Posted on Mar 8, 2002

Jay Newman, R. Gordon Gould Professor of
Physics, presented a paper recently at the annual meeting of the
Biophysical Society in San Francisco titled “Salt effects on gelation
of agarose aqueous solutions” which he co-authored with three
Italian colleagues. Low-angle laser scattering was used to study
the onset of gelation and the effects of salt on the structure of the
gels formed. Newman was also recently elected for a
three-year term as a Physics and Astronomy Division Councilor of the
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). CUR is a
national organization for faculty members in the sciences, engineering
and mathematics and administrators most of whom work at
primarily undergraduate institutions, with over 800 colleges and
university members, to support and promote high-quality
undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.

Posted on Mar 7, 2002

Like the cross-disciplinary field known as
Converging Technologies, the three Union alumni representing IBM
at Friday's conference reflect a range of disciplines from physics
to psychology to economics.

Dr. John E. Kelly III, senior vice president and group
executive of IBM's technology group, graduated in 1976 with a degree
in physics. With IBM since 1980, he is responsible for
developing, manufacturing and marketing IBM's microelectronics
and storage technology products.

Steven A. Mills, senior vice president and group executive
for IBM software, earned a degree from Union in 1973 with a
major in psychology. He is responsible for shaping IBM's
overall software strategy and directing IBM's $13 billion
software business.

Robert W. Moffat Jr., senior vice president and group
executive of personal systems and integrated supply chain at
IBM, earned a degree in economics from Union in 1978. He
also holds an MBA in Management information systems from
Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. He is general manager
of IBM's Personal and Printing Systems Group. He also
leads IBM's Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) organization.

Posted on Mar 7, 2002

Stephen J. Ciesinski '70, a partner with Earlybird, a
leading international venture capital firm in Palo Alto, Calif., has
been elected chairman of the College's Board of Trustees.

He succeeds David B. Chapnick '59, of counsel to
the law firm of Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, who joined the board
in 1991, and served as chairman since 1998. He has been named
a life trustee.

Ciesinski joined the board in 1993 as a term trustee. He
has served as an admissions alumni representative and a Friend
of Union Athletics, and has hosted alumni events. As an
undergraduate, he was a dean's list student, a member of Chi Psi, and
played varsity lacrosse and football, receiving Little All
America mention in the latter.

He received his B.S. in electrical engineering and A.B.
in modern languages and has an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Other officers elected were:

• Robert DeMichele '66, vice chairman
• Norton H. Reamer '58, secretary
• Fred G. Pressley Jr. '75, general counsel
• Patricia Colgan, assistant secretary

Jennifer C. Smith Turner '74 and William J. Curtin '82
were elected term trustees.

Posted on Mar 6, 2002

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (March 8, 2002) – Union College has received a donation from IBM that will bring the College $1 million in technical support aimed at helping undergraduate students gain access to leading-edge technology.

The support — available for a wide array of academic disciplines – was announced today at an event called IBM@Union by President Roger Hull, who called the support “a sign of recognition for Union's unique liberal arts and engineering tradition reflecting an interdisciplinary approach to education.”

President Hull said the IBM educational support package is unique for two reasons. “While many such programs are aimed at graduate students, this one is aimed at our undergraduate community. It builds on our groundbreaking Converging Technologies program and makes it possible for a larger number of undergraduates to gain classroom and laboratory experiences that exposes them to, and teaches them about, the impact of technology across multiple disciplines.”

IBM will assist the College through a combination of software access, software development, visiting faculty and a variety of sophisticated equipment, such as an atomic force microscope for a nanotechnology materials lab and several high-powered computer workstations. Union also will gain, for faculty and student research, access to an IBM supercomputer located at the University at Albany.

“Knowledge is increasingly occurring at the intersection of disciplines,” Hull said. “Whether you are an undergraduate student in biology, chemistry, engineering, economics, physics, philosophy, or psychology, you need to understand both the relationship among disciplines and the importance of technology in furthering knowledge.”

Dr. John E. Kelly III, senior vice president and group executive of IBM Technology Group, said the support is part of IBM's ongoing desire to enhance a strong technical presence at select leading colleges and universities. “This is an investment in the future of the College, the Capital District and New York State,” he said.

Kelly said the partnership with Union will further promote the sharing of technical knowledge and the formation of joint programs between RPI in Troy and the University at Albany.

Nanotechnology — technology at the molecular level– is a fast-growing field focused on creating chips, and systems that go with them that are much smaller and faster. IBM is a leader in this field, having, for instance, built the world's first array of transistors out of carbon nanotubes — miniscule cylinders as small as 10 atoms across, 500 times smaller than today's silicon-based transistors.

The supercomputer at University at Albany is an IBM RS/6000 supercomputer, a system extensively used by university researchers as they confront the daunting science and technology challenges associated with the development of new generations of computer chips. The targeted portfolio of computer devices ranges from the more “traditional” microprocessor and memory type computer chips to the emerging areas of biochips, micro- and nano-systems and ultra-high frequency communication devices and associated equipment.

IBM has deep roots in New York State. It is headquartered in Armonk, NY, in lower Westchester County with several factories in the state (East Fishkill, Endicott, Poughkeepsie). The company also has a large sales office in Albany. Last year, revenue from sales and services totaled approximately $85 billion worldwide. The Technology Group, which Dr. Kelly oversees, represents about $10 billion of this total and includes the microelectronics division as well as the storage technology division.

Union, which introduced engineering in 1845 (the first liberal arts college in the country to do so), is launching a new initiative called Converging Technologies. This new educational initiative integrates topics in bioengineering, nanotechnology, mechatronics and pervasive computing into the undergraduate engineering and liberal arts programs. Various engineering and liberal arts courses from the freshman through the senior years touch on elements of these new emerging technologies, providing enhanced exposure to the digital computer, increasing the opportunities for industrial internships, and furthering internationalism throughout Union's curricula.

Posted on Mar 6, 2002

One of
the highlights of Homecoming and Family Weekend is the annual Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner, which kicks off the weekend festivities on Friday evening.
This year several awards were presented to alumni in appreciation of their
outstanding volunteer efforts in fundraising and alumni relations on behalf of
Union.

Master
of Ceremonies, and National Chairman of the Annual Fund, John Moses '53,
presented the following awards:

The
Bicentennial Cup to the class with the largest combined annual, capital, and
planned gift total – Class of 1941, Paul Mara, Head Agent, with $3,253,328.

Third
Century of Excellence Award to the class with the highest combined percentages
of ReUnion attendance and Annual Fund participation – Class of 1951, Richard
Killeen, Head Agent, with a combined rating of 122.85%.

William
Jaffe Cup to the class with the largest Annual Fund dollar total – Class of
1976, Arnie Hiller, Head Agent, with $156,133.

Class
of 1944 Award to the class with the most Terrace Council members (gifts of
$1,000 or greater) – Class of 1976, Arnie Hiller, Head Agent, with 35 Terrace
Council members.

Dixon
Ryan Fox Cup to the class with the highest percentage of participation, that
has not yet celebrated its 50th ReUnion – Class of 1953, John Moses, Head
Agent, with 95.45%.

Class
of 1930 Bowl to the class that has graduated in the last decade and has the
highest percentage of participation – Class of 1995, Michelle Spaziani, Head
Agent, with 26.44%.

Clowe
Stevenson Wyatt Prize to the class with the highest participation amongst the
four most recently graduated classes and the Senior Class – Class of 2001, with
72%.

Minerva's
Footrace Award Winners

20's – The
Class of 1927

30's – The
Class of 1938

40's – The
Class of 1944, Rexford Moon, Head Agent

50's – The
Class of 1953, John Moses, Head Agent

60's – The
Class of 1966, Thomas Hitchcock & Joseph Sawyer, Co-Head Agents

70's – The
Class of 1979, Eric Goidel, Head Agent

80's – The
Class of 1980, Thomas Buiocchi, Head Agent

90's – The
Class of 1992

Dominick
F. Famulare '92, director of alumni relations, presented the following awards:

Distinguished
Service to Union Award to alumni who have demonstrated exceptional commitment
and loyalty to their alma mater, and who have made significant and diverse
contributions to the College over their lifetime – Michael F. Newell '74

Alumni
Gold Medal Award Winners (presented at Convocation but recognized at the
Volunteer Appreciation Dinner) to alumni who have a passionate and dedicated
commitment to Union College – Richard J. Killeen '51, Robert M. DeMichele '66,
and David A. Viniar '76

Special
Appreciation Award to alumni to recognize service and unwavering loyalty to
Union College and to the Alumni Council – Stuart E. Cohen '61

Thank
you to all of our volunteers for your efforts to make Union an even better
place.

Posted on Mar 6, 2002

An unrestricted gift from the estate of J. Carl Murphy '31 was received. Mr.
Murphy, a political science major and a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, spent forty-one years with the Getty Oil Co., most recently as a special projects manager. He served with the Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1946 and
retired in 1968 as a colonel in the Air Force Reserves. He died Nov. 7, 2000.

William A. Waldron '35 made an addition to his participation in the Campaign for Union Pooled Life Income Fund.

Alan B. Van Wert '37 established a scholarship in his name that is to be awarded to a student with preference given to “a resident of the State of Maine who is a
graduate of an accredited public or private high school in recognition of his/her scholastic accomplishments, character and promise in extra curricular
activities”.

William
C. '42 and Geraldine Birdsall recently established an unrestricted charitable
gift annuity.

A gift
to the College's Annual Fund was received from the estate of John H. Gabler
'48.

A
bequest that benefits the Engineering Division was received from the estate of
Grace Hastings in memory of her brother, John A. Hastings '28. Miss Hastings,
of Warrensburg, N.Y., was a graduate of the State University at Albany with a
bachelor's degree in education and received her master's in education from
Columbia University. She was a teacher at Staples High School in Westport, Ct.,
retiring in 1971 after thirty years of service.

An
unrestricted distribution was received from a trust established by the late
John L. Nicholaus, a friend of the College.

Seymour
and Sonia Schneiderman made a gift to the Max and Helen Barandes Scholarship
Fund in honor of Max Barandes.

Joseph
and Joan Pomeranz made a gift to the Alexander Lee Memorial Scholarship. Mr.
and Mrs. Pomeranz are the grandparents of Alexander, who died in an accident in
June 2001, the end of his sophomore year at Union. Alexander
was the son of Marc and Karen Lee, of Chester, NY. He was a computer system
engineering major and a dean's list student. A talented musician, he performed
with many groups on campus, including the jazz ensemble.  He was
also the treasurer of Union's Coffeehouse.

Fleet
Boston Financial Foundation, Schering-Plough make gifts

The
College received a $20,000 grant from the FleetBoston Financial Foundation to
support six student community service summer internships for 2002. Eligible
students will submit an application that describes their proposed internship,
and a committee of three – Janet Mattis, interim director of the Career
Development Center; Carol Weisse, associate professor of psychology and
director of the Health Professions Program; and Lek Yaisawarng, associate
professor of economics – will select the six winners. This is the fourth grant
Union has received in as many years from FleetBoston Financial. Earlier grants
have supported the Community Outreach Center and the Campus Security Office in
the Seward Initiative area.

The
Schering-Plough Research Institute has provided the Chemistry Department with a
$20,000 grant for the purchase of an additional FT-IR spectrometer for use in
general chemistry courses. This is the eighth grant for equipment purchases the
department has received from the Research Institute. Dr. Jonathan Spicehandler '70
is the institute's director.

Eliphalet
Nott Society hosts second Business Forum

Union's
Eliphalet Nott Society, a group of alumni who have contributed to the long-term
financial stability of the College, hosted a Business Forum in New York City on
November 13, 2001.

Mark L.
Walsh '76, a Union trustee and currently chairman and chief strategy officer of
Vertical/Net, Inc., was the featured speaker. His presentation, titled “What
the Heck Happened…Technology/Internet Companies and How They Move Forward,”
addressed the broad issues of the internet bubble in the markets and fallacies
of the “new economy.”

Attending
were Warren Bagatelle '60; David Blakelock'83, chair of the Eliphalet Nott
Society; George Caraberis; Mark Polansky '68; James Reisman '61; Charles Roden '60;
Jim Thompson '76; and Jeffrey Zorn '87.

If you
would like more information about the Eliphalet Nott Society, please contact
Michael O'Hara at 1-800-The Idol, ext. 6166 or oharam@union.edu.

ABC
kicks off with breakfast meeting

Resurrecting
a Union tradition, the Corporate Relations Office began its 2001-2002 Annual
Business Campaign (ABC) with a kick-off breakfast on October 16, with President
Roger Hull discussing Union's community initiatives.

The
fifty attendees from about thirty firms and other organizations were welcomed
by ABC Executive Committee Chair Timothy Thornton '67, from the firm of
McNamee, Lochner, Titus & William, P.C., and Golub Corporation CEO and
Union trustee Neil Golub. Corporate Relations Director Brad Lewis recapped the
prior year's campaign results and corporate outreach programs, including a
local business history exhibition, an Internet research course taught by
Schaffer Library Director Thomas McFadden and Professor Gail Golderman., and
several other on-campus events. Lewis went on to describe several initiatives
for the coming year, including an area-wide job fair for summer internships and
training programs and a new Internet summer job listing on Union's website.

ABC
funds are dedicated to scholarships for Union students from the seven-county
Capital Region. This year's ABC goal is $125,000, and the campaign will run
through March 1.

Report
of Gifts corrections

An
omission in the 2000-2001 Annual Report of Gifts was a gift from Professor
Richard Shanebrook in memory of his father, John A. Shanebrook, and in honor of
his mother, Lois L. Shanebrook.

Sandra
Nagler '85 should have been listed in the Founders Society gift category.

The
matching gift company for Heather Bender '92 should have been Sun Microsystems,
Inc.

Also,
we apologize for the incorrect listing of three company names – PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, United Parcel Service, and Young & Rubicam.