A beacon in the 21st century
At the Opening Convocation for the Union community, I closed my presidential remarks by observing: “We have the opportunity … of becoming a beacon for those seeking an education well-honed to the needs and demands of the 21st century.” That is indeed the case and the challenge for all of us who believe that Union must continue its 214-year tradition of making a difference in the world.
When former President Eliphalet Nott and his contemporaries decided that they should allow modern languages, along with classical languages, to meet graduation requirements, they established Union as a beacon for all those who understood the importance of connections with Europe. When some years later, Nott and others determined that Union should bring engineering into the liberal arts curriculum—the first liberal arts college to do so—Union once again became a beacon to all those who wanted to prepare themselves for the rapid growth of American cities.
For many years, what has been called the “parallel” curricula of the liberal arts and sciences on one hand and engineering on the other, served Union, our students, and the world at large very well. Today’s world, however, demands that engineering be integrated into the very essence of what we mean when we say a person is liberally educated. Additionally, today’s world demands that our students be globally connected.
In this issue, you will read about the national symposium on engineering as a liberal art which was held at Union in May. The symposium, funded by the Mellon Foundation, brought representatives from Princeton, Dartmouth, Smith, Lafayette, the U.S. Military Academy, and other schools to Union’s campus for an examination of engineering’s role in liberally educating students and the sharing of best practices. It was a remarkable experience for all of us in attendance. It became clear that we shared a vision for the liberal arts and the central role engineering can play. It became clear that Union was the most appropriate venue for imagining a different kind of educational future. Union became, by virtue of its historic role and prophetic vision, a beacon.
You will read about our students who are taking Union into the world. Our eight Minerva Fellows made enormous contributions to our campus community while they were students here. Now, they stand to make equally enormous contributions to people in need in Uganda, Cambodia, India, and South Africa. The stories of three alumnae who are leading nonprofit projects in Africa affirm the difference that individuals can make. Our Davis Peace Scholar has connected in meaningful ways with the victims of domestic violence in Cambodia. These current and former students represent Union’s global commitment; they represent hope; and, they establish Union as a beacon.
You will also read about the remarkable performance of our endowment. According to the Wilshire Endowment Universe data, which compares our returns to the universe of other endowments, Union’s endowment performed in the top 5th percentile for the past fiscal year. That itself is remarkable. The importance of this, however, rests in the fact that the resulting endowment income is a hedge against tuition increases. In fact, tuition only covers about 70 percent of the actual costs of educating today’s Union student. The balance results from endowment income and the generous support we receive from alumni and friends of the College.
Union has been a beacon in so many ways over its 214 years. It remains so today. Those who have chosen to steward the College for these past two plus centuries—administrators, trustees, faculty, students, alumni, and friends—have made that possible. Those stewards can be proud; we can all be grateful.