Posted on Sep 27, 2007

walking on campus

Looking for a quick snapshot about Union? Now you can easily find it without a trip to a bookstore for a traditional guide to the nation's colleges and universities.

Colleges have taken matters involving their academic offerings, tuition, demographics and other information into their own hands with the launching of a new Web-based project designed to give consumers a broader picture of who they are and what they have to offer.

The University and College Accountability Network, or U-CAN, debuted this week, with Union among the nearly 600 private colleges and universities participating.

“We understand the importance of supporting families’ need for information as they consider colleges," said President Stephen C. Ainlay. "We are committed to providing them with useful and accurate data, and the U-CAN initiative is one way of accomplishing this.”

The U-Can site was created by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, of which Union is a member. It is considered the first such national consumer database created by the schools themselves.

Each participating college has created a two-page profile that displays in a common format important information on admissions, the student body, cost and tuition, student aid, graduation rates and campus life. There are also links to relevant areas on each college’s own Web site.

Forty-nine private colleges and universities in New York state are taking part in U-CAN. In addition to Union and Union Graduate College, they include the College of St. Rose, Excelsior College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Instiutute and Skidmore.

To view Union’s profile, click here.