Posted on Sep 10, 1999

Fourteen members of the Class of 2003 were drum majors in high school,

two were Eagle Scouts, 413 worked part-time jobs, and one owned a business.

These statistics and lots of others on activities and achievements come

courtesy of the Gatekeepers in the Admissions Office, who tallied the

numbers while resting their legs and voices between campus tours last

summer.

Also among the findings, 377 of the 541 members (70 percent) of the

first-year class played a varsity sport in high school, and 128 of them were

team captains. Twenty-one percent reported playing a musical instrument, 8

percent were in vocal music, and an estimated 60 percent did some form of

community service.

The survey confirms something that members of the admissions staff have

known all along: that Union students are highly involved in a range of

extracurriculars and that many of them take on leadership roles, said Betsy

Phelps, assistant dean of admissions, who coordinated the project.

One hundred and ninety four were in student government, including 10 who

were class presidents. Two hundred were members of the National Honor

Society, 149 were on honor roll, and one was a National Merit Scholar.

As for perfect attendance awards? Only two.

“Probably they're the only ones who would admit it,” Phelps

said.

For a copy of the report, e-mail Phelps at phelpsb@union.edu.

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Posted on Sep 10, 1999

President Roger Hull invited Union's newest students to join in the

College's tradition of “following the courage of their

convictions” during his address at the opening convocation on Tuesday.

“Members of the class have a wide range of interests, and if they

are anything like the students already here, they will add lively and new

perspectives in many, many ways,” the president said.

Hull began with examples of courage from Union's early history – the

founding of the College by frontier settlers; Eliphalet Nott's 62-year

presidency and his introduction of modern languages, sciences and a planned

campus; the purchase of Alaska through William Seward, Class of 1828; and

U.S. President Chester Arthur's (Class of 1848) dismantling of the

patronage system.

Citing more recent alumni, he spoke of Gordon Gould '41 and his long

battle against large corporations to secure his claim as an inventor of the

laser; Norton Reamer '58, who turned his tiny investment office into

United Asset Management with portfolios of more than $200 billion; and

Andrea Barrett '74, who left biology to write, earning the National Book

Award for Ship Fever in 1996.

He also cited Frank Federici '98, who spoke out against hazing, and

earned the Bailey Cup for his contributions for reforming the Greek system;

Mikhail Iossel, writer in residence, who supported himself as an engineer

and night watchman before emigrating from his native Russia; and Prof.

Steven Sargent, who left a career in engineering to teach history.

The College has followed the courage of its conviction as well, Hull

said, sending the largest contingent of students to the National Conference

on Undergraduate Research, volunteering with the local organizations like

Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and investing in the College Park neighborhood.

Bonney MacDonald, associate professor of English, received the Stillman

Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

Of MacDonald, one student wrote in her nomination, “I hated Emerson

when I had to read him in high school, but I truly enjoyed him in (Prof.

MacDonald's) class.” Another wrote, “Her enthusiasm kept me

awake at 8:40 classes in winter term.”

MacDonald thanked her students and colleagues, saying, “When

intellectual vigor and true dialogue take place in the classroom, there's

nothing like it.”

Julia Naftulin '02 received the Phi Beta Kappa Prize for outstanding

achievement in General Education. Maureen Farrell '02 received honorable

mention.

In a reception prior to the convocation, the College recognized 629

students who last year made the dean's list. Their names appear on a

plaque in the Reamer Campus Center.

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Posted on Sep 10, 1999

Don't look for the Office of Communications at 17 South Lane. We moved in July to more spacious quarters at 69 Union Avenue, the former home of the Dudley Observatory.

You'll find us just east of the Parker-Rice House (soon to be restored as Abbe Hall) on the left side of Union Avenue.

Feel free to drop in. We're just a five-minute walk from campus.

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Posted on Sep 10, 1999

Friday, Sept. 10, through Monday Sept. 13, 8 and 10 p.m.

Reamer Campus Center Auditorium.

Film committee presents The Matrix.

Thursday, Sept. 16, 9 p.m.

Memorial Fieldhouse.

The Samples.

$13 with College ID, through Student Activities office.

Thursday, Sept. 17, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial.

Opening reception for “An Exact Spectacular,” drawings by Ed

Rogers and sculpture by Henry Turner. Gallery talk at 5 p.m. by curator

David Greenberger, writer, publisher, performer, NPR commentator. Show runs

through Oct. 17. (story this issue)

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Posted on Sep 10, 1999

Two national organizations – the American Society of Landscape

Architects (ASLA) and Time Magazine/Princeton Review – recognized

the College recently.

The ASLA announced the 362 historic landscapes in the U.S., counting

Union as one of 22 campuses and the only one in the state. Also on the list

were such non-college attractions as Disneyland, the U.S. Capitol grounds,

and New York's Central Park. Other campuses recognized were Berkeley,

Stanford, Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Union received honorable mention for its social outreach efforts by the

editors of the 2000 edition of The Best College for You, a

co-publication of Time Magazine and The Princeton Review.

The magazine cited President Roger Hull and Trustee Neil Golub for their

work in establishing Schenectady 2000. Union was one of 11 colleges

nationwide and the only institution in New York recognized for their

outreach programs; the University of Southern California took top honors as

College of the Year.

Also, HotBot, one the largest search engines on the World Wide Web,

released its “HotBot Popularity Ranking,” which ranked Union third

among the nation's most searched-for college sites. To make the list

people had to have searched for Union by name. Taking top honors was Trinity

College of Connecticut followed by Smith College of Massachusetts. The

College has had more than 7.5 million hits this year, double last year's

total, said Saul Morse, Webmaster.

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