North Falmouth, MA (June 13, 2005) – It is usually the student-athletes receiving the awards for their hard work on the field. This time however, it was someone behind the scenes recognized for their hard work and dedication to those individuals. Union College Sports Information Director Eric McDowellreceived the 2005 Irving T. Marsh Service Bureau Award at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors' Association (ECAC-SIDA) annual workshop in North Falmouth, MA last week. The award, named after the ECAC Service Bureau founder and director Irving T. Marsh, is presented annually at the spring workshop to an ECAC-SIDA member who has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information.
“Eric's accomplishments over the last several years are apparent and I'm glad to see the recognition for his efforts as evidenced by this prestigious award. He is a true advocate for the student-athletes and we're fortunate to have someone of his caliber here at Union,” commended Union Athletic Director Jim McLaughlin.
“It has been great working with Eric,” stated head softball coach Pete Brown. “He took over for a legend and we haven't skipped a beat.”
McDowell came to Union from the State University of New York College at Brockport, where he served as the SID since 2001. He has held sports information positions at the University of New Haven, the University of New Hampshire, UMass-Lowell, Cornell, and Cal Poly. McDowell started his career as an undergraduate at the University of New Haven.
He was also a media relations director for the NBA's Golden State Warriors, the AHL's Lowell (MA) Lock Monsters and the 2000 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta.
This summer, McDowell will present a bid to host the 2007 ECAC-SIDA workshop in Niagara Falls, NY. He has worked numerous ECAC and NCAA post-season events in a variety of sports, including eight NCAA Div. I men's basketball “March Madness” events nationally.
An active member of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) as well as ECAC-SIDA, McDowell has hosted numerous panels and table topics for both bodies.
Union College economics professor and vice chairman of Schenectady's Metroplex Development Authority board, Lewis has lately had a lot of church work on his busy schedule. As an elder at the First Reformed Church in the Stockade section of the city, Lewis has played a big role in the congregation's new 8 a.m. service, and will also serve as a delegate to the Reformed Church of America's General Synod beginning next week in Schenectady.
Brad Lewis, professor of economics
“I began to think that I was being called back to the church,” said Lewis, who grew up in Aurora, Ill., and moved to Schenectady in 1969 to work for the General Electric Co. “I don't know how I can prove that, but that's the language I use, and I believe that to be the case.”
His parents were regular churchgoers, both of them Methodists, and Lewis was quite active in the church as a youth.
“Then I went to college and drifted away a little bit,” he said. “I'd come home from school and go to church with my parents, but I really wasn't thinking that seriously about my faith.”
Like many other Americans going to college in the turbulent '60s, Lewis wasn't content with the condition of the world he lived in.
“Growing up, you were taught to be a good American, but from a Christian perspective, I couldn't understand how you could be a segregationist,” said Lewis, who spent part of his childhood in Oklahoma and Missouri, and his senior year in high school in India, his father having been granted a Fulbright Lectureship at Meerut College. “I was deeply affected by the death of Martin Luther King, and there were other things going on during that time I was wrestling with, and I felt like the church wasn't addressing these issues. I was never antagonistic, but I felt like much of the church wasn't living up to its values.”
Lewis majored in economics at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., worked for GE for six years and then left the area to get his doctorate from the University of Chicago. In 1979 he returned to Schenectady, but this time as a professor at Union College.
RETURN TO CHURCH
“After I took the position at Union I started feeling like it was time to get back to church,” said Lewis, who by this time had married his wife, Cathy, currently a member of the Schenectady City Council. “We had some friends that took us to the First Reformed and we felt quite at home there. I felt like it was a serious place that allowed you to think and discuss things about your faith. I was being encouraged to think about why I was there, and I liked that.”
Lewis joined the church and soon became a deacon. When the Rev. Al Smith left First Reformed in 1991, Lewis was named chairman of the search committee that would find his replacement. The experience reinforced his faith.
“I wanted to fully understand why I was doing this, because we weren't just hiring a new employee, we were finding a minister for our church,' said Lewis. “I wanted to make sure I was qualified to do it. I had started taking some Bible studies earlier and learning more, and I was convinced I had to continue to learn. It was a real important moment for me in my faith development.”
Lewis' faith took another big step on Sunday morning when he and First Reformed associate minister Justin Meyers shared the duties of conducting the church's new 8 a.m. service.
“We wrote a dialogue, labeled it as a homily and substituted it for a sermon,” said Lewis, who portrayed the prophet Abraham. Meyers was the gospel writer Matthew. “I think it went pretty well. We're going to continue to have different lay people get involved, and I intend to remain involved.”
Lewis wrote the dialogue with the approval of Meyers and the rest of the ministerial staff at First Reformed.
“Brad came up with a beautiful dialogue, and we just had to make sure it was all consistent with our denomination's teachings,” said Meyers. “But Brad is pretty savvy with that kind of stuff. He's very intelligent, and he's not afraid to get involved.”
According to Meyers, it was Lewis' input that got the 8 a.m. service off the ground.
“Brad is very enthusiastic and forward-thinking,” said Meyers. “He wants to be on the cutting edge, and I had a lot of people come up to me after the service and tell me how that was one of the most engaging times they've ever had with Scripture. Myself and the other ministers gave Brad a few ideas, but it was mostly his product. He did a great job.”
CIVIC WORK
Lewis' good works are also felt outside his church family.
“He really cares about the community, and he wants downtown Schenectady to be vibrant again, as much as anyone,” said Ray Gillen, chairman of Metroplex. “He works on a number of other boards, and he's not afraid to step up and get involved.”
Gillen didn't always realize how big a role First Reformed played in Lewis' life, but when he found out it certainly didn't come as a surprise.
“He doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve, but he does live it,” said Gillen. “He's an intelligent guy, but he's also kind and thoughtful. It was always obvious to me that he was a caring guy.”
Lewis recently completed work as the co-chairman of First Reformed's renovation committee, and next Thursday will begin serving as a delegate to the Reformed Church of America's National Synod to be held at Union College.
“It's the yearly conference of our national governing body,” explained Lewis. “In the Catholic church, the pope has the clear authority, but in our denomination it's these little groups, or classes, that make up the rules and determine where we side on the issues of the day. Officially, our authority comes from Scripture, but it's our interpretation that matters, and obviously not everybody agrees on every issue.”
As involved as he is in his church, Lewis said he never seriously considered becoming a minister himself.
“I feel called to be a lay person, I enjoy it, and to do what I do in education I have to remain a lay person,” he said. “But I certainly wouldn't have expected years ago that I would have become as involved in the church as I am. I do have an opportunity with our denomination of becoming what is called a preaching elder. I might consider doing that.”
What a beautiful way to conclude four years at New York's oldest and best college. What a beautiful day on which to do so.
Last month, at Prize Day, we announced the list of honors and prizes that are printed on the back of the Commencement program; today we recognize again all the winners and invite them, the rest of you, and your family members to join together at the divisional receptions immediately following the ceremony, for they are a wonderful way for faculty and students to say goodbye.
At Commencement 2005
I want to thank once again the Commencement Committee (and in particular, Ruth Stevenson, our marshal), the entire Facilities and Dining Services staffs (and Mother Nature) and the rest of you whose efforts over the past weeks have contributed to the success of this program. I also want to thank everyone who has worked with me over the past 15 years to make Union ever better. No one appreciates your efforts more than I do; no one recognizes your contributions more than I do, either. We have had a great run, and I have tremendously enjoyed our time together!
I would like now to invite the parents of today's graduates to stand for a well-deserved round of applause from their daughters and sons. I also would like you now to join with me in applauding the members of the faculty and staff for their efforts over the past four years in preparing the Class of 2005 for what lies ahead. And I want to ask you in particular to join me in thanking Professor George Smith and Dean Robert Balmer, who will now be retiring, for their years of service to Union and to thousands upon thousands of students.
During Commencement for the past 15 years at Union, I have ended each ceremony, as already noted, with the same words. And I look out at the class and reflect on what our newest graduates are dreaming about (other, of course, than when we will be done). Well, we are almost done.
On those occasions, on this occasion, I think about who will be president, secretary of state, governor or senator or congressman, Olympic gold medalist, Academy Award winner, National Book Award author, or Nobel Prize winner. Union has produced them all, and there is no reason why you cannot or will not attain that level of success. Just do it the right way! And the right way is, I believe, to fill your lives with passion, accountability, compassion, and truthfulness.
As I said, I end each commencement with the same words. Try as I might, I cannot improve upon them. They summarize – in one sentence – what I fervently believe. So, for the last time at Union, let me close with those words. Make a difference: Do well and do good.
In his last address as Union College president, Roger H. Hull suggested that Congress enact a mandatory program, requiring young Americans to serve for two years in either the military or social programs.
“From my perspective, we would benefit mightily as individuals and as a nation if we had some form of mandatory service,” Hull said.
He suggested it could be done either before or after college.
Hull, 62, retires June 30 after 15 years of leading the oldest college in the state. Union College was founded in 1795.
He told the 488 graduates that their life at Union “began at one of this nation's most traumatic moments. When the twin towers came down on 9/11, so did our veil of innocence,” he said.
War has cost the lives of 1,700 American men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the word, sacrifice, is repeatedly heard from politicians, Hull said.
And, there was some commitment after the events of 9/11. But any commitment to the country has been short-lived, and most Americans have reverted to the life they had before, he said.
Hull believes everyone has “an obligation to contribute to the communities, states and nations of which we are a part.”
In a melancholy moment, he said, “I care about you and have high hopes for you, and my hopes for you revolve around those words.”
Demonstrate passion, he said. “Whatever you tackle from this day forward, believe in it and do it with real conviction.”
On accountability: “Remember that you are — we are all — accountable for what we do.”
The president said he was not suggesting “compassion in the sense that appeals to liberals and is abhorrent to conservatives, but empathy, sympathy and tolerance for others who are unable to help themselves.”
For truthfulness, he referred to the Greek philosopher Diogenes who “roamed the countryside with a lantern looking for an honest man. May you never need a lantern; may you simply have to look in the mirror to see an honest person.”
Hull called them simple words that he hopes the graduates keep in mind. “And, I am happy to say, many of you already have exhibited these characteristics, for many of you have been leaders in the changes of the past four years at Union.”
“You have not only weathered change, you have helped bring it about,” he added. “In the process, you have made things better for others and yourselves.”
Hull, a New York City native and an attorney who began his career with White & Case in New York, was given an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree.
The commencement was held in Hull Plaza, formerly Library Plaza until the board of trustees voted on the change last month.
Hull's achievements over 15 years were recalled in a salute to the outgoing president by Stephen M. Berk, a professor of Jewish studies.
Berk called Hull “a man who likes an intellectual comeback” and a “champion of free speech.” He commended Hull for the way he “really engaged the faculty, really engaged the students.” The outgoing president is an “intelligent, decent and caring man,” Berk said.
Representing the graduates was Brian Lindenberg of Avon, Conn., who earned a bachelor's degree with majors in economics and geology. The theme of Lindenberg's address was not too unlike that of Hull.
“Giving back to our community and especially to Union is something that is often spoken about at graduations,” he said. “But this can only be accomplished when working together. For those of us who have the passion, may we inspire others to join our collaborative effort in bettering the world.”
Tian Tian of Beijing, recognized as a pianist virtuoso, was valedictorian. Silva Kantareva, a native of Bulgaria, was class salutatorian.
Hull ended the program with his traditional charge to the graduates, saying for the last time, “Make a difference: Do well and do good.”
In 15 years as president of Union College, Roger H. Hull has told many graduates: “Make a difference. Do well and do good.”
On Sunday Hull took that aphorism a step further and called on the U.S. Congress to create mandatory two-year military and social service requirements for young adults.
Hull will retire as president later this month and was awarded an honorary doctorate before giving the keynote graduation speech Sunday morning on a lawn in front of the Nott Memorial.
In his speech Hull recalled the spirit of community service that cropped up after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He also noted that more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers have been killed in military action in Afghanistan and Iraq since then and wondered why many Americans have “reverted back to the life they lived prior to 9/11.”
“Why do so few of us care?
Why do so few of us share the burden?” Hull said. “It is time for congress to put a mandatory service program in place.”
Hull said such service would last two years and could be in the military or in a social program but did not elaborate. Many countries in Europe and elsewhere have similar mandatory service programs. The suggestion was received with mild applause from the hundreds of family and friends watching the ceremony during intense heat and humidity.
Hull, 62, is the son of German immigrants who fled Nazi Germany for New York City during World War II. He went on to college at Dartmouth and earned a law degree from Yale University before beginning a career in college administration at Syracuse University in 1976.
In Hull's tenure, the school bought and remade apartment houses and a Ramada Inn located near campus into student housing. Hull also served as a board member on Schenectady improvement initiatives but has been criticized for not offering a payment in lieu of taxes to the city. College and universities enjoy nonprofit, tax-exempt status. In recent weeks Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton has called on the school to donate $500,000 a year to compensate for police, fire and emergency service calls connected with Union. Hull made no mention of making a payment during his speech.
Instead he spoke to the 488 graduates, a group who were just beginning their freshman year on Sept. 11, 2001. He advised them to be passionate, compassionate, accountable and ethical.
Hull invoked the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who once said that a college degree is not required for service to society. All that one needs, King said, is a “heart full of grace and soul generated by love.”
“Now you have your degrees, all you need is the requisite grace and love. Find it within yourself and make a pact with yourself to serve your community, state and nation,” Hull said.
PROTEST PARADE
The last graduates of the college's civil engineering program carried a boat in the graduation procession, marching as though carrying a casket to a funeral.
They were protesting the school's decision to cancel the civil engineering program. Graduates of the program have been protesting the decision during graduation for the past two years.
Union College officials made no attempt to stop the students, who set their boat down next to their seats and carried it back out with them after the ceremony.
College spokeswoman Lisa Stratton said Union officials got the message – but they don't plan to change their minds.
“The decision still stands,” she said. “But they clearly made a statement, as they have the right to do and as they have done before, and the college wasn't about to stop that.”
She defended the decision as “purely budgetary,” noting that the engineering department was told to cut one program and department officials decided that civil engineering should be cut.
“It was, unfortunately, the lowest priority,” she said.
The Sunday commencement was the 211 th in the school's long history. The graduating class includes eight from the city of Schenectady, 19 from Schenectady County and 79 from the greater Capital Region.
