June 2025
Dear Union Community Member:
As commencement approaches, and with it the end to another successful academic year, I want to share some highlights from the most recent Board of Trustees meeting held last month on campus.
The May meeting was the finale for President David Harris, who departs Union on June 30 after seven outstanding years as our 19th president. David’s tenure has been marked by too many accomplishments to list in this space, but he has proven to be the ideal person to guide the College through the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic – as well as the significant headwinds that have buffeted higher education in the years since.
David has been a constant presence on the Union campus who has worked tirelessly to promote a sense of belonging for everyone, especially our students. It’s not unusual to see him chatting with a student on campus or to hear him enthusiastically share interesting details about one of our “great kids,” which he learned because he took the time to ask questions and then really listen to the answers.
Under David’s leadership, Union also has enjoyed historical fundraising success. He spearheaded our record-breaking Powering Union campaign and secured the two largest gifts in Union’s history, from Mary and Rich Templeton, both class of 1980, which are the foundation of resurgent engineering and computer science programs.
David also cares about Schenectady, which he has promoted at every turn since meeting the mayor on his first day as president. A visible legacy of David’s commitment to the union of “town and gown” will open this fall when the Mohawk Harbor Events Center becomes home to Union’s men’s and women’s hockey teams.
In these ways, and many others, David leaves Union a better place than he found it. To honor David’s contributions to the College, the Board was delighted to rename Green House, one of our Minerva residences, to Harris House at a ceremony and community celebration to kick off our spring meeting.
Discussing Union’s finances, passing a budget
The business portion of the meeting was dominated by a spirited and in-depth discussion regarding the College’s finances and, ultimately, passage of the fiscal 2026 budget. Approximately two-thirds of Union’s revenue comes from net student revenue – the cost Union charges students minus the amount of financial aid we provide students – and the past two years have been challenging from an enrollment perspective for Union, and many other liberal arts institutions.
We won’t have final enrollment numbers until the fall, and our Admissions team and their partners across the campus continue to work to attract more new students. Still, it is clear that our incoming class of first-year students will be smaller than anticipated, putting even more emphasis on the College’s cost structure in the coming year.
The budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 1, reflects the administration’s commitment to bringing the College’s costs in line with the expected revenue, with the help of an additional withdrawal from the Union endowment. Incoming President Elizabeth Kiss is in alignment with the strategy recommended by the administration and supported by the Board, and is extremely excited to begin her tenure on July 1.
Breaking ground on a new chapter for engineering and computer science
The Board also approved the design and construction of a new engineering and computer science building that will connect to the Integrated Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC). The new building will contain enhanced lab and teaching spaces, as well as faculty offices, and will eventually allow the College to bring down aging Steinmetz Hall. Construction begins this summer, and the building is expected to open in time for the 2027-2028 academic year. The $60 million project is completely funded by donors, including a generous lead gift from Templetons.
Highlights from the committee meetings include:
Academic Affairs
The Board approved the promotions of six talented faculty members: three received tenure at the rank of associate professor and three already-tenured faculty were promoted to full professor. The promotion process at Union is thorough, and gaining greater insight into the outstanding work being done by our faculty makes me even more proud of the education we provide our students. Michele Angrist, the Stephen J. and Diane K. Ciesinksi Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, also shared the news that eight new tenure-track faculty are prepared to join us in the fall.
Admissions
As mentioned, enrollment levels for this fall as of May 1 – the traditional end to the recruiting season - were lower than expected, driven to a large extent by a significant drop in international enrollment due to the uncertainty around federal immigration policy. Based on the information we have been able to gather from many of our peers, Union’s overall enrollment challenges this year are not unusual and the team already is hard at work on strategies for next year’s incoming class.
On a more positive note, total College enrollment this spring was 1,957, somewhat above our earlier projections. This speaks to continued improvement in retaining existing students and our ongoing efforts to attract transfer students.
College Relations
The College’s annual ADAY4U fundraiser in April was a success, generating a record number of gifts (3,200+) and more than $1.1 million in donations. The event was highlighted by nearly $400,000 in challenge or matching gifts that helped drive participation as well as a significant increase in on-campus activity that resulted in a 30 percent increase in the number of student gifts.
Communications and Marketing
Vice President Mark Land shared news of the promotion of two staff members into new or expanded roles, effective July 1. Christen Gowan, currently director of social media and content strategy, will become Assistant Vice President for Content Strategy and Rachel McNeil will become social media manager. These moves, which were made without increasing the organization's budget, are part of an ongoing realignment as the team continues to strengthen its focus on providing strategic and creative support for the College’s admissions marketing and alumni engagement work.
Facilities and Environment
The Board heard about plans to enhance the dining spaces at Reamer Campus Center over the summer. The work will add seating, create private dining and meeting spaces and create a larger and more extensive “grab and go” dining space – stocked by the Union Bon Appetit team - to provide greater convenience and options for our community members. Other dining-related changes coming in the fall include expanded hours and menu options at the Rathskeller and the closure of the West dining hall, which is by far the least used venue on campus.
Investment
Despite the recent volatility in the markets, the value of Union's endowment remains above $550 million. Through March (the most recent quarterly update) our year-to-date return for the first nine months of fiscal 2025 was 4.2 percent, equal to our policy benchmark. Likewise, our average annual return over the past 15 years is also on par with our benchmark at 7.5 percent.
Student Affairs
Career Center Executive Director Roger Woolsey provided information about Union’s continued success in helping our students find pathways to financial and business careers and shared interesting information about where our graduates go after leaving Union, much of which can be found at our ‘first destination’ page on the Union website. The Career Center also recently awarded its fourth annual entrepreneurship grant to a student team through its SparkLab competition, and the fall mini-term Finance Bootcamp program in New York City – made possible through the generosity of alumni associated with the Union Financial Network – has become one of our most popular experiential learning programs.
The past year has been a challenging one for many in higher education and the external shocks to academia from the federal government in recent months have only increased those challenges. That said, Union’s upcoming commencement – which will feature an address from one of our successful alumni, Wall Street Journal reporter Joanna Stern – serves as a great reminder about the important work the College continues to do.
As we say goodbye and thank you to David Harris, and hello to Union’s 20th president, Elizabeth Kiss, I remain as convinced as ever that Union’s future remains bright.
As always, my deep appreciation goes out to my fellow Board members, all our alumni and especially to the outstanding faculty and staff who make the Union experience possible.
Sincerely,
Julie Greifer Swidler ‘79
Chair – Union College Board of Trustees