A Union Education Opens Doors
For more than two centuries, Union College has proudly watched its alumni go on to greatness in a wide range of fields and leave an indelible mark on society. From authors to athletes, politicians to playwrights, college presidents to a U.S. President... our alumni take their Union education into the world and use it to make an impact.
"I learned how to work hard, to write hard. . . if I didn't have those skills, I wouldn't be where I am now."
Ben Schwartz '03, Hollywood Actor and Writer
It would be impossible to list all of our accomplished and impressive graduates, but below are just a few. Check out our Wikipedia site for a more complete history of our illustrious alumni.
- Rawson Marshall Thurber '97: Filmmaker and TV producer (Dodgeball, Magnum P.I.)
- Nikki Stone, '95: Olympic gold medalist (freestyle aerial ski jumping) at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan
- Dylan Ratigan '94: Anchor and co-creator of CNBC's Fast Money
- Kathy Magliato '85: Renowned cardiothoracic transplant surgeon
- Sue Goldie '84: Public health researcher and recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant
- Ilene Landress '83: Executive producer, The Sopranos
- Richard Templeton '80: CEO, Texas Instruments
- Andrea Barrett '74: National Book Award winner; Pulitzer Prize finalist for fiction; recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant
- Kate White '72: Former Editor-in-chief, Cosmopolitan magazine
- Ted Berger '72: Biomedical pioneer and developer of the bionic brain
- Phil Robinson '71: Screenwriter and director (Field of Dreams, Sneakers, Sum of All Fears)
- Alan Horn '64: Chairman of Walt Disney Studios; co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment. Producer of Seinfeld, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, A Few Good Men, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and the Harry Potter movies
- Baruch Samuel Blumberg '46: Winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine (discovered the hepatitis B virus)
- R. Gordon Gould '41: Inventor of the laser
- Robert Patterson '12: Under Secretary of War under President Franklin Roosevelt; Secretary of War under President Harry Truman
- Chester Arthur 1848: 21st U.S. president
- William Henry Seward 1820: Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State
