Posted on Jul 6, 2006

In 1973, Dale Metzger drove to Union College to play an extra in The Way We Were, the Sydney Pollack film starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand that was partially filmed on campus.

A local theater student, Metzger was eager to mingle with movie stars and collect $35 a day for it. He even tossed the football with Redford.

“He was regular guy. But you couldn’t get anywhere near Streisand,” Metzger remembers. “In fact, you couldn’t even talk to her stand-in.”

Little did Metzger know that 26 years later, he would return to campus in a new role – as manager of the College’s Rathskeller.

In 1999, after a long career as the head chef at several colleges, Metzger became the face of Union’s popular student hangout.

“I have always had a great connection with Union,” says Metzger. “With the support of the food service staff, the administration, and students, I’ve been able to help make the Rathskeller a part of the Union community, and I’m proud of that.”

Since taking over the job, Metzger has beefed up the place, adding, among other things, mozzarella sticks, curly fries and great springtime BBQ.

The man makes a mean milkshake, too.

“I like classic vanilla best,” he says of the ‘Skeller’s signature drink. “Honestly though, they’re all good.”

Metzger also serves up a tasty side of music and art to his loyal customers.

“One of my main goals is to fill the place with murals,” he says. “In the last couple of years, we put in some great new artwork, but I’d love to see more.”

This past year Michelle Curiale ’07 of Union’s ARTS House completed a new mural on the back Rathskeller wall. Like the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, the mural features the faces of celebrities (and Metzger himself), complete with milkshake mustaches. (Metzger asks those interested in working on a mural for the Rathskeller to contact him at metzgerd@union.edu.)

A self-described music fanatic, Metzger also has brought some of the area’s finest local entertainers to campus for weekend concerts and given student bands their first gigs. Performers who have graced the ‘Skeller stage include Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Mother Judge, The Roadside Blues Band and the Rumdummies. Others have played at the annual Bob Dylan birthday tribute that Metzger founded eight years ago.

Metzger’s birthday and Dylan’s are just a few days apart, and each May, musicians, friends, faculty, students and members of the Union community come together to celebrate.

“I felt Dylan was getting lost with younger generations,” Metzger said. “So I came up with an idea to bring his music here.”

With the encouragement of former Dean of Students Fred Alford, Metzger transformed Old Chapel into a rustic coffee house, complete with lighted stage, little bar and round tables. The atmosphere brings to mind early-’60s Greenwich Village folk clubs where Dylan himself performed.

“I think Bob’s music is as relevant as always, and to get the entire college experience, kids today still need to be exposed to it. Since I can’t book Bob himself, we honor him with a tribute every year,” Metzger says.

“We’ve been able to use the concert to raise money for the Chris Ryan Scholarship Fund, which benefits a worthy senior art student at Albany High School for the past several years,” says longtime friend Michael Eck. An Albany Times Union music critic and singer-songwriter, Eck has served as an emcee and performer for the Dylan show.

“Dale is a giant of a man with a giant heart,” says Eck. “He’s a reminder of what is good and right in the world today.”

Posted on Jul 6, 2006

Alumni Council Gold Medals are awarded annually to recognize alumni and faculty who have demonstrated distinguished service to the College.

Sigmund C. Giambruno '51 was awarded the Alumni Council Gold Medal for his long time service to Union College and his unwavering Union spirit. Giambruno has served as class vice president, member of the local alumni chapter, Annual Fund volunteer, ReUnion volunteer, a member of Friends of Union Athletics, and the Alumni Council.

An Alumni Council Gold Medal was awarded to Albert V. Nahmias '66 for the energy and enthusiasm he has dedicated to Union College. Nahmias has worked tirelessly on behalf of the College in a range of capacities: chairman of the Annual Fund, Terrace Council member, regional and national chair, Class agent for two decades; regional club volunteer; and ReUnion volunteer. Under his leadership, the Terrace Council grew to 670 members accounting for 50 percent of the Annual Fund.

Mark L. Walsh '76, described as a student who took Union for all it had, and, after finding his way in the world, saw to it that he gave it all back and then some, received an Alumni Council Gold Medal. When Union needed a co-chair for the You are Union campaign, Walsh, a dedicated trustee with a long record as a model donor, stepped forward. Today, thanks in no small part to Walsh's contagious enthusiasm, we are well past the halfway mark of our $200 million goal.

The Alumni Council awards John J. Audino, Head Football Coach the Faculty Meritorious Service Award. The Faculty Meritorious Service Award is awarded annually to a faculty member or member of the Union College community who has rendered exceptional service to the College. Throughout Audino's 14 years at the helm of Union football, he has been a true educator, teaching his players that there is also much fulfillment outside of football. Through leadership by example, Audino and his coaching staff have instilled in hundreds of players a strong commitment to school, community and family.

The Eliphalet Nott Medal, created in 1995, recognizes the perseverance of alumni who have attained great distinction in their fields. This year Robert S. Dickman '66 received the Eliphalet Nott Medal for his distinguished career and exemplary service to our country. Dickman arrived at Union eager to fulfill what for most was only a dream, to work with astronauts and launch rockets. Today, 40 years after you graduated as an Air Force ROTC cadet, we can look back on your career and say, “Mission Accomplished.”

Posted on Jul 6, 2006

A controversy about the alleged Nazi sympathies of Dutch chemistry Nobel laureate Peter Debye has escalated. Utrecht University last week halted publication of a pro-Debye book by an employee and ordered staff not to discuss the issue with the press. The move follows a university decision last February to strip Debye's name from its institute for nanomaterials.

A science historian, meanwhile, has spoken out in Debye's defense, as has another Dutch Nobel laureate, Martinus Veltman. Cornell University, where Debye was a professor from 1940 until his death in 1966, has concluded from its own 3-month investigation that there's no reason to distance itself from him, as has the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The flap erupted after the publication of a harsh view of Debye–a physical chemist who led the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin from 1935 to 1939–in Einstein in Nederland: Een intellectuele biografie by Berlin-based journalist and science historian Sybe Rispens. One chapter, excerpted in a weekly magazine, documented that Debye, as president of the German Physical Society (DPG), asked Jewish members to resign in a 1938 letter signed “Heil Hitler!” It also claimed that Debye stayed in touch with German authorities while at Cornell, even offering to return to Berlin in June 1941.

In a brief statement issued on 16 February, Utrecht University's board said it would rename the Debye Institute, and Maastricht University said it would no longer award the Peter Debye Prize (Science, 3 March, p. 1239). Gijs van Ginkel, managing director of the “former Debye Institute,” as it now calls itself, responded by writing a book containing an analysis of historical documents, his view of the affair, and a sharp attack on Rispens.
But the university has halted its publication. Van Ginkel referred questions to university spokesperson Ludo Koks, who denies that academic freedom is at stake; Koks says Van Ginkel had broken an agreement not to include personal comments in the publication. Koks confirms that institute staffers have been ordered not to talk to the press to “streamline communications.”

Mark Walker, a historian at Union College in Schenectady, New York, who studies science and technology in the Nazi era, says that although Debye “didn't show civic courage, … all the evidence is that he was not a Nazi sympathizer.” For example, the DPG purged its Jewish members much later than most other scientific societies did, and without any enthusiasm whatsoever, he says. Signing official letters with “Heil Hitler!” was nothing unusual, even among those openly opposed to the regime. That Debye tried to keep communication channels to Germany open while at Cornell is also “absolutely reasonable,” Walker says, because his daughter still lived there.

Walker recently gave a lecture about Debye at Cornell, where the affair “was something we just couldn't ignore,” says Héctor Abruña, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. “Debye has had such a huge influence here.” In a 1000-word letter submitted for publication to Chemical and Engineering News, Abruña says a review shows that removing Debye's name from a professorship and a lecture series would be “unwarranted.” Banning books is “not what universities should be about,” Abruña adds.

ACS sees “no compelling reason to do anything” about its Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry either, says Gordon McCarty, chair of ACS's Committee on Grants and Awards; DuPont, the awards sponsor, is “quite comfortable” with that stance, he adds.

Rispens says he opposes silencing different views on Debye and would welcome a study that went beyond his own focus on Albert Einstein's circle. But the affair has cost Rispens the support of one enthusiastic fan: Veltman, who, in a foreword to Rispens's book, praised it as “a nugget of gold.” In a 5 May open letter to Debye Institute staff, Veltman says he took Rispens's assertions “at face value” at the time but now realizes “they should be assigned to the realm of fables.” The foreword will not appear in new editions or translations of the book, Veltman continued; the two universities “should admit their error, revoke their decision, and forget the matter,” he says.

Posted on Jul 6, 2006

The newly installed president of Union College says his priority is to maintain “an environment where innovators are formed.”

Stephen C. Ainlay took office July 1, and Wednesday offered observations from his first week on the job, answering questions about the role of Union in the community and in higher education.

Ainlay will never be seen as a clone of Roger Hull. Hull, who led Union for 15 years until his retirement in June, made a name in the city with economic engagement, including roles in the revitalization of Seward Place, the formation of Schenectady 2000 and the Metroplex Development Authority, and the creation of College Park Inn. 

Ainlay's focus is academic. While he supports the programs Hull launched, and said he is open to new ideas, his own vision is the college campus as a nexus of business and culture, and as the source of future innovators and leaders. 

“Union has produced innovators, students who have gone on to produce enormous contributions to their field of study,” he said. “One of my first jobs is to continue that.” 

Ainlay comes to Schenectady after nearly a quarter-century at College of Holy Cross, as both a professor and administrator. His most recent post was as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. His background is in the field of sociology, where he holds a Ph.D. and has written extensively. 

Ainlay said Union's niche among its competitors depends on its ability to offer an education that will prepare students to excel universally, regardless of their undergraduate course of study. 

“At the end of the day, what makes Union different is that it creates an educational environment that combines respect for tradition with helping students to think imaginatively,” Ainlay said. 

He does endorse Hull's legacy, which grew from the premise that the fortunes of the college are tied to those of the city. Ainlay said he is excited by Union's “well developed tradition of partnering,” and believes there is much untapped potential for crossovers between students and Capital Region business. 

“Higher education needs to be better at partnering with other institutions and also with cities and towns,” he said. 

Unlike Hull, he does not brim with practical projects. 

Like Hull, he's not ready to write a check for city services. 

That would come in the form of a payment in lieu of taxes, a “PILOT,” to cover police and fire services the college receives.

The city has suggested this is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, without success to date. The 10 schools in his longtime home of Worcester, Mass., did not pay PILOTs, he said; he described them as “not the way in which cities realize the best response from colleges and universities.” 

“Two hundred million dollars is dumped into the economy because of Union,” he said, not including indirect revenue. “Union is already a major economic player.” 

Beyond the contributions of Union's budget and the spending of its students and visiting parents, Ainlay said Union has a role in “working with the city to attract new businesses.”

He returns again to the vision of Union as a hub. 

“Union is a cultural gem for the city of Schenectady,” he said. “We do have to find ways to make it known to businesses that we're here creating opportunities for employers.” 

In that regard, Ainlay said, he supports initiatives like the USTART business incubator, and hopes to attract more Union students as entrepreneurs in the local economy. 

He speaks enthusiastically about Union's programs, like the Minerva House system, which seeks to forge a greater link between the academic and social lives of students.

Even with regard to the burgeoning regional link to nanotechnology, Ainlay stays close to academics, identifying Union's role in its cross-disciplinary roots.

“Union is able to provide a work force that is able to assume a leadership role. I'm interested in training entrepreneurs, generally speaking. Whatever you're talking about, you need to be an entrepreneur to be successful.”

Posted on Jul 6, 2006

Stephen Ainlay was filled with pride when he told his mother in Indiana that he'd been named the new president of Union College.

But Ainlay's 15 minutes of familial fame vanished when his younger brother, Chuck, a music producer and recording engineer, called mom to announce he'd just won a Grammy Award. (It was for Best Surround Sound Album of 2006 for Dire Straits' “Brothers in Arms” 20th anniversary edition.)

“My kids say Chuck's the fun uncle,” Ainlay joked.

Ainlay, a sociologist and former administrator from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., spoke Wednesday morning with reporters for the first time during a 90-minute, freewheeling interview that mixed the academic with the personal as he discussed goals and initial reactions after his first few days on the job as Union's 18th president.

“I'm extraordinarily excited. This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Ainlay, 54. He intends to strike a balance between retaining the college's rich history and shaping an institution that will graduate innovative thinkers to compete in the global economy in an ever-shifting technological landscape.

Union was founded in 1795. The independent, liberal arts school known for a strong engineering program was the first college chartered by the Board of Regents of New York. Its classical campus is notable as the earliest example of an architecturally designed campus in America.

On the thorny issues surrounding an occasionally contentious town-gown relationship with Schenectady, Ainlay seemed poised to carry on positions staked out by his predecessor, Roger Hull, who stepped down as president last spring after 15 years.

“I plan to follow President Hull's lead in building good relationships,” Ainlay said. “The futures of Union and Schenectady are tied together.”

Ainlay stopped short of saying he backed a proposal for Union to offer the city payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs. Some residents have suggested PILOTs since Union is a major landowner with about $100 million in tax-exempt land and buildings.

“I don't believe PILOTs are the most effective way,” said Ainlay, who argued that Union represents a $200 million annual economic impact for Schenectady. “We will work with the city to attract new businesses and to work on other collaborations.”

Ainlay also declined to make any new changes to Union's fraternity and sorority life, which has been criticized in the past for fueling loud parties and underage drinking. He pledged to continue to foster the restructured living and learning communities of the Minerva houses.

“I'm not entertaining any ban on Greek life at this point,” Ainlay said. “Union is the birthplace of several fraternities. We have an obligation to learn to do Greek life right.”

One of Ainlay's most immediate tasks will be to re-energize Union's $200 million capital campaign, which is nearing the halfway mark. He was instrumental in achieving a $200 million fundraising goal at Holy Cross, where he was an administrator.

“You can't simply be on the road raising money all the time as president,” Ainlay said. “I am committed to being a presence on Union's campus.”

Ainlay spent his entire academic career at Holy Cross, where he rose from assistant professor of sociology to vice president for academic affairs during 24 years.

“I'd gone as high as I could at Holy Cross without becoming a Jesuit,” Ainlay quipped. He said he wasn't looking to become a president when a search firm hired by Union contacted him.

Ainlay has written scholarly articles and books on the Mennonites, who grew out of the Anabaptist movement in Europe beginning in the 16th century when a small group of believers split from Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation.

Mennonites practice adult baptism and closely follow the example of Christ, particularly as pacifists. Ainlay, who was raised in the Lutheran Church, became interested in Mennonites while growing up in Goshen, Ind. and attending Goshen College, a Mennonite school.

His father attended Goshen College on a scholarship and lived at the house of a professor who was a Mennonite. It was the only way his dad could afford a college education, Ainlay recalled, because his father's father died young and left his widowed mother to raise six kids on a limited income.

After World War II service, Ainlay's father earned a law degree at the University of Notre Dame and settled in Goshen, where he practiced law and was active as a trustee at his alma mater.

“I have nothing but admiration for the Mennonites,” Ainlay said. “Growing up, they were my friends. The only other Yankees fan in my school was a Mennonite.”

Ainlay's scholarly style and calm demeanor were on display in the interview, even when he had to field a question requiring utmost sports diplomacy: Red Sox or Yankees?

“My dad took me to Comiskey Park as a kid to see the Yankees and I fell in love with Mantle and Maris,” Ainlay said.

He and his wife, Judith, raised their two sons in Worcester, and they grew up as avid Red Sox fans. Ainlay coached his boys' baseball teams and took them to Red Sox games. “I can't root against my kids,” he said.

His son, Jesse, who graduated from Holy Cross last year, is a legal assistant at a New York City law firm and plans to apply to law school. Jonathan is a student at the University of Arizona and has not yet chosen a major.

His wife formerly directed the gerontology studies program for a consortium of colleges in the Worcester area. She also was managing editor of a gerontology and geriatric journal.

The Ainlays have moved into President's House in the heart of the Union campus.

“We're looking forward to it, but it's new to us,” Ainlay said of the president's residence. “I can tell there are advantages to having a short commute, but you can never really get away from work.”

Ainlay stays in shape by working out on an elliptical trainer at home. His hobbies include sailing a Lightning-class sailboat.

Having a brother in the music industry has its perks. Chuck Ainlay recently sent comp tickets to the Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler concert at Radio City Music Hall.

Courtesy of the fun uncle.