Posted on Apr 3, 2008

In case you missed this exciting and impressive news over break: Andrew Krauss ’08, who proposed a project that draws on his lifelong passion for making boats go fast, is among 50 college seniors who have been awarded a prestigious Watson Fellowship.

Krauss will travel to Tonga, the Cook Islands and the French Polynesia to research the development of outrigger canoes and paddles. A double major in Philosophy and Mechanical Engineering, Krauss was a member of the crew team at Union.

The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program offers a one-year grant to graduating college seniors “of unusual promise” to study independently outside the United States. The stipend for individual award winners is $25,000.

Two other Union seniors, Robbie Flick and Andy Laccetti, were among five Watson alternates. Flick’s project, “Living on the Edge: Studying the Conceptual Edges of Society,” would take him to Bhutan, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu. Lacetti would travel to Argentina, Brazil, China and India for “Hear the Healing: A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Music Therapy and Its Implementation in Four Countries.”

Joey Hunziker '08 was Union’s fourth Watson nominee.

“We are extraordinarily proud of all four of our nominees,” said History Professor Joyce Madancy, chair of the College’s Watson Fellowship Committee. “It’s especially thrilling to have another Watson Fellow on campus, along with two alternates.”

Posted on Apr 3, 2008

Through May 11

Mandeville Gallery

Nott Memorial

Fernando Orellana – Recent Work

Professor Orellana’s 14 paintings, four sculpture pieces and one video installation explore issues of consumer culture and our relationship with war.

Through May 18

Wikoff Student Gallery

The Nott Memorial

“LGBT: A Union Perspective” 

A juried exhibition of artwork by students and faculty that explores issues surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at Union. Reception set for April 18.

Through June 12

Humanities Gallery

Aesthetic Divisions

Works from Schenectady artist and former Union artist-in-residence Arlene Baker's "Silk Spaces" series.

Posted on Apr 3, 2008

Friday, April 4, 10 a.m. / Beuth House / Martin Luther King remembrance

Friday, April 4, 4 p.m. / Frank Bailey Field / Women’s lacrosse vs. Vassar

Friday, April 4 – Saturday, April 5, All Day / 11th Annual National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference

Friday, April 4 – Monday, April 7, 7 and 10 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center / Film: There Will Be Blood

Saturday, April 5, noon / Frank Bailey Field / Men’s lacrosse vs. Clarkson

Saturday, April 5, 1 p.m. / Rugby Pitch / Men’s rugby vs. Albany Law

Saturday, April 5, 2 p.m. / Tennis Courts / Women’s tennis vs. William Smith

Saturday, April 5, 3:30 p.m. / Frank Bailey Field / Women’s lacrosse vs. RPI

Sunday, April 6, 9 a.m. / Union College Boathouse, Mohawk River / Men’s and Women’s crew vs. Skidmore

Sunday, April 6, 1 p.m. / Alexander Field / Women’s softball vs. Mount St. Mary

Monday, April 7, 3 p.m. / Alexander Field / Women’s softball vs. SUNY New Paltz

Tuesday, April 8, 5:30 p.m. / Wold Great Room / Dinner and Discussion with poet Jay Wright

Tuesday, April 8, 6 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium / Film screening and Q&A with producer/director Victor Gaviria

Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. / Taylor Music Center, Fred L. Emerson Auditorium / Alumni Writer Series presents New York Times reporter Neil Lewis ’68

Wednesday, April 9, 3 p.m. / Alexander Field / Women’s softball vs. Utica

Wednesday, April 9, 5 p.m. / SSCI 016 / Oratorical Contest

Wednesday, April 9, 5 p.m. / Rugby Pitch / Women’s rugby vs. University at Albany

Thursday, April 10, 4:30 p.m. / Old Chapel / Cultural Diversity Forum

Friday, April 11 – Monday, April 14, 8 and 10 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center / Film:  Cloverfield

Saturday, April 12, 9 a.m. / Union College Boathouse, Mohawk River / Men’s and Women’s crew vs. RPI

Saturday, April 12, noon / Buck Ewing Field, Central Park / Men’s baseball vs. Skidmore

Saturday, April 12, 1 p.m. / Alexander Field / Women’s softball vs. Rochester

Saturday, April 12, 3 p.m. / Reamer Campus Auditorium / Film: Casablanca

Posted on Apr 3, 2008

The Union College Model United Nations Team was recognized with an Honorable Mention at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York City recently.

It was the first time Union was represented at the annual event, widely recognized as the most prestigious collegiate political simulation in the world.

"The experience was phenomenal. Our coursework directly prepared us to tackle real issues the United Nations is currently dealing with,” said Ross Wheeler ’08. Wheeler served as the teaching assistant for the team, which evolved from Visiting Professor Darius Watson’s Political Science class.

This year’s NMUN brought together more than 4,000 students from 290 colleges and universities across the globe. The opening ceremony at the United Nations featured speeches by U.N. General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The conference included mock sessions during which students were required to lobby and delegate for the states they had been studying and researching. The Union team represented Zambia.

“Our class was able to go to the Zambian embassy and discuss policy with their representatives,” Wheeler noted. “In addition, Dave Sanders, Deborah Estes and I met with the director of the United Nations Environment Program and discussed current projects as well as the impact the UNEP has on the international system. UNEP is one of the main organs of the United Nations, along with the General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council.”

A History major with minors in Political Science and Economics, Wheeler said his involvement with the Model UN program has been a highlight of his Union education.

“It is unlike any other course. We were immersed in a foreign country’s politics and policies for 10 weeks; then we represented that nation at the conference. We also got a chance to walk around the United Nations and use the Security Council and other rooms. It was truly a hands-on, real-world experience.”

Joining Wheeler and juniors Sanders and Estes on the Union team were Thomas Ames ’09, Jennifer Atchinson ’09, Gillian Bland ’10, Maeghan Buckley ’11, Patrick Kiernan ’08, Kara Lightman ’09, Jaimie Luguri ’10, Brandon Muller ’10, Maggie Nivison ’09, Debra Pantalone ’09, Courtney Pantalone’09, Abigail Pleeter ’10, Richard Paikoff ’10, Katherine Rodman’10, William Wilkins ’09 and Alexandria Zirbel ’09.

Posted on Apr 2, 2008

The decision letters for the Class of 2012 – just over 2,000 of them – left the Office of Admissions recently, culled from a total of 5,264 applications. Faculty and staff are needed to help welcome these students and their families throughout the month as they weigh whether Union is the right choice for them.

Acceptance Day Programs are scheduled for two Mondays, April 7 and 14.  There will be a noon luncheon in the Memorial Fieldhouse, with academic receptions scheduled for 12:30-1 pm. 

The College will host Scholars and CT Scholars Preview Programs April 7, 3-4 pm. Multicultural students are invited to campus April 12-14. 

To participate in these Admissions programs, or to give admitted students the opportunity to visit classes, contact Lilia Tiemann at tiemannl@union.edu.

Union expects this crop of admitted students to yield a first-year class of 565 students in the fall.