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The Union College Board of Trustees has endorsed a comprehensive strategic plan - The Plan for Union - designed to strengthen the education offered at the College and enhance its competitive standing among America's leading institutions of higher learning.
The five-year plan, which addresses all facets of the College, from expanding its academic resources to enhancing intellectual life outside the classroom, was approved at the winter meeting of the Union board of trustees. The total cost to implement the plan is estimated at $220 million.
The Union College Board of Trustees has endorsed a comprehensive strategic plan - The Plan for Union - designed to strengthen the education offered at the College and enhance its competitive standing among America's leading institutions of higher learning.
The five-year plan, which addresses all facets of the College, from expanding its academic resources to enhancing intellectual life outside the classroom, was approved at the winter meeting of the Union board of trustees. The total cost to implement the plan is estimated at $220 million.
'The history of Union has been marked by bold and innovative decisions which enhanced education at the College, from the introduction of romance languages and engineering, to the establishment and encouragement of Greek Societies, to the admission of women,' Union's Chairman of the Board David B. Chapnick '59 said. 'I am confident that the Plan for Union will be a transforming event in the history of Union College.'
'With this Plan, we are investing our resources in the essential elements that have served this college well for more than 200 years - an exceptionally talented faculty and student body, first-rate facilities and educational resources, and an enriching co-curricular experience,' Union President Roger Hull said. 'It represents a careful balance of a respect for Union tradition and a recognition that change - both incremental and fundamental - is necessary.'
A central objective of The Plan for Union is to enhance social and residential life at the College. To that end Union will establish a House System. Designed to contribute intellectual, cultural, and social events to the campus, the House System will be implemented over the next four years, and every Union student will be assigned randomly to membership in one of the 19 houses prior to arriving as a freshman.
Over the last two years, a campus-based committee comprised of students, faculty, staff and alumni was created to propose a set of reforms that would preserve the traditions of Greek life that are consistent with an academic community that values open inquiry, seriousness of purpose, diversity of opinion, and a broad and equitable choice of residential and social options.
The committee, called U2K, recommended the House System as a way to both continue many of the traditions of Greek letter societies at Union and offer viable, intellectually rich social and residential alternatives for students. The U2K proposal, modified slightly by President Hull, was supported by a special committee of the board of trustees. The full Board adopted the proposed House System and recommended that the College establish a common alcohol policy consistent with the spirit of U2K.
'The establishment of the House System is the single most important academic initiative we will undertake in this plan,' said Christina Sorum, Union Dean of the Faculty. 'The underlying premise of a residential liberal arts college is that the living and learning environments are inseparable. The adoption of the U2K proposal and the implementation of the Plan for Union tightens the link between the academic and social life of the College.'
Union Trustee Thomas Hitchcock '66, chair of the trustee Special Committee on Student Social Life and Housing, added, 'This framework for social and residential life is born out of Union's willingness to change in pursuit of its highest calling as a small liberal arts college of international caliber; it builds on the College's proud heritage of academic and social innovation.'
Other elements of the Plan for Union will enable the College to:
'Colleges don't stand still; they either fall back or move forward,' President Hull added. 'The Plan for Union is a bold attempt to move Union forward and have it become an even stronger institution.'
Founded in 1795, the first college chartered by the Regents of the State of New York, Union is an independent, coeducational liberal arts college. In 1845, Union became the first liberal arts college to offer engineering. Today, Union is a recognized leader in both undergraduate research and international study; the College offers academic programs in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. Union's 2000 students come from more than 35 states and two-dozen other countries.