Ambassador Dennis Ross, who for more than 12 years
played the leading role in shaping U.S. involvement with the Middle
East peace process, will speak on “The Search for Peace in the Middle
East” on Tuesday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.
His talk is this year's Frederick E. Miller Lecture in Honor
of Anwar Sadat.
Ross led U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process
and dealt directly with the negotiations. As the architect of the
peace process, he was instrumental in assisting the Israelis and
Palestinians in reaching the 1995 Interim Agreement, and he brokered
the Hebron Accord in 1997. He facilitated the Israeli-Jordan
peace treaty and worked to bring Israel and Syria together.
Of Avrum Joffe's many activities, the one that gives
him the most satisfaction is that of founder and president
of Symposium House.
Joffe, a chemistry major from Wyckoff, N.J,
recently received the Frank Bailey Prize, presented to the senior, as
voted by the faculty, who has rendered the greatest service to the
College in any field.
In 1998, as the College began renovating homes on
Seward Place, Joffe and classmates Greg Fox and Alex Chase saw
an exciting possibility: “We had these great experiences with faculty
in the classroom,” he recalls. “But there was a lack of that
exchange outside of the classroom. We were looking for a social and
intellectual alternative that wasn't here,” he said.
So in the fall of 1999, they launched Symposium
House, which hosts weekly dinner-discussions with faculty
and students. Joffe estimates that over the last three years about half
of Union's faculty have been guests, some a number of times.
Among the most memorable dinners was one that dealt
with the issues of pornography and censorship that lasted well
into the night. Other topics – discussions about Union's house
system and the fate of civil engineering – drew crowds that nearly
spilled out of the house, he said.
Joffe also served as president of the senior class,
student representative on the Student Affairs Committee and
the Academic Affairs Council, coordinator of the freshman orientation committee,
president of Hillel's kosher kitchen, member of Campus Action, a member
of the Resources Allocation Sub-Committee, and president
and member of Idol Minds, an improvisational comedy
troupe. He also is a senior interviewer with the College's
admissions office, having been a Gatekeeper tour guide the last three years.
He has received the Robert Fuller Prize for his promise as
a chemist, the Harold and Ellen Nagorsky Memorial Prize to
the pre-med student who contributes to the College through
extracurricular activities, and was named to the Delphic Honor Society
for contributions to the College community.
Joffe, who minors in mathematics, has accepted
a position as a DNA cancer researcher at New York
University. He hopes to attend medical school after that, possibly
toward a career in pediatrics.
Seniors Derek Mebus and Dave Ward, co-principals
of Tree Top Solutions, aim to fill the “tremendous
technology need” in Schenectady County.
And, while they're at it, they plan to graduate this spring.
On Wednesday, the pair hosted local business
and government leaders at a ribbon cutting at U-Start,
Union's incubator at 4 Nott Terrace, and demonstrated their
latest product: Schenectadyi.com, a community Web site
that Ward says will “bring the Internet to
Schenectady County.”
Features include ePages!, the first online
Schenectady County business directory, and Online!, a powerful
local web community that enables a single Web site to serve
the needs of local website visitors and members of
the Schenectady business community.
Ward, a Wisconsin native and Mebus, from
Westchester County, N.Y., opened Tree Top Solutions last year. In
addition to Schenectadyi.com, the firm offers web design and
graphic design, custom programming, databases, E-Commerce,
site hosting, and computer networking.
“We see a tremendous opportunity here in Schenectady County,”
Mebus said. “It has great potential for economic and
technological growth.”
About 20 Union
students visited Schenectady's Howe Magnet School on May 23 to demonstrate the
fun-side of science to a group of elementary students and their families.
“Family Science
Night” is designed to teach kids that science happens all the time, all around
us, and that it is actually interesting.
“Too often, when kids
think of science, they think 'boring',” said Carol Weisse, director of health
profession programs at Union and science night co-chair. “Using a range of
things you find around the house, we make learning effective because it's fun
and it's something kids – and their parents – can relate to.”
Among the
workstations were the Egg-Drop Contest, where students designed a protective
break-proof egg container; Let's Make Slime, a mixture of borax and glue
to make the popular gooey substance; and Blow Things Up, a task demonstrating
air pressure in which participants built a hover craft using toilet paper
rolls, paper plates, balloons and a hair dryer.
Other stations included: It's Electrifying, a look a
static electricity; Now You See it Now You Don't, how CO2 extinguishes flame;
Wave Machines, baby oil, food coloring and water illustrate wave motion; and
the Whirligig, a device from paper towel tubes, string and a ball to show
centrifugal force.
Family Science Night is part of Union's efforts to reach
out to the community, said Weisse. “Education is what we are about; it's a
natural that our students and faculty choose to give back in this way,” she
said.
Alumni gather before the Union vs. Harvard hockey game, February 23, 2002
Cambridge, Mass.
On Feb. 23, alumni and friends gathered to cheer for the Skating Dutchmen as they took on the Harvard Crimson at Harvard. The festivities began with dinner at John Harvard's Brew House, where kids were given mini-hockey sticks autographed by Union's star players and everyone received pompoms to get into the spirit. More than 160 Union fans filled the rink, where everyone had a great time despite the Dutchmen's loss.
New Haven, Conn
Yale University's Ingalls Rink was filled with the cheers of more than 100 alumni and friends as the Skating Dutchmen defeated the Bulldogs 5-2 on Feb. 15. Before the game, these members of the Union family enjoyed a dinner reception at Yale's Donaldson Commons.
Palm Beach, Fla.
More than forty alumni and friends attended an elegant evening reception and presentation by President Roger H. Hull at the Ritz Carlton. President Hull spoke on the topic of “Union Today and Union Tomorrow.” Guests also had a chance to mingle with classmates and friends and enjoy the tasty food and drinks provided.
Naples Alumni Club event, February 14, 2002
Naples, Fla.
More than thirty alumni and friends gathered for a tasty Valentine's Day luncheon with President Roger H. Hull at the Naples Lakes Country Club. Guests enjoyed the opportunity to connect with alumni in addition to having an informative presentation highlighting The Plan for Union. A special thank you goes to Fred Brandt, Jr. '47 for organizing the event.
San Francisco
To celebrate President's Day, the Northern California Alumni Club met at a bar (appropriately on Union Street) in San Francisco to honor the greatest U.S. president in history-Chester Arthur! Schaffer Library sent some great archival material on President Arthur, including his tuition bills and grades. Chuck Clerici '95, Allison Mortimer '88, Wanda Nichols '78, and Jill Bloomberg '95 were among some in attendance.
Sarasota, Fla.
The alumni club of Sarasota and President Roger H. Hull gathered for lunch at the Ritz Carlton to discuss the exciting new changes at Union. More than sixty alumni and friends learned about the many academic and social opportunities available to students today. Union owes a special thank you to Norm '47 and Dorothy Kreisman, who organized the gathering.
Schenectady
On Dec. 11, alumni and friends from Schenectady, Saratoga, and Vermont came to the club holiday luncheon on campus in Old Chapel. The local Niskayuna High School Studio Singers provided entertainment with seasonal and patriotic choral offerings. More than sixty people enjoyed a wonderful meal and pre-holiday camaraderie. Guests were Mike Sacoccio '82, director of the Schenectady City Mission, and two clients of the City Mission. Luncheon attendees contributed clothes and canned goods
to the mission.
On Jan.13, more than 100 people attended an all-Haydn concert by the Emerson String Quartet in Memorial Chapel. This is the twenty-fifth anniversary for the quartet, which has a full schedule including concerts in New York City's Alice Tully Hall and Tanglewood's Ozawa Hall. The concert was followed by a superior dinner in Hale House. Assistant Professor of Music Dianne McMullen presented an informational program on quartet structure.
On Feb. 9, more than eighty alumni, children, and friends enjoyed a delicious winter supper at the Reamer Center. They then attended the spirited hockey game between Union and Clarkson.
Since our last report, club membership
has climbed to 254.
Washington, D.C.
Alumni from the classes of 1950 through 2001 mingled over tasty fare and drink at the Alumni Club of D.C. annual holiday party at the DACOR Bacon House on Dec. 12, 2001. Union alumni were joined by graduates of Amherst, Hamilton, and Skidmore. A great time was had by all.
On Jan. 26, alumni and friends gathered again to tour the “Antiquities to Impressionism” exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery. The collection includes more than 250 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other works of art. Museum doyens led the group through the collection on an hour-long tour, after which many participants visited other parts of the museum and then gathered in the cafe for refreshments.
Baltimore alumni event, March 5, 2002
On March 5 and 6, President Roger Hull visited alumni at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore and the University Club in Washington, D.C., to present “Union Today and Union Tomorrow,” a discussion of the exciting innovations that will carry Union into the next century.
