Posted on Mar 21, 2002

Schenectady, N.Y. (March 21, 2002) – Wallace Altes, former president of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, who has served in that role for more than 11 years, will join Union College's MBA @ Union program to serve as the graduate school's executive-in-residence beginning in August.

Altes, who has held several state and national leadership positions, will support the school's effort to create and enhance business partnerships with firms throughout the Capital Region. In addition to his work with Union, Altes serves as executive counsel to Sawchuk, Brown Associates, a leading Albany-based public relations firm.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the MBA program at Union,” said Susan Lehrman, director of the MBA @ Union program. “Wally has distinguished himself as a leader in the Region's business community, and we look forward to tapping into his keen knowledge of emerging trends and his impressive contacts in the business community. Strategic links to public and private sector professionals are a critical component in the success of our program; our students and faculty will benefit greatly from his talents and expertise.”

During Altes' tenure with the Albany Chamber, membership grew by 70 percent to more than 2,700 businesses and organizations representing 85,000 employees. The
Albany-Colonie Chamber is among the top 30 in the United States in terms of
membership and budget, and among the elite 20 percent accredited by the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce.

“I have long admired Union
College and its outreach to the community, and I'm pleased to be a part of its first-rate MBA program,” Altes said. “I look forward to working to with the faculty, alumni, students, and the business community to help the program reach
its goals.”

Altes is recognized for his
creation of the Albany Chamber's Tech Valley initiative, an effort aimed at marketing and promoting the region as an expanding area for technology. In April, the Capital region will host the second annual Summit in Tech Valley.

Altes has received numerous awards and honors, including the William Golub Tikkun Olam Award by the United Jewish
Federation in 1998; Marketer of the Year by the Capital Region Chapter of the American Marketing Association in 1999; the Marketer-Executive-Citizen Award by the Sales and Marketing Executives of Eastern New York in 2000. He was also Man of the Year by e-albany.com in 2000; and received the NENY Arthritis
Foundation's Accolade for Community Service, with his wife, Dr. Jane Altes, former president of Empire State College, in 2001.

Now in its seventh decade, Union's MBA emphasizes close personal attention (the average class size is 15), strong
links with the global business community, individualized programs, and the effective use of technology. Recently, the program earned accreditation by the
AACSB, the nation's leading accreditation organization for business schools.

The MBA program at Union is one of only 28 graduate-only business programs worldwide to hold AACSB accreditation. Other graduate-only schools include London Business School, Stanford
University, University of Chicago, Duke University, Dartmouth College, Yale
University, Columbia University, and Harvard University. In the United States, less than 30 percent of collegiate business programs are AACSB accredited.