May 2003 Board Report

Board Report: May 2003

Dear Friends of Union:

I am so pleased that the Trustees scheduled their spring meeting to coincide with ReUnion Weekend. It was a smashingly wonderful time, made especially enjoyable by the dedication of Abbe Hall as the College's alumni center. The first floor of the main building provides gracious welcoming space for alumni, and the remainder of the space within the main building and the carriage house is the new home of the College Relations Office. What a magnificent facility and grounds!

We were delighted to have John Wold '38 join us for our Friday board session. John's $20 million gift earlier this year was the largest in the College's history, and we were glad to have a second chance to say "thanks" as he and Jane were on campus for his 65th ReUnion. I also want to give special recognition to Trustee Frank Messa '73, whose generous gift, announced over the weekend, will enable us to renovate Achilles Rink. We also learned of two other major gifts, both of which you will be hearing about in the next few weeks.

The weekend became even more informative when we reviewed the very positive response to an alumni survey conducted recently. Growing out of the work done by the board's Communications and Promotions Committee, led by Trustee Mark Walsh '76, this was the first comprehensive survey of alumni since a 1968 questionnaire about coeducation. The loyalty to Union this time around was great to see, as more than 4,500 alumni responded. This response rate of more than 19 percent is amazingly high for this kind of survey.

The survey told us that 92 percent of the respondents said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their overall experience at Union, and 91 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their academic experience. The number reporting satisfaction with their social life was 75 percent, and the number reporting satisfaction with their extracurricular experience was 73 percent.
Eighty-eight percent of the respondents say they are proud to tell others that they went to Union, and 77 percent say they are likely to recommend Union to the children of family and friends. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they were very likely to visit the campus over the next three years, a number that rose to 45 percent among recent graduates. The survey noted that 78 percent of those who donated to the College visited the campus within the past decade.

A fuller discussion of the survey results will be sent in a letter to all alumni and will be posted to Union's online alumni community, available through www.union.edu/Alumni. Thanks, Mark and team, for such valuable research!

Committee Reports

We also had a full round of committee meetings, and here are a few of the highlights:

The Academic Affairs Committee

Once again, Union sent a large delegation -- 30 students -- to National Conference on Undergraduate Education, and 300 students presented at our own Steinmetz Symposium.
A faculty survey indicated there was widespread support for the Writing Across the Curriculum program, 12 years after it was introduced. Faculty indicated they would like more writing workshops for themselves so they might improve their teaching skills.
The Converging Technologies program continues expanding. Three new courses were taught during the winter term, international experiences continue to offer opportunities for incorporating CT, such as the mini-term to Cordoba involving electrical and computer engineering, and modern languages, and Professors Maleki (Physics), Hagerman (Chemistry), and Kosky (Mechanical Engineering) have received a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for their proposal, "Frontiers of Nanotechnology - An Interdisciplinary Introductory Course for Science and Engineering Majors."
Unfortunately, the summer mini-term to China, the fall term to Nanjing, and the term to Hanoi were cancelled because of State Department warnings due to SARS.
Documents necessary to achieve a charter for the Graduate College of Union University were sent to the New York State Board of Education.
The Faculty Executive Committee is reviewing information about a switch to a semester system and will bring the matter to the faculty for consideration.
The Committee also spent considerable time with the chairmen of the Physics and Biology Departments and reviewed their curriculum and plans for the departments.

The Administration and Finance Committee and the Facilities and Environmental Committee, meeting jointly

Heard an update on the House System and toured South College, where renovations are almost complete. Construction on Phase II of the House System begins in July, with renovations to North College and the Chi Psi and Psi Upsilon buildings.
Recommended, and the full Board approved, several resolutions -- to select a design/build contractor and to proceed through design development for an addition to Memorial Field House and renovations to create locker rooms in Achilles Rink, with the full funding pledged for both projects; to select a design/build contractor and proceed through design development for a fitness center in Alumni Gymnasium; and to select an architect and proceed through design development for the renovation of the North Colonnade building for the arts and music program. Renovations to the Achilles Rink ice sheet systems are already under way.
The College is upgrading policies and procedures to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for hazardous waste removal and air quality throughout the campus.

The College Relations Committee

A lot of positive news was shared -- fundraising efforts are ahead of goals, there has been record attendance at alumni events, the alumni survey brought positive feedback, as noted above, the Eliphalet Nott Society is growing, and more than 200 new alumni volunteers are working on behalf of Union.
Preliminary figures for the Annual Fund show increase in overall dollars raised, slight decrease in overall donors. Our 107 new Annual Fund volunteers reached more than 1,100 classmates, and we sent a special fund raising challenge letter from Trustee Mark Walsh '76 to graduates of the last decade. Early results are promising - nearly one in two gifts in response to the challenge is from non-donors.
To support Union faculty, a total of $4.1 million in submitted and pending grants. Total planned giving activity is $7.4 million, and Parents Fund contributions are 16 percent ahead of last year.
Alumni Relations has had one of its most successful years. Regional alumni clubs increased from 11 to 17, Homecoming attendance was up 28 percent, and more than 100 new volunteers are helping us.

The Student Activities and Admissions Committee

Admissions reported one of its best years ever, including an all-time high number of applications and increased selectivity. The class includes more students in our highest academic ranges than last year, and we have representation from 31 states, including both Alaska and Hawaii, an increase of seven represented states. The campus welcomed more students and families than ever before. Counselors also visited in record numbers, legacy applications also broke a record, we have the greatest representation of students of color (18% of the freshman class), the Union Scholars program had the largest number of eligible nominees ever, and 42 percent of our applicants applied online, another record.
The Admissions outreach effort won two prestigious awards - a silver medal for our lead piece, the viewbook, in a national competition sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and a gold award for its online companion from Admissions Marketing Report magazine.
Student community involvement continues to increase. Two major service events, Youth Olympics and UCare Day, bring local children to Union for fun and feats of skill. Students organized Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, with more than 700 students, faculty, and staff participating. Other large service events are the Fiji Volleyball tournament and Phi Delta Theta's softball marathon.
The Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry, notified us that nine of our students participated in illegal trading of copyrighted music files. We notified everyone on campus of the warnings and informed the nine individuals that their computers had been cited. We also limited the amount of bandwidth that could be used for the programs that allow storage and sharing of files, less for prevention than for preserving our resources for more important College functions.
A standing committee has been formed to periodically review the status of sexual assault and harassment on campus, the College's efforts to educate the campus community about sexual assault and harassment, and protocols for responding to incidents that occur.

The Investment Committee

The actively-managed allocation of the Union endowment (assets delegated to outside investment managers) benefited from the strong stock market performance in April and May, increasing by over 10 percent -- an increase of $20 million dollars, to $211 million. On a fiscal year to date basis (June 30, 2002 to May 31, 2003), the return on the endowment is up 2.2 percent, in what we all know has been a difficult stock market environment.
The Committee's objective is to finish in the top half of our "peer group" comparisons with other similar institutions for the third fiscal year in a row. Although Union's more conservative stance during the bull market mania caused us to lag the peer group, we have weathered the bear market rather well in comparison with our competition.
We added three new managers in the last few months, reallocating assets from an index fund and reducing our overweight exposure to value style managers. We also consolidated our emerging market allocation from two to one manager and reduced our international managers from three to two, to both reduce multiple management fees and make our allocation to these managers more significant in size.
We continue to search for ways that can enhance Union's future expected investment return, while simultaneously seeking to reduce volatility (risk). The Committee is very conscious of the fact that we are taking an increased "draw" from the endowment to execute the many positive initiatives underway at Union. However, we are also very cognizant of the tradeoff between investment return, current spending, and the growth of the endowment to support future generations of Union students. To date, this tradeoff is being handled well.
Finally, the Committee reviewed the performance of Union's Charitable Gift Annuity program and found the results to be satisfactory. This program has grown through gifts and performance to over $7.5 million dollars. Union alumni have found this to be an excellent way to make a gift to Union, but retain a portion of the investment return in the form of an annuity payment to help them meet their current financial obligations.

The Nominations Committee

The Committee voted to award degrees to the Class of 2003 (yes, we actually have to vote on this every year according to our by-laws).
We also reviewed a number of resumes of outstanding alumni who are being recommended for Board of Trustee appointments. We are always on the lookout for alums who can contribute to the College as a Trustee.

Finally, on a personal note, I was thrilled to be in attendance with so many fellow alums. I watched Roger Hull shake nearly every alum's hand at the ReUnion dinner (it took him three hours). It was great for my wife and me to have dinner with Jason Oshins '87, the very hard-working and enthusiastic president of the Alumni Council, and Tom Gutenberger, vice president for college relations. Tom and Jason wanted me to mention that they join me in thanking all of you for the support you have provided the College, and to keep us in mind in your future plans for financial support as well as volunteer activities.

Have a fabulous and safe summer! Go Union!

Stephen J. Ciesinski '70
Chairman, Board of Trustees

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About Union Mission Statement History of Union Office of the President Board of Trustees Presidents of Union College Union Notables Exhibit Traditions of Union What to do AroundU? The Union Campus Great Grads of Union	Board Report: May 2003 Dear Friends of Union: I am so pleased that the Trustees scheduled their spring meeting to coincide with ReUnion Weekend. It was a smashingly wonderful time, made especially enjoyable by the dedication of Abbe Hall as the College's alumni center. The first floor of the main building provides gracious welcoming space for alumni, and the remainder of the space within the main building and the carriage house is the new home of the College Relations Office. What a magnificent facility and grounds! We were delighted to have John Wold '38 join us for our Friday board session. John's $20 million gift earlier this year was the largest in the College's history, and we were glad to have a second chance to say "thanks" as he and Jane were on campus for his 65th ReUnion. I also want to give special recognition to Trustee Frank Messa '73, whose generous gift, announced over the weekend, will enable us to renovate Achilles Rink. We also learned of two other major gifts, both of which you will be hearing about in the next few weeks. The weekend became even more informative when we reviewed the very positive response to an alumni survey conducted recently. Growing out of the work done by the board's Communications and Promotions Committee, led by Trustee Mark Walsh '76, this was the first comprehensive survey of alumni since a 1968 questionnaire about coeducation. The loyalty to Union this time around was great to see, as more than 4,500 alumni responded. This response rate of more than 19 percent is amazingly high for this kind of survey. The survey told us that 92 percent of the respondents said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their overall experience at Union, and 91 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied with their academic experience. The number reporting satisfaction with their social life was 75 percent, and the number reporting satisfaction with their extracurricular experience was 73 percent. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents say they are proud to tell others that they went to Union, and 77 percent say they are likely to recommend Union to the children of family and friends. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they were very likely to visit the campus over the next three years, a number that rose to 45 percent among recent graduates. The survey noted that 78 percent of those who donated to the College visited the campus within the past decade. A fuller discussion of the survey results will be sent in a letter to all alumni and will be posted to Union's online alumni community, available through www.union.edu/Alumni. Thanks, Mark and team, for such valuable research! Committee Reports We also had a full round of committee meetings, and here are a few of the highlights: The Academic Affairs Committee Once again, Union sent a large delegation -- 30 students -- to National Conference on Undergraduate Education, and 300 students presented at our own Steinmetz Symposium. A faculty survey indicated there was widespread support for the Writing Across the Curriculum program, 12 years after it was introduced. Faculty indicated they would like more writing workshops for themselves so they might improve their teaching skills. The Converging Technologies program continues expanding. Three new courses were taught during the winter term, international experiences continue to offer opportunities for incorporating CT, such as the mini-term to Cordoba involving electrical and computer engineering, and modern languages, and Professors Maleki (Physics), Hagerman (Chemistry), and Kosky (Mechanical Engineering) have received a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for their proposal, "Frontiers of Nanotechnology - An Interdisciplinary Introductory Course for Science and Engineering Majors." Unfortunately, the summer mini-term to China, the fall term to Nanjing, and the term to Hanoi were cancelled because of State Department warnings due to SARS. Documents necessary to achieve a charter for the Graduate College of Union University were sent to the New York State Board of Education. The Faculty Executive Committee is reviewing information about a switch to a semester system and will bring the matter to the faculty for consideration. The Committee also spent considerable time with the chairmen of the Physics and Biology Departments and reviewed their curriculum and plans for the departments. The Administration and Finance Committee and the Facilities and Environmental Committee, meeting jointly Heard an update on the House System and toured South College, where renovations are almost complete. Construction on Phase II of the House System begins in July, with renovations to North College and the Chi Psi and Psi Upsilon buildings. Recommended, and the full Board approved, several resolutions -- to select a design/build contractor and to proceed through design development for an addition to Memorial Field House and renovations to create locker rooms in Achilles Rink, with the full funding pledged for both projects; to select a design/build contractor and proceed through design development for a fitness center in Alumni Gymnasium; and to select an architect and proceed through design development for the renovation of the North Colonnade building for the arts and music program. Renovations to the Achilles Rink ice sheet systems are already under way. The College is upgrading policies and procedures to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for hazardous waste removal and air quality throughout the campus. The College Relations Committee A lot of positive news was shared -- fundraising efforts are ahead of goals, there has been record attendance at alumni events, the alumni survey brought positive feedback, as noted above, the Eliphalet Nott Society is growing, and more than 200 new alumni volunteers are working on behalf of Union. Preliminary figures for the Annual Fund show increase in overall dollars raised, slight decrease in overall donors. Our 107 new Annual Fund volunteers reached more than 1,100 classmates, and we sent a special fund raising challenge letter from Trustee Mark Walsh '76 to graduates of the last decade. Early results are promising - nearly one in two gifts in response to the challenge is from non-donors. To support Union faculty, a total of $4.1 million in submitted and pending grants. Total planned giving activity is $7.4 million, and Parents Fund contributions are 16 percent ahead of last year. Alumni Relations has had one of its most successful years. Regional alumni clubs increased from 11 to 17, Homecoming attendance was up 28 percent, and more than 100 new volunteers are helping us. The Student Activities and Admissions Committee Admissions reported one of its best years ever, including an all-time high number of applications and increased selectivity. The class includes more students in our highest academic ranges than last year, and we have representation from 31 states, including both Alaska and Hawaii, an increase of seven represented states. The campus welcomed more students and families than ever before. Counselors also visited in record numbers, legacy applications also broke a record, we have the greatest representation of students of color (18% of the freshman class), the Union Scholars program had the largest number of eligible nominees ever, and 42 percent of our applicants applied online, another record. The Admissions outreach effort won two prestigious awards - a silver medal for our lead piece, the viewbook, in a national competition sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and a gold award for its online companion from Admissions Marketing Report magazine. Student community involvement continues to increase. Two major service events, Youth Olympics and UCare Day, bring local children to Union for fun and feats of skill. Students organized Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, with more than 700 students, faculty, and staff participating. Other large service events are the Fiji Volleyball tournament and Phi Delta Theta's softball marathon. The Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry, notified us that nine of our students participated in illegal trading of copyrighted music files. We notified everyone on campus of the warnings and informed the nine individuals that their computers had been cited. We also limited the amount of bandwidth that could be used for the programs that allow storage and sharing of files, less for prevention than for preserving our resources for more important College functions. A standing committee has been formed to periodically review the status of sexual assault and harassment on campus, the College's efforts to educate the campus community about sexual assault and harassment, and protocols for responding to incidents that occur. The Investment Committee The actively-managed allocation of the Union endowment (assets delegated to outside investment managers) benefited from the strong stock market performance in April and May, increasing by over 10 percent -- an increase of $20 million dollars, to $211 million. On a fiscal year to date basis (June 30, 2002 to May 31, 2003), the return on the endowment is up 2.2 percent, in what we all know has been a difficult stock market environment. The Committee's objective is to finish in the top half of our "peer group" comparisons with other similar institutions for the third fiscal year in a row. Although Union's more conservative stance during the bull market mania caused us to lag the peer group, we have weathered the bear market rather well in comparison with our competition. We added three new managers in the last few months, reallocating assets from an index fund and reducing our overweight exposure to value style managers. We also consolidated our emerging market allocation from two to one manager and reduced our international managers from three to two, to both reduce multiple management fees and make our allocation to these managers more significant in size. We continue to search for ways that can enhance Union's future expected investment return, while simultaneously seeking to reduce volatility (risk). The Committee is very conscious of the fact that we are taking an increased "draw" from the endowment to execute the many positive initiatives underway at Union. However, we are also very cognizant of the tradeoff between investment return, current spending, and the growth of the endowment to support future generations of Union students. To date, this tradeoff is being handled well. Finally, the Committee reviewed the performance of Union's Charitable Gift Annuity program and found the results to be satisfactory. This program has grown through gifts and performance to over $7.5 million dollars. Union alumni have found this to be an excellent way to make a gift to Union, but retain a portion of the investment return in the form of an annuity payment to help them meet their current financial obligations. The Nominations Committee The Committee voted to award degrees to the Class of 2003 (yes, we actually have to vote on this every year according to our by-laws). We also reviewed a number of resumes of outstanding alumni who are being recommended for Board of Trustee appointments. We are always on the lookout for alums who can contribute to the College as a Trustee. Finally, on a personal note, I was thrilled to be in attendance with so many fellow alums. I watched Roger Hull shake nearly every alum's hand at the ReUnion dinner (it took him three hours). It was great for my wife and me to have dinner with Jason Oshins '87, the very hard-working and enthusiastic president of the Alumni Council, and Tom Gutenberger, vice president for college relations. Tom and Jason wanted me to mention that they join me in thanking all of you for the support you have provided the College, and to keep us in mind in your future plans for financial support as well as volunteer activities. Have a fabulous and safe summer! Go Union! Stephen J. Ciesinski '70 Chairman, Board of Trustees
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