Posted on Feb 11, 2009

Feb. 14 through March 1
Mandeville Gallery
Nott Memorial
2009 High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition

The 10^th annual show will feature select works in all mediums from students in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and southern Saratoga counties. Curated by Mandeville Gallery Director Rachel Seligman, Visual Arts Prof. Fernando Orellana and Theater Prof. Charles Steckler. Closing reception Sunday, March 1, 1-3 p.m.  Also, reception set for Friday, Feb. 20, 5-7 p.m., in conjunction with Art Night Schenectady. 

Through March 2
Wikoff Student Gallery
Nott Memorial
Slow Motion 

Have you ever dropped a glass and wondered what’s physically happening in that split second when it shatters? The images by Dan Phakos ’11 were created in a controlled environment where the sound of impact triggers a strobe light, illuminating the scene for a fraction of second, long enough to capture the image on film. The result is perfectly frozen motion of an object being broken apart; a sight too fast to be captured by the human eye. “Slow Motion” is co-sponsored by the departments of Physics and Visual Arts.  

Through March 13
Arts Atrium Gallery
Visual Arts Department
Works by James McGarrell

This exhibit features “Orbiana Oliveto,” a suite of monotype drawings by Vermont artist James McGarrell with related poems by noted poet Rosanna Warren, as well as a selection of small paintings. McGarrell’s works have been exhibited since 1955 in galleries and museums in the Unites States and Europe, including in five Whitney Museum Annuals and Biennials, two Carnegie International Exhibitions and the American pavilion of the 1968 Venice Biennale. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Whitney, the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.

Warren has served as chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and The New York Times Resident in Literature at the American Academy in Rome. She is a contributing editor of Seneca Review, the poetry editor of Daedalus and the Emma MacLachlan Metcalf Professor of the Humanities at Boston University.

McGarrell will speak Thursday, March 5, 2 p.m., in Reamer Campus Center Auditorium, followed by an artists' reception in the Arts Atrium, 4:30-6 p.m. Warren will give a poetry reading 6:30-7:30 p.m. in Visual Arts Room 215. Events are co-sponsored by departments of Visual Arts and English.

Through March 24
Schaffer Library Atrium
Union Notables

The third Union Notables exhibit, a rotating show of extraordinary people from the College, features John Bigelow, Class of 1835; Sue J. Goldie, ’84; and Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Union faculty member from 1902 to 1923.

Posted on Feb 11, 2009

Union will host the 2009 High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition this month, highlighting works in all mediums from students in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and southern Saratoga counties.

The art will be on display at the Mandeville Gallery Saturday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, March 1.

Modeled after a similar event developed by the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, it has evolved into an annual event that rotates between Union, the Opalka Gallery at Sage College and the Deitel Gallery at the Emma Willard School. Union is hosting the show, now in its 10th year, for the third time.

“We’re delighted to have it back,” Mandeville Gallery Director and Curator Rachel Seligman said.

“It’s such a great opportunity, not only for our community to see what high school students are doing and for students to experience a juried exhibit at an actual gallery, but for the students to get a chance to visit campus, as well.”

Seligman is one of the show’s jurors, along with Fernando Orellana, assistant professor of visual arts, and Charles Steckler, professor of theater.

This, week, the jurors were sifting through some 300 pieces, from which they will select more than 100.

Awards will be presented at the show’s closing reception, Sunday, March 1, 1-3 p.m.

In addition, there will be a reception during Art Night Schenctady Friday, Feb. 20, 5-7 p.m.

The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Posted on Feb 11, 2009

While many college libraries are using iTunes to connect with students, faculty and others in their undergraduate communities, what Bruce Connolly and Gail Golderman have done “shouts out innovation and creativity,” says the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

Connolly, Schaffer Library head of public services, and Gail Golderman, digital services librarian, have received the association’s College Libraries Section (CLS) ProQuest Innovation in College Librarianship Award for 2009, a new annual award.

The two will share the $3,000 award, to be presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago this summer.

Their “innovative sharing of audio files through iTunes in a variety of contexts that support students, faculty and the library” was noted by award committee chair Stacy Voeller, associate professor and electronic resources librarian at Minnesota State University – Moorhead. 

“While they have encountered obstacles during both the development and implementation of their program, Connolly and Golderman have overcome those obstacles creatively,” Voeller said. “Their efforts demonstrate ongoing innovation using a popular and student-centric technology.”

The award selection committee commended Schaffer Library’s ongoing exploration of the potential applications of iTunes and other software applications as a marketing tool for the library’s collections; a teaching tool in courses across the curriculum; and a venue for supporting multiculturalism and diversity on campus.

It also lauded the library “for stimulating ideas among library staff on weaving technology into a variety of library and curricular initiatives.”

Connolly and Golderman are graduates of the University at Albany School of Library and Information Science.

Connolly has made presentations on music file sharing in academic libraries at the ACRL/NY and Internet Librarian conferences. He also has written on various aspects of Apple's iTunes software for Serials Librarian, Computers in Libraries and netConnect, where he writes the quarterly eReviews column with Golderman. 

Golderman, who has presented at numerous conferences, also contributes to Journal of Internet Cataloging, Reference Librarian and Magazines for Libraries. She is actively interested in online social networking, integrating technology with the learning process and collaborative endeavors between teaching faculty, IT staff and librarians.

The ACRL, representing nearly 13,000 academic and research librarians and other individuals, is dedicated to helping the higher education community understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.

Posted on Feb 10, 2009

The deadline is nearing for the UNITAS Diversity Leadership Prize given each year to a senior who demonstrates an active dedication to activities on campus that support multicultural enrichment and fellowship.

The individual must also reflect a commitment to working toward social justice, improving racial harmony and creating a greater understanding of difference in the classroom and community.

Eligible students must be nominated by current faculty, staff or student. Nominations and supporting documents are due March 16. 

In addition, this year Union will present the first-ever UNITAS Community-Building Prize to a student, staff or faculty member who best demonstrates leadership in bringing together different segments of the campus community through regularly scheduled events or activities or through founding or leading an organization dedicated to community service, charitable fundraising or celebration of College history. The deadline is also March 16. 

Please email your nomination of one or both prizes, with reasons for support, to UNITAS, c/o Prof. David Gerhan, reference and instruction librarian, at gerhand@union.edu. 

Posted on Feb 10, 2009

Thursday, Feb. 12 and Friday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. / Old Chapel / “The Vagina Monologues,” student-run performance to benefit the Schenectady YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter and the national V-Day organization’s support of the women in crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Friday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Men’s hockey vs. Yale (ECAC contest)

Friday, Feb. 13 – Feb. 16, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium / Film: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Saturday, Feb. 14, 4 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Men’s hockey vs. Brown (ECAC contest)

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2 p.m. / Old Chapel / “The Vagina Monologues,” student-run performance to benefit the Schenectady YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter and the national V-Day organization’s support of the women in crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 and 10 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium / Film: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. / Memorial Chapel / Jason Mraz in concert (sold out)

Saturday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, March 12 / Mandeville Gallery / 2009 High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition; closing reception Sunday, March 1, 1-3 p.m.; Art Night Schenectady reception Friday March 20, 5-7 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 15, 7 and 10 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium / Film: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Sunday, Feb. 15, 8 p.m. / Memorial Chapel / Chamber Concert Series presents Trio: Wu Han, piano, Philip Setzer, violin, David Finckel, cello in an all-Schubert program

Monday, Feb. 16, 7 and 10 p.m. / Reamer Campus Center Auditorium / Film: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 4-7 p.m. / College Park Hall / Becker Career Center job, internship and career exploration opportunities for first years, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Employers from a variety of industries (many of whom are Union alums) will be on campus to talk with students. Trolley Service will be available from Reamer Campus Center.  

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. / Nott Memorial / 2009 Environmental Science, Policy and Engineering Winter Seminar Series presents: “Urban Planning, Design, Peak Oil and Sustainability”with James Howard Kuntsler, urban planning expert, social critic, journalist, Skidmore College professor and author of “The Geography of Nowhere,” “The Long Emergency” and other books

Thursday, Feb. 19, 12:50-1:50 p.m. / Hale House, Everest Lounge /The Rapaport Ethics Across the Curriculum Initiative workshop lunch featuring Prof.  Anastasia Pease on "Delight and Instruct with the World Wide Web: Teaching Ethics Across the Curriculum Using Online Resources”; discussion to follow. All Faculty, administrators and staff invited, with lunch served. RSVP: peasea@union.edu

Thursday, Feb. 19, 4:30 p.m. / Schaffer Library, Phi Beta Kappa Room /
Philosophy Speaker Series presents: Christina LaFont of Northwestern University on “Global Justice in a Pluralistic World Society”

Friday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Women’s hockey vs. Colgate (ECAC contest)

Saturday, Feb. 21, 4 p.m. / Messa Rink at Achilles Center / Men’s hockey vs. Cornell (ECAC contest)

Posted on Feb 10, 2009

Union has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for exemplary service to the local community.

The award was announced in Washington, D.C. this week by the Corporation for National and Community Service during the annual conference of the American Council on Education.

It is the highest federal recognition for a school’s commitment to service learning and civic engagement.

Honorees were chosen for, among other things, the scope and innovation of service projects, amount of student participation and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

Last year, 762 Union students gave more than 7,700 hours of service to a range of projects. Volunteers at the Kenney Community Center tutored and read to local children, served as Big Brothers and Big Sisters and participated in the state Volunteer Income Tax Assistant Program (VITA). Since its launch in 2005, the VITA program at Union has secured some $1.4 million in cumulative tax refunds for local residents.

The entire campus community devoted hundreds of hours of volunteer time to renovate a home the College donated to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity for a Schenectady couple and their five children.

Union students, faculty and staff also spruced up the city during John Calvin Toll Community Service Day. And all sororities and fraternities sponsored service projects, as did athletic teams, many Theme Houses and clubs.

“Our students who give back to this community and to the community at large don't ask to be recognized; instead, they see that their work changes lives for the better, which is inspiring,” said Angela Tatem, Kenney Center director.

The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, in collaboration with the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

Union is one of nine schools in New York and 83 in the nation named to the Honor Roll with Distinction. For the full list, go to: www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll.