Strategic Plan

Differentiator 3. Historic and Innovative

We seek to inspire innovation by using our past as a source of inspiration.

Union College’s history has been one of inventiveness and innovation. The name “Union” derives from the forward-looking idea -- for 1795— that education need not be tied to any single faith. We were among the first schools to allow modern languages in fulfillment of graduation requirements, created the first analytical chemistry laboratory, and introduced engineering into the undergraduate curriculum for the first time. Union’s history of innovation continues into the 21st century and presents us with a significant strategic advantage over many other excellent liberal arts colleges. Not only does Union’s founding and curricular development exemplify our tradition of innovation, but so does our master architectural plan, which dates from 1813 and represents the oldest campus plan in the nation. That plan, in both its architectural and intellectual aspects, served as a model for the development of the College for much of the 19th century and established Union as a leader in higher education.

The list of some 150 names in the “Alumni, Distinguished” entry of the Encyclopedia of Union College History is inspiring. Moreover, these graduates are not simply distinguished -- they also “wrought changes in the fields in which they worked … and [ demonstrated] achievements which can be attributed in some measure to college education, such as writing, scientific discovery, medical innovation invention, and other kinds of problem-solving.” [Somers (2003), p. 32.]

Union graduates combine depth of knowledge in a chosen field (their major) with the breadth of understanding (general education) that is the hallmark of a liberal arts education. This education enables our students to see their work at Union as part of a unified and life-long learning process. Our list of distinguished, problem-solving graduates will continue to grow.

Strategy: Promote socially responsible innovation.

Successful innovation depends on the ability to recognize fruitful opportunities, together with the confidence and good judgment to pursue only those opportunities that are truly novel and progressive.

Broad perspectives foster true innovation. Gaining such breadth is the raison d'être for liberal arts education, and especially for Union’s integrative approach. As Eliphalet Nott recognized over 160 years ago, the liberal approach to education is as valid for technical fields as it is for the traditional arts and sciences.

We teach our students that answers to complex questions, including those raised by technology, often require solutions that are sensitive to the particular historical and cultural context. For example, consider:
- How is biomedical technology changing health care here and around the world? How should health-care policy evolve to recognize such change?
- How can the challenge of sustainability be met in a world with increasing population pressure and economic development?
- How are new technologies changing the ways that art is produced, owned, and distributed?
- How will China balance its desire for economic growth with environmental needs? What implications will its decisions have on other countries, including the United States?
- How can the right of privacy be balanced with the need for security in the digital age?
- On balance, are new communication and transportation technologies unifying or divisive? Can we maximize their benefits and minimize their detriments?
These questions and others like them have no simple answers, and seeking answers begins with open conversation. They cannot be safely ignored, and the best solutions may depend on social, historical, or cultural considerations. These are questions that a Union education can prepare students to answer.
Strategy: Educate innovators.

Students attend Union College to prepare themselves for the complex challenges of the future, in part by gaining a thorough understanding of ways of knowing and of the historical and cultural context of their studies. Union has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of defining what it means to be liberally educated. We bring together, in a small residential community, expertise from widely diverse cultural, technical and intellectual backgrounds with the objective of fermenting creative thought. It is precisely this ability to contextualize – historically, socially, culturally, aesthetically, technically – that enables a person to comprehend ideas and connections that others may miss. These people are innovators and agents for change -- exactly the people to whom Union appeals.
Strategy: Teach innovation by being innovative.

In large part, this spirit of innovation will be developed through a curriculum and pedagogies that are also innovative. Union will recognize and address the different ways that students learn, and expose students to learning inside and outside the traditional classroom.

The Minerva House program provides a primary example. It is a unique setting for students to exercise their talents, through their own initiative, in creating innovative programs that contribute to the entire Union community. The financial and organizational resources available to students through their Minerva House councils enable students to pursue their particular interests outside the classroom with faculty members as mentors and partners. By all accounts, Union students are particularly talented at creating activities and programs that benefit their peers, which gives us confidence that they will take advantage of this opportunity. Already, through the efforts of a working group on campus, the Minervas have launched the "Marketplace of Ideas," a web-based system for sharing thought and, in some cases, initiating action. Through this system, students could use Minerva House space and funding to create working groups of students, faculty, and staff to collaborate on scientific, ecological, sociological, entrepreneurial, and artistic ideas. One might imagine, for example, a group in Beuth House working with Union's Dining Service director and staff to create a program to purchase more products from local farmers. Another group could be at work in Sorum House discussing the enhanced use of microelectronics in industry, or a group in Wold House could brainstorm about innovative peace initiatives.
Strategy: Promote interdisciplinary team projects.

We will create more opportunities for research and service learning projects to be conducted by teams of students from different disciplines. Union has developed an increasing number of interdisciplinary programs, notably those that link engineering and the liberal arts. We do this in the recognition that innovative ideas frequently arise at the intersection of traditional disciplines. This mixing of skills, ideas, and backgrounds will demonstrate directly to students the value of bringing multiple perspectives to a problem. Innovative approaches result, whether the site is Union’s Aerogel lab, a collaboration between engineering and chemistry; the Sophomore Research Seminar, “Impossible Missions,” where students design new toys for third graders in the local community; or in Cordoba, where miniterm students create digital maps of historical sites.
Strategy: Ensure that students understand they are part of an educational project with a long history and a distinctive position within higher education.

We will cultivate students’ awareness of Union’s history and the responsibilities that come with being part of a long-standing educational project that has provided leadership to higher education and the world at large. Knowledge of the role that Union and its graduates have played will build institutional pride among our students and inspire them as they imagine their own future possibilities.

By way of an example, the College might consider issuing a “call” to students, asking them to accept an invitation to join Union’s educational tradition and accept responsibility as stewards of both the College and the world that awaits them. Such a call might read:

“As a Union student, you enter a tradition of innovation that dates to the Presidency of George Washington, and you become part of the history of our nation’s third century. Union is a visionary College that has always pushed the boundaries of higher education, being the first to add science, modern languages, and engineering to the classical liberal arts curriculum. We offer an integrative liberal education in which you will explore innovative ideas that lie at disciplinary boundaries, especially between engineering and the liberal arts. As a member of the Union community, you become not just a steward of an institution with a distinguished history and reputation, but you accept responsibility for the larger society and world in which you will live. Union will help you to imagine beneficial change in the world and to bring about that change.”

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Home	Strategic Plan Differentiator 3. Historic and Innovative We seek to inspire innovation by using our past as a source of inspiration. Union College’s history has been one of inventiveness and innovation. The name “Union” derives from the forward-looking idea -- for 1795— that education need not be tied to any single faith. We were among the first schools to allow modern languages in fulfillment of graduation requirements, created the first analytical chemistry laboratory, and introduced engineering into the undergraduate curriculum for the first time. Union’s history of innovation continues into the 21st century and presents us with a significant strategic advantage over many other excellent liberal arts colleges. Not only does Union’s founding and curricular development exemplify our tradition of innovation, but so does our master architectural plan, which dates from 1813 and represents the oldest campus plan in the nation. That plan, in both its architectural and intellectual aspects, served as a model for the development of the College for much of the 19th century and established Union as a leader in higher education. The list of some 150 names in the “Alumni, Distinguished” entry of the Encyclopedia of Union College History is inspiring. Moreover, these graduates are not simply distinguished -- they also “wrought changes in the fields in which they worked … and [ demonstrated] achievements which can be attributed in some measure to college education, such as writing, scientific discovery, medical innovation invention, and other kinds of problem-solving.” [Somers (2003), p. 32.] Union graduates combine depth of knowledge in a chosen field (their major) with the breadth of understanding (general education) that is the hallmark of a liberal arts education. This education enables our students to see their work at Union as part of a unified and life-long learning process. Our list of distinguished, problem-solving graduates will continue to grow. Strategy: Promote socially responsible innovation. Successful innovation depends on the ability to recognize fruitful opportunities, together with the confidence and good judgment to pursue only those opportunities that are truly novel and progressive. Broad perspectives foster true innovation. Gaining such breadth is the raison d'être for liberal arts education, and especially for Union’s integrative approach. As Eliphalet Nott recognized over 160 years ago, the liberal approach to education is as valid for technical fields as it is for the traditional arts and sciences. We teach our students that answers to complex questions, including those raised by technology, often require solutions that are sensitive to the particular historical and cultural context. For example, consider: How is biomedical technology changing health care here and around the world? How should health-care policy evolve to recognize such change? How can the challenge of sustainability be met in a world with increasing population pressure and economic development? How are new technologies changing the ways that art is produced, owned, and distributed? How will China balance its desire for economic growth with environmental needs? What implications will its decisions have on other countries, including the United States? How can the right of privacy be balanced with the need for security in the digital age? On balance, are new communication and transportation technologies unifying or divisive? Can we maximize their benefits and minimize their detriments? These questions and others like them have no simple answers, and seeking answers begins with open conversation. They cannot be safely ignored, and the best solutions may depend on social, historical, or cultural considerations. These are questions that a Union education can prepare students to answer. Strategy: Educate innovators. Students attend Union College to prepare themselves for the complex challenges of the future, in part by gaining a thorough understanding of ways of knowing and of the historical and cultural context of their studies. Union has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of defining what it means to be liberally educated. We bring together, in a small residential community, expertise from widely diverse cultural, technical and intellectual backgrounds with the objective of fermenting creative thought. It is precisely this ability to contextualize – historically, socially, culturally, aesthetically, technically – that enables a person to comprehend ideas and connections that others may miss. These people are innovators and agents for change -- exactly the people to whom Union appeals. Strategy: Teach innovation by being innovative. In large part, this spirit of innovation will be developed through a curriculum and pedagogies that are also innovative. Union will recognize and address the different ways that students learn, and expose students to learning inside and outside the traditional classroom. The Minerva House program provides a primary example. It is a unique setting for students to exercise their talents, through their own initiative, in creating innovative programs that contribute to the entire Union community. The financial and organizational resources available to students through their Minerva House councils enable students to pursue their particular interests outside the classroom with faculty members as mentors and partners. By all accounts, Union students are particularly talented at creating activities and programs that benefit their peers, which gives us confidence that they will take advantage of this opportunity. Already, through the efforts of a working group on campus, the Minervas have launched the "Marketplace of Ideas," a web-based system for sharing thought and, in some cases, initiating action. Through this system, students could use Minerva House space and funding to create working groups of students, faculty, and staff to collaborate on scientific, ecological, sociological, entrepreneurial, and artistic ideas. One might imagine, for example, a group in Beuth House working with Union's Dining Service director and staff to create a program to purchase more products from local farmers. Another group could be at work in Sorum House discussing the enhanced use of microelectronics in industry, or a group in Wold House could brainstorm about innovative peace initiatives. Strategy: Promote interdisciplinary team projects. We will create more opportunities for research and service learning projects to be conducted by teams of students from different disciplines. Union has developed an increasing number of interdisciplinary programs, notably those that link engineering and the liberal arts. We do this in the recognition that innovative ideas frequently arise at the intersection of traditional disciplines. This mixing of skills, ideas, and backgrounds will demonstrate directly to students the value of bringing multiple perspectives to a problem. Innovative approaches result, whether the site is Union’s Aerogel lab, a collaboration between engineering and chemistry; the Sophomore Research Seminar, “Impossible Missions,” where students design new toys for third graders in the local community; or in Cordoba, where miniterm students create digital maps of historical sites. Strategy: Ensure that students understand they are part of an educational project with a long history and a distinctive position within higher education. We will cultivate students’ awareness of Union’s history and the responsibilities that come with being part of a long-standing educational project that has provided leadership to higher education and the world at large. Knowledge of the role that Union and its graduates have played will build institutional pride among our students and inspire them as they imagine their own future possibilities. By way of an example, the College might consider issuing a “call” to students, asking them to accept an invitation to join Union’s educational tradition and accept responsibility as stewards of both the College and the world that awaits them. Such a call might read: “As a Union student, you enter a tradition of innovation that dates to the Presidency of George Washington, and you become part of the history of our nation’s third century. Union is a visionary College that has always pushed the boundaries of higher education, being the first to add science, modern languages, and engineering to the classical liberal arts curriculum. We offer an integrative liberal education in which you will explore innovative ideas that lie at disciplinary boundaries, especially between engineering and the liberal arts. As a member of the Union community, you become not just a steward of an institution with a distinguished history and reputation, but you accept responsibility for the larger society and world in which you will live. Union will help you to imagine beneficial change in the world and to bring about that change.”
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