Posted on Mar 3, 2010

Frank L. Messa, a 1973 graduate of Union and longtime benefactor to the College, and his wife, Colleen, have donated $2 million to his alma mater.

In honor of the unrestricted gift, Blue House will be renamed Messa House, with an official dedication to be held ReUnion weekend, May 27-30.

With the gift, all but one of the seven original Minerva Houses has been renamed. These include Beuth House (Philip Beuth ’54); Breazzano House (David Breazzano ’78); Golub House (William Golub ’26, from son Neil); Wold House (John ’38 and Jane Wold) and Sorum House (Christina Sorum, dean of faculty and vice president of Academic Affairs who died in 2005, from Paul Sorum).

The gift comes during the College’s $250 million “You are Union” campaign, which has raised more than $180 million to date. The recently expanded campaign is forging ahead with new momentum for significant initiatives tied to the College’s Strategic Plan.

“We are delighted to make this gift to name one of the two remaining unnamed Minerva Houses,” said Messa, who is chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees. “As we enter the last phase of the capital campaign, it is important that we achieve as many of our strategic objectives as possible, and the Minerva House system is one of the key elements of the plan.”

The Messas, who live in Saratoga Springs, have three children: Christopher, Peter and Keri ’08, who was a member of Blue House when she was a student.

“It’s impossible to grow up in the Messa household without having Union College be a part of your life,” said Keri. “The Minervas are an important part of Union and it is fitting that our family's gift be recognized by the naming of a Minerva House.”

President Stephen C. Ainlay hopes that this gift from the Messas will inspire other supporters of the College to consider a gift to rename Green House, the last of the Minerva Houses with naming rights. The innovative Minerva Houses opened in fall 2004 and serve students’ social and academic interests. All students, faculty and staff at Union are assigned to a Minerva.

“We are extremely grateful to Frank and Colleen Messa for their many contributions to Union College,” Ainlay said. “Their tireless efforts on the College's behalf and their remarkable generosity have enriched our campus in so many ways. The Messas should serve as an inspiration to all of us and it is very appropriate that their name will now grace one of our Minerva houses.”

As a student at Union, Messa earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in political science. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a finalist for the Albert C. Ingham Prize, given to the student in social sciences judged to have done the most outstanding scholarly work.

Following graduation from Albany Law School in 1976, Messa joined the Ayco Company, a local tax and financial consulting firm. He was promoted to senior vice president of Encompass, Wealth Counseling and Estate Financial Services and was named a senior partner in 1993. Following the acquisition of the firm by Goldman Sachs in 2003, Messa was named senior vice president for International Strategies. He retired in 2006 after 30 years with the firm.

As an alumnus, Messa has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1994, serving as chairman since 2007. He is co-chair, along with Mark L. Walsh ’76, of the “You are Union” fund-raising campaign and was national chair of the Annual Fund. He served as chair of the Trustee Board of Advisors, Terrace Council and 2003 ReUnion. He also led the Presidential Selection Committee for Union’s 18th president, Stephen C. Ainlay, and was a member of the Inauguration Planning Committee. In 2003, the College’s Alumni Council recognized his outstanding service by presenting him with the Alumni Gold Medal.

Generous benefactors to Union, Messa and his family have provided funds for the renovation of Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center, the renovation of Schaffer Library, and the establishment of the Frank Messa ’73 Endowed Scholarship and the Steinway Piano Fund for the new Taylor Music Center. Messa has also created endowments for the hockey program and women’s athletics.

Besides his activities at Union, he serves as a member of the conference of Board Chairs and has served on the board of directors for United Way of Northeastern New York; as a trustee of the Albany Academy for Girls, trustee for St. Gregory’s School for Boys; and a member of the parents committees of the Hotchkiss School and Duke University. He has also served on the boards of the Lake George Opera and the Union Graduate College.

Posted on Mar 3, 2010

Posted on Mar 2, 2010

The poetry of Pablo Neruda. Music from Latin American composers.

Direction by Miryam Moutillet.

Above all, vibrant dancing by students.

Don’t miss “Red~Roja,” the annual Winter Dance Concert, featuring original choreography by students and faculty, at the Yulman Theater March 4-6. More than 30 performers and musicians will take to the stage in a colorful, eclectic collaboration of talent, hard work and skill.

“Red~Roja,” show times are 8 p.m. March 4-6, and 2 p.m., March 6. Tickets are on sale at the Yulman Theatre Box Office 12:30-1:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is $7 with a Union ID card; $10 for general audience. Call the Box Office at ext. 6545.

Posted on Mar 2, 2010

Terry Weiner, longtime faculty member, recently was appointed to three-year term as provost of The Sage Colleges in Troy, N.Y. At Union, Weiner, the Chauncey H. Winters Professor of Comparative Social Analysis, has served as special assistant to the president, chair of the departments of Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, acting dean of Arts and Sciences, acting dean of faculty, associate dean of faculty, and chair of the Division of Social Sciences. He retires from Union June 30.
 

Diane Blake, vice president of Finance and Administration, recently was appointed to the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers (EACUBO) Board as an at-large member.

Ann Fleming Brown, director of Admissions, recently was quoted in a Times Union (Albany) article about college admissions decisions, competition and selectivity for the class of 2014. While many students who receive rejection letters are shocked and angry, “there is an excellent college for every student,” Fleming said, “and working toward finding a college which is a wonderful match is the goal."

Judith Gardner Ainlay, director of Special Institutional Relations, helped the Elmer Avenue Elementary School in Schenectady celebrate National Reading Across America week and Dr. Seuss’s birthday (March 2, 1904) this week. She read “Green Eggs and Ham” to first through third grade students, bringing with her, courtesy of Dining Services, 300 cookies designed as green eggs.
 

Rachel Seligman, director and curator, Mandeville Gallery, and curator, Union College Permanent Collection, was a session chair at the recent 98^th Annual College Art Association (CAA) conference in Chicago. She led a session titled “Lifelogging: Chronicling the Everyday.” She and her co-chair, Nadine Wasserman, brought together a panel of artists and art historians to discuss the ways that artists use personal data collection to form, inform and inspire their art. The largest international forum for professionals in the visual arts, each year the CAA conference draws more than 4,000 art professionals from throughout the United States and abroad, including art historians, visual artists, students, educators, art museum curators, collectors and art critics.

New and recent chamber orchestra works by composers from the Americas, including compositions by Hilary Tann, the John Howard Payne Professor of Music, will be featured at the Grammy-nominated North/South Consonance's 30th anniversary gala March 8, 8 p.m. at New York City’s Merkin Concert Hall. Other composers for the free concert are Elizabeth Bell, Edward Green and Stephen Yip. Orchestra founder Max Lifchitz is the conductor for the special event. Distinguished guest artists include clarinetist Arthur Campbell, harpist Megan Levin and pianist Helen Lin. For details, go to http://www.northsouthmusic.org/

Posted on Mar 2, 2010

He might not be a marquee name, but he’s the man behind “The Dark Knight,” “Harry Potter,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Green Mile,” “Batman” and other cinematic blockbusters.

He co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, where, as chairman and CEO, he produced “Seinfeld.”

The character of Alan Gray from HBO’s “Entourage” is a parody of him.

Alan Horn ’64, president and COO of Warner Bros., will be the featured speaker at Union Commencement this year. Some 500 students in the Class of 2010 will receive their degrees on Hull Plaza during the 216th graduation ceremony Sunday, June 13.

“I’m honored,” said Horn, who will receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree at the event. “I look forward to revisiting the campus in June.”

Horn grew up on Long Island. Speaking at ReUnion last spring, he discussed the entertainment business and his time at Union, where he graduated with an economics degree. He received a master of business administration (with distinction) from Harvard Business School and was a captain in the U.S. Air Force.

 “Under Alan Horn's leadership, Warner Brothers has become one of Hollywood’s most influential and successful movie studios,” said President Stephen C. Ainlay. “He has often been celebrated for his creativity, business acumen and insights into popular culture, and we are delighted he will return to the College to share his perspectives with our Class of 2010.”