Maggie Tongue, the College's new director of postgraduate fellowships, is a believer in a maxim of ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu: “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
Tongue joins the College in a new position that will identify, recruit, and mentor students who seek national awards, scholarships and fellowships. She also will direct internships for academic credit.
“Just preparing for one of the prestigious scholarships or fellowships is a great learning experience for students,” she said. “It's a chance for them to thoroughly explore their vision of themselves and their vision for the world. So win or lose, the process is a springboard to new opportunities.”
Tongue recently attended the annual meeting of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors, and she is shepherding two students through the Fulbright Scholarship application process.
A Niskayuna resident, she earned her bachelor's degree in physics with a fine arts concentration from Clarkson University and a master's in physics with an astronomy concentration from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. She has extensive experience working at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, as director of the College of Engineering Student Leadership Center and, more recently, at the Archer Center for Student Leadership Development at Rensselaer.
Union students have received a number of prestigious national awards including 44 Watson Fellowships for a year of post-graduate international study and six Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships in support of outstanding students destined for doctoral study.