Board Report: October 2004
by Stephen J. Ciesinski '70, Chairman, Board of Trustees
Dear Friends of Union:
Wow. What a weekend! Homecoming. Fireworks. Dedication ceremonies. New Minerva House system. Spelling out UNION on Library Field. The launch of the You are Union campaign. Blue sky and warm temperatures. Athletic events galore. And a football win over Kings Point. Wow.
It was with a real sense of anticipation that the Board of Trustees came to campus for its regular fall meeting - and I'm thrilled to say that the weekend exceeded expectations.
For many of us, it was our first glimpse of some remarkable changes in the College's residential atmosphere. The board held its meetings in College Park Hall, which during the past year has been transformed from a hotel into spectacular new housing for 230 lucky upperclass students. Comments from students have been enthusiastic - wildly so. An article in the local newspaper quoted one of the RAs as saying, "Everyone I have moved in, they've said this is insane. It's so beautiful." Students cite the size of the rooms, the private bathrooms, the climate control, and the fitness center as the primary factors.
We also had opportunities to visit the seven houses that are part of the new Minerva House system -and, again, we found excited students. Earlier in the fall, as part of orientation, the houses had held an evening called "All Around U." Students were encouraged to go from houses to house, taking part in such activities as a film festival where students could see films made by other Union students, a coffee house with live music, and a Jackson Pollock Party that involved spreading paints on canvas. Two nights later, at the opening convocation, faculty, staff, and students gathered in tents on Rugby Field for dinner, with seating organized by Minerva House. House reps led their delegation to Convocation after dinner.
As part of our weekend, we were able to take part in the formal dedications of Beuth House and Wold House - events made more special by the presence of Phil Beuth '54 and John '38 and Jane Wold and many members of their families. It was great to be able to thank them in person for their commitment to the College.
The board also was excited to take part in the launching of the You are Union Campaign, a $200 million fundraising effort that will strengthen us in a number of key areas. No other small college has Union's combination of Converging Technologies, the Minervas, undergraduate research, international study, and commitment to community service; building upon them will make us a model for other colleges in the 21st century. As of September 1, we have received $80 million in cash and pledges toward the campaign. Obviously, there is much more to the campaign than I can relate here. You can read about it on the web at www.union.edu/youareunion and in the fall issue of Union College magazine.
Finally, it was also Family and Homecoming Weekend, and, as always, it was a real treat to see so many smiling faces among parents, students, and alumni. This year's special activities included the 145th anniversary celebration of Kappa Sigma and an open house of Sigma Phi. In addition, we recognized volunteers and welcomed alumni from the last five classes with a special reception at Chets.
Committee Reports
Amid all the extra activity, we had committee meetings, and here are some highlights:
Academic Affairs: Declared majors in the first-year class continue recent trends, and interest in interdisciplinary studies is up. Social Science majors have gone over the 40 percent mark, and sciences have dropped to around 25 percent (excluding psychology). About half a dozen declared first-year majors in ID programs, the largest ever. As of last spring, there were close to 200 students with Organizing Theme, Interdepartmental, or double majors. This is in addition to the over 250 students earning minors.
Schaffer Library has joined a consortium of libraries within New York State dedicated to sharing research materials as efficiently and quickly as possible for faculty, staff and students. The total number of unique volumes shared among these institutions is more than 2 million - almost all of which can be directly borrowed by Union faculty, staff, and students.
Support for CT undergraduate research has been funded by IBM and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). Union becomes the first undergraduate school to receive such funding, and the four students who were funded were the only undergraduates presenting their research to the SRC Graduate Fellowships conference in San Francisco in September.
Senior Mechanical Engineers Marissa Post, Jason Fishner, and Adam Retersdorf triumphed over the University of Pittsburgh in the finals of the television program Robot Rivals, having beaten Dartmouth, Princeton, and Rochester along the way. Nice going, Union students!
Teaching with technology is in full force. Approximately 50 percent of classes are now taught in electronic classrooms. This fall 75 Blackboard courses will be taught. Ninety-eight percent of Union students own a personal computer.
Finance: We were again able to report that we ended the year with a balanced budget. Most of the major cost reduction opportunities identified over the past few years have been or are in the process of being implemented. If we are to enhance academic programs, pay competitive salaries, and provide necessary financial aid for deserving students, we need to make our You are Union campaign successful. The committee was gratified to see that already 40 percent of the campaign is in or pledged and looks forward to additional generous contributions from alumni and friends into the endowment.
College Relations: The Union Fund (annual fund) achieved a 40 percent alumni participation rate, and was up 151 total donors (to 10,696), 324 alumni donors (70 7735), $471,799 overall (to $4,235,529), and $233,924 from alumni only (to $2,555,127).
We continue to experience increased activity and interest in our events. Last year we held nearly 70 events, over 6,000 alumni, family, and friends attended, and we now have 23 Union Clubs. We also had increases in attendance at both Homecoming and Family Weekend and ReUnion. The effort of working with current students was expanded to include freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in addition to the senior class. This new program was designed to educate students who will continue to give to Union after they leave, increasing both our young alumni participation rate and our young alumni volunteer numbers. The Class of 2004 set a new participation percentage record for a senior class at 75%.
The Alumni Council continues to gain momentum. The Council meets on campus twice a year and has a current membership of 185. Members of the council contributed over $150,000 to the College this past year. In addition, the Council awarded its annual scholarship, nearly $19,000, to a deserving student and contributed $20,000 for ReUnion programming.
Facilties and Environment: Renovations to the former Sigma Phi building are underway, and occupancy is expected by the start of the winter term. The Viniar Athletic Center, made possible by gifts from David Viniar '76 and the Viniar Family Foundation, is just about complete, and the conversion of Alumni Gym to a fitness center is in the design phase. The new biology teaching and research labs funded by a Booth Ferris grant are underway in the Science and Engineering building.
Investments: For the twelve month period ended June 30, 2004, the total return of the endowment was 18.64 percent, placing the College at the 15th percentile according to the Wilshire Endowment Index for the one and three year periods. As I have mentioned previously this is a fantastic performance, and I applaud the Investment Committee for their efforts. The market value of the total endowment and similar funds was approximately $276,400,000.
Student Affairs and Admissions: With the addition of the seven Minerva Houses and College Park Hall, the positive change in the overall housing situation has been dramatic. Overall, 370 students are living in either new or renovated space. The housing now provides a degree of flexibility and responsiveness that had been impossible in the past. In admissions, we welcomed 553 first-years and 24 transfers this fall. Our increased admit overlap with tough, esteemed competitor colleges has affected our yield. Our plans for the Class of 2009 include heavy recruiting in primary markets, highlighting Early Decision, and international travel, all to maximize numbers, quality, and diversity.
If you attended events this past Homecoming weekend, good for you since you certainly had a wonderful experience. If you didn't, please be sure to come back for ReUnion weekend this spring, or, better yet, schedule a personal visit with our Alumni Relations office to see what a transformation is occurring at Union. Remember, You ARE Union.
Steve Ciesinski '70
Chairman, Board of Trustees