Union in the Media

Michael Eric Dyson, an academic, author and public intellectual, gave a talk commemorating the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. – “Dr. King's Dream: How Do We Get There?” – on Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Nott Memorial.

WRGB, the CBS affiliate in Albany, covered the talk. A clip is available at their news site.

Union has been awarded a grant from the renowned Howard Hughes Medical Institute to strengthen the study and teaching of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for all of its students.

The HHMI Inclusive Excellence 3 (IE3) initiative challenges U.S. colleges and universities “to substantially and sustainably build their capacity for student belonging, especially for those who have been historically excluded from the sciences.”

A nonprofit focused on research and philanthropy to advance science and education, HHMI will contribute $505,000 over six years to support the College’s efforts.

The Times Union wrote about the initiative. A subscription may be required to access the article.

An op-ed by Marcus Hotaling, director of the Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center and president of the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors, was featured by Inside Higher Ed.

The op-ed "Teletherapy: Campus Counseling Center Friend or Foe?" looks at the growing trend of campus counseling centers partnering with teletherapy companies.

Hotaling joined Union in 2007.

Marcus Hotaling, director of the Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center and president of the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors, was quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Hotaling shared his expertise on a new report about student-led programs as key mental health resources.

The AUCCCD is the largest organization of campus mental health leaders in the world. In his role, Hotaling helps guide campus mental health policy and initiatives at the national level.

He joined Union in 2007.

Andrea Barrett ’74, winner of the National Book Award, recently donated her archives to Union.

The materials include manuscripts and multiple drafts of most of her books, numerous notebooks filled with ideas, research notes, essays about writing and lectures given at writing conferences. The drafts contain margin notes, wholesale edits and other changes that demonstrate how much the work evolved over time.

The Daily Gazette spoke with Barrett about her gift, and the role Union has played in her life. A subscription may be needed to access the story.

The College recently worked with Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, the Schenectady Police Department and others to help Connor Hayhurst, a 15-year-old Ballston Spa teen, receive his wish to be a police officer for a day.

As part of the daylong event, the teen arrived at the Nott Memorial in the morning to investigate the “theft” of a painting. He processed several "clues," including a footprint left behind by the suspect.

After visiting other locations in the Capital Region, Connor recovered the "stolen" painting and returned to campus Tuesday afternoon aboard a State Police helicopter that landed on Rugby Field. He presented the painting to President David Harris as members of the campus community looked on.

The event was featured in the Daily Gazette (a subscription may be required to access content).

WRGB, the local CBS affiliate, was also on hand to cover the event.

Joshua Hart, associate professor of psychology, was quoted in Discover magazine in a piece titled, "The Psychology Behind Cults."

Hart and his student, Molly Graether ‘17, conducted research which suggests that people with certain personality traits and cognitive styles are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories.

Lori Marso, the Doris Zemurray Stone Professor of Modern Literary and Historical Studies, has written an essay for the Los Angeles Review of Books about writer-director Audrey Diwan’s critically acclaimed film, “Happening.”

Winner of the Venice Film Festival’s top prize in 2021, “Happening” chronicles the efforts of a college student in 1960s France to have an illegal abortion in order to continue her studies. Based on an autobiographical novel by Annie Ernaux, the film is timely because of the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

To read Marso’s essay, visit the Los Angeles Review of Books website.

Union celebrated its commencement on Sunday, June 12, with more than 500 members of the Class of 2022.

The featured speaker was Kate White '72.One of the first women to graduate from Union after the College began enrolling women full-time in 1970, White is a New York Times best-selling suspense novelist and former magazine editor-in-chief.

The Daily Gazette featured White and other members of her class in a front-page story about their experiences.

The newspaper also featured a photo gallery from commencement.

A subscription may be required to access the content.