(published in The Daily Gazette)
In his book chronicling the first 150 years of Union College, President Dixon Ryan Fox recounts the rich history between the institution and Schenectady, proclaiming that they have worked together “in a harmony that others might envy.”
It’s interesting to note that in the course of the college’s 213-year history, 15 Union College alumni have served as mayor or city manager of Schenectady. The “unselfish and uncalculating spirit” Fox endorsed in 1945 is important to recall today as the college and the city seek new ways to strengthen a rich and positive relationship.
The college remains firm in its belief that its contributions to the city, and the region as a whole, are significant. A recent independent report by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission concluded that the college’s positive economic impact on Schenectady County alone exceeds $273 million annually.
We value our strong relationship with the city, as evidenced by the fact that Union was one of 25 colleges and universities, and the only one in New York, recognized nationally last year as a “best neighbor” for its positive economic and social benefit to their communities.
Many of the downtown businesses depend greatly on the college’s 800 employees, 2,100 students (and their parents), and thousands of visitors to spend millions at their establishments. This fall, we expanded our “Dutchmen Dollars” program to allow students to patronize dozens of merchants throughout the city by simply using their Union ID card. We are also working with businesses to promote downtown activities to students, and on ways to transport students to local businesses.
The college’s commitment to the city is also evident in the Union-Schenectady Initiative, launched in October 1998. The college invested more than $10 million to renovate an old hotel and dozens of homes, transform the streetscape and enhance the safety of the neighborhood immediately west of the campus. We also created a program to encourage home ownership in the College Park area by offering free tuition to families who move into the neighborhood, and we have been instrumental in re-energizing the neighborhood association.
This rebirth has encouraged developers to also invest in the neighborhood. We are grateful to businesses such as the Golub Corporation, which has announced plans to build a new company headquarters off Nott Street that will employ more than 850 people.
We recently transferred ownership of a house in the neighborhood to Habitat for Humanity of Schenectady County. The entire campus community will help to refurbish this property. Local Habitat offi – cials believe this is the first time that a college in the Capital Region has provided the property and the labor to Habitat.
In recent years, the college also bought a vacant tavern and transformed it into the Kenney Community Center, which features a hugely successful after-school student mentoring and homework project that has benefited hundreds of students and staff from local schools. The center is also home to our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site. Since 2005, this program has helped low-income families from the region file tax returns at no charge. Many of these families are unaware they are entitled to a refund, or are unable to afford a tax preparer. This year, our students assisted a record 175 families, bringing the total refunds secured since the program was launched to nearly $1 million.
Additionally, our students volunteer thousands of hours annually to other forms of community service, helping preserve historic Vale cemetery, spruce up municipal buildings, parks and other sites around the city.
Our collaborations with local companies such as SuperPower, Inc. are adding numerous highskilled jobs to the region’s economy. Along with Schenectady County Community College, we will help SuperPower design and implement quality-control systems for the manufacturing process, and produce the scientists, engineers and technicians that the high-tech company will need as it ramps up production of its superconducting cables. A similar program is being created with CardioMag Imaging, Inc.
Recent construction projects at the college exceeded $35 million. Many of these projects involved local contractors and suppliers. Also, Union College was named the 2006 Employer of the Year by the Schenectady Association for Retarded Citizens for providing jobs and training to dozens of people with disabilities.
And of course, the public continues to take advantage of the wealth of cultural opportunities offered at the college, including exhibits in the Nott Memorial, plays at the Yulman Theatre and the enormously popular chamber concert performances in Memorial Chapel, either free or at a nominal cost. Hundreds of local residents joined us on campus in the past year to share an evening with special guests such as Maya Angelou and Gen. Wesley Clark.
ON THE UPSWING
I underscore these examples of the good will shared between the college and the city at a time when Schenectady garners positive headlines about recent downtown redevelopment and revitalization. As President Fox wrote, “the college can and does have its own life to whatever degree it wants. But the fact that its members may at any time step through one of the fi ve main gates into a modern industrial city makes their days the richer.”
Union College remains eager to explore additional ways to partner with the city that would be mutually beneficial. I look forward to continuing a positive dialogue with Mayor Stratton and other city leaders as we move into our third century together.
- by Stephen C. Ainlay