Posted on Oct 20, 2008

The College welcomed a record crowd of more than 2,500 for Homecoming and Family Weekend, which featured spectacular fall weather, recognition of distinguished alumni and volunteers, and a 35-14 football win over St. Lawrence.

The College honored six alumni through the UNITAS Alumni Diversity and Service Awards.

Recipients were: Emma Ester Bendaña ’04, a surgical resident at the University of Rochester Medical Center; Joan Gould ’76, community activist and volunteer; Robert Holland Jr. ’62, management executive and general partner with Williams Capital Partners; Bac X Nguyen ’94, family physician and community volunteer; Roberto Rodriguez ’98, college access counselor for at-risk youth in Brooklyn; and Estelle Cooke-Sampson ’74, chief physician in radiology at St. Mary’s Hospital in Maryland.

At the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, Richard “Ted” Vinick ’43 received the Special Appreciation Award for service and loyalty to the College and Alumni Council. Cooke-Sampson received the Distinguished Service Award for a lifetime of commitment and contributions to the College.

The weekend also included the UNITAS Alumni Career Panel; a 125th anniversary reception for Phi Delta Theta; a lecture by Dr. Barry DiBernardo ’80, a leading practitioner of laser and light-based techniques in cosmetic surgery; and a walking tour of Greek life with Timothy Dunn, director of fraternity and sorority life.

On Sunday morning, some 300 parents, students and guests gathered at the Nott Memorial for the popular Hillel lecture and discussion by Stephen Berk. Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust & Jewish Studies, spoke on “Jews, Blacks and Obama.” A festive brunch followed on the Reamer patio.

“When we finished up our Sunday activities,” said Nick Famulare, director of Alumni Relations, “the positive feedback was overflowing.”

Posted on Oct 20, 2008

The College welcomed a record crowd in excess of 2,500 for a Homecoming Weekend that featured spectacular fall weather, recognition of distinguished alumni and volunteers and a 35-14 football win over St. Lawrence.

The College honored six alumni through the UNITAS Alumni Diversity and Service Awards. Recipients were Emma Ester Bendaña ’04, a surgical resident at the University of Rochester Medical Center; Joan Gould ’76, a community activist and volunteer; Robert Holland Jr. ’62, a management executive and general partner with Williams Capital Partners; Bac X Nguyen ’94, a family physician and community volunteer; Roberto Rodriguez ’98, a college access counselor for at-risk youth in Brooklyn; and Estelle Cooke-Sampson ’74, chief physician in radiology at St. Mary’s Hospital in Maryland.

At the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, Richard “Ted” Vinick ’43 received the Special Appreciation Award for service and loyalty to the College and Alumni Council. Cooke-Sampson received the Distinguished Service Award for a lifetime of commitment and contributions to the College.

The weekend also included the UNITAS Alumni Career Panel; a reception for the 125^th anniversary of Phi Delta Theta; a lecture by Dr. Barry DiBernardo ’80, a leading practitioner of laser and light based techniques in cosmetic surgery; and a walking tour of Greek life with Timothy Dunn, director of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

 “When we finished our Sunday activities, the positive feedback was overflowing,” said Nick Famulare, director of Alumni Relations.

Posted on Oct 20, 2008

Ezekiel Emanuel, chairman of the Department of Bioethics, Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health, will be the keynote speaker at a symposium on health care reform at the College Oct. 24-26.

Emanuel will speak Friday night to about 50 invited guests from the fields of medicine, law and insurance as part of the College’s second Alumni and Friends Symposium. The idea is to help graduates re-engage in the intellectual life they enjoyed at Union.

Dr. Emanuel is a breast oncologist and the author and editor of numerous books, including "Healthcare Guaranteed" and the recently published "Oxford Textbook of Clinical Research Ethics." 

On Saturday, Timothy E. Quill, professor of medicine, psychiatry and medical humanities at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will talk about end-of-life care in a discussion moderated by Carol Weisse, a professor of psychology at Union and director of Health Professions Program.

Throughout the weekend, guests will participate in a series of workshops to define major problems facing America’s health care system and propose solutions. They will also attend a screening of “Sicko,” the 2007 documentary by filmmaker Michael Moore that examines the growing health care crisis.

The first Alumni and Friends Symposium, held in June 2007, was modeled after the “Moral Dilemmas of Governing” class led for many years by Byron Nichols. Twenty former students of Nichols, a popular political science professor at Union from 1968 to 2008, returned for a spirited discussion on the moral and political issues surrounding illegal immigration.

Posted on Oct 17, 2008

The young virtuosos who make up Trio Cavatina made their Chamber Concert Series debut last year at Memorial Chapel with all-Beethoven piano trios to sensational reviews. They return to campus Thursday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. in a performance of works by Brahms (Clarinet Trio), Bartok (Contrasts) and Messiaen (Quartet for the End of Time (1941).

Formed in 2005, Trio Cavatina features Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute, violinist Harumi Rhodes and cellist Priscilla Lee. All three completed the New England Conservatory’s Professional Piano Trio Training Program in 2006-07 and have been cited for their brilliance and sophistication. 

In addition to the classical and romantic trio repertoire, Trio Cavatina performs 20th century and newly composed works, and has worked with American composer Leon Kirchner.

Alexander Fiterstein joins the ensemble in his third Union appearance. According to The Washington Post, the young clarinetist “treats his instrument as his own personal voice, dazzling in its spectrum of colors, agility and range.”

Fiterstein was a first prize winner of the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions; was a member of Chamber Music Society II of Lincoln Center; and participated at the Marlboro Music Festival for four summers. He was born in Belarus, raised in Israel and lives in New York.

The concert is free for the Union College community, $20 for general admission and $10 for students. For tickets, call 388-6080; for more information, call 372-3651 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries.

Posted on Oct 16, 2008