February 2008 Board Report

Board Report: February, 2008

By Frank L. Messa '73, Chairman, Board of Trustees

Dear Friends of Union:

The Board of Trustees met on campus Feb. 9 and 10, a weekend that featured a tribute dinner for former Chair Stephen J. Ciesinski '70, the adoption of the 2008-09 budget, and some exciting hockey and basketball games.

Trustees and friends of the College honored Steve, a member of the Board since 1993 and chairman from 2002 to last June, for his work on behalf of the College and for a gift to endow the Dean of the Faculty position.

Steve made the gift in honor of Edward J. Craig '45, dean of engineering emeritus; Frederick A. Klemm, professor of German emeritus; and Chris Schmid, former coach of basketball, football and lacrosse. All three were important mentors to Steve at Union, and we were delighted to host them at the dinner. Among the other many special guests for the evening were former President John Morris and his wife, Enid; and former Interim President James Underwood and his wife, Jean.

The budget

The trustees adopted a 2008-09 budget of nearly $130 million that is designed to provide a stable base on which the Strategic Plan will be built. (You can read the plan at: www.union.edu/strategic.) The budget includes resources in support of a number of initiatives in the Plan including support of diversity, health education and counseling, Minerva and Greek life and sustainability. It also addresses the ever increasing fiscal demands represented by energy costs, financial aid, personnel costs and deferred maintenance.

The budget includes a 5 percent increase in the comprehensive fee, bringing next year's fee to $48,552. This is clearly a significant investment for families, so we have also approved a financial aid budget of $31.1 million - nearly a quarter of the overall budget - to keep a Union education accessible for our students and their families.

Budget highlights include:

An endowment spending rate of just over 6 percent, to be reduced to 5.6 percent by fiscal year 2009-2010, five years earlier than previously proposed.
An increase in unrestricted gifts of about $390,000.
Salary and wage pool increases of 4 percent, plus installments to address faculty and staff equity.
An employee benefits package that will cost 1.3 percent less, with no reduction in the level of benefits.
Permanent funding of strategic initiatives ($425,000) and one-time infusions for strategic items ($234,000)

College Relations

I am pleased by the vote of confidence from alumni and friends as expressed by their generosity. As of December 31, the College had received more than $9.1 million in gifts, an increase of more than $1.7 million over the previous year. The You Are Union campaign has reached an impressive $136.2 million.

I am happy to announce that the College's total endowment stands at $394 million. The return on the three years ending Dec. 31, 2007 was 13.4 percent, placing Union in the fifth percentile among peer institutions in the Wilshire Endowment Universe.

In other news from College Relations, the "Welcome Back to Union" video, produced shortly after the inauguration of Stephen C. Ainlay, continues to garner praise, this time a Gold Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. You can view a version of the video at www.union.edu/welcomeback.

In Communications, the College has grabbed numerous headlines of late. They included stories about the hugely successful campus visit by Maya Angelou, the College's transfer of a house to Habitat for Humanity (and the substantial volunteer efforts put forth by students, faculty and staff), and a number of features on writer-in-residence Binyavanga Wainaina, a Kenyan native who has become an important voice for the literature and politics of his country. The College's Web site has undergone substantial changes and we are now more than six months into an 18-month implementation of a Content Management System that is making the site an even stronger resource on- and off-campus. In publications, Union College magazine is going through an extensive re-design aimed at enhancing the look and function through full four-color, historical features, alumni written (often historical) features, and "jumps" to web and other media. DoubleJay Creative, the firm that produced the award-winning "Welcome Back to Union" video, was back on campus last fall to gather footage for a number of upcoming projects that will highlight the Strategic Plan, Union history, the Taylor Music Center, Posse and the Minervas, among others. Already produced are a number of 30-second "spots" that highlight Union firsts, international study, service, research and athletics.

Academic Affairs

Recent Academic Affairs activities have centered on implementation of the Strategic Plan. Deans have drafted work plans around innovation, engineering and liberal arts, advising and academic challenge. The assessment and expansion of international programs has been a high priority. Preparations for the 2010 Middle States Reaccreditation Review are under way. President Ainlay has appointed Prof. David Cotter of Sociology to co-chair, with Dean Therese McCarty, the self-study steering committee.

The trustees were delighted to learn that Schaffer Library has added two important on-line databases that provide users access to virtually any English printed material since 1473. The databases already have gotten rave reviews from faculty and students alike. Material that used to take weeks or months to retrieve can be seen in minutes.

Among many faculty distinctions, we were proud to learn that Prof. Thomas Jewell was elevated to the rank of Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which recognizes significant achievement and contributions to the profession. Prof. Brenda Wineapple, the Doris Zemurray Stone Professor of Modern Literary and Historical Studies, received the Kirby Prize for Best Article from the South Central Modern Langauge Association. Her article, "The Politics of Politics; or, How the Atomic Bomb Didn't Interest Gertrude Stein and Emily Dickinson", was published in South Central Review. Profs. Mary Carroll and Ann Anderson recently presented four papers at the International Sol-Gel Conference in Montpelier, France. All four of the papers were co-authored with students.

The Board was pleased to approve the promotion of Scott LaBrake to senior lecturer in Physics and Astronomy; and Ellen Fladger, Gail Golderman and Annette LeClair to the rank of librarian. We congratulate and thank them for their service.

In athletics, our students have continued their success on and off the field. Besides tallying an impressive 66 percent winning rate in games last fall, there has been an increased commitment to service in the campus and local communities. A few examples: the swim teams hosted the Big Brothers and Big Sisters at their Liberty League Championships, and the athletes gave swimming lessons to the "littles." Women's basketball and volleyball joined the College's Records Department and the Department of Social Services in the holiday "Adopt a Family" program. Women's hockey participated in the 2007 holiday tree lighting ceremony at Empire State Plaza. They also demonstrated some drills and gave skating lessons to the public, including Gov. Elliott Spitzer and his family.

Student Life

The College has implemented a series of new safety initiatives aimed at ensuring fast and reliable communication during a campus emergency. Upgrades include a new text messaging alert system, an emergency siren, a modified Web site to enable secure and rapid posting of critical information, and a new public address system and surveillance cameras. The campus conducted a detailed college-wide emergency exercise on Nov. 29 involving a hypothetical fire in a residence hall under the supervision of the state Office of Emergency Management.

Tom McEvoy, director of Minerva Programs and Prof. Hal Fried have begun an exciting new program that will send seven newly graduated seniors, each sponsored by a Minerva House, to do humanitarian work in developing countries such as Cambodia, India or Uganda. Each student will remain in the country for nine months, after which they will return to Union to share their experience with their Minerva and to co-teach a class on social entrepreneurship.

The College has welcomed Tim Dunn as director of the new Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, which is aimed at enhancing Greek life at Union. Tim has convened the first-ever Panhellenic Judicial Board to make peer accountability a part of Union's Greek culture. He has held risk management training sessions for all chapter presidents, and met with each to discuss progress, needs and problems. These meetings are an important step in building positive relationships and trust with Greek leaders. Finally, he has established two student committees to develop criteria and procedures for a series of initiatives to recognize the strong contributions from chapters and individuals.

The Counseling Center welcomes Amanda Tommell as health educator who is launching a critical new programs focusing on "harm reduction," substance abuse counseling and prevention of sexual assault. Dean of First Year Students Kate Schurick has been instrumental in establishing programs that address alcohol and substance abuse.

Under the leadership of Bob Soules, the new director of Becker Career Center, the College has reached out to athletes, Greeks and other clubs and organizations to sell the value of the Center for students in all classes. Bob and his staff have been active in developing outreach programs for faculty to advise students on career options, to promote internships with local organizations, to foster a network between student organizations and economic development organizations, and to collaborate with College Relations to develop an Alumni Jobs Bulletin and a Class of 1973 campaign to fund community service internships.

Admissions

As of Jan. 15, the College had received more than 5,000 applications, a new milestone. Day-to-day, applications have been between 6 and 15 percent ahead of last year. Students have visited in great numbers for tours and interviews with nearly 4,000 student visitors counted, 230 more than last year.

Pursuing more international students, staff have travelled internationally to the United World Colleges to interview students available through the Davis Foundation. They visited schools in seven countries and interviewed 53 Davis Scholars.

Palmer Fargnoli '93, associate dean of admissions, has offered two alumni training programs, one in Boston, the other in northern New Jersey to focus on interviewing. He was joined by Tom McEvoy, who discussed the Minerva program.

In February, admissions is holding their "Just for Juniors" program, daily one-hour introductions to Union that also feature valuable information for students and families on applications, essays and interviewing. In multicultural recruitment, led by Teran Tedal '04, Union has had a full agenda with a multicultural weekend, fly-ins for students, a full day of interviews on Martin Luther King Day in New York City and a spring yield program. We have welcomed Linda Parker as our new director of Financial Aid.

This is an exciting time for Union, and on behalf of the Board I thank you for being involved. With the Strategic Plan, the leadership of Stephen C. Ainlay, and the commitment of our alumni and friends, we are embarking on new initiatives that will enhance the distinctive qualities of a Union education. I look forward to welcoming you at ReUnion on May 29 through 31, and reporting after that on another chapter in Union's progress.

Frank L. Messa '73
Chairman, Board of Trustees

	Home \| Academics \| Admissions \| Alumni \| Athletics \| News & Events \| Offices & Services \| Student Life
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: February, 2008 By Frank L. Messa '73, Chairman, Board of Trustees Dear Friends of Union: The Board of Trustees met on campus Feb. 9 and 10, a weekend that featured a tribute dinner for former Chair Stephen J. Ciesinski '70, the adoption of the 2008-09 budget, and some exciting hockey and basketball games. Trustees and friends of the College honored Steve, a member of the Board since 1993 and chairman from 2002 to last June, for his work on behalf of the College and for a gift to endow the Dean of the Faculty position. Steve made the gift in honor of Edward J. Craig '45, dean of engineering emeritus; Frederick A. Klemm, professor of German emeritus; and Chris Schmid, former coach of basketball, football and lacrosse. All three were important mentors to Steve at Union, and we were delighted to host them at the dinner. Among the other many special guests for the evening were former President John Morris and his wife, Enid; and former Interim President James Underwood and his wife, Jean. The budget The trustees adopted a 2008-09 budget of nearly $130 million that is designed to provide a stable base on which the Strategic Plan will be built. (You can read the plan at: www.union.edu/strategic.) The budget includes resources in support of a number of initiatives in the Plan including support of diversity, health education and counseling, Minerva and Greek life and sustainability. It also addresses the ever increasing fiscal demands represented by energy costs, financial aid, personnel costs and deferred maintenance. The budget includes a 5 percent increase in the comprehensive fee, bringing next year's fee to $48,552. This is clearly a significant investment for families, so we have also approved a financial aid budget of $31.1 million - nearly a quarter of the overall budget - to keep a Union education accessible for our students and their families. Budget highlights include: An endowment spending rate of just over 6 percent, to be reduced to 5.6 percent by fiscal year 2009-2010, five years earlier than previously proposed. An increase in unrestricted gifts of about $390,000. Salary and wage pool increases of 4 percent, plus installments to address faculty and staff equity. An employee benefits package that will cost 1.3 percent less, with no reduction in the level of benefits. Permanent funding of strategic initiatives ($425,000) and one-time infusions for strategic items ($234,000) College Relations I am pleased by the vote of confidence from alumni and friends as expressed by their generosity. As of December 31, the College had received more than $9.1 million in gifts, an increase of more than $1.7 million over the previous year. The You Are Union campaign has reached an impressive $136.2 million. I am happy to announce that the College's total endowment stands at $394 million. The return on the three years ending Dec. 31, 2007 was 13.4 percent, placing Union in the fifth percentile among peer institutions in the Wilshire Endowment Universe. In other news from College Relations, the "Welcome Back to Union" video, produced shortly after the inauguration of Stephen C. Ainlay, continues to garner praise, this time a Gold Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. You can view a version of the video at www.union.edu/welcomeback. In Communications, the College has grabbed numerous headlines of late. They included stories about the hugely successful campus visit by Maya Angelou, the College's transfer of a house to Habitat for Humanity (and the substantial volunteer efforts put forth by students, faculty and staff), and a number of features on writer-in-residence Binyavanga Wainaina, a Kenyan native who has become an important voice for the literature and politics of his country. The College's Web site has undergone substantial changes and we are now more than six months into an 18-month implementation of a Content Management System that is making the site an even stronger resource on- and off-campus. In publications, Union College magazine is going through an extensive re-design aimed at enhancing the look and function through full four-color, historical features, alumni written (often historical) features, and "jumps" to web and other media. DoubleJay Creative, the firm that produced the award-winning "Welcome Back to Union" video, was back on campus last fall to gather footage for a number of upcoming projects that will highlight the Strategic Plan, Union history, the Taylor Music Center, Posse and the Minervas, among others. Already produced are a number of 30-second "spots" that highlight Union firsts, international study, service, research and athletics. Academic Affairs Recent Academic Affairs activities have centered on implementation of the Strategic Plan. Deans have drafted work plans around innovation, engineering and liberal arts, advising and academic challenge. The assessment and expansion of international programs has been a high priority. Preparations for the 2010 Middle States Reaccreditation Review are under way. President Ainlay has appointed Prof. David Cotter of Sociology to co-chair, with Dean Therese McCarty, the self-study steering committee. The trustees were delighted to learn that Schaffer Library has added two important on-line databases that provide users access to virtually any English printed material since 1473. The databases already have gotten rave reviews from faculty and students alike. Material that used to take weeks or months to retrieve can be seen in minutes. Among many faculty distinctions, we were proud to learn that Prof. Thomas Jewell was elevated to the rank of Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which recognizes significant achievement and contributions to the profession. Prof. Brenda Wineapple, the Doris Zemurray Stone Professor of Modern Literary and Historical Studies, received the Kirby Prize for Best Article from the South Central Modern Langauge Association. Her article, "The Politics of Politics; or, How the Atomic Bomb Didn't Interest Gertrude Stein and Emily Dickinson", was published in South Central Review. Profs. Mary Carroll and Ann Anderson recently presented four papers at the International Sol-Gel Conference in Montpelier, France. All four of the papers were co-authored with students. The Board was pleased to approve the promotion of Scott LaBrake to senior lecturer in Physics and Astronomy; and Ellen Fladger, Gail Golderman and Annette LeClair to the rank of librarian. We congratulate and thank them for their service. In athletics, our students have continued their success on and off the field. Besides tallying an impressive 66 percent winning rate in games last fall, there has been an increased commitment to service in the campus and local communities. A few examples: the swim teams hosted the Big Brothers and Big Sisters at their Liberty League Championships, and the athletes gave swimming lessons to the "littles." Women's basketball and volleyball joined the College's Records Department and the Department of Social Services in the holiday "Adopt a Family" program. Women's hockey participated in the 2007 holiday tree lighting ceremony at Empire State Plaza. They also demonstrated some drills and gave skating lessons to the public, including Gov. Elliott Spitzer and his family. Student Life The College has implemented a series of new safety initiatives aimed at ensuring fast and reliable communication during a campus emergency. Upgrades include a new text messaging alert system, an emergency siren, a modified Web site to enable secure and rapid posting of critical information, and a new public address system and surveillance cameras. The campus conducted a detailed college-wide emergency exercise on Nov. 29 involving a hypothetical fire in a residence hall under the supervision of the state Office of Emergency Management. Tom McEvoy, director of Minerva Programs and Prof. Hal Fried have begun an exciting new program that will send seven newly graduated seniors, each sponsored by a Minerva House, to do humanitarian work in developing countries such as Cambodia, India or Uganda. Each student will remain in the country for nine months, after which they will return to Union to share their experience with their Minerva and to co-teach a class on social entrepreneurship. The College has welcomed Tim Dunn as director of the new Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, which is aimed at enhancing Greek life at Union. Tim has convened the first-ever Panhellenic Judicial Board to make peer accountability a part of Union's Greek culture. He has held risk management training sessions for all chapter presidents, and met with each to discuss progress, needs and problems. These meetings are an important step in building positive relationships and trust with Greek leaders. Finally, he has established two student committees to develop criteria and procedures for a series of initiatives to recognize the strong contributions from chapters and individuals. The Counseling Center welcomes Amanda Tommell as health educator who is launching a critical new programs focusing on "harm reduction," substance abuse counseling and prevention of sexual assault. Dean of First Year Students Kate Schurick has been instrumental in establishing programs that address alcohol and substance abuse. Under the leadership of Bob Soules, the new director of Becker Career Center, the College has reached out to athletes, Greeks and other clubs and organizations to sell the value of the Center for students in all classes. Bob and his staff have been active in developing outreach programs for faculty to advise students on career options, to promote internships with local organizations, to foster a network between student organizations and economic development organizations, and to collaborate with College Relations to develop an Alumni Jobs Bulletin and a Class of 1973 campaign to fund community service internships. Admissions As of Jan. 15, the College had received more than 5,000 applications, a new milestone. Day-to-day, applications have been between 6 and 15 percent ahead of last year. Students have visited in great numbers for tours and interviews with nearly 4,000 student visitors counted, 230 more than last year. Pursuing more international students, staff have travelled internationally to the United World Colleges to interview students available through the Davis Foundation. They visited schools in seven countries and interviewed 53 Davis Scholars. Palmer Fargnoli '93, associate dean of admissions, has offered two alumni training programs, one in Boston, the other in northern New Jersey to focus on interviewing. He was joined by Tom McEvoy, who discussed the Minerva program. In February, admissions is holding their "Just for Juniors" program, daily one-hour introductions to Union that also feature valuable information for students and families on applications, essays and interviewing. In multicultural recruitment, led by Teran Tedal '04, Union has had a full agenda with a multicultural weekend, fly-ins for students, a full day of interviews on Martin Luther King Day in New York City and a spring yield program. We have welcomed Linda Parker as our new director of Financial Aid. This is an exciting time for Union, and on behalf of the Board I thank you for being involved. With the Strategic Plan, the leadership of Stephen C. Ainlay, and the commitment of our alumni and friends, we are embarking on new initiatives that will enhance the distinctive qualities of a Union education. I look forward to welcoming you at ReUnion on May 29 through 31, and reporting after that on another chapter in Union's progress. Frank L. Messa '73 Chairman, Board of Trustees
	Copyright 2008, Union College. All rights reserved. Union College \| 807 Union St. \| Schenectady NY 12308 \| 518 388-6000 Directory \| Contact Us