Hull 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, who often worked side-by-side with Union student-volunteers, 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 fall John Calvin Toll Day of Community Service, which Hull started in 1991.
Piano virtuoso Tian Tian, a student from Beijing, China, and 2000 graduate of the high school affiliated with the People's University of China, was valedictorian. She earned a bachelor's degree with a major in biochemistry and a minor in economics. Tian said she chose to study in America “since the United States has the most advanced technology and cutting-edge knowledge in the field of biology.” Silva Kantareva, a student from Yambol, Bulgaria, was salutatorian. She 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 in her junior year. “I had heard great things about the College,” she said, noting that many Bulgarians have chosen the “Union path.”
Brian Lindenberg of Avon, Conn., gave the student address, titled “Collaboration is the Path to Success.”
Dr. Carl Paulsen graduated with the Class of 2005 even though he hasn't seen the inside of a Union classroom in more than 50 years. The College awarded a bachelor's degree to Paulsen, a Schenectady orthopedic surgeon, who left the College in 1954 just shy of completing his graduation requirements, to attend Albany Medical College. The Colonie native earned his medical degree from AMC in 1958. His medical practice has included work as team doctor for a number of Union's athletic teams. He and his wife, Joann, have four children: Cindy Keegan of New Haven, Conn.; Peter of Buffalo; Suzanne Atkinson of Aspen, Colo.; and Janice Schriefer of Rochester.
Hull's name to grace plaza, street, library collection
For his 15 years of service to Union College and the greater Schenectady community, departing President Roger H. Hull received several honors.
In May, 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 the site of Commencement and one of the busiest crossroads on campus.
“Roger's accomplishments over his 15-year tenure were truly remarkable, and even transformational, and we are indebted to him,” 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 Schen- ectady 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 in 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.