed scholarship, which will support Union students for generations to come.

A minimum gift of $25,000 is required to name an endowed scholarship at Union College. The earnings distribution is awarded to a student or students who meet the financial aid requirements of the College. For more information about scholarship support, please call Deb Balliet, Director of Development, at 518-388-6166.

Posted on Nov 1, 1996

Thanks in part to the donors, the people applying to Union College who ask about financial aid receive this commitment: “If you are admitted as a freshman and you meet our deadlines, we will meet your financial aid needs throughout your four years at the College.”

This is a strong commitment, indeed. One reason it can be made is because generations of alumni and friends have established endowed scholarships. This year, fourteen new scholarships were created by the individuals and families listed below. This scholarship support is a wonderful way to invest in intellectually-promising men and women. For that, all of us at Union College remain extremely grateful.

Posted on Nov 1, 1996

The real truth is that both annual and capital gifts play important roles in helping to maintain and enhance Union's financial strength.

Annual fund dollars, whether given as highly flexible unrestricted support, or in support of a specific purpose or academic discipline, have immediate impact as current, spendable income that helps Union maintain a strong track record of balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility. Annual fund gifts help to support people and programs across campus.

Capital gifts also support people and programs across campus, but in different ways. Capital gifts build and renovate the College's buildings (like Schaffer Library and the Nott Memorial) and build the College's endowment (with endowed scholarships and professorships), allowing Union to chart a course for financial stability and responsibility far into the future.

In calculating the present participation rates for each class, we take into account both annual and capital donors. An individual who makes both an annual and a capital gift (as a growing number of Union alumni are choosing to do) counts once in the calculation of percent participation ' by class.

Whatever your choice, thank you for your generous support of Union. Your support counts in myriad ways!!