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The Union Experience

Posted on Jul 22, 2004

'Converging education'

Val and Don Feigenbaum regularly return to campus, where they admire such changes as the new House System and Converging Technologies. For eight years they have sponsored the Feigenbaum Forum, designed to stimulate dialogue about the integration of corporate management principles in the administration of institutions of higher education. They are particularly pleased with the impetus from the Forum.

“Look at the conversation over the years,” Don says. “Everyone who attends is interested in his or her own discipline, of course. But they are also interested in producing well-educated students, and these days that means knowing both the liberal arts and engineering.”

“One of the phrases we like is 'organization transformation,' and this is what is happening at Union,” Val adds.

“One of Union's challenges is to recognize its own strengths,” he continues. “Today, if you're a pure technician, Heaven help you in terms of your career. You'll be obsolete in two years.”

“Union, with Converging Technologies, recognizes that technology by itself isn't enough,” Don says. “It's converging education. We're going to live in a technologically advancing society with constant social and cultural pressures. So, get as broad an education as possible, but not so broad that you don't have a profession.”

“Transformation is a constant process,” Val observes. “Still, if you had to invent a college that fits the times, you'd invent what Union is right now.”

And Don adds that “with the experience I have had – and if I had to do it over again – I would go to Union.”

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Estelle Cooke-Sampson

Posted on Jul 22, 2004

Doctor, mother, colonel, benefactor
Close to her heart: Estelle Cooke-Sampson juggles her many roles with characteristic grace and determination

Walking down a Washington, D.C., street in a snowstorm wearing her Union College scarf, Dr. Estelle Cooke-Sampson '74 was flagged down by a recent Union graduate. It was a fleeting encounter she recalls with a laugh – and the recognition that the Union connection reaches far and remains strong.

“It was a pivotal point for all of us,” she said of her days at Union, where she and brothers Gerald '73 and Lawrence Cooke '77 attended on loans, grants and scholarships. “I was able to flourish among interesting students of different cultural backgrounds.”

The siblings set up the Cooke Family Scholarship in 1997. This year, Cooke-Sampson gave a million thanks – a $1 million gift of insurance designed to properly fund the family scholarship. “The value of the policy will continue to grow, and Union will get not only a million dollars but, potentially, a good deal more,” she noted.

A physician and associate professor of diagnostic radiology at Howard University who grew up in Washington, Cooke-Sampson was one of the 100 women in Union's first coed class. Swapping the urban streets of the nation's capital for Union's quintessentially postcard campus was, literally, a breath of fresh air.

“I found the campus very serene and beautiful, especially Jackson's Garden,” she said. She joined the Drama Club and Black Student Alliance, enjoyed Latin, felt inspired by Dr. Francis Lambert's biology classes and experienced the community beyond Union's gates through the Big Sisters program and visits to Hamilton Hill. Those volunteer experiences set the stage for her lifelong passion for mentoring and civic service.

With an M.D. from Georgetown University, Cooke-Sampson served as a medical officer with the U.S. Public Health Service and worked in women's health care before joining Howard's full-time faculty in 1999. She is also a full colonel and state surgeon for the District of Columbia National Guard. Her latest assignment: Task Force Grizzly, a National Guard effort to enhance U.S./Mexico border security.

She has always made time for her alma mater, including serving as term trustee and Admissions rep, hosting alumni receptions and jetting to campus events. Most recently, her roles and responsibilities converged when she spent a whirlwind 14 hours getting to her 30th ReUnion. The drill? Depart San Diego for Schenectady. Scoop up daughters at the airport. Taxi to campus. Reconnect with classmates. Pick up Alumni Gold Medal. Put girls on a plane back home. Fly across country to suit up for the National Guard once more.

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New Trustee Spotlight

Posted on Jul 22, 2004


Lacross captain-cum-venture capitalist. Nott Scholar turned legal expert. Math lover-scientist-corporate leader. Union's three newest trustees Stephen W. Ritterbush, Lawrence B. Pedowitz, and John E. Kelly III bring exceptional energy and focus to the board

Stephen Ritterbush, PH.D. '68: Across the disciplines
Stephen Ritterbush

“Union has a unique blend of engineering and liberal arts in a small college environment where students are able to get special attention,” said Steve Ritterbush '68, Ph.D., who holds a B.S. in civil engineering and B.A. in political science from Union College as part of a former combined five-year program.

At Union, Ritterbush served as class president for three years and captained the lacrosse team, memorably and dramatically scoring five goals in a victory over RPI while playing with a broken hand.

He also pioneered a term abroad program at the University of Stockholm. “Professor Joe Board was instrumental in helping me develop an independent overseas study program,” he said. “At the time, Union had only two programs – one in Scotland and one in Switzerland – that sent a total of three students abroad to study each year. I was one of the first students to create a program for myself.”

After earning advanced degrees at the University of Hawaii and Tufts and spending time at Harvard as a Rockefeller Foundation fellow, Ritterbush co-founded Fairfax Partners with Ray List '66. He is now managing partner of the firm, which manages a series of investment funds and has launched more than 25 different companies. He resides in Great Falls, Va.

As Union strengthens its image and positions itself in the academic community for the long haul, Ritterbush remains fiercely loyal to the institution that, he says, “provides one with the ability to look at problems in different ways, both from the engineering and technical side, as well as from an economic, social and political perspective.

“Union has a unique ability to turn out students with cross-disciplinary expertise.”

Lawrence B. Pedowitz, PH.D. '69: Value in education

Serving as a trustee is giving Lawrence Pedowitz '69 – Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, B.A., economics and political science – “an education about education.” He's learning more, he says, about “the issues that the administration and professors must confront from a financial, social and moral standpoint.”

Pedowitz credits his own education at Union for much of his success since graduation. He won Union's Heck-Steingut Prize, was nominated as a Nott Scholar, served as class president and was an exchange student at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

Lawrence B. Pedowitz

“I was a very happy student,” he said. “The values that Union teaches – including how to achieve balance from the standpoint of intellectual, social and family pursuits – have been critically important to me. I will always be grateful for the superb liberal arts education Union's professors provided.”

In particular, Pedowitz expressed gratitude to Professor Joseph Board, who encouraged him to vie for the Root-Tilden Scholarship at NYU Law School, which he won. He went on to earn his J.D. cum laude and graduate first in his class from NYU, serve as editor-in-chief of the Law Review and clerk for two judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr.

Pedowitz headed the criminal division of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office and became a partner in the New York City firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. As a prosecutor, he was involved in the first criminal prosecutions of insider trading and the indictment of Marc Rich and Pincus Green. His role as a defense lawyer for Goldman Sachs earned him recognition in James Stewart's best-selling book, Den of Thieves.

In addition, he is a vice chairman and director of the Legal Aid Society, a co-founder of New York Law Firms for the Homeless and a director of The Brennan Center at NYU Law School.

His association with Union and his fellow trustees, he said, “has been enormously rewarding. The Board is full of dedicated and talented alums. I'm on a steep learning curve and trying to contribute where I have some expertise.”

John E. Kelly III, PH.D. '76: The right balance
John E. Kelly III

Studying at Union, John Kelly III '76 learned to balance the theoretical with the practical, a proficiency that has served him well as both a top scientist and corporate leader. Senior vice president and group executive of IBM's Technology Group, he is responsible for developing, manufacturing and marketing IBM microelectronics products.

“I want to use the skills I have now, from the business and technical worlds, to help direct the College,” said Kelly, who holds a B.S. in physics from Union, as well as an M.S. in physics and Ph.D. in materials engineering from RPI.

The Kelly-Union connection is a strong one. Three siblings also attended Union, his father studied math and engineering in Union night classes while working at the General Electric R&D Center, and his grandfather graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy of Union University.

Highlighting Union's many strengths, Kelly said its small size fostered “tremendous interaction with faculty. They were always accessible; you could just walk in and chat with them. That allowed me to learn a lot from them, and not just academically.”

He said Ennis Pilcher, professor emeritus of physics, inspired him with “a wonderful balance of the theoretical and the practical,” while classes with Professor Byron Nichols of the political science department, “an exceptional professor,” helped round out a course of study that centered on math and science.

Now, after nearly three decades of benefiting from life lessons learned at Union, Kelly is glad to remain involved with the College. “The trustees are a great group of people,” he said. “It's a pleasure to spend time wrestling with the challenges and opportunities that Union faces.

“Union has tremendous potential, and we want to help realize all of that potential.”

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CAP Committee

Posted on Jul 22, 2004

CO-CHAIR
PHILIP R. BEUTH '54
Naples, Fla.

Work: Retired president, Morning and Night Entertainment, Capital Cities/ABC-TV.

Degrees: B.A., English, Union, 1954

Undergraduate activities: Psi Upsilon, Frank Bailey Scholarship winner

CO-CHAIR

MARK L. WALSH '76
Chevy Chase, Md.

Work: Managing Partner, Ruxton Associates LLC, Washington, D.C.;
longtime technology and internet executive; former CEO, Air America, Inc.; former senior VP, America Online

Degrees: B.A., American studies, Union, 1976; M.B.A., marketing, Harvard, 1980
Undergraduate activities: Kappa Alpha, Social Committee, Glee Club, Mountebanks, varsity lacrosse, Block U


ROBERT F. CUMMINGS JR. '71
New York City

Work: Senior advisor, GSC Partners, New York, a private investment firm

Degrees: B.A., economics, Union, 1971; M.B.A., University of Chicago Business School, 1972

Undergraduate activities: Delta Upsilon; varsity golf, Block U


FRANK L. MESSA '73
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Work: Senior VP and senior partner, The Ayco Co., L.P., Albany, N.Y., a financial counseling firm

Degrees: B.A., political science, Union, 1973; J.D., Albany Law School, 1976
Undergraduate activities: Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, Albert Ingham Prize finalist

HANS P. BLACK '74
Westmount, Quebec

Work: International market strategist; chairman, Interinvest Consulting Corp., Montreal, a global money management firm; editor, Interinvest Review & Outlook; president, Hans P. Black Foundation

Degrees: B.S., biology, Union, 1974; M.D., McGill University, 1980
Undergraduate activities: Student government, International Relations and Political Forum, Sigma Phi, Pre-med Society, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude

VALERIE J. HOFFMAN '75
Chicago

Work: Equity Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a national full-service law firm; has nationwide employment law
practice; also founded and heads a Chicago-based consulting group.

Degrees: B.A. history, Union, 1975; J.D., Boston College Law School, 1978
Undergraduate activities: Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, Bailey Cup winner, Freling H. Smith prize, Committee on Women member, year abroad at University of Edinburgh, Scotland

CHUCK DONOFRIO '77
Glen Arm, Md.

Work: President and CEO, Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc., Baltimore, a brand experience design firm

Degrees: B.A., English, Union, 1977; M.A., University of Montana, 1978
Undergraduate activities: Cum laude, Kappa Alpha president, Glee Club

JOHN J. KENNEDY '78
Stamford, Conn.

Work: Senior VP, Wirthlin Worldwide, New York City, a leading market research and consulting firm specializing in branding and communications

Degrees: B.A., political science and philosophy
Undergraduate activities: Chi Psi, varsity football, Big Brothers of Schenectady


ALAN Z. WHITE '85
Belvedere Tiburon, Calif., London, UK

Work: Managing
manager, European Operations, Immersion Corporation, Ltd., London; co-founder
and partner, Foghorn Ventures, LLC, a product capital fund

Degrees: B.S., applied math and economics, Union, 1985; M.B.A., Rochester Institute of Technology, 1987; M.S., M.I.T Sloan School, 1991
Undergraduate activities: Psi Upsilon, Concordiensis, theater

DOUGLASS E. KARP '97
Boston

Work: Project manager for development, New England Development Company (NED), Newton Center, Mass., a real estate development company

Degrees: B.S., liberal arts and social science, Union, 1997
Undergraduate activities: Chi Psi, Greece term abroad

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‘Branding’ Union

Posted on Jul 22, 2004

Alums unite to promote College
The Nott

How does a product – or a college – cut through the daily bombardment of media messages in this hyper-information age of symbols and associations? How does it carve its own niche and promote itself in a compelling, focused way?

That's the challenge facing 10 Union alumni, members of the Communications and Promotions (CAP) committee, who themselves reflect what makes Union so outstanding.

The CAP committee was established to define and build awareness of Union's strengths and to position the College where it needs to be for future success.

“We want people to be excited about Union,” says Trustee Philip Beuth '54, who co-chairs the committee with Trustee Mark Walsh '76. “To maintain our status as a great learning institution, we have to be on top of things, toot our horn to the world about the quality of Union College and its history.”

“We're promoting our product,” says Walsh. “Among colleges today, the pursuit of talented seniors has never been more competitive.”

In addition to Beuth and Walsh, CAP members include Robert Cummings '71, Frank Messa '73, Hans Black '74, Valerie Hoffman '75, Chuck Donofrio '77, John Kennedy '78, Alan White '85 and Douglass Karp '97 (see bios, pages 2-5).

They are committed to raising the profile of the College and aligning the reality of what makes Union special with an appropriate and powerful public perception. After all, who better to appreciate the value of a Union education than those who've leveraged it to power their own success?

“We want positive momentum to surround the brand,” stresses Walsh. “Union does great things every day – and people have to know it. To energize the Union brand is something the College will do more of now, or it will become very expensive to catch up. What better audience to reach out to than the people who bought the product?”

FROM GAP TO CAP
Idol

CAP was launched last year when Union's development committee recognized “a real gap between the perception of what Union was and the quality experience it delivers,” noted Walsh. “You got an amazing institution, the whole package was absolutely first rate. But the outside world might say, 'Where is it?' We needed to start the ship turning toward a positive reinforcement.”

To establish perception benchmarks, CAP members launched an online survey, hosted focus groups and participated in one-on-one interviews with alumni of various decades.

“We tried to find out everything we could about what people think about Union,” said Beuth.

Questions ran the gamut from terms abroad and undergraduate research to social and residential life at Union. Conducted last spring, this first comprehensive survey of alumni in 35 years found that 92 percent of those polled were satisfied with their overall Union experience.

“We got a tremendous response,” Walsh says. “Approximately 5,000 alumni provided some very robust feedback.”

Even before analysis of the survey data had been completed, Union increased the number of on- and off-campus events and enhanced print and electronic publications to engage alumni and friends more effectively with Union.

“We have so many wonderful stories, so many things that are happening on campus in terms of the whole esprit de corps,” says Beuth. “We have to tell Union's stories.”

That's the next chapter in CAP's book: externalizing the information gleaned in the internal research phase to shape a perception that is more closely aligned with the reality of Union's unique qualities and strengths as a distinguished institution and leader in many fields.

BUILDING PRIDE

CAP Committee Chairs, Mark L. Walsh '76, left, and Philip R. Beuth '54

The CAP team is dedicated to clearly articulating the unique characteristics and spirit of the College – everything from its international programs and its commitment to academics, arts and athletics to the recent establishment of a converging technologies initiative.

“We hope to be really good about educating alumni that Union is doing good things,” says Beuth. “We want to leverage that pride to influence others who are in the college decision-making process that Union is the place to be.”

Therefore, enhancing Union's actual performance in recruiting and educating students is as important as touting the special qualities Union brings to this task.

“The most significant thing is to create an environment for the best possible education – to make Union a great, great place to be,” says Beuth. “We have to continue to provide the best opportunities to get the best caliber students in the class. We need to get great people and educate them – and hope they remain part of the Union family all their lives.”

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