www.union.edu/Presidents/
Seventeenth president of Union College, September 1, 1990-June 30, 2005
Roger H. Hull advanced the College in five key areas:
The College launched a major initiative called Converging Technologies to better integrate the liberal arts and technology. CT at Union encourages creative thought from faculty and students to bridge those disciplines, and programs are being developed in such areas as bioengineering, mechatronics, nanotechnology, neurosciences, and pervasive computing.
Hull was instrumental in the start of Union’s Minerva Houses, a new approach to academic, social, and residential life that combines a house system with traditional residence halls, theme houses, and fraternities and sororities. All students and faculty are affiliated with Minerva Houses, which are developing new and exciting ways to contribute to the intellectual, cultural, and social life on campus.
Long interested in international education, he expanded terms abroad and exchanges to two dozen countries. Today, more than 50 percent of Union’s students study abroad at some point, a figure that ranks Union among the top dozen international programs at American colleges.
Opportunities for student independent study and research expanded significantly under Hull, and Union regularly sends one of the largest student contingents to the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research. More than 10 percent of Union’s students have majors that combine work in two or more academic departments, and the College’s annual Charles Steinmetz Symposium showcases the intellectual, creative and research activities of more than 300 students.
Committed to cooperative efforts between college and community, Hull was co-founder of Schenectady 2000, an extensive revitalization project for the city of Schenectady, and created the Union-Schenectady Initiative, a plan to revitalize the neighborhood to the immediate west of campus. During the latter years of Hull’s tenure, the College invested more than $26 million in projects, including the renovation of the former Ramada Inn into College Park Hall, a residence for 230 upperclass students. Through the College’s Kenney Community Center, more than 60 percent of Union’s students perform volunteer service in the local community and schools.
In 2004, Hull announced a $200-million fundraising campaign that will strengthen Union in a number of key areas. The College’s most recent campaign, which celebrated Union’s bicentennial in 1995, raised more than $150 million. Hull was the driving force behind the construction or renovation of 25 buildings on campus, including restoration of the Nott Memorial, Union's 16-sided centerpiece building; construction of the F.W. Olin Center, a high-technology center; construction of the Yulman Theater, renovation and expansion of Schaffer Library; construction of the Viniar Athletic Center; and renovation and expansion of Messa Rink at Achilles Center.
A native of New York City, Hull earned his B.A. degree cum laude from Dartmouth College, his law degree from Yale Law School, and his master's degree in law and his Doctor of Juridical Science degree from the University of Virginia. From 1967 to 1971, he was an attorney with White & Case in New York City. In 1971, he became special counsel to Gov. Linwood Holton of Virginia, responsible for the administration's legislative program. Three years later, he joined the National Security Council's Interagency Task Force on the Law of the Sea as a special assistant to the chairman and deputy staff director.
In 1976, Hull joined Syracuse University, where he served as vice president for development and planning and as adjunct professor of international law. He served as president of Beloit College for nine years and was inaugurated as the 17th president of Union College in the fall of 1990.
He was succeeded by James E. Underwood, who served as interim president through July 1, 2006.
Image courtesy of Union College, Office of Communications