In reflecting on her education, Dr. Kathy E. Magliato ’85, a highly successful cardiothoracic surgeon, notes “Union opened up my world and anything seemed possible.” Her assessment of her Union experience reminded me that our work is to educate young people. That may seem self-evident but consider what it means to truly educate. Bruce Wilshire, in his book The Moral Collapse of the University, observed that there is a certain genius to the Latin word educere, which means to lead or draw out. Wilshire argues, and I agree, that to liberally educate, colleges must be concerned with far more than merely passing along knowledge. They must also be concerned with leading students out of the world they “know” when they arrive on campus, exposing them to new ways of understanding, helping them see connections they weren’t aware of, creating opportunities for them to discover that seemingly discrete events can and must be contextualized within a larger framework, helping them fall in love with ideas and find their passion, and asking them to imagine the possibilities for making a difference. It is precisely these qualities of education, properly understood, that makes teaching, learning and working in a place like Union so compelling.
In this issue, we celebrate the many alumni of Union College who had their world opened and embraced the possibilities of making a difference in the world of medicine and health care. Dr. Ira Rutkow reminds us of Union’s remarkable contributions in the 19th century. They were founders of major schools of medicine, pioneers in new specializations, innovators of new intervention strategies and surgical techniques. Dr. Rutkow’s own contributions, and those of others highlighted here, remind us that this rich and remarkable tradition continues today. Whether in medical practice, research, health care or medical administration, publishing, hospice work, or emergency response services, graduates of Union College have been pioneers and leaders and changed the very world in which we live. Despite the varied paths their careers took, they are unified in their view that their experiences at Union prepared, inspired and changed them just as they have gone on to prepare, inspire and change others. Those featured here are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Indeed, we could fill the pages of a hefty volume with the stories of the other men and women who have made great contributions in this area.
This issue also provides a summary of some of the ideas that have emerged from Union’s strategic planning process. We believe that the strategic plan provides us with a roadmap that will guide us as Union continues to educate, make a difference in the lives of those who come through our gates, open minds, and change lives. If we execute the plan well, rest assured that the inspirational stories of students we educate today will one day fill the pages of another issue of this magazine.
When New York City filmmakers were scouting locations for a murder mystery set during the winter in 1970s Madison, Wis., attorney Murray Schwartz ’69 pointed them north.
“If you are looking for snow, snow and more snow, along with a place that still retains some of that ’70s look, Schenectady would be an ideal location,’’ Schwartz told his clients. He then sold them on Union’s campus.
“Union is an absolutely magnificent school with architecture that is timeless,” Schwartz said. “It worked for The Way We Were, and it would be perfect for this movie.’’
Producers toured the campus last fall and despite the lack of snow, loved what they saw. When College officials sent them to the Chamber of Schenectady County for additional assistance, the stage was set for the filming of Winter of Frozen Dreams, an independent movie set for release in 2008.
The film stars Keith Carradine, who has been featured in dozens of films and was "Wild Bill" Hickok in the HBO series, Deadwood; and Thora Birch, who played the daughter in the 1999 Oscar-winning film, American Beauty, and received a Golden Globe nomination for 2001’s Ghost World.
Birch plays Barbara Hoffman, a University of Wisconsin science student who works part-time at a massage parlor. Hoffman is accused of killing two of her former clients, and Carradine plays Detective Lulling, who investigates the murders. The film is based on a book by Karl Harter. Filming began in February and ended in March and took place throughout the Capital Region. The Valentine’s Day snow storm delivered the scene-setting snow.
Union was the site for two scenes: when Carradine attempts to question Birch at a house on Wendell Avenue owned by the College; and in front of the F.W. Olin Center, which masqueraded as the entrance to a college library, where Carradine and co-star Leo Fitzpatrick go to meet Birch.
Union also played a behind-the-scenes role. Some of the producers lived in the College-owned house during the shoot, and when a vintage Dodge broke down before a shoot, a College mechanic came to the rescue.
Schwartz is also grateful for the role the College played in his development. Daughter Lindsay ’99 also possesses a Union degree and Schwartz endows an annual scholarship for a humanities student.
An education without constraints
Schuyler Smith, at age 14.
In early April, 14-year-old Schuyler Smith qualified for an elite stage of the U.S.A. Math Olympiad. His mother, Beth, called the news, “Totally cool.” The competition is part of a varied educational experience that his parents, Beth and Raub Smith, are helping to build for their gifted son.
“What is an education? How do you make the best education without constraints?” Beth asked.
Whatever the answer is for Schuyler, it has begun at Union College. Schuyler completed four classes at Union during the last academic year, with aid from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. He aced the SAT exam and left public school at age 12 in search of more difficult courses.
“Union is a really different atmosphere from public schools. Not only am I getting a chance to learn things that aren’t offered in a middle or high school, but there are smaller class sizes and a more supportive environment,” Schuyler said. “It’s been a huge delight and relief to be able to learn at a higher level and at a much faster pace.”
Schuyler has completed two computer science courses and two math courses at Union, which helped him earn the Math Olympiad distinction. That series of contests began with about 413,000 U.S. students, was later cut down to 10,000 and, in early April, reduced again to roughly 500 teens. It is one of many math contests in which Schuyler has excelled at the national level.
Professor Alan Taylor teaches a course called Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science. Schuyler completed the course during the winter term. “We’ve had some [young teens] like this but Schuyler is an exceptionally talented youngster,” Taylor said. “He’d be ready to start graduate work in mathematics in three years.” (Taylor also said that graduate work in math may not be the best path for Schuyler.)
While math and computer science are a big part of Schuyler’s life now, his parents’ goal is to provide varied learning experiences so his college, career and life choices will be as well-informed as possible. And Schuyler hopes to take courses at Union in a variety of disciplines – not for the college credits, but for the joy of learning.
Schuyler lives in nearby Clifton Park with his two younger brothers and parents. All three children are being taught at home. Schuyler has completed an online literature and writing course through Stanford University and won awards for his writing. Schuyler is an ardent photographer, avid tennis player and enjoys clarinet.
“I hope to take more classes at Union but I don’t have a detailed plan,” Schuyler said. “Beyond that, I don’t know what I’ll do in the future, though I hope someday to go to college,” he said.
David Breazzano '78 gives $2 million to the College
David Breazzano
David J. Breazzano, a College Trustee and co-founder of an investment management firm, made a $2 million gift to Union in late March to support the Minerva House System.
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 was set be dedicated during ReUnion weekend May 31 to June 3.
During his time at Union, Breazzano, who grew up in Edinburg, N.Y., was president and treasurer of Phi Sigma Kappa and also involved in intramural sports, radio station WRUC and the Interfraternity Council.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics, and a master’s degree 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,” Breazzano said. “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).
Dean’s perspective
The past 12 months have been a time for stepping back and reflecting on who we are as an institution. The new Strategic Plan offers a vision for the future that has generated a lot of excitement. But we have, at the same time, been engaged in another project, one that has an important impact for those of us working in Student Affairs and the entire campus community: a report from the President’s Commission on Building a Better Community.
During the spring term of 2006 Interim President Jim Underwood established a commission to look at the Union community from a broad perspective. The commission was chaired by Cherrice Traver, dean of Engineering and Computer Science, and Jim McLaughlin, director of Athletics. The commission membership included 26 individuals from Union's faculty, administration, staff and student body. Their charge was to articulate the ideal academic community to which we aspire, and then to take a hard look at to what extent we are reaching that standard. Because of the relatively large size of the commission and the task at hand, the commission was divided into five subcommittees with specific areas of focus. Each subcommittee focused on a topic that was integral to the sense of community on a college campus and addressed some key questions for the commission. The areas of focus included civility, communication, diversity and multicultural affairs, social life, and Union in the community.
The subcommittees took up the task of gathering opinions about the Union community. The subcommittees conducted various levels of research and assessment that included the review of reports submitted by previous committees; extensive interviews with individuals and groups within the Union community and beyond; assessment of peer institutions; and data collection from the Commission's survey to the entire campus community. Some comments from the survey included: "We should have an honor code here – long overdue;" "Make diversity a central core element in our mission, not some 'add-on' afterthought;" "I feel we ought to have a 'try what it's like' day. Learn about doing other work that is often taken for granted. First-hand experience with un-glamorous but life-sustaining work is essential."
The commission has provided President Stephen C. Ainlay with a series of focused recommendations on initiatives that would develop the sense of the Union community as a community. The emphasis is on understanding the different needs of different members of our community and working toward communicating more meaningfully with each other. The report will play a central role in optimizing our opportunity to work together as a community, all of us, toward a common goal.
Parents perspective
Karen Dumonet, Parents Association Chair
Nine years ago, the Union College Parents Association began fielding a survey aimed at providing the Union College administration with valuable feedback and insights from an important constituency: the parents of current students. Over the course of those nine years, we have received parents’ thoughts, opinions and insights into all aspects of Union. The Parents Questionnaire includes a range of topics:
Academic Affairs: curricular offerings, access to courses, academic advising and quality of teaching
Student Affairs: counseling, health services, Becker Career Center and orientation
Residential Life: residence hall facilities, residence hall student staff, housing lottery, Greek life, Minerva House System, security, dining services and laundry services
Co-curricular Activities: athletics, community service, student organizations and campus activities and social life
Parent Services: communication, Homecoming and Family Weekend
With a new online version of this survey, we are very pleased to see the largest number of annual responses in the last four years. About 395 people connected back with us, representing 13 percent of current parents. Many thanks to all of you who took the time to share your thoughts.
The Parents Program Office is still receiving responses at this point, but I wanted to share a few of the preliminary highlights. Parents’ overall impressions of Union College remain very high at a 4.17 rating, and any measure greater than 4 (on a scale ranging from 1-poor to 5-excellent) is proof positive. Many areas including quality of teaching, curricular offerings, parent communications and terms abroad continue to post 4-plus results. Parents also give a huge number of comments about specific issues such as cost of tuition, athletics, terms abroad and security.
Over the summer, we will be mailing out a letter to all parents with the complete results of the survey. All of the final results will also be presented to President Stephen C. Ainlay and the administration. This feedback is very helpful to them and, in the past, has helped focus us on specific areas that needed to be addressed – as well as all the positive feedback that we hear.
Take care,
Karen Dumonet (Vanessa ’07, Sebastian ’09)
Parents Association Chairperson
Alumni help Class of 2011 take shape
In mid spring 2,000 potential first-year students were accepted to Union College for the 2007-08 academic year. The admitted students, who will fill out about 560 class slots, boasted an average grade of 92 in their high school graduating classes and an average SAT score of 1,310.
The high-achieving students were recruited with help from proud alumni, many who volunteered to help through the recently created Alumni Admissions Program. That volunteer work also helped the College take in a record-level pool of 4,834 applicants.
“By all measures this was Union’s largest and best applicant pool,” said Dan Lundquist, vice president for admissions. “Our admitted students will have many very attractive options and we are all – staff, faculty and students – working hard to ensure these students give the College a careful look.”
The College, home to about 2,100 students, is consistently included in the top tier of the country’s leading liberal arts colleges, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings. The College is ranked 39th out of 215 schools in the 2007 edition of America’s Best Colleges. Last summer, The New York Times included the College on its list of 20 “hidden gems” in the higher education landscape.
Union received applications from 48 states and Washington, D.C. New York and Massachusetts are home to large portions of admitted students, though the College is still pushing for greater geographical diversity. The percentage of women admitted increased from 47 percent to 50 percent.
To reach Palmer Fargnoli in the Alumni Admissions Program, call: (518) 388-6112, or e-mail him at: fargnolp@union.edu. To be an alumni admissions volunteer, contact Admissions at (518) 388-6112 or e-mail lecceh@union.edu.
Works in Progress
Carol S. Weisse, director of the Health Professions Program, served as program chair for the regional meeting of the Northeast Association of Advisors to the Health Professions in Portland, Maine, last spring, and she gave the plenary opening address, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Advisors." Currently president of the association, she was appointed to the Board of Directors for the National Association of Advisors to the Health Professions.
Lori Marso, director of Women’s and Gender Studies and professor of political science, has been invited to give several talks about her book, Feminist Thinkers and the Demands of Femininity (2006), to celebrate Women’s History Month. She was the keynote speaker for the Midwest Women’s Studies Association conference in Vermillion, S.D., and the University of Vermont’s Women’s History Month Speaker’s series. Her interview with WAMC’s Mary Darcy aired as part of a special series on feminist thinkers on "51%." Marso also will have an edited book published in late spring by Duke University Press, titled W Stands for Women: How the George W. Bush Administration Shaped a New Politics of Gender.
Robert Olberg, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of Life Sciences, delivered the DuPont Lecture at the University of Arizona’s Neurobiology Department on March 22, 2007. The title of the lecture was, "The Elegant Precision of Dragonfly Prey Interception: From Neurons to Behavior."
Harry Marten, the Edward E.Hale, Jr., professor of English and chair of the English Department, has published a memoir, But That Didn’t Happen To You: Recollections and Inventions (XOXOX Press). Set in New York City neighborhoods of 50 to 100 years ago, the book offers reflections on the nature of memory, the immigrant experience, storytelling, old age and family relationships. Marten’s "Shadowlands," a portrait of dementia in old age, appeared in the August 2006 issue of the on-line literary journal Inertia Magazine.
Tarik Wareh, assistant professor of classics, presented his paper, "Isocratean Rhetorical Education and Aristotelian Virtue," at the Northeastern Political Science Association in Boston in November. Earlier this month, in San Diego, he presented "Genres of Philosophical Contest in the Fourth Century B.C" at the annual meeting of the American Philological Association. Wareh also delivered a paper at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South in Cincinnati, Ohio. The paper was titled, "School Politics and the Monarch’s Court: Speusippus’ Letter to Philip.”
Rebecca Surman, associate professor of physics, appears as an author in the journal, Physical Review D. "Supernova Neutrinos: The Accretion Disk Scenario" is co-authored by G.C. McLaughlin of North Carolina State University. Surman presented this and other work in a plenary talk at the international nuclear astrophysics meeting, "Nuclei in the Cosmos IX," in Geneva, Switzerland last summer.
Binyavanga Wainaina, writer in residence, is among the finalists for the National Magazine Awards, the magazine industry’s highest honor. Wainaina, of Kenya, recently was nominated in the fiction category, which honors the quality of a publication’s literary selections. His piece, "Ships in High Transit," was selected as part of the entry for The Virginia Quarterly Review. It had already won the literary journal’s top short fiction prize for 2006. In February, a two-part interview with Wainaina aired on WAMC public radio, and the Albany Times Union ran a profile on him.
Campus Safety officers earn more authority
Union's new Campus Public Safety Officers joined by Mayor Brian Stratton, left; President Stephen
C. Ainlay, center; and Police Chief Michael Geraci, right.
Eleven members of the Campus Safety Department were sworn in on March 15, 2007 as public safety officers, a new state-approved designation that includes the authority to detain suspects and seize evidence.
The officers recently completed about 325 hours of additional training with instructors from the Zone 5 Law Enforcement Training Academy in Schenectady. Under New York state education law, the enhanced authority allows the officers to make warrantless arrests, detain or transport suspects and seize potential evidence. The officers are also permitted to carry a police baton and pepper spray, though Union’s officers will not carry batons.
The 11 officers, who are among the most experienced on staff, are the first in the department to receive the special designation. The goal is to eventually have the majority of the department’s 34 officers appointed as public safety officers. The new designation will reduce the College's reliance on the city police department for routine matters.
"Union and the city of Schenectady have a long history of working together," said Mayor Brian U. Stratton during a swearing-in ceremony at the Nott Memorial. "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."
