Greetings from the Parent Association Chair
Welcome to Union College. As the parent of a Union College student, now part of a select group since 1795, you will be amazed and proud when you recognize the reach of Union alumni. Many of America’s foremost thinkers and innovators began right here in Schenectady.
Parents are encouraged to be active (within reason) in the life of their college students. All parents of current students are members of the Parent Association and can voice their ideas about campus life. Thanks to our input and involvement, our children transition from home to adulthood in just a few short years. We can help in so many ways at Union, continuing to enrich everyone’s life by sharing our time and professional experience with others in the Union community.
Depending on the contributions of our parent volunteers each year, we are able to fulfill a few different missions. We place telephone calls to incoming families; create a network of Union parents by hosting meetings; open our work spaces to students for paid or unpaid internships, represent Union at college fairs in our towns and cities; and sponsor a welcome table on campus during Homecoming Weekend. See more opportunities at our Volunteer Page.
Homecoming and Family Weekend, which takes place at the end of October, marks the first time during the school year families can meet, greet and question faculty members and administrators who are in charge of our students’ well-being. Attending the Parent Association meeting, going on school tours, sitting in on classes, seeing different sports teams play (my son plays lacrosse) are a few of the opportunities to join in and enjoy while on campus.
There are also many ways to participate in the Parent Fund, chaired by Vivian Falco. An important part of the Annual Fund, the Parent Fund provides resources that impact the lives of all Union students in a variety of areas, from academic programs to financial aid. To learn more, please visit the Parent Fund Page. Vivian and I encourage you to show your support of this wonderful college. As you have guessed, parental participation is our major goal.
Our Parent Association is represented on campus through Family Leadership Giving Director Pamela Ritter and her assistant, Lisa Mason. They ensure that we, as parents, remain in the know. Do give us your e-mail address so we can make sure to keep you in the loop.
Thank you in advance for your support of Union and your involvement with us. I look forward to meeting many of you in the months to come.
Take care,
Julia Blanchard (Nick ‘10 and Ellen ‘12)
Parent Association Chair