David Ogawa, assistant professor of
visual arts, delivered a paper last fall titled, “Infinite Desire: Photography
and Sex in Nineteenth Century France,” at a conference in Amsterdam,
the Netherlands,
on “The Character of 19th Century Visual Culture.” It was sponsored by the
Study Group of the Nineteenth Century and the Huizinga Institute. Ogawa's
presentation was featured in a story in Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung.
Mosquera delivers paper at Hispanic conference
Daniel Mosquera, assistant professor of
modern languages, attended the second International Congress of Hispanic
Studies last fall at the University of Puerto Rico, where he chaired a panel, “Subalternidad y cultura popular: entre
haceres y Sabere,” and delivered a paper, “Un mapa para la fiesta: Chocoanidad y el San Pacho quibdoceño en el
Chocó, Colombia.”
Sowa elected to state safety post
John Sowa, science safety officer and
professor emeritus of chemistry, was elected secretary of the Northeastern New
York Chapter of the Health Physics Society. This group is international and has
the purpose of radiation safety. He was also a member of the society's organizing
committee which held the first comprehensive conference on “Terrorism Involving
Radioactive Materials and Nuclear Plants.” Some of the organization meetings
were held on campus last fall.
International Festival to offer culture, food and more
The College is hosting an International
Festival on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 7
to 11 p.m. in Old Chapel and Hale
House.
The festival
is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to explore the cultures of
our international visitors, according to Melissa Heil, coordinator of support
services for international students. “Students from around the world will show
what life is like in their home country through a variety of mediums. We have
videos, tea ceremonies, hand painting and origami. Our entertainment this year
is DJ Rob from 2Deep, to show that the music
we all listen to is international.”
Dining
services has created an international fare based loosely on dishes from the
countries represented. The menu includes a light offering of sushi, potato
pancakes, cheeses and dips, fresh veggies, whole grain breads, baklava, and
German black forest cake. These can be enjoyed away from the festivities in Hale
House, adjacent to Old Chapel.
The
event is sponsored by the Dean of Students Office, the International Society
and the “students who work so hard to give the community a glimpse into another
culture,” Heil said. “We hope that students, staff and faculty will all attend
to show their interest in learning about other cultures.”
President Hull named ‘Exec of Year’ by Chamber
President Roger Hull is to be
honored as “Executive of the Year” at the annual business awards dinner of the Chamber
of Schenectady County on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 5:30
p.m. at the Glen Sanders
Mansion, Scotia.
Hull
is to be cited for his leadership in College-city relations and community
revitalization.
Shortly after his inauguration in
1990, he joined with Neil Golub and other business and government leaders to
create Schenectady 2000, a revitalization effort modeled after a similar
campaign that he helped begin in Beloit, Wis.,
where he was president of Beloit College.
With $1 million in seed money from
the Golub Corp., Schenectady 2000 began with the premise that a city in which
residents take pride will be better able to lure and retain businesses. A
largely volunteer organization, more than 1,000 residents have volunteered with
business and civic leaders chairing a variety of task forces. Schenectady
2000 has also been responsible for the organization of the Union
College community service day, in
which students, faculty and staff (including Hull
himself) take part in repainting bridges, picking up trash and planting
shrubbery.
Hull
also was a driving force in the creation of the Metroplex Development
Authority, founded with the idea that large-scale redevelopment supported by a
taxing authority can stop the decline of Schenectady's
downtown and attract private investment. Among the successes of Metroplex have
been the construction of a new headquarters for MVP, and the construction of a
new state office building for the state Department of Transportation.
In 1998, Hull
announced the Union-Schenectady Initiative, the College's broad-based
revitalization project. The College has invested some $11 million in the College
Park neighborhood west of campus. The initiative
includes the College's acquisition and renovation of a number of properties to
house about 200 students, incentives for homeowners and Union employees to
purchase homes (including low-interest mortgages, tuition scholarships and
closing costs), the formation of a neighborhood residents association, and the
College's operation of the Kenney Community Center, which provides a variety of
programs for children and residents of College Park.
In 1999, Hull
and Walter Robb, a former executive for General Electric Research and
Development, created the U-Start Business
Incubator Center,
which provides professional space at below-market rates and provides expert
services to high-tech start-up businesses. The center has played a critical
role in helping new companies establish themselves in a business-friendly
environment. In addition to attractive leases, U-Start offers a valuable
mentoring program where experts from local businesses and organizations as well
as Union faculty work closely with the program's directors to offer
entrepreneurs counsel and networking opportunities.
“Union
College can play an important role
in the revitalization of Schenectady,”
Hull said. “I believe that
individuals and institutions alike have an obligation to make a difference in
the communities in which they are a part.”
Other awards to be presented at
the chamber's event include Company of the Year (GE Global Research Center),
Non-Profit Executive of the Year (Ellis
Hospital's Robert Smanik), Non-Profit
Organization (Schenectady County
Community College), and Outstanding
New Business (Cyclics Inc.)
For more information about the
Chamber dinner, call (518) 372-5656.