Posted on Sep 22, 2008

 

 

 

 

  

Moving ahead with a new campaign road map

The Strategic Plan for Union, adopted in 2007, is a blueprint for achieving the College’s educational mission. Implementing the plan requires the intellectual, physical and financial commitment of the entire Union community. The You are Union campaign provides the foundation for this collective effort.

In May 2008, the Board of Trustees approved an expansion of the campaign, setting a goal of $250 million and extending the campaign timeline to 2012.

This is a defining opportunity for the alumni and friends of Union College. We have a chance to shape the future of this historic institution and to ensure a continued tradition of excellence.

Today, we stand ready to usher in a new era, defined in the Strategic Plan, and led by the generosity and dedication of our alumni and friends.

“Our success hinges on the resources that we, the Union community, commit to the You Are Union You are Unioncampaign, which I see as the cornerstone of our support for the College,” said Frank L. Messa ’73, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “When I walk across campus, I am struck not only by its beauty but by the tangible impact of our efforts. Each of us has benefited from our unique Union experiences, and each of us can play a role in giving students the best possible education and in boosting the College’s profile among peer institutions.”

Your involvement and philanthropic support will make a critical difference for all those who pass through the campus gates.

Five key Strategic Plan objectives guiding the You are Union campaign:

• Enhance Union’s academic excellence and ability to attract the best and brightest students

• Develop an integrated approach to science, engineering, and the liberal arts

• Preserve and revitalize our beautiful campus

• Increase students’ abilities to contribute to

a diverse and globally interconnected world

• Cultivate students’ gifts, passions, and spirit of innovation

To meet these objectives, the campaign focuses on three priority areas:

• Campus revitalization

• Curriculum enhancement

• Faculty and student support

For more: Debra Geer, Campaign Manager, at 518-388-6749 or via e-mail at youareunion@union.edu

 

Building our Third Century

Scholarships:

Dr. Jay N. Cohn ’52 and Grayce Cohn Cohen established the Morris Mandel Cohn ’21 Endowed Scholarship in memory of their father. This financial-need scholarship will be awarded to Union students from New York’s Capital Region with an interest in studying environmental science.

The James W. Haviland ’32 trust established The Haviland Family Scholarship Fund.

Robert J. Henkel ’76 established the Robert and Roseanne Henkel Endowed Scholarship.

The Vernon D. and Florence E. Roosa Family Foundation established the Peter V. Roosa ’74 Memorial Scholarship. This financial-need scholarship will be awarded to Union students majoring in environmental science and/or biology.

Maureen Demar Hall established the Bernard H. Salad ’37 and Geraldine Demar-Salad Endowed Scholarship in memory of her mother. This financial-need scholarship will be awarded to Union students from Schenectady County.

Estelle Cooke-Sampson ’74 contributed to the Ebony Union Scholarship, a financial-need award for Union students of color.

The Schenectady Foundation established The Richard E. Roberts ’50, Esq. and Dr. John S. Morris Schenectady Foundation Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will support Union students who are Schenectady County residents and active in Schenectady community volunteer activities.

Student Programs:

Walter A. Spencer ’72 established the Walter A. Spencer, Jr., Class of 1972 Fund for Posse. The goal of this fund is to provide operating expenses for the Union College Posse Scholars program, which provides merit-based scholarships to an ethnically diverse group of Boston-area students. The fund will support faculty mentor training and support Posse events on campus.

Buildings and Grounds:

Union parent Penny Cohn made a contribution through the Kenneth W. Cohn Memorial Fund to the Travis J. Clark ’00 Varsity Strength Training Facility. This facility will provide a superior strength training site on campus for Union athletes. The dedication of this facility will occur later this year.

Geraldine Golub ’82 made a contribution through the United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York to the Taylor Music Center.

The James W. Haviland ’32 Trust made a contribution to the Memorial Chapel Endow- ment. This fund ensures the chapel has funding for maintenance and upkeep.

Planned Gifts:

Unrestricted bequests were received from following members of the Union community: Martha Girling, Gerald E. O’Loughlin, Jr. ’52 and Othniel Pendleton ’33.

A bequest was received from the estate of Dr. Frederick S. Frank ’57. The funds are designated for Schaffer Library.

A bequest from the estate of Aaron Thal ’43 was received. The funds are designated for The Aaron Thal Endowed Scholarship. This financial-need scholarship will be awarded to Union students hailing from the state of Ohio.

A bequest from the estate of Alice M. Coggins was received. The funds are designated for the George F. Coggins ’31 Endowed Fund for Physics in memory of her father. This fund will be used to further research in the area of physics.

A pooled life income fund distribution was received from the estate of Steven Griffiths ’49.

Ronald Q. Jennett ’52 established a charitable gift annuity to benefit the Ronald Quentin Jennett ’52 and Margaret Anne Jennett Endowed Scholarship.

Paul E. Kummer ’43 established a charitable gift annuity where funds accumulated will benefit a scholarship fund.

Grant Support:

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation granted $800,000 to support several faculty positions.

New York State Council on the Arts granted $7,900 to support the Chamber Music Concert Series.

Davis United World College Peace Project gave $10,000 to support student projects. Specifically, this grant supported a project by Kara Lightman ’09 in Cambodia. (See story in the Across Campus section.)

The Hearst Foundation gave $100,000 to support scholarship endowment

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Posted on Sep 19, 2008

Rebecca Cortez, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant of $175,000 to support the project, “BRIGE: Morphological Characterization of Nanomaterials by Atomic Force Microscopy.” 

A chapter by Jillmarie Murphy, visiting assistant professor of English and American literature, and Ronald A. Bosco, titled “New England Poetry,” is included in the Oxford Handbook of Early American Literature (Oxford University Press, 2008). The chapter examines the dominant critical view of colonial New England verse and the modification of that perspective in the 20th century and offers an in-depth analysis of the major colonial New England poets Michael Wigglesworth, Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor.

A book by Jennifer Matsue, professor of music, anthropology and East Asian studies, has been published by Routledge. “Making Music in Japan's Underground: The Tokyo Hardcore Scene” considers how individuals make music in the underground Tokyo hardcore scene, expanding views on the complicated position of young adult Japanese as they negotiate both increasing social demands and escalating problems in society at large.

“Going for the Gold,” by Ashraf Ghaly, professor of engineering, is included in the August issue of Concrete Today. The article describes the innovative design and construction of the Beijing’s Olympic stadium.

An article titled “Landmark in the Air,” which appears in the August issue of Mechanical Engineering, was authored by Professor of Mechanical Engineering Frank Wicks, a frequent contributor to the publication and a licensed pilot of gliders and powered aircraft. The article describes the pioneering glider flights of John Montgomery and how his work helped to inspire the Lockheed brothers, Glenn Martin, Donald Douglas, James McDonnell, Larry Bell, Claude Ryan and William Boeing to design their own airplanes and start major companies.

A book by Rudy Nydegger, professor of psychology and in the School of Management at Union Graduate College, was released in August by Praeger Publishers. “Understanding and Treating Depression: Ways to Find Help and Hope” explains the history, increasing incidence, diagnosis, costs, treatment and other aspects of depression across ages, gender, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic group and sexual identity. 

Daniel O. Mosquera, associate professor of Spanish and Latin American studies, was invited to present his documentary, “Sanpachando” at the Seventh Biennial International / Interdisciplinary Research Conference of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association (ALARA) in Cartagena, Colombia, in August. He also read a paper titled “Cultura Popular y Complicidades de Consumo: San Pacho Llega a Santa Fe de Bogotá, con la Fundación BAT.” He was elected a member of ALARA’s executive committee.

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Posted on Sep 19, 2008

Union College has received gifts from generous alumni and friends, such as Burt Payne '41, who share in the dream of an exceptional education for talented students.

Find out how you can support Union’s students, click here.

 

Burton Payne ’41 owned and operated Payne Chemical Corporation in Glendale, Calif. for 35 years before retiring in 2005. Burt, as he is known to acquaintances, still resides in Glendale, where at age 90 he retains the straight-forward demeanor of a business owner.

So, when asked why he established three charitable gift annuities totaling more than $1 million and named the College as the largest beneficiary of his trust, he gives a short but complete answer.

“They gave me a good education,” Payne says during an interview at his California home. “As a matter of fact, a business came around and offered me a job before I graduated.”

Payne moved to California to work for a company that later eliminated his job. But he stayed in the Golden State and by 1970 had founded Payne Chemical Corporation.

Burt and his late wife, Dolores, visited Union on their honeymoon in 1943, but he has not been back to campus since.

Nonetheless, he is appreciative of Union’s role in his success and frequently recommends the College to young people. Burt admires fellow alumni John S. Wold ’38 and Gordon Gould ’41 and followed their lead in issuing several unrestricted gifts to the College.

“I’m getting older every day, but that’s good,” he says jokingly. “When you give to Union, you know your money’s going to do some good.”

 

For more information, contact:

Jacqueline Cavalier, Director, Gift Planning

(518) 388-6156 (direct)

(888) 843-4365 ext. 6156 (toll free)

giftplanning@union.edu

www.union.plannedgifts.org

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted on Sep 19, 2008

A wooden maze that dispenses M&Ms. Plastic straws and ping pong balls. A basket full of brain teasers.

Karen Ferrer-Muñiz, Union’s new director of Multicultural Affairs, is thinking outside the box when it comes to stimulating dialogue and understanding about diversity on campus.         

"These are my thinking toys,” she said recently, showing a visitor around the Office of Multicultural Affairs, located in Reamer Campus Center Room 304. “I want to motivate students, to provide the spark they need to know themselves.”

This means, she said, giving them an opportunity to engage in conversations, workshops and events in which they can freely and comfortably embrace their background and family history.

“Where you grew up, who raised you, what school you went to – these are what make you who you are. They are more important than race, deeper than ethnicity, gender or age.”

Ferrer-Muñiz arrived in August from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she was associate dean of students and director of Minority Student Affairs & HEOP. In looking at diversity in the broadest sense of the word, she espouses a philosophy that is consistent with Union’s goal of supporting a living and learning environment in which people from varied backgrounds can succeed and thrive.  

“This is the right time for Union, the right moment to go in this direction,” Ferrer-Muniz said. “This generation of students at Union is ready for new diversity leadership skills.”

Ferrer-Muñiz will work with a number of student groups, from Academic Opportunity Programs to Student Support Services. In the coming weeks, in particular, she plans to get together with fraternities and sororities, the Minerva Houses, Posse students and athletic teams.

“Besides playing hockey or football together, do they know and understand each other?” she said.

Ferrer-Muñiz has found that a few props go a long way toward breaking the ice, getting students to stretch their ideas about themselves and furthering understanding among individuals. Her work with several dozen resident advisors at the beginning of the term quickly demonstrated her hands-on approach.

“I came in with four tubes of toothpaste, toothpicks and a toothbrush, and portable blackboards,” she explained. “I gave them 15 questions about diversity and family history – What do you like most about where you grew up? Tell about something you did that was out of character for you. What is a characteristic in others that you admire? – Then I asked them to answer by writing symbols on their blackboards.

“They were looking at me like I was crazy, but once they broke into groups and started working, they couldn’t stop.”

Ayanna Vinson-Dobson ’11 of Boston, an R.A. in Davidson who also works in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, is one who enjoyed symbolizing her thoughts and life.

“I never imagined drawing with toothpaste, but we got to learn a lot about people, things we wouldn’t normally ask,” Vinson-Dobson said. “I was so excited, I went home and told my mom about it that night. You would never think you would have this deep experience with toothpaste and black cardboard.”

Ferrer-Muñiz calls herself a connector and a main resource for diversity issues on campus. She also likens herself to a scout leader.

In fact, she was a member of the Girl Scouts – Niñas Escuchas – in her native San German, Puerto Rico, from which she came to the Capital Region 18 years ago to earn a master’s in social sciences from the University at Albany. Currently, she is  pursuing her Ph.D in Latin American Studies and Higher Education Administration there.

She serves on the board of directors of the Hudson Valley Council Girl Scouts and is president of the board of directors of Centro Civico Hispanoamericano of Albany.

Her cheerful office and the Straus Unity Center next door are full of tapestries, photographs and other items that present a rich array of messages about heritage, family and culture.

“Our students should understand that when they leave Union, which is a safe zone for four years, and they are ready for their careers, they alsoo need to be ready for all kinds of people with different backgrounds, ideas and values,” Ferrer-Muñiz said.    

Editor’s note: The Office of Multicultural Affairs is sponsoring an open house today, Friday, Sept. 19, 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. in Strauss Unity Center on the third floor of Reamer Campus Center.

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Posted on Sep 19, 2008

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