Sydney H. Schanberg dared young people to be different. John Hope Franklin urged them to make a difference.
The men made their statements to men and women in black caps and gowns on the grounds of Union College. Graduation ceremonies have always been a time for wisdom, and celebration.
Union's latest class left the roost on Sunday, with memories of higher education fresh in their minds. Members of other Union classes likely remember their time near the Nott Memorial.
In 1948, seniors were still smoking the traditional class day pipe in the college's Jackson Gardens. The pipe itself was nontraditional – it was a model of Union's library building.
The guys graduated on June 13, 1948, and listened to Dulles deliver the commencement address. At the time, the statesman was Republican foreign policy spokesman.
Dulles, then 60 and five years away from serving as secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, told 161 graduates that western democracies and communist states differed politically because democracies had developed processes for peaceful change. Communism, he said, relied upon violent methods.
“So, communism is to be rejected, not because it seeks change, but because it seeks change in ways that are evil and self-defeating,” Dulles said.
He added: “I hope the day will never come when the American nation will become the champion of the status quo. Once that happens, we shall have forfeited – and rightly forfeited – the support of those who dream and want to make their dreams come true.”
MOMENTS TO REMEMBER
Union ceremonies have always had their nice moments, some humor, and even a little controversy.
On June 15, 1958, Sally Brown Van Schaick became the first woman to receive a bachelor of arts degree from the college, then in its 163 rd year of existence. Van Schaick, a mother of five, had taken evening classes to earn her place in the graduating class.
A few civil engineering seniors placed tassels on white hard hats when they graduated on June 16, 1985. Others taped fraternity letters to the top of their mortarboards. These statements had to please Schanberg, The New York Times columnist and advocate for the different drummer.
“Step away from the crowd,” he said. “Don't accept someone else's truth and . . . don't keep your mind taped shut.”
Historian Charles Austin Beard gave a class another piece of advice on June 10, 1935 – and suggested one more reading assignment for seniors.
“By way of preparation for admission to this practical world, young graduates will find some guidance in one of the most profound books now standing on our library shelves,” he said, “a treatise on sociology so deep in its wisdom that superficial readers sometimes take it with a light heart and treat it as a piece of fiction. . . . Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland.' ”
The 199-member class responded with a spontaneous burst of applause.
In 1965, more then 700 college alumni were back on campus for the June 5 commencement. Some wore costumes; they marched in a parade with music provided by the Draper and Scotia-Glenville high school bands. The Class of 1950, with 41 members in attendance, won the Anable Cup for the largest turnout.
Now, the parade is held during Union's alumni weekend.
At least for one year, drama was part of commencement. On June 12, 1971, a group of protesters crashed graduation during days of the Vietnam War. One of the unexpected guests, an English teacher at Union, waved a Viet Cong flag. Parents, graduates, other faculty members and campus police joined the ruckus.
A BETTER SOCIETY
For most graduations, the idea is more about hope. And duty for the future. That was Franklin's tone. The University of Chicago history professor and author pushed for a better society when he spoke to Union's Class of 1976 on June 13, 1976.
“Join in the exciting, rewarding, if burdensome, enterprise of working with all your strength and with all the resources at your command to make our social order an Eden on this earth,” Franklin said, “one in which even the least among us can have the security of personal dignity, equal justice and the enjoyment of the fruits of this earth.”
After 15 Years as president, Roger H. Hull delivers last speech
at Union College's Commencement
Roger Hull, president of Union College, took the stage at his last Commencement to advocate for a mandatory two-year national service program. But until Congress passes such a measure, he said, Americans should serve voluntarily.
Hull, who steps down June 30 after 15 years as Union's president, received an honorary doctor of civil laws degree and gave the main address at a ceremony in which 488 Union students received their diplomas.
“It is time for Congress to put a mandatory service program in place, a program that would allow each person to decide how he or she would serve for a two-year period,” Hull said. “In the interim, it is time for more Americans to serve voluntarily.”
Hull told the graduates he traces his conviction for community service to his grandfather, Ludwig Stern, a political refugee of Nazi Germany. Stern, a cofounder of a small political party and leader of a paramilitary group that fought the Nazis, wrote in 1959, “To love father and mother is not enough. To have a wife and children is not enough. In addition, every man must love his country, work for his community in one way or another. Be a politician, but an honorable one. Then and only then have you the right to be proud.”
I have sought to make the communities of which I have been a part better,” Hull said. “And, whenever possible, I have encouraged the same attitude in my sons and in the young men and women at the Colleges I have served.
“Make a pact with yourself to serve your community, state, and nation and tackle the next stage of your journey with passion, accountability, compassion, and truthfulness. Then and only then, as my grandfather said, will you have the right to be proud.”
Hull leaves a legacy of community service at Union. In the last academic year, more than 1,200 students volunteered for 18,883 hours and raised $78,225 for non-profit programs and events including tsunami relief, Relay for Life (a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society), and the annual John Calvin Toll Day of Community Service.
Union's Kenney Community Center coordinates 11 programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girls Inc., America Reads, Homework Center and Skills Development Program, Rotaract Club, Union Community Action Reaching Everyone (U-CARE), and Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP).
A native of New York City, Hull earned his B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, his law degree from Yale Law School, and his master's degree in law and his Doctor of Juridical Science degree from the University of Virginia.
From 1967 to 1971, he was an attorney with White & Case in New York City. In 1971, he became special counsel to Gov. Linwood Holton of Virginia, responsible for the administration's legislative program. Three years later, he joined the National Security Council's Interagency Task Force on the Law of the Sea as a special assistant to the chairman and deputy staff director.
In 1976, Hull joined Syracuse University, where he served as vice president for development and planning and as adjunct professor of international law. He served as president of Beloit College for nine years and was inaugurated as the 17th president of Union College in the fall of 1990.
Hull will be remembered by the Union College community for his commitment to five key areas:
-Integrating the liberal arts and technology -Enhancing academic, social and residential life -Increasing international education -Expanding undergraduate research -Encouraging community service
Faculty. Staff. Trustees. Alumni. Friends. Grandparents. Parents. Aunts. Uncles. Brothers. Sisters. My mother. My sister and brother-in-law. My sons. Roberto and Mac. Fellow graduates of the great class of 2005!
I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak to you today on an occasion that means so much to you. Before I do, though, I ask you to think of families for whom this ceremony is not joyous and to join me in a moment of silence for your classmates Jeremy April and Craig LeDuc and Kyle Schrade, and for Christie Sorum, Union's Dean of Faculty.
Well before most of your parents were in college, a president could gather students at any time and say what was on his mind. In fact, at colleges like Union, there was mandatory chapel, where, once a week, the president would speak on a range of issues. Times have changed; everything changed with the Vietnam War. Mandatory chapel is no more, and college presidents generally get to speak only on occasional formal events such as opening Convocation or Founders Day or at Commencement where they issue a parting charge. So I thank you for the opportunity to do something more because Union has been my home (and my sons' home) for the past 15 years.
Jeff Roffman '05
Let me begin by reflecting with you on what we have been through together. For you, 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 national veil of innocence. Since then, we have gone to war and have had nearly 1,700 young men and women lose their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since then, we have gone through color codes, threats, and warnings. Since then, we have heard the word “sacrifice” used over and over by politicians. And yet, since then – incredibly, within weeks of the tragedy – most Americans have reverted to the life that they had led prior to 9/11.
Yes, many did step forward right after 9/11, but, for most, the commitment was shortlived. Despite the rhetoric, sacrifice on a continuing, day-to-day basis has been rare. Why? Why do so few of us care? Why don't more of us share the burden? As I have said on those rare occasions when I do speak, I believe that we all – individually and institutionally – have an obligation to contribute to the communities, states, and nation of which we are a part. How we do it is irrelevant to me; that we do it is not.
From my perspective, we would benefit mightily as individuals and as a nation if we had some form of mandatory service. Whether before or after college, if all Americans put in two years of service – in the military or in social programs, in our cities or in the country – America would be well-served. It is, I believe, time for Congress to put a mandatory service program in place, a program that would allow each person to decide how he or she would serve for a two-year period. In the interim, it is time for more Americans to serve voluntarily.
I trace my conviction back 45 years to a refugee from Nazi Germany named Ludwig Stern. Ludwig Stern had been the co-founder of a small political party in Germany and a leader in the formation of the Reichsbanner, a paramilitary group that was founded to combat the Nazis. Writing to his grandson, he said that “To love father and mother is not enough. To have a wife and children is not enough. In addition, every man must love his country, work for his community in one way or another. Be a politician, but an honorable one. Then and only then have you the right to be proud.” Now the name Ludwig Stern won't mean anything to you, but he did to me. Ludwig Stern was my grandfather, and those words he wrote in 1959 have had a lasting impact on me. Since then, I have sought to make the communities of which I have been a part better – and, whenever possible, I have encouraged the same attitude in my sons and in the young men and women at the colleges I have served.
As you prepare to leave this campus, let me share with you four words that are important to me – words that may possibly resonate with some of you in the same way that my grandfather's words resonated with me. In doing so, I know that I am falling into the Commencement speaker's trap of “advice-giver.” However, I care about you and have high hopes for you, and my hopes for you revolve around those words. So I will become – briefly – an advice-giver, and I will try to reach at least a few of you.
Passion. Whatever you tackle from this day forward, believe in it, do it with conviction. Only then will you have real satisfaction and look forward to each day. As you, as I, leave this magnificent college, we both face uncertainty. My hope for you, though, is that, just as I look forward to the challenges and the uncertainties that lie before me, so will you. If you are passionate about what you are doing, uncertainty will evaporate. That passion may be ignited in unusual ways. For me, the road to a college presidency was paved by an appointment as a 27 year-old to a college board of trustees, which led me to change my professional goals, to abandon my legal career, and, 11 years later, to assume my first college presidency. More recently, fate touched me again, when a call from a Supreme Court Justice, about a program I created 17 years ago for at-risk children, led me to decide to replicate that program across the country as the next step in my professional life. So, be willing to switch course and make change a friend, not a feared enemy. And, whether you switch course or stay the course you first choose, push your limits to know what those limits are and refuse to concede that something cannot be done.
Accountability. Remember that you are – we are all – accountable for what we do. During your years at Union, you have witnessed business scandals that have affected the lives of tens of thousands of people and political scandals, on both sides of the aisle, that have touched us all. Yes, we have had scandals before, but what is particularly shocking today is the arrogance of those involved and the refusal on their part to accept responsibility for their actions. Unlike our counterparts in other parts of the world, we seem more interested in denying than accepting responsibility. Where is the outrage? Not enough people seem to care. We should care; we should recognize that we are responsible for the decisions that we make; and we should always – always – be held accountable for our actions. While we have no-fault insurance throughout the land, we should not sink into the moral abyss of a no-fault society. Remember, at the end of the day, when you look back on your life, you should have lived it with full responsibility for your decisions and your actions, because you – and our business and political leaders – are responsible and will ultimately be held accountable.
Compassion. Not 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. I was moved, in the horrible aftermath of 9/11, to see so many people seek to do more for others – even if their efforts were temporary. And I have been moved that so many of you – more than 60 percent of you – have helped make Schenectady, and, more importantly, the lives of the people in Schenectady, better. During your time at Union, I have also delighted in the fact that 65 percent of you have been able to travel abroad and that most of those of you who have taken advantage of that opportunity have sought not simply to go on shopping sprees in Europe but learned both how lucky you are and how connected we are to others throughout the world. The world is shrinking; it is a dramatically different world from the one that your parents and I grew up in; and it is one in which the plight of the person across the globe has an effect on you almost as much as the person who lives next door. You have responded in Schenectady, and you have responded to a tsunami. My hope is that you receive the joy that these good works provide, and I hope, too, that this joy and these works will be part of your life from this day forward. What will your reward be? The opportunity to do more. There is much to do, much injustice to undo. May you always seek to right the wrongs that you encounter!
Truthfulness. More than two millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Diogenes 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. Shortcuts will always present themselves; temptations will always abound. However, whatever success you attain by taking a moral shortcut and giving in to temptation will haunt you for a very long time. You cannot hide the truth, certainly not from yourself. So, despite desires that you have (and that I have for you), don't let your proverbial desired ends validate your means. Rather, when you reflect on your accomplishments, know that you have been successful because you have done things in an ethical way. Even if no one else is aware of what you are doing, even if no one else is looking, be honest and true to yourself.
Passion. Accountability. Compassion. Truthfulness. Simple words. Words that I hope you will 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. From Converging Technologies to research, from the Minervas to service on and off campus, you have made Union and Schenectady better. Change does not come easily – not to individuals or institutions, not to communities. However, you have not only weathered change, you have helped bring it about. In the process, you have made things better for others and for yourselves.
It has been an honor – and a delight – for me to serve at one of America's oldest and most distinguished colleges for the past 15 years. Yet the real delight over the years has been to get to know so many of you and those who preceded you, to cheer your successes on the field and in the classroom, and to continue to stay in touch with students as they join the ranks of alumni. We share in common a love for this wonderful college and an appreciation for the many people who make it so special.
It is my fervent hope – it is our fervent hope – which Union continues to prosper. And prosper it will, so long as the faculty and students and staff and alumni and trustees are willing to change. Our strides have been extraordinary, and you have witnessed them and benefited from them and been prepared by them for the challenges of this complex, interconnected world. However, even though we are at the start of our third century, I strongly believe that we have just begun, for there is so much more to do and so much change for which we must prepare – from the explosion and acceleration of knowledge, to new technology, to changes in demographics, to the ongoing issue of cost (with which your parents are all too familiar).
For three centuries, Union has met challenges, that, at the time, seemed daunting; and, for four years, you have faced numerous personal and academic challenges – challenges that you have met, as the diploma you will receive today will attest. Just as it is my hope – and belief – that Union will have many, many more triumphs in the decades ahead, so it is my hope – and belief – that you will also have many, many triumphs – and you will, if you will live lives filled with passion, accountability, compassion, and truthfulness. As Union continues to succeed, as you succeed, I will be able to reflect not only on a college that has made its mark but on a group of graduates who will do much in this world.
Four decades ago, Martin Luther King said that anybody can serve and that you don't have to have a college degree to serve, if you have a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. Well, you will shortly have your degree, and you are now prepared to serve. All you need is the requisite grace and love. Find it within yourselves. Make a “PACT” with yourself to serve your community, state, and nation and tackle the next stage of your journey with passion, accountability, compassion, and truthfulness. Then and only then, as my grandfather said, will you have the right to be proud.
For his 15 years of service to Union College and the greater Schenectady community, departing President Roger H. Hull received several honors.
Last month, the College's Board of Trustees voted to rename Library Plaza as “Hull Plaza.” This area of the campus, located between the Nott Memorial and Schaffer Library, is where commencement is held.
“Roger's accomplishments over his 15-year tenure were truly remarkable, and even transformational, and we are indebted to him for his contributions,” said Chairman of the Board of Trustees Stephen J. Ciesinski '70.
The trustees also established the Roger H. Hull Community Service Award for the senior who has rendered the greatest sustained service to the Schenectady community, and the Roger H. Hull Summer Community Service Internship to assist a student interested in pursuing a career in community or non-profit service.
In April, Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton announced the renaming of a Huron Street block as “Roger Hull Place” and presented Hull with an official Schenectady city street sign bearing his name. The street name was made official by legislation adopted by the Schenectady City Council.
Stratton noted Hull's “vision, leadership and all he has done to forge a more productive and lasting connection between Union College and the city of Schenectady.”
The Schenectady County Public Library also recognized Hull's commitment to the community with the announcement of a collection of material about Schenectady by local authors and artists. The Roger Hull Schenectady Collection will be part of a proposed $5 million wing at the library's main branch on Clinton and Liberty streets in Schenectady. The addition will be constructed next year.
Hull was also honored at the College's Prize Day on May 7 by the Board of Governors of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research with a special commendation. The Board cited Hull as a national leader in supporting undergraduate research and scholarly and creative activity, noting that his support has made Union a prominent participant at NCUR. It lauded Hull for initiating the Steinmetz Symposium, based on the NCUR model, and for encouraging three faculty members to serve on NCUR's Board of Governors.
Hull made Union's hosting of NCUR in 1995 a signature event of the College's Bicentennial Celebration, the commendation said.
Undergraduate research is a hallmark of the Union experience. A charter member of NCUR, Union consistently sends one of the largest contingents to the national conferences. The College has twice hosted NCUR, in 1990 and 1995.
Silva Kantareva, a student from Yambol, Bulgaria, is salutatorian of Union College's Class of 2005.
She is the daughter of Mary and Dimiter Kantarev.
Kantareva earned her bachelor's degree with a major in political science and minors in history and philosophy. She transferred to Union from American University in Bulgaria her junior year.
“I had heard great things about the College,” she said, noting that many Bulgarians have chosen the “Union path.”
“The attention Union paid to me from the very beginning of the application process was a good measure of how devoted the institution is to contributing to students' academic and personal success,” she said.
She added that “Union brings together a variety of scholars – both students and professors – from many nationalities and interests who create a harmonious, yet dynamically cooperative, ambience.”
Kantareva was active in several Union clubs and organizations, including U-Care, Women at Union, International Students Club, and the Russian and East European Culture Club.
She received the Horatio Warner Prize for the senior of high personal character with the highest standing in the bachelor of arts program; the George Catlin Prize for high scholastic standing and promise in graduate study and college teaching; the Oswald Heck Irwin Steingutt Prize for the student majoring in the division of social sciences who has consistently done the best work in political science; and the Rotary Prize for International Study.
Advised by Robert Hislope, assistant professor of political science, Kantareva authored a paper, “The Balkans: A Study of a Discourse,” that was recently published in Politikon, the journal of the International Association of Political Science Students. The paper examines the logic and causes of the Balkan conflicts.
Kantareva plans to pursue a master's degree in international studies at Yale University or Johns Hopkins University in the fall.
