The National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship program announcement has been posted, with applications accepted through May 4. Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research of value to humanities scholars, general audiences or both. Recipients usually produce articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions or other scholarly resources. Fellowships support continuous full-time work for six to 12 months, beginning between Jan. 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012. For details, click here. Or contact Nicole Tama at taman@union.edu.
Read MoreWold Center construction reaches a milestone
As the sounds of the Dutch Pipers’ “Ode to Old Union” filled the air, the campus community celebrated the placement of the final steel beam for the Peter Irving Wold Center for Science and Engineering Wednesday.
“Buildings symbolize what is important to an institution,” President Stephen C. Ainlay told the crowd assembled in the courtyard adjoining the Reamer Campus Center and the F.W. Olin Center for the “topping off” ceremony. This traditional builders' custom – which features a fir tree and an American flag perched on the final beam – is meant to symbolize growth and good luck.
“Union is not standing still during these difficult economic times. We are committed to remaining on the cutting edge of higher education and to being at the forefront of what it means to liberally educate students in the 21st century.”
Construction of the three-story, 35,000-square-foot research and education facility began last spring and is set to be completed next year. It is being overseen by A.J. Martini, Inc. of Malden, Mass., which was also responsible for the restoration of the Nott Memorial in the 1990s. The firm’s CEO, Peter Martini ’78, noted the number of Union alums involved in the construction of the Wold Center.
The center will host interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry and environmental science and engineering. Building highlights include a high performance computer lab, state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms, and labs for cutting-edge collaborative research. The center will house a roof-top renewable energy lab and undertake research and demonstration projects related to energy and the environment.
“The Wold Center will bring people together across disciplines,” said Doug Klein, dean of interdisciplinary studies and special programs and a member of the building project’s steering committee. “This building is a symbol of what Union stands for.”
In the days leading up to Wednesday’s ceremony, hundreds of members of the campus community, construction workers and Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton signed the final beam that was lowered into place on top of the unfinished building.
The $22 million building was made possible in large part due to a lead gift from John S. Wold ’38 and his wife, Jane. The Wolds have directed more than $14 million of their original $20 million You are Union Campaign commitment to be a catalyst for the project.
Wold, of Casper, Wyo., is a geologist and president of Wold Minerals Company. The building is named after John Wold’s father, Peter, who chaired Union’s Physics Department from 1920 to 1945.
Joseph S. Wold ’10, read a letter from his grandfather, John, who expressed disappointment he couldn’t attend the ceremony.
“I’d like to think that father’s naming of this building is appropriate in Union College history, recognizing his 25 years as chairman of a great physics department,” John Wold wrote. “His artistic bent was developed and cultivated in Chinese art during several academic Chinese residences in the early 1900s. He was one of the few who have understood the need for a balance between science and art.”
Other speakers Wednesday included Stephen Dare, vice president for College Relations; Therese A. McCarty, the Stephen J. and Diane K. Ciesinski Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs; and Frank L. Messa ’73, chairman of the Board of Trustees.
For more information about the Wold Center, including construction updates, click here.
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Union efforts garner CASE and design awards
CASE award for photography
Union College efforts in communications and alumni relations have received recognition from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
The Winter 2009 “protest” issue of Union College magazine won a gold award in the category for black-and-white photography in the 2010 CASE District II Accolades Awards.
The winning photos, taken by Dr. Lester S. Kritzer ’73, illustrate a story written by George S. Bain ’73 about a 1970 student protest of the Vietnam War. Senior Editor of News and Publications Charlie Casey oversees the magazine, which is designed by Kris Fitzgerald of 2K Design of Clifton Park.
The College also received an honorable mention for Web site news, with an emphasis on storytelling. According to the CASE judges, “Your accomplishments in creative planning, production, and promotion of programs merit the accolades and admiration of your peers.”
The Web news team includes Director of Media Relations Phil Wajda, Associate Director of Communications Tina Lincer and Media Relations Assistant Erin DeMuth Judd.
CASE is the leading professional association for educational advancement employees in alumni relations, communications, marketing, fundraising and related areas. Its annual awards program features dozens of categories. The awards will be presented at the CASE District II annual conference in Philadelphia Feb. 8-9.
A complete list of winners is available at www.casetwo.org.
The winter 2009 issue of the Union College magazine also won a design award from Graphic Design USA magazine. This four-decade old design competition, open to the entire graphic arts community, honors outstanding new work of all kinds in 23 categories from print and packaging to Internet and interactive design. This year, roughly 1,000 pieces were presented in the annual competition.
“It’s always gratifying to be recognized by our peers for the good work we do in advancing the College,” said Stephen Dare, vice president for College Relations. “These three awards are a testament to the continuing dedication, hard work and creativity of our excellent team in Abbe Hall and the Office of Communications.”
Read MoreEXHIBITS
Through Jan. 31
Visual Arts Building
Burns Arts Atrium
John Willis: Selections from "Recycled Realities" and "A View from the Rez"
Willis is professor of photography at Marlboro College and co-founder of The In-Sight Photography Project, offering courses to southern Vermont area youth regardless of their ability to pay. He also co-founded the Exposures Cross Cultural Youth Photography Program, which brings youth together from a wide variety of backgrounds to share photography lessons and life stories. His work is included in numerous permanent collections including the High Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, George Eastman House Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Portland Museum of Art, the Library of Congress and the National Museum of Native Americans. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his images have been highlighted in various books and journals.
Through Jan. 31
Nott Memorial
Wikoff Student Gallery
The Illuminated Pixel
No paint, charcoal or clay was used to make the art now on display in the gallery. Instead, each piece was generated on a computer by students in the Intro to Digital Art and 3D Computer Modeling classes. Features work by Lori Cassorla ’10, Phil Cohn ’13, Elizabeth Culp ’10, Rachel Feldman ’12, Vishnu Gollakota ’12, Rachel Guralnick ’11, Davis Knox ’11, Aaron Levine ’10, Liang Li ’11, Jiri Matousek ’10, Hallie Maybrey ’10, Ben McIntosh ’10, David Sayles ’10, Julia Vu ’10, Nancy Wilk ’10 and Stacy Yoo ’11.
forensic exhibit
Through Jan. 31
Nott Memorial
First Floor
One Second, Everything Changes:
A Forensic Exhibit of Alcohol-Related and Impaired-Driving Crashes in the Capital District
Through words and images, this exhibit portrays youth who were put at risk in New York’s Capital Region. It focuses on fateful events in a forensic style, telling the stories of brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and friends whose sense of immortality clashed with a culture of the extreme.
Through Feb. 28
Nott Memorial
Mandeville Gallery
Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States
This exhibition of folk and outsider art documents in a variety of mediums features work created by incarcerated mothers, their children and professional artists. It explores issues of motherhood, incarceration, reproductive and welfare policy, and politics. The resulting dialogue presents the challenges and realities created by the dramatic rise of incarcerated women in the United States today. Curated by Rickie Solinger, an independent historian and director of WAKEUP/Arts in New Paltz, the exhibit has been traveling across the U.S.since 2006.
A host of related events are scheduled, including: a film screening of “Prison Lullabies” (Thursday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m., Reamer Campus Center); a lecture, “Violent Interruptions” (Thursday, Feb. 4, 4 p.m., Reamer); a discussion, “Interrupted Lives in Schenectady: Stories from G and H Blocks” (Thursday, Feb. 11, 4 p.m., Nott Memorial”); and a discussion with Solinger, “Interrupted Life” (Thursday, Feb. 25, 4 p.m., Nott) followed by a reception (5-7 p.m.).
Through March 14
Schaffer Library
Atrium
Union Notables
Union Notables celebrates the great men and women who have studied and worked at the College from its founding in 1795 to the present day. Every six months, a new group of three notables is featured. Currently featured are assistant professor and janitor Charles Frederick Chandler (1836-1925); actor, playwright, journalist and producer John Howard Payne (1791-1852); and College Librarian Ruth Anne Evans (1924-2001).
Read MoreEVENTS
Thursday, Jan. 21, 4:30-6:30 p.m. / Schaffer Library, Phi Beta Kappa Room / Philosophy Speaker Series presents: Paul Bloomfield of the University of Connecticut on “Eudaimona and Practical Reason”
Thursday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m. / Nott Memorial / “Lady Bird, Pat & Betty: Tea for Three.” Emmy Award-winning actress Elaine Bromka performs one-woman show about First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford. Free tickets available in the Yulman Box Office and at the door; seating limited. Call ext. 6545 for more information, or visit www.teaforthree.com. Co-sponsored by the President’s Office and the Department of Political Science
Friday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m. / Viniar Athletic Center / Women’s basketball vs. St. Lawrence University
Friday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Men’s hockey vs. Harvard University
Friday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m. / Yulman Theater / “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,” a 1982 play from a 10-play cycle by Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright August Wilson that chronicles 20th century African-American experience. Set in 1920s Chicago, it deals with issues of race, art, religion and the historic exploitation of black recording artists by white producers as it tells the story of a recording session with blues legend Ma Rainey, her band members, and the white producer and agent who made themselves wealthy through Rainey’s recordings. Performed by a touring company of students from Hamilton College and directed by Mark Cryer, Hamilton Department of Theatre chair. Part of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Community at Union. Pick up free tickets at the Yulman Box Office. Presented by the Union College Department of Theater and Dance. Contact: Professor Charles Steckler, stecklec@union.edu
Friday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m. / Viniar Athletic Center / Men’s basketball vs. St. Lawrence University
Saturday, Jan. 23, 11 a.m-1 p.m. / College Park Hall / Albany Alumni Brunch: Opportunity for students to talk to, ask questions, and network with Union alumni from the Albany area who work in health professions fields.
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m. / Viniar Athletic Center / Women’s basketball vs. Clarkson University
Saturday, Jan. 23, 4 p.m. / Viniar Athletic Center / Men’s basketball vs. Clarkson University
Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Men’s hockey vs. Dartmouth College
Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. / Old Chapel / Jesse Ruben concert, featuring original lyrics and compositions
Sunday, Jan. 24, 3 p.m. / Memorial Chapel / Chamber Concert Series: Brentano String Quartet; free to the Union community
Sunday, Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m. / Blue House / A Celebration of Community: Cook, Chew, Chat. Black Student Union, administrators and professors celebrate and discuss the importance of community over a home-cooked meal as part of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. activities. Space limited. To attend and assist with cooking, sign up in Student Activities Office, Reamer Campus Center Room 404. All invited. Contact: Arkeisha Pace ’11, pacea@union.edu
Wednesday, Jan, 27, 7 p.m. / Nott Memorial / Environmental Science, Policy and Engineering Winter Seminar Series presents: John Martin, senior project manager, NYS Energy Rsearch and Development Authority, on "Developing Shale Gas Resources: An Energy Bridge to the Future"
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. / Emerson Auditorium, Taylor Music Center / Department of Music presents an evening of Latin jazz with Triple Play, featuring Bill O'Connell on piano, Dave Valentin on flute and Richie Flores on percussion; admission free. O'Connell has played with some of the leading names in jazz, including Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Mongo Santamaria, Gato Barbieri, and Randy Brecker. Valentin is one of the top jazz flutists working today, and Flores has played with a Who's Who of Latin music. Contact: Tim Olsen, olsent@union.edu; ext. 6785.
Thursday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m., Reamer Campus Center/ a film screening of “Prison Lullabies” in conjunction with Mandeville Gallery exhibit, “Interrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States”
Friday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Women’s hockey vs. Princeton University
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2 p.m. / Alumni Gymnasium / Men and Women’s Swimming and Diving vs. Hamilton College
Saturday, Jan. 30, 4 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Women’s hockey vs. Quinnipiac University
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