Posted on May 8, 2010

 

The Josephine Daggett Prize

Presented to Lativa Holder

By President Stephen C. Ainlay

May 8, 2010

 

The recipient of the Josephine Daggett Prize is selected by the faculty and the prize is awarded annually to the senior deemed to be of the best character and conduct.

The recipient of this year’s Daggett prize has been committed to breaking down stereotypes and helping others. As a host to students who are considering Union, our Daggett recipient has made the College a more welcoming place, helping prospective members of our community see the possibilities for personal growth and the opportunities to make a difference on and off campus. Our Daggett recipient has been dedicated to helping those who live in the City see our College as a friend and resource, simultaneously breaking down misconceptions about Union and Schenectady.

This year’s Daggett Prize winner has played a key role in the Kenney Center’s outreach efforts. She coordinated the Homework and Skills Development Program, helping at-risk elementary school children. Staff have come to know her as one who will “step up,” assisting whenever needed in tutoring middle and high school students in our STEP program. In her role at the Kenney Center, she has been thrust into the middle of difficult situations – situations where family structure may be in a state of collapse or where children have been neglected. She has responded to each situation with characteristic care, patience, and compassion.

It is probably telling that our Daggett Prize recipient has been a successful member of our Ethics Bowl team. This team has realized great success in its debates with teams from other distinguished institutions. Our team’s success has owed, in part, to the intelligence, sophisticated understanding of ethical issues, and effective communication skills of our Daggett Prize winner.

This year’s recipient of the Daggett Prize has been active in many other College programs and initiatives, including the Black Student Union, Colleges Against Cancer, America Reads, Big Brother/Big Sister, and Relay for Life. Next year, she will join Teach for America. In that new capacity, she will continue her commitment to disadvantaged youth, lifting their sights, inspiring them the dream.

It is in recognition of her consistent advocacy for the value of service, her understanding of ethical and moral commitment, and her tireless efforts to inspire dreams and lift aspirations that we present Lativa Holder with the Daggett Prize.

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Posted on May 8, 2010

 

The Frank Bailey Prize

Presented to Jillian Falchi

By President Stephen C. Ainlay

May 8, 2010

The recipient of the Frank Bailey Prize is selected by the faculty and the prize is awarded annually to the senior deemed to have rendered the greatest service to the College in any field.

The contributions of this year’s Bailey Prize recipient have helped earn Union a spot on the Princeton Review’s list of the nation’s “Greenest Colleges.” A resident member of Ozone House, our Bailey Prize winner has made consistent, substantial, and important contributions to making our campus and the world more sustainable.

Our Bailey recipient has been a cornerstone of Union’s highly successful Ozone Café. She has pushed the Dining Services Subcommittee to become one of our sustainability committee’s most effective vehicles for positive change. Initiatives like Tray-less Tuesdays, U-Sustain mugs, the 03 Marketplace in Reamer, and West College composting, all owe to the leadership of our Bailey Prize recipient. She has been an educator, sharing articles related to food sustainability and heightening the community’s awareness in so many ways.

The awardee of a Presidential Green Grant, our Bailey Prize recipient launched a transformative program, the Campus Kitchens Project. This program imaginatively combines a concern for the environment, a commitment to minimizing the waste of food, and a concern for social justice. Through Campus Kitchens, surplus and soon-to-expire food is transformed into life maintaining sustenance for the poor and homeless. Through Campus Kitchens, our Bailey Prize winner, her fellow student volunteers, and Union Dining Services have literally saved lives.

As faculty members noted in their letter nominating this year’s Bailey Prize recipient, through her activism she has done so much to foster productive interaction among faculty, students, and staff. They go on to note that it is far from coincidental that she was able to do this around food as “breaking bread lowers barriers and offers a communal experience.”

It is in recognition of her efforts to change our community for the better, to affect change in the way we live our lives, to offer help to those who need it, and to lower barriers that can sometimes separate us that we present Jillian Falchi with the Bailey Prize.

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Posted on May 7, 2010

Hundreds of students showcased their research, scholarship and creative pursuits Friday as part of the 20^th annual Steinmetz Symposium.

Classes were canceled as parents, faculty, staff and students fanned out across campus to sample a diverse mix of projects that has become a staple of the Union experience.

A highlight of Friday’s activities was the Steinmetz dance recital in the Nott Memorial, featuring 60 students. They performed scenes from the Winter Dance Concert, “Red Roja,” as well as new student choreography and music. Bhangra Union, the Ballroom Club, the Union College Dance Team and other groups also presented.

The 2010 Edward Villella Fellowship, announced at the end of the show, was awarded to Krystle Gallo ’12 and Alyssa Simeone ’11. The Hedda Hainebach Memorial Prize in Music and Theatre went to Bart Tomaszewski ’12.

Steinmetz Symposium coincided with Prize Day in Memorial Chapel on Saturday, where students were honored for achievement in academics, research, service, governance and athletics. The top two prizes are the Josephine Daggett Prize, awarded to a senior for conduct and character, without respect to scholarship; and the Frank Bailey (1885) Prize, awarded to the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field. The winner of the Daggett Prize was Lativa Holder, while Jillian Falchi was honored with the Bailey Prize.

For a complete list of Prize Day winners, click here.

For a complete list of student research projects, click here.

For more pictures from the symposium, check out our photo gallery.

Other highlights from the weekend included students from the Minerva course who gathered in Beuth and Golub houses to present posters about African, Spanish, French, Japanese, Thai and Greek cuisine and serve samples. Returning Minerva Fellows also shared tales and photos from abroad.

On Friday, a concert by the Union College Choir and the Union College and Community Orchestra, with Victor Klimash conducting and soloists Rachel Gray ’10 and Elana Korn ’12 performing, was heled in Memorial Chapel. And on Saturday, the Union College Jazz Ensemble performed in the Fred L. Emerson Foundation Auditorium in the Taylor Music Center.

The Steinmetz Symposium is named for Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923), who taught electrical engineering and applied physics at Union. Also chief consulting engineer for the General Electric Company, he was widely regarded as America’s leading electrical engineer.

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Posted on May 7, 2010

Academic Awards

William F. Allen (1895) Essay Prize – To a senior in any department for the best essay

Peter Haviland-Eduah

Ronald K. Amiraian (1980) Memorial Prize – To a student of modern languages who has performed with distinction on a Union term abroad

Andrew Churchill

Andrew W. Archibald (1872) Prize – To the senior earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with the highest scholastic standing

Ian Clemente

Arnold I. Bittleman Memorial Prize – To a student who has studied drawing in the Visual Arts department and whose work, in the judgment of the Visual Arts faculty in collaboration with an outside juror, is outstanding

Bianca Germain

William H. Bloom (1945), M.D. and Jonathan R. Bloom (1988) Poetry Prize– For the best poems or series of poems by an undergraduate

Emma Krosschell

David Brind (1982) Memorial Prize in English – To one or more outstanding senior students in English

Emily Burgess, Cristina Liquori, Lauren Randall

George H. Catlin (1867) Prize – To the graduating senior in liberal arts with the highest scholastic record and deemed most promising for graduate study and for eventual service in the field of college teaching

Paul Hebert

Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society Award – To a student who has excelled in analytical chemistry

Nicholas Dunn

Joseph D. Doty Prize – To the junior or senior who, in the judgment of the Department of History, has done work of outstanding merit

Reuben Oswald

Samuel S. Feuer (1925) Prize – To the senior in the premedical course whose primary interest is in dentistry and who has maintained the highest scholastic average over four years

Jacqueline Tuthill

Frankel Prize – For outstanding achievement in a religion course

Lauren Polizzi

Robert M. Fuller (1863) Prizes – One to the sophomore, the other to the senior, who demonstrates outstanding work, ability, and promise in chemistry

Brendan Lichtenthal (Sophomore), HuiQing Zheng (Senior)

Bruce M. Garber (1971) Prize – To the premedical or predental student who best exemplifies the qualities of personal integrity and humane concern for the future practice of medicine or dentistry

Katharine Meyer

General Electric Power Generation Steinmetz Award – To a senior in the Mechanical Engineering Department who completes the best senior project

George Kershaw, Sarah Schinasi

Geology Faculty Prize – To a senior who contributes most to the Geology Department and social morale

Joseph Wold

Lisa S. Gerhan (1994) Memorial Award – For academic excellence, a commitment to the field of psychology, and the potential for future contributions to the field

Jamie Luguri

Celia Glaubach Prize – To the student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in the area of Religious Studies

Brendan Truscott

Shankar Gokhale Prize – To the senior in engineering, preferably in the five-year program with the second major in economics, judged to have the greatest potential for community service in the area of mathematical approaches to economic problems

George Kershaw

John S. Hadala (1928) Endowed Book Prize – To a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering on the basis of academic, personal, and social achievement

Murphy Potter

Hans Hainebach Memorial Prize in German Literature – To a sophomore or junior who has demonstrated particular promise as a student of German literature

David Robba

Hans Hainebach Memorial Prize in Judaica – To a student who has offered the best performance in the field of Judaica

Emily Feldman

Edward Everett Hale, Jr. Prize – For the best essay written by a sophomore or junior

Aviva Rutkin

Oswald Heck (1924)-Irwin Steingut Prize – To the student majoring in the Division of Social Sciences who has consistently done the best work in political science

Jamie Luguri

Eugene W. Hellmich (1923) Memorial Prize– To seniors who demonstrate excellence in mathematics and are planning to teach math

Foyroj Kabir, Molly Maguire, Benjamin Miles, Matthew Zawodniak

Victor Herbert Prize – To the student who shows the most promise of making a contribution to American music

Andrew Trelease

Julian B. Hoffman, M.D., (1966) Memorial Award – To the student for distinguished interest, devotion, and contribution to the arts and/or intellectual climate at Union College

Heidi Ching

Charles B. Hurd Prize– To a student of physical chemistry

Paul Hebert

Albert C. Ingham (1847) Prize – For the best essay in English literature or history by a member of the senior class

Emily Feld

Ingvar V. Ingvarsson Prize – To a senior in electrical engineering chosen for high scholarship

Eric Truslow

John Iwanik Prize – To an outstanding Russian language student

Melissa McDonald, Richard Paikoff

William B. Jaffe (1926) Art Award – For exceptional achievement by an art major, marked by excellence in the study of art history, independent scholarship, and interest in the work of the department

Katharine Meyer

Thomas J. Judson (1966) Memorial Book Prize – To a sophomore who has shown academic excellence as well as sincere interest in the study of modern languages

Olga Borodulina

David S. Kaplan (1982) Prize – To a student applying to participate in a term abroad, with preference to a major in political science

Kelsey Mulvihill

Warner King (1906) Prize – To the senior in engineering who has contributed most to the traditions and ideals of the College

David Brown

Ethel Kirchenbaum Memorial Prize – To the senior who, in the opinion of the Engineering Departments at Union College, shall be deemed to possess the best potential for furthering the ideals of the engineering profession

Alexandra Guernon

Harold A. Larrabee Prize– To the student who has done the best work in philosophy during the year

Lativa Holder

William E. Lasnik (1968) Prize– To a junior or senior premedical student on the basis of scholarship and character

Natalie Ullman

Anthony C. LaVecchia (1998) Memorial Award – Awarded to a student who demonstrates a keen interest and passion in journalism, especially with a focus in political journalism

Jacqueline Bartley

Stephen F. Leo (1884), M.D., Prize – To the premedical student on scholarship who attains the highest grades in the graduating class and who has been accepted in medical school

John Peters

Alice P. and Donald C. Loughry (1952) Prize in Computer Engineering – To the student completing the best senior project in computer engineering

 David Brown

Alice P. and Donald C. Loughry (1952) Prize in Computer Science – To the student completing the best senior project in computer science

James Toy

Alice P. and Donald C. Loughry (1952) Prize in Electrical Engineering – To the student completing the best senior project in electrical engineering

Konstantin Avdashchenko

Edith Emilee MacCoy Prize – To the student who excels in botany

Tyler Cross, Rivka Fidel

John Lewis March Prize – To a senior who has shown increased interest and ability in psychology during the final two years of college

Kimberly Tureck

R. E. Morgan Memorial Award – To a senior computer engineering major who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship

David Brown

Harold and Ellen Nagorsky Memorial Prize – Awarded to a premedical junior student who contributes the most to the Union College community through extracurricular activities

Patrick O’Hern

Alvin F. Nitchman (1924) Prize– To the most promising senior who plans to attend law school

Rebecca Bardach

Ronald M. Obenzinger (1961) Prize – To a premedical student who is selected for high academic merit and personal worthiness

Leah Robison

Robert G. O’Neale (1878) Prize – Awarded each year to the Bachelor of Arts candidate with the highest standing in Classics

John McDaniel

Hans Pasch Memorial Prize – Awarded for the best essay written about the Holocaust

Joshua Weiss

Elias Peissner Prize – To an economics major who has done work of outstanding merit

John Mahlstedt

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Senior Scholarly Activity Award – To a senior who displays outstanding scholarly activity in her field

Jamie Luguri

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Senior Thesis Prize – To a senior whose senior thesis makes the greatest contribution to scholarship on women

Cristina Liquori, Kelly Lopez

Daniel F. Pullman Classical Prize – To a senior of high scholastic standing in Humanities

Cristina Liquori

Daniel F. Pullman Engineering Prize – To a senior of high scholastic standing in Engineering

Jessica Lord

Martin Terry Resch Prize – To the senior who shows the greatest promise for advanced study in pure or applied mathematics

Benjamin Miles

Mrs. Edwin L. Rich Prize – Awarded each year to a student majoring in English who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship

Cristina Liquori 

Charles Alexander Richmond Prize in Fine Arts – To a student who demonstrates excellence in fine arts or art history

Elizabeth Culp

Charles Alexander Richmond Prize in
Music – To a student who demonstrates excellence in music

Kathleen O’Connor

Mark Rosenthal ’76 Memorial Prize – Awarded to a senior involved in community activities, in good academic standing and planning to attend medical school after graduation

Genevieve St. Hilaire

Rotary Foundation Endowed Prize for International Study – To the senior who shows the greatest promise and interest in an area of international relations, with preference to a student from Schenectady County

Ewodaghe Harrell

Robert L. Royal (1938) Award – To a financially deserving student each year who has been accepted by Albany Medical College, to be applied to the purchase of instruments and equipment necessary to medical studies

Stella Kyung

Mortimer F. Sayre Prize – To the senior with the best potential for furthering the ideals of the mechanical engineering profession

Matthew Fulghum

Daniel Shocket (1972) Memorial Award – To a student majoring in English with a strong interest in creative writing

Ian Clemente

Aime Simon (1991) Term Abroad Prize – To students of high academic standing and promise with strong interests in French studies, participating in a term abroad program in a French-speaking country

Kelsey Mulvihill

Edward S.C. Smith Geology Prize – To a senior, majoring in geology, who demonstrates high professional potential

Leonard Ancuta, Matthew Kissane

Freling H. Smith (1865) Prize – To seniors in the Department of History who have competed by writing a thesis

Sarah Tardiff

Dr. Reuben Sorkin (1933) Award for Proficiency in Premedical Studies – To a senior demonstrating proficiency in undergraduate studies with an outstanding aptitude for continuing work leading to a degree in medicine

Genevieve St. Hilaire

Ralph W. Stearns (1907) Prize– To the junior selected by the electrical engineering faculty for ability to design and complete a new piece of teaching equipment

Omar Hassib

Milton Hymes Sternfeld (1916) Prize – For the best original essay in philosophy by a member of the senior class

Brandon Bartell, Gregory Mitchell

Roger Thayer Stone (1928) Prize – To the sociology major who produces the best senior thesis

Emily Feld

William W. Thomas Award in French and Francophone Studies – To a senior who has excelled in and contributed most to French and Francophone Studies on the basis of academic, personal and extracurricular achievement

Marissa Gaines

James Henry Turnbull (1929) Prize – To the outstanding student in the sophomore class in physics

Ana Mikler, Anna Sise

Wessel Ten Broeck Van Orden (1839) Prize – To the freshman excelling in English composition

Meredith Adamo, Nga Tran

Horatio G. Warner (1826) Prize – To a student of high personal character who has the highest scholastic standing in the Bachelor of Arts program

Reuben Oswald

Mildred Wilder Prize – To the senior majoring in political science who has written the best piece of scholarly work pertaining to the subject of women and politics

Christina Cerqueira

Lee and William Wrubel Memorial Prize – To a senior preparing for dentistry or medicine, based upon both academic achievement and character

John Mahlstedt

Eugene I. Yudis (1955) Prize – To the student in any class who has produced the best piece of prose fiction

Peter Kennedy

Service Awards

Alan Lake Chidsey (1925) Citizenship Award – To a senior for distinctive contribution to the advancement of responsible government in student affairs

Gabriel Harris

Class of 2001 Prize – To the junior, selected on the basis of academic, personal and social achievement and on his or her contributions to Union in all of these areas

Keerti Murari

Joel A. Halpern (1961) Prize – To a student or students who have reached out beyond the campus to make a commitment in service to the community

Lativa Holder

Albert Hill Recognition Award – To seniors who have held leadership positions and demonstrated exceptional commitment to enhancing the college community

Peter Haviland-Eduah

Roger H. Hull Community Service Award – Awarded to a senior who has rendered the greatest sustained service to the greater Schenectady Community. This award honors a student who has initiated and/or is actively engaged in an ongoing community service project

Antonio Gutierrez

President’s Commission on the Status of Women Community Service Award – To a senior who has contributed significantly to furthering the cause of women at Union College

Ayanna Vinson-Dobson

Calvin G. Schmidt (1951) Prize – To the member of the junior class who has contributed most to the betterment of student life on campus

Patrick O’Hern

J. Richard Shanebrook Prize – To a student of any religious tradition who has contributed the most to the betterment of religious life on campus

Abigail Pleeter

Frances Travis Award – To a student who is working his or her way through college and who has demonstrated unusual responsibility and self-reliance

Alexandra Dumitrescu

UNITAS Community-Building Award – To the Union College student, administrator, staff or faculty member who best demonstrates leadership in bringing together as many segments as possible of the campus community for purposes such as community service, fundraising for a worthy cause or celebration of College history

Jillian Falchi

UNITAS Diversity Leadership Award – To the student who has made a significant contribution toward fostering diversity on campus

Ian Clemente

College Distinction Awards

Josephine Daggett Prize – To a senior for conduct and character, without respect to scholarship

Lativa Holder

Frank Bailey (1885) Prize – To the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field

Jillian Falchi

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Posted on May 5, 2010

By Victoria Chee ’13

International Cultural Week celebrates cultures of the world and raises awareness of different international cultures on campus.

The annual Union event is hosted by World Around U and sponsored by UNITAS, IEG, International Programs Office, Language Lab, Dean of Students, Student Support Services, Campus Diversity and Affirmative Action, Dean of Studies, Asian Studies Department, Shakti, AUM and the Minervas.

Here are some scheduled events:

Monday, May 10:
Opening Ceremony, Reamer Campus Center.
Showcases photo contest entries based on the theme “Globalization: The World through My Eyes.” Photos will be displayed all week on the second floor of Reamer, where students and faculty can vote on their favorite photo to win a prize. Winners will be announced May 15.

Tuesday, May 11
International Trivia, Language Lab, Schaffer Library,5:45 p.m. 
World Cup with U, featuring international football with students and faculty, Bailey Field, 10 p.m.  

Wednesday, May 12:
“The Art of Cooking with Alcohol,” Blue and Wold houses, 5 p.m.

Thursday, May 13:
Pizza and Politics, Social Sciences Building, Room 104, 12:50-1:50 p.m.
Student-faculty panel on “How the World Perceives the United States and President Obama: Freedom or Imperialist?”

Thursday, May 13:
Shakti Carnival, highlighting South-Asian culture, lawn in front of Beuth and Golub houses, 3-5 p.m.

Friday, May 14:
Holi, the colorful Hindu festival, Sorum House, 4 p.m.

Friday May 14:
International table presentations, outside Old Chapel, 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 15:
Closing ceremony, Old Chapel, 5 p.m.
Student and professional performances, African drum and dancing, international food

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