A love of learning; a love of Union
In the fall issue of this magazine, we noted the passing of Professor Joseph Board, long time member of the Union faculty. In this issue, we appropriately memorialize him and his many contributions to the College. Joe paid a visit to me a few months into my presidency. As a fellow Hoosier, he delighted in sharing stories of his days in Indiana as well as his tales of his years at Union. At my inauguration, Joe led the faculty procession adorned in the colors of Oxford University, testimony to his time as a Rhodes Scholar. I was fortunate to get to know Joe, if for all too brief a time, and he made a lasting impression on me.
Since news of his death reached us in early October, I have heard from many alumni of the College who wanted me to know that Joe Board made a difference in their lives. They credit him with building a strong Department of Political Science during his tenure as its chairperson. They credit him with awakening within them an intellectual curiosity and a love of learning. They talk about the ways in which he modeled his own love of learning and his own seemingly insatiable curiosity about the world of politics and current events. Joe Board made a difference in their lives.
He loved working with Union students, and it is indeed fair to say that he loved Union College. Even when quite ill, Joe offered to help me and the College in any way that I saw fit.
In this issue of the magazine, we also announce John and Jane Wold’s decision to dedicate over $13 million dollars to new construction that will better integrate our science and engineering departments with each other and with the rest of our academic departments and interdisciplinary programs. Their lead gift will make it possible for us to pull the science and engineering complex closer to the historic quad and create an academic “town square” that will put science and engineering on display and create a vital space within which learning and the exchange of ideas will take place. This is critical to realizing our Strategic Plan and helping us recruit talented young men and women to the College. It will also allow us to model for the higher education community at large what effective liberal education looks like in the 21st century.
The Wold’s gift to Union is a remarkable act of generosity. It is also, in a word, transformative. It represents their belief that the institutional direction set out in our Strategic Plan is the right path for Union College. Their gift reflects their commitment to the education of today’s young men and women. Their gift underscores their confidence that this generation of college-age men and women, if effectively educated, will make an enormous difference to the world. Perhaps most of all, the gift from John and Jane Wold underscores their love of Union.
How is one college fortunate enough to have the likes of Joe Board and John and Jane Wold? I believe it owes to the fact that for over two centuries Union has committed itself to offering an education that equips its students for the challenges of their day; an institution that finds inspiration in its past but encourages its faculty and students to commit themselves to a learning environment that is innovative and responds to the times. Such an institution attracted a Rhodes Scholar named Joe Board. Such an institution helped cultivate the likes of John Wold. We can all take pride in this. It is cause for gratitude and celebration.