Posted on May 10, 2007

By Ross Marvin ‘07

Ian Kennedy '07 has received the Frank Bailey Prize for the greatest service to the College, and Jonathan Thatcher '07 received the Josephine Daggett Prize, presented to the senior deemed to be of the best character and conduct.

The prizes were among those presented at the College’s annual Prize Day last weekend.

Kennedy, a political science major, has been active as president of Campus Action, Union’s social action group, where he helped organize the Iraq War Memorial, a display of thousands of wooden stakes representing dead American soldiers. The Barnard, Vt., native also helped bring provocative guest speakers to campus, among them former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter.  

“It’s an honor to win the Bailey Prize,” Kennedy said. “It recognizes people who work outside the typical framework of the College, and it rewards creativity and the desire to forge your own way.”

As a member of Ozone House, Kennedy has promoted environmental awareness at Union, helping to establish the student-run U Recycle and Ozone Café. He did a term abroad in Brazil, conducted summer research with Political Science Professors Richard Fox and John Zumbrunnen and served as an intern for Democracy Matters. He was a tutor in the AOP office, where he will be a program coordinator this summer.

Thatcher, a Ticonderoga, N.Y., native and History major, has worn many hats at Union, including head resident advisor for Richmond Hall, senior intern in Admissions and four-year work-study student in the International Programs Office. He did a term abroad in Greece and attended the Spanish Pilgrimage mini-term.

He is currently vice president of academics for Student Forum. After graduation, he will enter the Teach for America program at an elementary school in Las Vegas.

“I’m most proud of my work in the R.A. program, which has been very rewarding,” Thatcher said. “Everything I’ve been able to do at Union has been worth doing, worth pursuing. It came as a huge shock, a thrill and honor to be recognized at Prize Day.”

Both Thatcher and Kennedy also were the recipients of the Meritorious Service Award.

For a complete list of Prize Day winners, click here.

Read More

Posted on May 7, 2007

University of Wisconsin Philosopher Claudia Card will present the final lecture in the 2007 Philosophy Speaker Series Thursday, May 24 at 4:30 p.m. in the Schaffer Library’s Phi Beta Kappa Room.

Card’s lecture “Ticking Bombs and Interrogations,” is free and open to the public.

Card received her doctorate from Harvard University and is the Emma Goldman Professor of Philosophy as well as an affiliate professor in Jewish Studies, LGBT Studies, Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin. Her areas of research include ethics, social and political philosophy and feminist and environmental philosophy.

Card has authored several books including The Atrocity Paradigm: A Theory of Evil (Oxford, 2002) and The Cambridge Companion to Simone de Beauvoir (Cambridge, 2003). She is the former chair of the American Psychological Association Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People in the Profession, (1997-2001) and a Senior-Fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities (2002-2007).

Funding for the 2007 Philosophy Speaker Series was provided by the Spencer-Leavitt Foundation.

For further information, please contact Raymond Martin, department chair at (518) 388-6376 or martinr@union.edu.

Read More

Posted on May 7, 2007

The Union College Philosophy Speaker Series presents CUNY Philosopher Steven Ross Thursday, May 10 at 4 p.m. in the Schaffer Library’s Phi Beta Kappa Room. Ross will discuss “When Worlds Collide: Mental State Naturalism and Normative Attribution.”

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Ross received his doctorate from Harvard University and his areas of research include moral theory, politics and social philosophy and philosophy of law. He has authored several articles including “Real Modest Moral Realism,” which appeared in The Philosophical Forum, as well as “Abortion and the Death of the Fetus,” which appeared in Philosophy and Public Affairs.

The final lecture in the 2007 Series will be Thursday, May 24, when University of Wisconsin’s Claudia Card presents “Ticking Bombs and Interrogations.”

Funding for the Philosophy Speaker Series is provided by the Spencer-Leavitt Foundation. For further information, contact Raymond Martin, department chair at (518) 388-6376 or martinr@union.edu. 

Read More

Posted on May 4, 2007

ARTS AND HUMANITIES

William F. Allen Essay Prize –
To a senior in any department for a non-fiction essay
– Kathryn Kaufman

Ronald Amiraian Memorial Prize –
To a student of modern languages who has performed with distinction on a Union College term abroad
– Brendon Keinath     

Andrew W. Archibald Prize –
To the senior in humanities with the highest scholastic standing
– Michele Curiale

Arnold I. Bittleman Memorial Prize –
To a student who has studied drawing in the Department of Visual Arts and whose work has been judged outstanding
– Sarah Webb

William H. Bloom, M.D. and Jonathan R. Bloom Poetry Prize –
For the best poem or series of poems by Union undergraduates
– Kelley Irmen

David Brind Memorial Prize in English –
To one or more outstanding senior students in English
– Lorlette Haughton
– Heather Mach
– Ross Marvin
– Stephanie Spano

Frankel Prize-
Awarded for outstanding academic achievement in a religion course
– Hyma Kavuri

Hans Hainebach Memorial Prize in German Literature –
To a sophomore or junior who has demonstrated particular promise as a student of German Literature
– Joanne Dannenhoffer

Hans Hainebach Memorial Endowed Prize –
To the student who has offered the best performance in the
Field of Judaica
– Henry Sire

Edward Everett Hale Jr. Prize –
For the best essay written by a sophomore or junior
– Cara Gallivan

Victor Herbert Prize –
To the student who shows the most promise of contributing to American music
 – Andrew Laccetti

John Iwanik Prize –
To one or more students for outstanding study of the Russian Language
– Joshua Butler

William B. Jaffe Art Award
For exceptional achievement by an art major, marked by excellence in the study of art history, independent scholarship, and interest in the work of the department.
– Samantha Seide

Harold A. Larrabee Prize
To one or more students who have done the best work in Philosophy during the year
-Anjali Singla

Minerva Prize –
To the student whose work best combines the scholarly study of women or gender with the activities that enhance the life of women on campus
– Kate Isler

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Senior Scholarly Activity Award –
To the senior student who displays outstanding scholarly activity in her field
– Carli McNeill

Mrs. Edwin L. Rich Prize
To a student majoring in English who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship.
– Robin Soule

Charles Alexander Richmond Prizes –      
Two awards, one for excellence in the fine arts, the other for excellence in the appreciation of music
– Michele Curiale – Fine Arts
– Alexander Schlosberg – Music

Daniel Shocket (1972) Memorial Scholarship
To a student majoring in English with a strong interest in creative writing.
– Stephanie Spano

Aime Simon Term Abroad Prize –
To a student of high academic standing and promise with a strong interest in study abroad
– Stephanie Berlind

Milton Hymes Sternfeld Prize –
For the best original essay in philosophy by a member of the senior class
– Katherine Matho

Wessel Ten Broeck Van Orden Prize –
To a freshman excelling in English composition
– Emily Feld

Edward Villella (L.H.D. 1991) Prize
To provide an opportunity for an advanced student or students to pursue further study in the field of dance
– Randi Cerini

Eugene I. Yudis Prize –
To the student in any class who has produced the best piece of prose fiction
– Stephanie Spano

Phi Beta Kappa Awards –
To juniors and seniors of academic distinction who are candidates for the B.A. or general B.S. degree. The Union College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha of New York, was established in 1817 and is the fifth oldest in the country.

CLASS of 2007
Kelly Bayne
Alessandro Carini
Carolyn Castagna
Jessica DiMarco
Risa Dubow
Craig Ferguson
Colin Foard
Sean Geary
Michael Grady
Kathryn Grant
Brian Gulack
LeighAnn Holterman
Robert Larimore
Julia Mathew
Carli McNeill
Cara Murphy
Alexandra Paul
Brianne Phillips
Lindsay Quereau
Gnana Simon
Nathaniel Standish
Jessica Steger
Kaitlyn Tagarelli
Kelly Testa
Albert Vanderlaan
Jonathan Young
Christopher Zona

Class of 2008
Kaitlin Canty
Dionna Kasper
Michelle Koo
Ali Qureshi
Jacquelyn Raftery

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Joseph D. Doty Prize –
To a junior or senior who, in the judgment of the Department of History, has done work of outstanding merit
– Hilary Handin

Oswald Heck-Irwin Steingut Prize –
To the student majoring in the Division of Social Sciences who has consistently done the best work in political science
– Carli McNeill

Albert C. Ingham Prize –
To the student in the Division of Social Sciences judged to have done the most outstanding piece of scholarly work
– Colin Foard

David S. Kaplan Memorial Prize –
To one or more students of merit in political science who are participating in a term abroad program
– Adrienne Hart

Anthony C. LaVecchia ’98 Memorial Award
To a student who demonstrates a keen interest in Journalism (with a focus on Political Journalism) and participates in charitable work.
– Alla Abramov

Lewis Henry Morgan –
To the anthropology major who produces the best senior thesis
– Andrew Maryniuk

Alvin F. Nitchman Prize –
To a political science major preparing for law school who exhibits outstanding academic promise and character
– Carli McNeill

Hans Pasch Memorial Prize –
warded for the best essay written by one or more Union students on the Holocaust
– Henry Sire

Elias Peissner Prize
To an Economics major who, in the judgment of the Department of Economics, has done work of outstanding merit.
– Jonathan Young

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Senior Thesis Prize –
To one or more students whose senior thesis makes the greatest contribution to scholarship on women
– Leidy Colon
– Meagan Smith

Rotary Foundation Endowed Prize for International Study –
To the senior showing the greatest promise and interest in international relations
– Heidy Sanchez

Freling H. Smith Prize –
For the best senior thesis in the Department of History
– Amarilis Francis

Roger Thayer Stone Prize –
To the student who has written best senior thesis in sociology
– Risa Dubow

Mildred Wilder Prize –
To the senior majoring in political science who, in the opinion of the political science faculty, has written the best piece of scholarly work pertaining to the subject of women and politics
 – Erumi Honda

NATURAL SCIENCES

Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society Award –
To a student who has excelled in analytical chemistry
– Andrew Laccetti

Samuel S. Feuer Prize –
To a senior in the premedical course (whose primary interest is dentistry) who has maintained the highest scholastic average over four years
– Mark Angeloni

Robert M. Fuller Prize –
Two awards, the first: to the senior in chemistry whose standing has been of high grade and who has shown unusual ability in original experimental work
– Lauren Carlson

The second: to the sophomore whose work for the first two years in the Chemistry Department has given the greatest promise for a successful career in that subject
– Daniel Bailey

Bruce M. Garber Prize –
To the premedical or predental student who best exemplifies the qualities of personal integrity and humane concern for the future practice of medicine or dentistry
– Amanda Carpenter

Lisa S. Gerhan Memorial Award –
For academic excellence, a commitment to the field of psychology, and the potential for future contributions to the field
– LeighAnn Holterman

Eugene W. Hellmich Memorial Prize –
To one or more seniors for excellence in mathematics preparing for a career in teaching mathematics. 
– Jessica DiMarco
– Leah Ziamandanis

Charles B. Hurd Prize –
To a student pursuing a course in physical chemistry
– Aaron Almeida

William E. Lasnik Prize –
To a junior or senior premedical student demonstrating outstanding character and scholarship
– Brian Gulack

Stephen F. Leo, M.D. Prize –
To the premedical student who has attained the highest grade in the graduating class and who has been accepted into medical school
– Jonathan Young

Edith Emilee MacCoy Prize –
To a student who excels in botany
– Sarah Webb

John Lewis March Prize –
To the senior who has shown increased interest and ability in psychology during his or her final two years in the College
– Jessica Steger

Harold and Ellen Nagorsky Memorial Prize –
To the premedical student who is in the junior class and contributes the most to Union College community through extracurricular activities
– David Shulman

Ronald M. Obenzinger Prize –
To one or more premedical students who are selected for high academic merit and personal worthiness
– Amanda Carpenter
– Matthew Roginski

Psi Chi Service Award –
To an outstanding student majoring in psychology who has contributed to the goals and aims of Psi Chi, the national psychology honorary society
– Lauren Foye

Martin Terry Resch Prize –
To a senior showing the greatest promise in the study of pure or applied mathematics
– Thomas Mazur

Robert L. Royal Award –
To a deserving student who has been accepted by Albany Medical College
– Gnana Simon

Edward S.C. Smith Geology Prize –
To a senior, majoring in geology, who demonstrates high professional potential
– Bethany Spence

Dr. Reuben Sorkin Award for Proficiency in Premedical Studies –
To a senior demonstrating proficiency in undergraduate studies with an outstanding aptitude for continuing work leading to a degree in medicine
– Alexandra Paul

James Henry Turnbull Prize –
To the outstanding students in the sophomore class in physics
-Thomas Perry

Lee and William Wrubel Memorial Prize –
To a senior preparing for dentistry or medicine, based upon academic achievement and character
-Alessandro Carini

ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE AWARDS

General Electric Power Generation Steinmetz Award –
To one or more students in mechanical engineering who complete the best senior projects as voted by the faculty in mechanical engineering
– Zachary Cramer
– Gordon Single

Shankar Gokhale Prize –
To a senior in engineering, preferably in the five-year program with the second major in economics, judged by the faculty to have the greatest potential for community service in mathematical approaches to economic problems
– Brian Feldman

John S. Hadala Endowed Book Prize –
To a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, selected by the faculty on the basis of academic, personal, and social achievement
– Brian Feldman

Ingvar V. Ingvarsson Prize –
To a senior in electrical engineering chosen by the department faculty for high scholarship.
– Daniel Fishman

Warner King Prize –
To the senior in engineering who has contributed most to the traditions and ideals of the College
– Daniel Fishman

Ethel Kirchenbaum Memorial Prize –
To the senior with the best potential for furthering the ideals of the engineering profession
– Brian Feldman

Alice P. and Donald C. Loughry (1952) Prize
To one or more students who have produced the best senior projects in
Computer Science
– Matthew Carlson

To one or more students who have produced the best senior projects in electrical engineering
– Philip Brown

Mortimer F. Sayre Prize –
To the senior with the best potential in furthering the ideas of the mechanical engineering profession
– Bridget Austin

Ralph W, Stearns (1907) Prize –
To the junior selected by the electrical engineering faculty for ability to design and complete a new piece of teaching equipment.                |
– Benjamin Bunes

Tau Beta Pi Awards –
To juniors and seniors who have achieved outstanding records in engineering studies and have demonstrated excellence of character

Seniors
Mark Angeloni
Fenghua Chen
Brian Feldman
Craig Ferguson
Daniel Fishman
Cooper Hammarlund
Brendon Keinath
Thang Pham
Noah Wallace

Juniors
Joseph Martel
Dean Pasquerella
Alexander Weintraub
Xie, Xiao Le

George H. Williams Prize
To one or more seniors for excellence in computer science
– Craig Ferguson

COLLEGE SERVICE AWARDS

Wendy Bernstein Memorial Award –
To a sophomore for superior service to the College, awarded by the student forum members
– Jessica Handibode

Alan Lake Chidsey Citizenship Award –
To a senior for distinctive contributions to the advancement of responsible government in student affairs
– Brian Gulack

Delphic Honor Society Awards –
To juniors and seniors for exemplary contribution to the Union College community

Seniors:   
Karyn Amira
Kelly Bayne
Elizabeth Buck
Michele Curiale
Michele Goldman
Kate Isler
Albert Vanderlaan
Sara Weiner

Juniors:
Rian Cahill
Kaitlin Canty
Stephen Po-Chedley
Naazia Husain
Bilal Mahmood
Jacquelyn Raftery
Jessica Rudin
John Tomlin

Outstanding Greek Woman –
To the member of a sorority who has made an outstanding contribution to the sorority system at Union College
– Kate Isler

Joel A. Halpern Prize – 
To one or more students in recognition of outstanding commitment and service to the community
– Samuel Bicknell

Frederick B. Hawley, Jr. Memorial Award –
To the senior fraternity man who has made outstanding contributions in scholarship and student activities
– Albert Vanderlaan

Meritorious Service Awards –
To seniors for service in any field above and beyond the normal requirements of duty, based on criteria established by the student forum, and voted by the Student Affairs Council
– Kelly Bayne
– Michael Grady
– Ian Kennedy
– Zachary Lazovik
– Jonathan Thatcher
– Max Zimbert

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Community Service –
To one oe more students who have devoted the most time and energy to furthering the cause of women at Union College
– Kaitlin Canty
– Reyna Machado

Resident Advisor Award –
To one or more resident advisors for outstanding service in the development of the residential community at Union College
– Joshua DeBartolo
– Beth Solomon

Calvin G. Schmidt Prize –
To a junior selected by the Student Forum who has contributed most to the development and improvement of student life on the Union College campus
– Jessica Rudin

J. Richard Shanebrook Prize–
Created from the gifts of Prof. J. Richard Shanebrook in honor of his parents, John A. and Lois L. Shanebrook

To the student of any religious tradition who has contributed the most to the betterment of religious life on campus
– Jenna Monaster

UNITAS Student Diversity Award
To the student who has made a significant contribution toward fostering diversity on campus
– Lucky Vang

David Wagenseil Memorial Award –
To a senior fraternity man for outstanding participation and leadership in intramural sports
– Samuel Bicknell

Class of 2001 Prize
To a junior, selected by the Student Activities staff, on the basis of academic, personal and social achievement and on his or her contributions to Union in all of these areas
– Richard Moccia

ATHLETIC AWARDS

Eastern College Athletic Conference Award of Merit –
To an athlete who has combined excellence in the fields of competition with excellence in the classroom and outstanding service to Union College
– Caitlin Cuozzo

William B. Jaffe Medal –
To the student chosen as the outstanding athlete of the year, taking into account the character and motivation of the individual in addition to athletic excellence
– Thomas Arcidiacono

William A. Pike Memorial Award –
To a junior for attitude, ability, participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports
– Stanley Pietrak

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Athletic Promise Award –
To the student in her junior, sophomore, or freshman year who shows the most promise in women’s athletics at Union College
– Michelle Rogers

President’s Commission on the status of Women Senior Athletic Award –
To a senior who has done the most to promote sports for women at Union College
– Jenna Ondash

Robert M. Ridings Award –
To one or more senior athletes for their attitude, ability, participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports
— Jenna Ondash
— Syndie Wells

HONOR AWARDS

Julian B. Hoffman, M.D. Memorial Award –
Two awards, the first to the student (preferably premedical) in the Department of Music for distinguished interest, devotion, and contribution to the arts and / or intellectual climate at Union College
– Heidi Ching

The second to the student (preferably premedical) in the Department of Visual Arts for distinguished interest, devotion and contribution to the visual arts and/or intellectual climate of Union College
– Frank Rapant

Roger H. Hull Community Service Award –
To a senior who has rendered the most sustained service to the greater Schenectady community. This award honors a student who has initiated and/or actively engaged in an ongoing community service project.
– Lorlette Haughton

Daniel F. Pullman Prizes –
Two awards. One to a senior of high scholastic standing in humanities, the other to a similar student in engineering
– Justin Silvestri (Humanities)
– Brendon Keinath (Engineering)

Frances Travis Award –
To a student who is working his/her way through college and who has demonstrated unusual responsibility and self reliance
– Kelley Irmen

Horatio G. Warner Prize –
To a senior of high personal character who has the highest scholastic standing in the Bachelor of Arts program-
– Carli McNeill

George H. Catlin Prize –
To one or more Liberal Arts seniors with the highest scholastic record, deemed most promising for graduate study and eventual service in the field of college teaching
– Thomas Mazur

Josephine Daggett Prize –
To the senior of the best character and conduct
– Jonathan Thatcher

Frank Bailey Prize –
To the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field
– Ian Kennedy 

Read More

Posted on May 4, 2007

The Emerson String Quartet presents “All-Beethoven, Part II” Thursday, May 10, at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.

The event marks the final performance in the College's 35^th International Festival of Chamber Music Concert Series. The New York City-based quartet has appeared at Union 23 times.

Formed in 1976, the group, which chose its name in honor of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the spirit of the Bicentennial, features violinists and co-founding members Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer. Lawrence Dutton, viola, joined the group in 1977, and cellist David Finckel joined in 1979.

The quartet, which performed “All-Beethoven, Part I” in February, returns to complete its two-concert recital with Beethoven’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 and String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130 with Grosse Fuge, Op. 133.

Later this year, the quartet will perform an exclusive eight-concert series, “Beethoven In Context,”  in Carnegie Hall. The series juxtaposes Beethoven’s quartet repertoire with notable compositions spanning three centuries. For this series, Carnegie Hall has commissioned composer Kaija Saariaho to write a quartet for the group in honor of the project and the 30^th Anniversary.

The quartet has garnered eight Grammy Awards and three Gramophone Awards and performed in major concert halls throughout the world. Lauded as a string quartet that approaches both classical and contemporary repertoire with equal mastery and enthusiasm, it was the first chamber ensemble to win the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize from Lincoln Center in 2004.

Thursday's concert is free for the Union College community, $25 for general admission and $10 for area students. For tickets, call (518) 388-6080; for more information, call (518) 372-3651 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries/.

Read More