Posted on Jun 19, 2007

First published: Monday, June 18, 2007

SCHENECTADY — Charles Gibson told roughly 500 graduates of Union College Sunday that he wants them to be involved in community and country.

"You will be many things in the years to come — a husband or wife; a mom or dad, if you're lucky; a banker; a doctor; a teacher … some profession," said Gibson, the anchor of ABC's World News Tonight. "But there's one very important thing you will be that I don't want you to overlook — you will be a citizen."

Rain threatened as the Class of 2007 gathered at the heart of the oldest designed campus in the nation. Seventy-four from the Capital Region participated in the commencement marked by air-horn blasts and somber gestures.

Gibson established a scholarship fund in memory of his father, promising $75,000 in seed money. The scholarships will go to students in financial need. The school also will contribute.

Cheers followed the graduates crossing the stage outside Schaffer Library. They stepped off past a line of professors, who congratulated them and formed a path to the future.

By the numbers 500 Graduates. 74 From the greater Capital Region. 13 From the city of Schenectady. 5 Types of degrees plus two for commissioned officers.

Posted on Jun 18, 2007

Robert Danziger '89 juggles many roles: Investment banker, arts patron, father, skiing aficionado, Union volunteer.

Recently, he added another role to his resume: Alumni Trustee.

"Life is busy, with many demands, but Union remains a priority," says Danziger. "The education and experience I gained in College have allowed my continual personal and career development, and I want to give back to a place that has given me so much."

Danziger is head of North American Syndicated Finance at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. in New York City, where he works on global financing initiatives for corporate and financial institutions. Previously, he served as a director in Global Loans Capital Markets at Citigroup for more than six years.

He lives with his wife, Hilary, and daughters Sydney, 7, and Ella, 4, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where he is involved in a variety of school fundraisers, charities and arts groups. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing and attending the Metropolitan Opera.

For more than 10 years, he has been a tireless supporter and volunteer for Union College. A native of Longmeadow, Mass., Danziger was a managerial Economics major at Union. He credits Professors Brad Lewis and Jim Kenney with sharpening his focus on a future career in finance. On campus, he was a DJ for WRUC and a member of Student Government, the Concert Committee and Phi Sigma Kappa. He traveled to Israel on a term abroad led by Professor Seth Greenberg.

"Everywhere I turned, there were wonderful opportunities at Union," Danziger says. "I would attend my classes, have a committee meeting, run to the ball field for touch football or ultimate Frisbee, and then host a radio show."

Now, as an equally active alumnus, Danziger is responsible for serving as a liaison between the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Council. He considers himself a "cheerleader, recruiter, change agent and fundraiser.

"I look forward to working closely with alumni, reporting the actions and findings of the Board," he says. "It's an exciting time to join the Board and work with President Stephen Ainlay. I hope I can do my part to help shape the direction of the College during my tenure and beyond."

Danziger hopes to encourage other alumni to make Union a priority, whether that means volunteering their time, attending events or contributing to the Annual Fund.

"Everyone who has graduated with a degree from Union should be active in supporting our magnificent alma mater," he says.

Posted on Jun 17, 2007

ABC World News anchor Charles Gibson, a familiar face to millions, officially became part of the Union community at the College’s 213^th Commencement Sunday.

“Were it not for this institution, I would not be here,” Gibson told students, families and friends gathered in Hull Plaza on Father’s Day. He recounted that his father, Burdett Gibson, Union Class of 1923, had married his roommate’s sister.

Gibson outlined five ethical imperatives for students – compassion, honesty, fairness, trustworthiness and respect for others.

“If those things are not the bedrocks of your life, you will suffer from their absence in time. And, I would wager, you won’t much like yourself,” he said.

“As you leave here, you need to know what it is you stand for – because ‘out there,’ the choices are not going to be easy. You will find times when you’ll be asked to choose between your values and expediency.”

He added, “You have a good solid base. And you have a Union education. It served my father well, and it will do the same for you.”

Some 500 students received diplomas in front of the Nott Memorial.

Prior to Gibson’s speech, President Ainlay, in his first Commencement ceremony, presented Gibson with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Later, citing a “remarkable act of generosity,” he announced that Gibson helped College officials establish a scholarship in memory of his father.

The eponymous award will be given each year to a student in financial need.  

“We are so pleased that today you join your father and uncle (Charles D. Gibson, Class of 1920) as members of the Union family,” Ainlay said.

In appreciation, Ainlay gave Gibson a copy of the 1923 Union Yearbook and a framed copy of Burdett Gibson’s Yearbook entry. Noting that the elder Gibson was cited for “coming out of the most overwhelming situations unscathed,” Ainlay said, “I hope he passed along his secret to you.”

Gibson, 64, was introduced by his good friend, Trustee Emeritus Phil Beuth ’54. Beuth, a retired television executive, helped launch Gibson’s anchoring career by hiring him to co-host ABC’s Good Morning America in 1986.

In his remarks, Ainlay underscored that members of the Class of 2007 “have walked the same pathways as did many illustrious graduates,” from Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward (Class of 1820) to MacArthur “genius” and public health researcher Sue Goldie (Class of 1984). 

He impressed upon the students that “Now it is your turn to realize your dreams… to invent things that will improve people’s lives… to lead institutions… to mend lives and heal wounds… to educate… to take responsibility for the welfare of the communities in which you will live.

“Now, in short, it is your turn to make a difference.”

Before the ceremony began, Ainlay, Gibson and another featured guest, noted classicist and scholar Richard Sorabji, arrived on campus in a 1914 Duplex Drive Brougham Detroit Electric Automobile once owned by Union Professor and Electrical Engineering wizard Charles Proteus Steinmetz.

Sorabji, professor emeritus of philosophy at King’s College London and former associate professor at Cornell University, received a Doctor of Letters Sunday. He urged students to turn to ancient philosophy for suggestions on “how to deal with problems and how to deal with life.”

Karyn Amira, a Political Science major and Psychology minor from Newton, Mass., gave the student address. The daughter of Stephen Amira ’71, she had enthusiastic praise for the Class of 2007’s achievements, including environmental advocacy, fundraising for cancer and autism, and the launch of the Dutch Oven, “perhaps the funniest publication at any college or university.”

Jonathan Young of Walnut, Calif., a dual Biology/Economics major, was named class valedictorian, and Psychology major Leigh Ann Holterman of Albany was salutatorian.

Ainlay closed Commencement 2007 ceremonies by paraphrasing a charge to students issued by Union’s first president, John Blair Smith, more than two centuries ago: “As you leave this place, do so ready to live a useful life.”

Posted on Jun 17, 2007

For more photos, please visit the Union homepage

Posted on Jun 17, 2007

ABC World News anchor Charles Gibson, a familiar face to millions, officially became part of the Union community at the College’s 213^th Commencement Sunday. 

“Were it not for this institution, I would not be here,” Gibson told students, families and friends gathered in Hull Plaza on Father’s Day. He recounted that his father, Burdett Gibson, Union Class of 1923, had married his roommate’s sister.

Gibson outlined five ethical imperatives for students – compassion, honesty, fairness, trustworthiness and respect for others.

“If those things are not the bedrocks of your life, you will suffer from their absence in time. And, I would wager, you won’t much like yourself,” he said.

“As you leave here, you need to know what it is you stand for – because ‘out there,’ the choices are not going to be easy. You will find times when you’ll be asked to choose between your values and expediency.”

He added, “You have a good solid base. And you have a Union education. It served my father well, and it will do the same for you.”

Some 500 students received diplomas on the walkway in front of Schaffer Library.

Prior to Gibson’s speech, President Ainlay, in his first Commencement ceremony, presented Gibson with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Later, citing a “remarkable act of generosity,” he announced that Gibson helped College officials establish a scholarship in memory of his father.

The eponymous award will be given each year to a student in financial need.  

“We are so pleased that today you join your father and uncle (Charles D. Gibson, Class of 1820) as members of the Union family,” Ainlay said.

In appreciation, Ainlay gave Gibson a copy of the 1923 Union Yearbook and a framed copy of Burdett Gibson’s Yearbook entry. Noting that the elder Gibson was cited for “coming out of the most overwhelming situations unscathed,” Ainlay said, “I hope he passed along his secret to you.”

Gibson, 64, was introduced by his good friend, Trustee Emeritus Phil Beuth ’54. Beuth, a retired television executive, helped launch Gibson’s anchoring career by hiring him to co-host ABC’s Good Morning America in 1986.

In his remarks, Ainlay underscored that members of the Class of 2007 “have walked the same pathways as did many illustrious graduates,” from Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward (Class of 1820) to MacArthur “genius” and public health researcher Sue Goldie (Class of 1984). 

He impressed upon the students that “Now it is your turn to realize your dreams… to invent things that will improve people’s lives… to lead institutions… to mend lives and heal wounds… to educate… to take responsibility for the welfare of the communities in which you will live.

“Now, in short, it is your turn to make a difference.”

Before the ceremony began, Ainlay, Gibson and another featured guest, noted classicist and scholar Richard Sorabji, arrived on campus in a 1914 Duplex Drive Brougham Detroit Electric Automobile once owned by Union Professor and Electrical Engineering wizard Charles Proteus Steinmetz.

Sorabji, professor emeritus of philosophy at King’s College London and former associate professor at Cornell University, received a Doctor of Letters Sunday. He urged students to turn to ancient philosophy for suggestions on “how to deal with problems and how to deal with life.”

Karyn Amira of Newton, Mass., a Political Science major and Psychology minor from Newton Mass., gave the student address. Amira, whose father, Stephen, was a member of the Class of 1971, had enthusiastic praise for the Class of 2007’s achievements, including environmental advocacy, fundraising for cancer and autism, and the launch of the Dutch Oven, “perhaps the funniest publication at any college or university.”

Jonathan Young of Walnut, Calif., a dual Biology/Economics major, was named class valedictorian, and Psychology major Leigh Ann Holterman of Albany was salutatorian.

Ainlay closed Commencement 2007 ceremonies by paraphrasing a charge to students issued by Union’s first president, John Blair Smith, more than two centuries ago: “As you leave this place, do so ready to live a useful life.”