Posted on Jul 30, 2007

The Business Review included several alums in a feature July 27 issue about a number of successful graduates from area institutions.

Among those mentioned are Rich Templeton '80, president and chief executive of Texas Instruments; John E. Kelly III '76, senior vice president of research at IBM; Dylan Ratigan '94, anchor and co-creator of CNBC's Fast Money program; Robert Chartoff '55, producer of films, including the "Rocky" movies and "Raging Bull"; and Alan Horn '64, president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The story also quoted Thomas Gutenberger, vice president for college relations.

To read the complete story, click here (registration may be required).

Posted on Jul 30, 2007

The Minervas were featured in the July 29, 2007, Education Life section of the New York Times. The story was among several under the theme "Res Life" and included quotes from President Stephen C. Ainlay; Thomas D. McEvoy, dean of residential and student life; Thomas C. Gutenberger, vice president for college relations; Shelton S. Schmidt, economics professor; and several students.

To read the complete story, click here (registration may be required).

Posted on Jul 27, 2007

Thanks to the generosity of devoted alumni

2001 – 2002

July 2001: The quiet phase of the You are Union campaign begins under the leadership of President Roger H. Hull.

John Wold '38 and his wife, Jane, make a $20 million commitment to support a variety of programs, including the Annual Fund, scholarships, a professorship in religious studies, science and engineering and the Minerva House System.

Philip Beuth '54, and his wife, Mary, donate $2 million to support the Minerva House System and establish Beuth House.

John Wold '38 is named honorary co-chairman, and Frank Messa '73 and Mark Walsh '76 are named campaign co-chairs.

2003 – 2004

October 2003: Frank Messa '73 and his wife, Colleen, donate $1.5 million to renovate the ice rink in Achilles Center.

August 2004: James W. Taylor '66 and his brother, John Taylor '74 pledge the lead gift to renovate North Colonnade into a premier music facility, the Taylor Music Center. The total renovation is a $4 million project.

October 2004: Union College publicly announces the campaign goal of $200 million. Commitments made during the quiet phase of the campaign total $80 million in gifts and pledges.

December 2004: David Henle '75 donates $2 million to establish and endow a merit scholarship program. Gifts to scholarships during the campaign have now reached $17.9 million.

2005 – 2006

January 2005: Trustee David A. Viniar '76 – Union summa cum laude, Harvard University M.B.A., philanthropist and father of four – is the man behind the gleaming new $3.2 million Viniar Athletic Center.

February 2006: Sorum House is dedicated in memory of Christina (Christie) Sorum, Union's dean of faculty and vice president of Academic Affairs, who died May 16, 2005.

March 2006: William D. Williams '32 bequeaths more than $7 million to the College. The gift is used to establish endowed professorships in Classics, Mathematics and Philosophy.

July 1, 2006: Dr. Stephen C. Ainlay takes office as the 18th president of Union College. He is inaugurated on Sept. 16, 2006.

2007 – 2008

May 2008: Board of Trustees votes to expand the campaign to $250 million to incorporate the new initiatives of the Strategic Plan.

Posted on Jul 27, 2007

A vibrating pig has Imbi Salasoo seriously considering a career in engineering.

Salasoo, a Niskayuna High School student, was among about 20 high school girls from across the country who spent the last two weeks at Union College, taking part in the Educating Girls for Engineering (EDGE) program. They have been learning about such topics as bioengineering and robotics in large part by adapting toys for use by children at Northwoods Health System in Niskayuna. 

 “That’s the part that I think is great for these kids,” said EDGE program coordinator Jenny Moon, “and that’s what makes them think about engineering in a different light, rather than just the technical aspect.”

Salasoo said she decided to join the program because her father is an electrical engineer and she was curious “to see what it’s about.” 

 “I’ve gotten a totally new light with it,” she said. “I never really knew what it was about before. It was kind of, my dad’s an electrical engineer and that’s great, but now I actually see what the process is.”

In a lab in Union’s Science & Engineering Building, Salasoo and three other team members were putting the finishing touches Thursday afternoon on the “Pulsating Pig.” Emily Garrant, a student from the Syracuse suburb of Marcellus, said the group created the vibrating stuffed animal to help a boy afflicted by muscular dystrophy. The hereditary disease causes progressive muscle weakness and has left the boy in discomfort, especially in his legs, she explained.

The group initially thought of creating a vibrating pillow, but realized a vibrating pig would be both practical as a massage device and fun for a child. The girls later decided to add lights to one prototype and music to another to make them even more entertaining.

“It’s good that we can at least try to make something that can possibly be made into an actual toy or tool to help them out,” said Salasoo.

The toys will be presented to Northwoods during a news conference this morning.

In addition to the toys, the students also created “talk boxes,” which help children who are unable to speak to express themselves. Each box has a series of phrases that can be spoken by a computersynthesized voice just by pressing a button.

REALITY CHECK

While learning the skills to design and create their projects was challenging, many of the girls said the hardest lesson came when they met the children.

“It was kind of hard to see them just because you know that they’re going through a lot, but we could do something to help them,” said Garrant.

Northwoods staff explained the disabilities of each child to help the students consider how to best adapt a toy for each.

“That’s what I think is the beauty of this program,” said Sabina Garland, an occupational therapist at Northwoods who has been working with the EDGE program since it began in 2002. “These students are able to meet the child and understand their abilities and disabilities by actually watching them, how they behave, how they move.”

Garland said that interaction makes the experience more personal for the students.

“When you see a child who cannot play the way you thought children should be playing, then your feelings come into play and you want to help,” she explained. “If you can construct something for them that they then can use and you see that smile, that’s an emotional experience. You feel rewarded, and you feel like you were able to make a difference and help.”

And in the process, Moon said, it is hoped the students learn that engineering is not the impersonal career it might seem.

“That trip there is obviously very sad … but then when they get back to the classroom, they start thinking about what they can do to make that child’s life better,” she said.

LIGHTER SIDE

The students didn’t spend all their time in the classroom. They also had dinner with a group of female engineers and toured a pair of local companies, Plug Power in Latham and Extreme Molding in Watervliet, to get a complete picture of the field, as well as enjoying dinner and a Shakespeare production in Saratoga and playing laser tag at Zero Gravity in Albany.

“We’re trying to give high school girls an opportunity to explore engineering," said Michele Cannistraci, who holds a degree in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, teaches physics and technology at Colonie High School and is one of the EDGE program's instructors. "Since many high schools don't have pre-engineering programs, it gives them an idea before they actually want to commit to going to an engineering school, to see if this is really what's right for them."

The program specifically targets girls because of a nationwide dearth of female engineers. According to the college, women represent only about 9 percent of the engineering work force among college graduates dating back to 1990.

Moon said the program has met with some success, with several of its participants going on to study engineering at such prestigious schools as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And a few have decided to return to Union as students, she said.

And Salasoo, the Niskayuna student, may soon end up among those successes.

"I still don't know if it's exactly what I want to do, but it's definitely on that list of things that could be possible," she said.

Posted on Jul 24, 2007

When Kate Nicholson '06 left for college, it marked a beginning for parents Lori and Peter.

For three of their daughter's four years at Union, the Westchester, N.Y., couple was deeply involved in campus life, everything from organizing a get-together for new students and families to hosting a reception for President Stephen C. Ainlay.

From 2003-06, the Nicholsons co-chaired the Parents Association, a vital link in keeping families informed about campus life. Every Union parent and guardian is automatically a part of the group.

"The best part of our involvement was that it allowed us to be more in tune with Kate's college experience," said Lori Nicholson, a senior VP and managing director of marketing at communications giant Young and Rubicam in New York. "We also got to know how other students were feeling and adjusting to college life."

Lori and Peter, director of communications at Rolex Watch USA in New York, dove right into their new roles, organizing and hosting events.

During the "freshman sendoff," they welcomed 70 accepted students and their families into their Briarcliff Manor home in August 2004 and again the following summer. Each fall, they hosted an annual parents' gathering during Homecoming and Family Weekend. "The meeting is a unique opportunity for Union parents to speak candidly with the administration," said Lori. "There aren't many places where this could happen."

The Nicholsons were always a phone call or e-mail away for any parents with questions or concerns. They also stayed in touch with a monthly e-mail newsletter and regular column for Union College magazine.

"Lori and Peter were great parent partners," said Lis Bischoff-Ormsbee, director of the Parents Program. "They've been strong advocates for the Union experience, and they communicated with individual parents in many different ways. They also shared parent feedback with Union's administration. In many ways, they have pushed us to continue to grow and improve where we can."

Bischoff-Ormsbee said that as part of the Union family, parents can help enrich their children's experiences by supporting the College, attending events and staying up-to-date on College news. The Parents Association helps promote all of this while also strengthening the financial foundation of the College. Last year, current parents and parents of alumni gave $538,320 to the Parents Fund.

With daughter Kate now an official Union alumna (she's an advertising assistant at Women's Wear Daily), the Nicholsons have stepped down as Parents Association co-chairs. But they encourage other parents to become active in the organization.

Said Lori: "It is certainly an exciting time to be a Union College parent."

Posted on Jul 24, 2007

Arriving on campus in 1972, just months after Union graduated its first coed class, Judith Dein '76 found a college struggling to incorporate women into its culture. She soon became involved in issues of the day, from the Vietnam War to the impact of the new hockey rink to the role of women on campus and in society.

"No matter was too large or too small," says Dein, who majored in American Studies, was co-editor-in-chief of Concordiensis and a founder of the investigative student newspaper, the Campus Voice. She was also active in the Women's Caucus and the College president's Commission on the Status of Women and Task Force on Race Relations.

"As students and as women, we thought we'd be able to run the world. There was no doubt in our minds that we could and would change the world for the better. I guess the jury is still out on that one."

Today, Dein rules from a courtroom bench in Boston, where she is a United States magistrate judge for the District of Massachusetts, in the sixth year of an eight-year appointment. Her job includes both civil litigation and such criminal matters as pretrial proceedings, initial detention hearings and search warrants. In December 2001 she found herself in the media spotlight when she arraigned "shoe bomber" Richard Reid and remanded him to jail without bail.

"It's a little strange to find myself in a high profile job because I don't see myself that way," she says. She recalls being surprised and pleased when a stranger stopped her one day at her local car wash. "He recognized me, even though I was in my sweatpants and baseball cap. He said, ‘You swore me in as a citizen; that was the most important day of my life.' I can't remember ever feeling more honored and satisfied about the work that I do."

In addition to new citizen naturalizations, Dein presides over jury and jury-waived trials, holds hearings, authors opinions and conducts mediations.

"The law is a great career," says Dein, who lives with her husband, Alan M. Reisch '75, and their teenage son. "I feel like I'm making a contribution. I believe strongly in the judicial system, and I truly love coming to work."

Dein and Reisch, both resident advisors at Union, really got to know each other while evacuating Fox Hall during a series of bomb scares in fall 1974. Both went on to graduate from Boston College Law School, with Dein graduating cum laude in 1979. Clerkships and private practice followed, including several years as a partner at Hale and Dorr, and then Warner & Stackpole, where she concentrated in commercial and employment litigation.

She is active in many youth education projects and participates in bar-sponsored legal seminars and in the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Program. In 2002, she and Reisch, who majored in political science, endowed an annual scholarship to help support a Union student interested in political science.

At Union, Dein combined courses in English, history and political science. She was inspired by Professors Stephen Berk (Holocaust and Jewish Studies), Robert Wells (American Studies), Manfred Jonas (History), Frank Gato (English), and Byron Nichols and the late Charles Tidmarch (Political Science).

"American Studies was one of the first interdisciplinary majors, a way to take courses in diverse fields and see a subject from different points of view," says Dein. "It's a theme – I tried to never limit my options."

Dein was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and honored with the prestigious Bailey Cup for her campus involvement. She graduated summa cum laude.

"I loved Union. It was intellectually challenging, and I made lifelong friends," says Dein. "Going back for my 30th ReUnion last year was a pleasure. There were all these women with great careers who had lived through the same work and life struggles as I had. We had a lot to talk about."