Posted on Jun 17, 2007

Today I’m going to share with you a piece of advice I learned at a young age.

Every day, before I sprinted out the door to catch the school bus, my father would say to me, “Have fun and learn a lot.” I heard this phrase each day from day care through high school. “Have fun; learn a lot.”

Sometimes, it’s the simplest advice that is the most important.

In the past four years, the class of 2007 has learned a great deal simply from living on this college campus. We’ve also had our share of fun on the side. Here are just a few examples of events from the past four years at Union that you all may remember.

Freshman year, first month of school. We all recall when Fox Hall caught on fire. Everyone ran out of their dorms to watch as one room in the back of Fox spilled smoke out the window and burned up, an accident apparently caused by Christmas lights. After this, we all had second thoughts about hanging them in our rooms. And, the thing is, we thought those fire safety warnings were just to annoy us! We were wrong. I hope we all learned something that day.

Freshman year, May. We certainly recall the day when it started raining on Springfest and Wyclef Jean’s act was cut short. He took it upon himself to jump off the stage, grab a random tricycle and peddle through the mass of Union students before jumping atop the stone wall to continue singing. We cheered him on and sang along despite the rain and threat of lightning. This was surely a memory that would be recalled many times over the next three years. I know we all had fun that day.

Sophomore year, fall term.  The Red Sox won the World Series, a day many of us never thought we’d see. Regardless of who you were rooting for, you probably saw the mass exodus from the dorms as students gathered in front of Fox waiting for something insane to happen, like at the big universities. And, since we aren’t a large enough school to hold a victory riot, what we got instead was a Union College classic: A Naked Nott Run from about 15 guys in 30-degree weather, while others carried brooms to symbolize the “sweep.” I hope you all had fun that day.

And on the topic of mass exoduses, how about the infamous Mulberry’s exodus during the spring that year? We ALL learned something that day.

Fast forward to senior year, fall term. The class of 2007, along with the rest of the Union community, rallied outside the Nott Memorial to take a stance against hatred and bigotry. We made posters, signs and T-shirts and wore pins to demonstrate that intolerance has no place in our community. We listened to speeches, cheered for our classmates, and some of us cried. There IS ugliness in the world, but we as a campus have the ability to fight it. I REALLY hope we learned something on that day.

Senior year, winter term.  Our class had the pleasure of experiencing one of the greatest snowstorms in years. Like elementary schoolers who watch the TV at 7 a.m. for a school cancellation, we waited by our computers to get that golden e-mail notifying us that our professor couldn’t make the dangerous drive. Many of us spent the day sledding on dining hall trays, skiing around campus and wandering through whiteout conditions as our cars disappeared beneath mounds of snow. I know we all had fun on that day.

Oh! And one more event that sticks out in my mind, slightly out of sequence.

Orientation week freshman year. Everyone is having the same conversation: What dorm are you in? Where are you from? So we get sent to an awkward “get to know you” session in the field house. When it was over, it was time for our class pictures in the Nott. But there were torrential downpours that day, and we had to sprint from Memorial Fieldhouse to the Nott. Once we got there, 600 students wearing completely see-through clothing were shoved into a 16-sided building next to each other. It is, needless to say, one of the worst group pictures ever taken. And, what did they do with that photo? They blew it up and hung it in West Dining Hall. Now, when we wait for omelets, we can all reminisce about how wet, weary and uncomfortable we were on that day. I’m not sure if we learned anything OR if we had fun, but it’s definitely a 2007 Union moment.

Those were memorable times. But it’s when you combine the elements of fun and learning that you truly take advantage of the college atmosphere. This is usually done through voluntary action, and our class has done just that. The class of 2007 has made several major contributions that combined fun and learning that cannot go unmentioned here today.

It was students from our class who raised $27,000 in just two weeks for cancer research for the incredible “Tie the Nott” project.

It was students from our class who started the Rolling for Autism non-profit to raise money for scholarships and autism research.

It was our class that kicked off the environmental campaign at Union with recycling advocacy, organic cafés every Friday and organic dinners in winter.

It was students from the class of 2007 who started the Dutch Oven, perhaps the funniest publication at any college or university.

We have a student in this class who composed a symphony.

We have students who won 2 swimming and diving state championships and students who went 10-0 in football.

We have students who played in the longest collegiate hockey game in history.

It was also the class of 2007 that started the Arts House and the Cooking House.

We have a student that did incredible stand-up comedy in Chet’s. We saved Chet’s.

We’ve done some amazing things in just four years here. We’ve made many positive contributions.

I called up my dad a few months ago and told him I was writing a speech about his favorite expression, to which he replied, “Oh, the old Yiddish saying: Am yemens tuchus ist goot tzu shmysen!?”

I said, “No dad, your other expression, the one you told me every day growing up.”

“Ohhhh” he said, “Have fun and learn a lot!” He continued, “Well, if I could amend that expression it would actually be, ‘Have fun, learn a lot, and while you’re at it, do something positive for society and for others. Because that’s really what’s important.”

Well, Class of 2007, that is what’s important. So, to use my own words, “Have fun. Learn a lot. Be excellent to one another. We’ll see you on alumni weekend. Happy Father’s Day and thanks mom and dad.”

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Posted on Jun 17, 2007

Baccalaureate Remarks
June 16, 2007
Stephen C. Ainlay
President

Constructed in 1925, the building in which you sit today was intended to honor Union graduates killed in wars up to that time.  Over the ensuing years, it has evolved into a site for remembering the passing of all graduates of the College and other members of the Union community. In fact, each year at this Baccalaureate event, we remember those members of the Union family – alumni, faculty and staff – who died during the last year. We do so again today. Their names are listed in the program, and I would ask that you join me in a moment of silence to remember them, their many contributions and their love of Union College.

As you know, Memorial Chapel has also become a gathering place for many College events. Admissions open houses, fashion shows, concerts – they all take place here. But while it has multiple purposes today, Memorial Chapel continues to ask us to remember. This first became apparent to me through conversations I had with one member of the Union family who befriended me during my first year: Dick Roberts, Class of 1950. 

Some of you may have known Dick Roberts: he was a fixture at Union College and on the sidelines of many Union sporting events. In fact, my first meeting with him was on the sidelines of the Union-RPI football game in the fall of 2005. My appointment as the 18^th President of Union College had just been made public. Dick was very ill but nothing could keep him from participating in this great Union sporting tradition. I learned much from Dick Roberts but one of the things I came to understand was how special Memorial Chapel was to him and to many Union graduates. For Dick, it was the site of his own commencement ceremony and the site of his child’s wedding. Just last fall, he stood where I stand today to bring greetings from the alumni at my Inauguration. Regrettably, it was the site of his memorial service when he died.  But Dick wanted it that way. In fact, he called me just weeks before he died and asked for this one consideration.  I was happy to comply with his request. For me, then, Memorial Chapel will always demand that I remember Dick Roberts, the embodiment of what it means to be loyal to a college.

Of course, Memorial Chapel demands that we remember others. The portraits of my 17 predecessors remind us of their contributions and our storied institutional history. They start with the first President, John Blair Smith, to my left and end with my immediate predecessor, Roger Hull, to my right. Eliphalet Nott appropriately hangs in the center of the west wall. His 62 years of service as president constitute a record in all of higher education – no college or university president has served longer. On the opposite wall you will find John Morris who, along with his wife Enid, attended the Union Graduate College ceremony in this very place this morning. The presidency of John Morris provided stability to this institution at a time when stability was desperately needed. The remains of one of our former presidents, Charles Alexander Richmond, along with those of his wife Sarah, are interred here. The Richmonds were in office when Memorial Chapel was built. President Richmond brought prosperity to the College and, when he announced his retirement in 1928, he was presented with a resolution of regret signed by every member of the student body. In this place, we should remember all of them for the part they played in building and maintaining Union.

Similarly, the windows in Memorial Chapel demand that we remember: a few of the window panes that survived from the early days of North and South Colleges and are installed here. For me, they are a reminder that Union was the first American campus to be designed with a master plan and arguably remains the most influential campus in America due to the fact that 90-some college and university presidents, who spent their undergraduate years on this campus, considered Union to be the ideal campus and replicated it all over America. These windows also remind me, by their simple elegance, that Union was among the first institutions to have an educational mission not wedded to the aims of any particular religious group but rather a mission that celebrated multiple voices and perspectives. I hope you will remember this too and always look for ways of carrying Union’s mission into the world.

I hope this place will be as special to you as it was to Dick Roberts and as it has become to me. While you will commence your post-Union days from the porch of the Schaeffer Library tomorrow instead of inside this chapel, I hope that you will always think of the special-ness of this weekend every time you re-enter Memorial Chapel. I hope that every time you enter this Chapel you will remember the teams, clubs, Greek organizations, and governance bodies you joined and in which you participated. I hope you will remember your other activities like your post-Katrina relief work, tutoring in Schenectady schools, tying the Nott, participating in relays for life, preserving Vale Cemetery, and rolling for autism.   I hope you will remember your efforts to make this a more inclusive place, to raise consciousness about the needs of our environment, and to remember the loss and sacrifice of men, women, and children in conflicts around the world. I hope you will remember the friendships you have formed during your years here. I hope you will remember the faculty members who shared their love of learning with you and who made a difference in your life. I hope you will remember the person you were when you entered Union as a freshman and how you changed over four years. Dick Roberts remembered all this whenever he walked into this chapel. I hope you will too.

The members of the class of 1957 remembered all this when they returned just weeks ago for their 50^th Reunion and celebrated in this very space. They understood clearly the difference Union had made in their lives when they shook hands with members of the Class of 2007 in the center aisle. By looking into your eyes, they remembered the feelings they had 50 years ago as they commenced the rest of their lives.

This weekend your four years living and working on the Union campus come to an end. Be proud that you are part of a very special family, a family held together by a special bond to this institution. I hope you will return many times to the campus and to Memorial Chapel in the years ahead and that when you enter this place you will remember what it was to live and work here and what it is to be a son or daughter of Union.

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Posted on Jun 16, 2007

First, let me start by thanking you for the honorary degree today. It is not my first.

No, that came in June of 1965 when I graduated from Princeton University. Believe me –  that was an honorary degree.

That day, sitting on the front lawn of Nassau Hall, as you sit here at Union, there were the summa cum laudes; there were the magna cum laudes, there were the cum laudes and there was me, sitting among the group that I once heard Bill Cosby describe as the “thank you laudes!”

With my grades, graduation was touch and go. Many of you here can no doubt sympathize and identify with my situation. You know who you are. Anyway, I’ve never been sure if I deserved that Princeton degree. I’m not sure I deserve this one either; but, I thank you for it.

I do want to say a word about Union College. My dad grew up in this city and graduated from this College in 1923. As I was told, my dad roomed with a fellow named Walter Law from New York City, who had a younger sister Georgiana.

An introduction was made, dates ensued, marriage followed. So, did three children.

You’re looking at number three. So, the way I figure it, were it not for this institution, I would not be here. Thus, it is not just for the honorary degree that I am grateful to Union.

But, enough about me, this day is about you, the Class of 2007.

First of all, I want you to think for a moment of all you’ve learned in the past four years. You are the elite. You are some of the few in this nation… who know how to spell Schenectady.

In a few moments, President Ainlay will present you with your degrees signifying that you have completed the seven things you have to do to graduate from Union.

Now, I live some distance from this campus. But, even being 150 miles away, I’ve heard about those seven things. There is some confusion, however. I’ve heard that all seven are required. Then, I’ve heard that there are five required, and two are electives.

Either way, you are all graduating. Thus, I presume you all have taken care of the requirements. (I’ll be curious to see if they’re listed on your diplomas.)

I will tell you a secret about this day. While you seniors are relieved to be graduating, no one – no one – is more relieved than your parents. They have written their last tuition check to Union. For the fathers out there, that is the best of all Father’s Day presents.

Your parents have spent as much as $175,000 on your education, and they are not all certain what it is they’ve bought.

I remember a valuable lesson from a noted theologian, Father Guido Sarducci. You may not be old enough to remember Father Sarducci; he was one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. He had an offer for a young person who did not go to college.

He would provide that person with a five-minute lecture. Contained in those five minutes, he said, would be everything that a real college graduate would remember from his/her classes 10 years after graduation.

Mathematics? Pi R-squared. Economics? Supply and demand curves. Accounting? LIFO-FIFO.

That, he said, is about all that will stick with you.

For a slight additional fee and another two-and-a-half minutes, Father Sarducci would throw in law school.

But, his point is actually a good one. Four years here at Union were never about memorizing facts in Professor Berk’s “History of the Holocaust” or Professor Nichols’ poli sci courses.

During these four years, the mission of your professors has been to get you to think, to analyze, to interpret, to form an argument and to learn how to defend it orally and in writing.

And, let me tell you, as someone who works a lot with young people – you’d better know how to write.

Those are the critical tools you are going to need to keep youlearning through the rest of your life. Today doesn’t end your education. Goodness, no. In many ways, it just begins. Much of what you’ve learned here may well be obsolete knowledge in a few years. And, much of what you will learn hasn’t been discovered, invented or thought of yet.

But, perhaps even more important than the things I’ve mentioned, you were here in this magnificent, protected environment to develop a moral code and code of ethics.

It sounds old fashioned, but I will tell you there are ethical imperatives in this life: 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.

This is an age when pharmaceutical companies leave drugs on the market even when there’s evidence those drugs are not safe. This is an age when home-run hitters suddenly bulk up and wonder why we doubt their prowess. This is an age when company executives sell out their employees’ pensions and cash in huge stock options themselves. And, this is an age when officials of some of our great academic institutions get caught taking kickbacks from companies that are making loans to students like you.

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, between what you know is right and responsible – and what your company or firm or network or whomever you work for may need at the moment – to get a leg up on the competition.

I always tell young people in journalism that you really only have one commodity to sell, and that is trust. It takes a long time to earn it, and you can lose it in just a moment. You’ll earn that trust in your workplace and in “life,” if you have a sound ethical base. For it is not just in journalism that that is true.

There is one other thing I want to mention briefly. I want all of you to be involved.

You will be many things in the years to come. You’ll be a mom or dad if you’re lucky, a banker, a doctor, a teacher – some profession. But, there’s one very important thing you will be that I don’t want you to overlook – you will be a citizen.

Politicians like to say, “It’s a crucial time in our country’s history.” Perhaps, at times, they exaggerate.

But, right now it is.

Most of you were 16 when 9/11 occurred. You lost much of the innocence of youth on that day. And for the nation? The nation was no longer insular.

The residual effects of that day have left us with a number of national debates.

We are debating whether in going to war we did more harm than good; whether we have an obligation to stay in Iraq – with the inevitable cost of more lives – or whether we should leave, which would not be without consequence.

We’re debating immigration – a debate that goes to the heart of what we are as a country.

We’re debating health care and whether we have a responsibility to provide it for all.

We’re debating the extent of our responsibility to this planet. We’re debating our responsibility to our elderly and to the poorest among us.

We’re debating things as basic as whether we must compromise some of the civil liberties that have marked our society for centuries – in the name of security.

As we saw in Iraq and the immigration debates in recent weeks, we have deep divisions in our political systems that seem to be roadblocks to resolution of any of these problems.

You need to care – for these are issues that are basic to your democracy.

Participate.

And, part of that – be an informed consumer of my product, which is news.

Know what is important news and what is not.

Keep abreast of foreign affairs, domestic politics – and we’ve got a fascinating election coming up – and economic affairs. Follow the issues in your local city or county council.

And, don’t disparage the mainstream media. The editor of your hometown newspaper or the producers of network newscasts don’t have 30 or 40 years of experience for nothing. When you see a news organization get fixated on non-stop coverage of Paris Hilton, or Anna Nicole Smith, or Michael Jackson, go elsewhere.

When an announcer says, “It’s a report you have to see,” you probably don’t. When an anchor says, “shocking details,” they probably aren’t. When a reporter claims his news is “fair and balanced,” it probably isn’t. And, when politicians say, “I’m going to level with you,” they probably won’t.

Of course, the first thing you have to do is go out and get a damn job.

You’ll do it. There may be false starts. I can guarantee you there are going to be twists and turns to your life that you couldn’t anticipate in your wildest dreams.

But, 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.

And, by the way, here’s the first solicitation you’ll receive from Annual Giving: Give of your treasure in future years to this institution. For this institution has played a large role in developing you as a person and developing what you are. And, it is up to you to ensure it will do so for future generations.

Those people out there – your parents and your teachers – have set you up for an interesting life. They care about you to the depth of their souls. But, their job is now complete. And, it’s up to you now.

A great newspaper publisher once said, “There are two things a parent or a teacher can give you: roots and wings.”

You have both. And, you will find your way. The next few years are going to be a great time in your life. Your possibilities are endless.

Enjoy. And, Godspeed.

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Posted on Jun 16, 2007

What a wonderful way to mark your final days as a student at Union College and the commencement of the rest of your lives! I have forged relationships with many members of the Class of 2007, and I only wish that we’d had more time together. In any case, I have greatly enjoyed this first Commencement ceremony as your President .

I want to thank our honorary degree recipients for being with us today. You both honor us by your presence and we are proud to count you among our own.

I would now like to ask Dr. Gibson to join me one more time at the podium. 

It is my great privilege to publicly announce for the first time that Charles Gibson has established a scholarship in memory of his father, Burdett Gibson, Union Class of 1923. The Burdett Gibson, Class of 1923 Scholarship will enable, in perpetuity, students in financial need to study at Union College.

We are so grateful to you for this remarkable act of generosity. We are so pleased that today you join your father and uncle as members of the Union family. How appropriate and meaningful that we announce this wonderful new scholarship on the occasion of awarding you your honorary degree, and on Father’s Day. I am certain your father would be extraordinarily proud as we are extraordinarily grateful. 

In celebration of this scholarship, we would like to present to you a copy of the 1923 Union Yearbook and a framed copy of your father’s Yearbook entry. I note that your father was cited for “coming out of the most overwhelming situations unscathed.” We all hope that he passed along his secret to you!

I would call your attention to the list of prize recipients, printed in the back pages of the Commencement Program. They received their awards at Prize Day but I would ask you all now to join me in recognizing them today with your applause.

I would also invite all the members of the Class of 2007 to stand, turn and face your family and friends in attendance today, and join me in thanking them with applause for their love and support which prepared you for Union.

Would you also join me in thanking the members of the Union faculty who have shared their love of learning with you these past years. And, a special bit of applause for Professor Les Hull, Department of Chemistry, who is retiring at the end of this year.

Finally, I want to thank Professor William Finlay, our Marshall, the members of the Commencement Committee as well as the entire Union staff for organizing this day, readying this beautiful campus, and preparing food that we will enjoy. They have approached this day as they approach every day, with devotion and care.

It is my great privilege to invite all of you – graduates, friends, family members, faculty, staff and administrators – to join the divisional receptions immediately following this ceremony. These divisional receptions offer a great opportunity to affirm the bonds that have been forged.

Now please allow me a few words. After today, you join the legions of those who have graduated from Union College. Hopefully you carry with you memories, friendships and commitments that will literally last your lifetime. As I’ve traveled the United States this year – visiting alumni clubs in New York, Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, Naples, Fla., Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago and other great cities – I have been struck by the hold that four years at Union has on people. Fifty years from now, I think I can safely predict that some of your best friends still will be members of the Class of 2007. Indeed, in times of both joy and sorrow, you will likely pick up the phone (or whatever communication device exists then) and talk to one of your classmates. That is part of the legacy of Union in your lives.

Over the past four years, you have walked the same pathways as did many illustrious Union graduates: Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward (Union Class of 1820); our 21^st U.S. President, Chester Arthur (Union Class of 1848); the designer of the first New York subway system, Solomon Deyo (Union Class of 1870); the inventor of the laser, Gordon Gould (Union Class of 1941); Nobel Prize winner, Baruch Blumberg (Union Class of 1946); the head of morning and late night programming for ABC, Phil Beuth (Union Class of 1954); the winner of an Oscar for Best Picture, Robert Chartoff (Union Class of 1955); the winner of a National Book Award, Andrea Barrett (Union Class of 1974); and MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, Sue Goldie (Union Class of 1984). 

Walking the same pathways they walked, joining the same community that they joined, has been your privilege as a student at Union College. After today, this too becomes part of Union’s legacy in your life. And, it becomes your obligation.

Now it is your turn to realize your dreams; now it is your turn to invent things that will improve people’s lives; now it is your turn to lead institutions, both for profit and nonprofit; now it is your turn to mend lives and heal wounds; now it is your turn to educate; now it is your turn 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.

I closed my inauguration ceremony last fall by reading a charge issued to Union students by the first President of Union College, John Blair Smith. I close today’s Commencement ceremony and send you on your way, by paraphrasing President Smith’s words, which continue to reverberate over the now two centuries since he issued his charge: “As you leave this place, do so ready to live a useful life.”

Best wishes to all of you, and Godspeed. 

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Posted on Jun 15, 2007

Greater academic achievement. More diversity and engineering students. Perfect gender balance.

This is a brief snapshot of the Class of 2011.

“We have emerged from a tumultuous market with a strong new class, with exceptional academic and extracurricular credentials,” said Stephen Ciesinski ’70, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “It’s gratifying to know that Union continues to attract such high caliber students as our reputation grows nationally.”

At a time when the competition to gain admission at top schools around the nation remains fierce, Union had its largest applicant pool ever this year.

The College received 4,837 applications for the Class of 2011, 464 more than last year and up 20 percent over the 4,060 students who applied four years ago. 

“We’re in very good shape,” said Dan Lundquist, dean of Admissions. “We expect to have just over 570 students this fall. Seventy-eight percent say Union is their first choice and 12 percent say Union was their second choice.”

For the first time in its 212-year history, the College also will have an equal number of men and women.

Noting that the academic quality of Union students continues to rise, Lundquist said 67 percent of the members of the Class of 2011 were in the top 10 percent of their high school class. SAT scores were higher – 1260, compared with 1240 last year. This was the first year Union’s SAT-optional policy was in effect, but most students opted to submit them anyway.

In addition, “admits were the most racially and geographically diverse,” Lundquist said. Students of color comprise 17 percent of the class, up from 14 percent last year.

Engineering students will make up 16 percent of the Class of 2011, up from 11 percent.

Meanwhile, there’s no rest for the staff at Grant Hall. The College’s recent Junior Jump Start, an outreach to members of the Class of 2012, attracted nearly 600 people. And Union’s 2007 Summer Open House, a full day of tours, talks, panels and other activities, is set for Friday, August 10.

“Coming to campus and seeing all that we have to offer is still the way most students end up choosing Union,” Lundquist said.

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