Posted on Mar 19, 2007

David J. Breazzano, co-founder and principal of an investment management firm, has made a $2 million gift to his alma mater, College officials announced today.

In honor of the unrestricted gift, the College will rename Orange House, one of seven in the Minerva system, the Breazzano House. The new house will officially be dedicated during ReUnion weekend May 31-June 3.

Breazzano, who grew up in Edinburg, N.Y., is a 1978 graduate of the College. He was president and treasurer of Phi Sigma Kappa and also involved in intramural sports, radio station WRUC and the Interfraternity Council.

He earned a B.A. in political science and economics, and an MBA in finance and accounting from Cornell University. He managed the Fidelity Capital & Income Fund, one of the nation's largest high yield funds, and was chief investment officer of the T. Rowe Price Recovery Fund, a $107 million limited partnership investing in distressed securities. In 1996, Breazzano and two partners founded DDJ Capital Management. The Waltham, Mass. firm, which specializes in high yield and distressed oriented hedge funds and private partnerships, manages more than $3 billion on behalf of over 80 institutional clients.

“As one goes through life, it's clear you are defined by where you went to undergraduate school,” said Breazzano. “Everyone owes a substantial debt to their alma mater. My four years at Union were a critical part of my life, and I felt I needed to do something to repay that debt.”

Breazzano, a member of the College's Board of Trustees, has been a loyal benefactor of the College, including support of presidential scholarships and the expansion of Schaffer Library.

“David is a longtime College friend, and we are extremely grateful for his generous support and leadership,” said President Stephen C. Ainlay. “He has given freely to his alma mater through the years, and we are proud to consider him a part of our family.”

Breazzano has three sons, including Jeremy, a senior at Union who is assigned to Orange House. All students at Union are randomly assigned to a Minerva House, seven unique “living and learning communities” where they study, interact with faculty and simply hang out together.

“He thinks it is kind of cool,” Breazzano said of what will be Jeremy's last few weeks on campus as a member of Breazzano House.

Breazzano's gift comes during the College's $200 million “You are Union” campaign, which so far has raised nearly $120 million. A key initiative of the campaign is reinvigorating residential life, including support of the Minerva system, which is named after the Roman goddess of wisdom stamped on Union's seal.

Other Minerva houses named in honor of a gift include Beuth House (Philip Beuth '54), Golub House (William Golub '26, from son Neil), Wold House (John '38 and Jane Wold) and Sorum House (Christina Sorum, dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs who died in 2005).

Posted on Mar 15, 2007

Eleven members of the Campus Safety Department were sworn in Thursday afternoon as public safety officers, a new designation that gives them additional authority to provide a safe and secure environment for the campus community.

The officers recently completed 327 hours of additional training with instructors from the Zone 5 Police Academy and passed a criminal background check for the special designation, which was granted by Schenectady Police Chief Michael Geraci.

Under state education law, the enhanced authority allows the officers to make warrantless arrests, detain or transport suspects and seize potential evidence, which would eventually be turned over to local law enforcement authorities. Officers are also permitted to carry a police baton and pepper spray, though Union's officers will not have batons. Officers are not permitted to carry a firearm.

The 11 officers, who are among the most experienced on staff, are the first in the department to receive the special designation, which was created by the state Legislature in 1995. The goal is to eventually have the majority of the department's 34 officers appointed as public safety officers.

''It's a credit to Union for taking this step while others lag behind,” Geraci told the officers and more than 100 well-wishers during a ceremony at the Nott Memorial.

Geraci stressed the important of character to the graduates and pledged to offer the strong support the police department and the College have shared.

The new designation will reduce the College's reliance on the city police department for many routine manners, allowing the police to focus more attention on non-campus issues.

“Union and the city of Schenectady have a long history of working together,” said Mayor Brian Stratton. “We may disagree on some things, but in the end, we all pull together to make this College and the city the best that it can be.”

The College is working with the police department to establish protocols for implementing the additional authority, which the College sought to address the safety and security needs of the campus community.

“We have a very good partnership with the Schenectady Police Department, which will continue to be on the front-line response to any serious crime on campus,” said William Sickinger, Director of Campus Safety and one of the 11 granted the special officer status.

During the 30-minute ceremony, Sickinger thanked Interim President Emeritus James Underwood and his former assistant, Political Science Professor Terry Weiner for their support in pushing for the new designation, along with President Stephen C. Ainlay and the Board of Trustees.

Sickinger gave praise to his entire department for the sacrifices they made while their colleagues underwent the special training.

Ainlay also thanked the graduating officers for their accomplishments, saying it “reflects their professionalism and committment to the community, including Union and the city of Schenectady.''

The 11 graduates:

William H. Blanchard,Daniel M. Darling,Christopher M. Hayen, Richard M. McCrary, Keith G. McKenna, Patrick J. Morris, Gary S. Olsen, Michael J. Richards, William A. Sickinger, David M. Stern, Edward D. Teller.

Posted on Mar 15, 2007

Binyavanga Wainaina, Union's writer-in-residence, is among the finalists announced this week for the National Magazine Awards, the magazine industry's highest honor.

Wainaina, 36, was nominated in the Fiction category, which honors the quality of a publication's literary selections. Wainaina's piece, “Ships in High Transit,” was selected as part of the entry for The Virginia Quarterly Review. His story had already won the literary journal's top short fiction prize for 2006.

Other works competing in this category appeared in McSweeney's, The New Yorker, Playboy, and Zoetrope: All-Story.

Winners will be announced in New York City May 1.

The Kenyan-born Wainaina is in the second year of a three-year term as visiting writer.

In 2002, he won the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story, “Discovering Home,” and The Independent, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, recently named him one of the 50 best artists in Africa.

Last January, Wainaina's satirical piece for Granta, “How to Write about Africa,” became one of the literary magazine's most widely reprinted stories. It included advice on the collection of stereotypes and clichés authors could fall back on when writing about his homeland.

Wainaina will teach three classes at Union during the spring term, including Modern African Literature.

Posted on Mar 14, 2007

Union welcomes pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin to Memorial Chapel Sunday, March 18 at 3 p.m. as part of the Chamber Concert Series. Hamelin will be performing Beethoven's Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109; Sonatina Concertante, Op. 28 (1934) by Pantcho Vladigerov; Operatic paraphrases on Wagner's Tristan and Isolde and Verdi's Ernani from Liszt and Heitor Villa-Lobos' Rudepoema (1925).

Nominated for Gramophone Magazine's 2005 Artist of the Year for his recordings of the complete Albeniz “Iberia” and Ives's “Concord” Sonata, Hamelin received a Juno Award for best classical album solo or chamber ensemble for “Iberia” in 2006. His double album of the complete Chopin-Godowsky Etudes won the 2000 Grammy Award and he was the only classical artist to play live at the 2001 Grammy Awards for his double nomination of the epic Busoni Concerto with the CBSO under Mark Elder and the Chopin-Godowsky. Hamelin received another Grammy nomination in 2002 for his recording featuring the works of Alkan.

North American Orchestral engagements for 2006-07 include the world premiere of Kevin Volans' Piano Concerto for his debut with the San Francisco Symphony and Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 for his debut with the Kansas City Symphony and Michael Stern. Hamelin's recital appearances include the 92^nd Street Y, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Harvard Musical Association, Pro Arte Musical in San Juan and the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild.

Hamelin's latest release is a disc of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His highly acclaimed recording of Dukas' epic piano Sonata and Decaux pieces was released earlier this season. Among his dozens of recordings include concertos by Alkan, Bernstein, Bolcom, Korngold, Joseph Marx, Medtner, Rodion Schedrin, Scriabin, Shostakovich, and solo discs of Alkan, Catoire, Nikolai Kapustin, Liszt, Reger, Roslavets, Rzewski, Schumann, Villa Lobos, and “The Composer-Pianists: From Alkan to Hamelin.”

A native of Montréal, Hamelin was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and a Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec.

Concert tickets are free for the Union community, $20 for the general public and $8 for area students. For more information, call 388-6080 or 372-3651; or visit http://www.union.edu/concertseries/.

Posted on Mar 14, 2007

Eleven members of the Campus Safety Department have been appointed private college security officers, a designation that gives them additional authority to provide a safe and secure environment for the campus community.

The officers recently completed 327 hours of additional training with instructors from the Zone 5 Police Academy and passed a criminal background check for the special designation, which was granted by Schenectady Police Chief Michael Geraci.

Under state education law, the enhanced authority allows the officers to make warrantless arrests, detain or transport suspects and seize potential evidence, which would eventually be turned over to local law enforcement authorities. Officers are also permitted to carry a police baton and pepper spray, though Union's officers will not have batons. Officers are not permitted to carry a firearm.

A graduation and swearing-in ceremony will be Thursday, March 15 at 4 p.m. in the Nott Memorial. Among those scheduled to speak are Geraci and Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton.

“We've always enjoyed a close relationship with the College,” said Geraci. “This change enhances their ability to deal with criminal matters on campus, while allowing us to focus more attention on non-campus issues. The efficiency of the criminal justice process will be greatly improved.”

The College is working with the Schenectady Police Department to establish protocols for implementing the additional authority, which the College sought to address the safety and security needs of the campus community.

“We have a very good partnership with the Schenectady Police Department, which will continue to be on the front-line response to any serious crime on campus,” said William Sickinger, director of safety and security and one of the 11 granted the special officer status.

The 11 officers, who are among the most experienced on staff, are the first in the department to receive the special designation, which was created by the state Legislature in 1995. The goal is to eventually have the majority of the department's 34 officers appointed as private college security officers.

“We are committed to enhancing security and keeping Union College safe for all those who live and work here,” said President Stephen C. Ainlay. “The additional authority and training will provide our officers with the ability to better protect the Union community.''