March 2015 Union in the Media Archive

Publication Date

Visit by ESPN's Rob King a highlight of Union's Diversity Series

WAMC

Rob King, who oversees ESPN’s SportsCenter and News, will speak Thursday, April 2, at 5:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

His talk, “The Content of Our Character: How Storytellers ‘Color’ Stories,” is part of the Presidential Forum on Diversity series.

Before his talk, King was interviewed on WAMC, Northeast Public Radio's program, The Roundtable.

Northeast Public Radio is a member of National Public Radio serving parts of seven northeastern states. These include New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

Publication Date

Empty Bowls fundraiser works to fight hunger

The annual Empty Bowls Project fundraiser will be held on Sunday, April 19 in the GE Theater at Proctor’s.

Coordinated by student volunteers through the Kenney Community Center, the event will feature dinner, entertainment and a celebration of community. All proceeds from the event will benefit local charities, such as the Bethesda House, Schenectady City Mission and Concern for the Hungry. Celebrating its 25th year, Empty Bowls is a national, grassroots organization started as a student art project in Michigan.

Union students have created an assortment of handcrafted, unique pottery bowls. For a donation of $15 for adults and $10 for children and students, each guest will select a bowl and enjoy a simple meal of chili, salad and bread. Guests will keep the bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.

Over the last three years, Union students have raised more than $8,000 to help fight hunger, and this year they’re looking to raise at least $3,000, said event chair Jennifer Sexton ’15.

Entertainment at Empty Bowls will be provided throughout the evening and include the College’s a cappella groups, the Heavenly Voices Choir and Ill Funk Ensemble. Generous food donors include Dining Services, Bomber’s Burrito Car, Our Daily Bread and Laurie’s Gluten Free Goodness.

Tickets are available at the Kenney Community Center and also from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, March 29 and April 12 at the Schenectady Greenmarket. Tickets will also be available on the night of the event.

Publication Date

Congressional Corner with Brad Hays

WAMC

Bradley Hays, associate professor of political science, was a recent guest on "Congressional Corner" on WAMC, Northeast Public Radio. He discussed the recent controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email account.

Northeast Public Radio is a member of National Public Radio serving parts of seven northeastern states. These include New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

Publication Date

River revival: Mohawk advocates gathering support

THE SUNDAY GAZETTE

Union will host the annual Mohawk Watershed Symposium Friday, March 20, at College Park Hall.

This year’s theme is clean water and improving water quality in the watershed.

Now in its seventh year, the daylong symposium features dozens of oral and poster presentations on topics including flooding, fish and water quality, watershed management, climate change and water rights.

The conference is sponsored by the Geology Department and organized by John Garver, geology professor, and Jaclyn Cockburn, a former Union professor now at the University of Guelph , Ontario.

The Sunday Gazette recently did a story on some of the issues to be discussed at the symposium.

Publication Date

Dutchmen Dip raises $15K to take on cancer

THE DAILY GAZETTE

The College recently held its third annual Dutchmen Dip, an event to raise funds for students with cancer.

This year's event raised more than $15,000.

Publication Date

10 Minutes with Union College hockey coach Rick Bennett

MEGAN ROGERS - ALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW

Rick Bennett, men's hockey coach, was profiled as part of The Albany Business Review's popular feature, 10 Minutes With, in which key decision makers and leaders share leadership philosophy, motivation and turning points in their lives.

To read the article, click here (subscription may be required).

Publication Date

Strategic plan implementation grant process underway

Last year, a West Coast recruiter for Admissions, renovated study spaces in Schaffer Library and expanded faculty development programs were among the projects awarded special grants to support the Union’s Strategic Plan. This week, the 2015 grant application process got underway and the College’s Planning & Priorities Group (P&P) are eager to begin the review process of this year’s batch of projects.

“P&P looks forward to receiving proposals from all across campus,” said Therese McCarty, vice president for academic affairs and a key strategic plan implementation leader. “We will be grateful, as we were last year, for the creative and innovative ideas in support of the strategic plan put forward by many colleagues and offices."

Members of the campus community may apply for grants of one-to-two years’ duration in support of projects that contribute to fulfillment of the objectives of Union’s strategic plan. The total amount available for allocation in this second annual round of grant funding is approximately $180,000.

Two types of grant applications are available:

• Planning grants of $2000-$5000 (to facilitate project planning activities such as retreats, attending conferences, consulting outside experts)

• Implementation grants of $10,000 and up (to undertake projects) Successful implementation grant proposals will:

· Contribute to one or more of the 27 main projects identified for strategic plan implementation. For full list, see below.

· Indicate how project success will be measured or observed

· Indicate how the project will be continued beyond the proposed grant funding if the project relies on further support

· Focus on funding priorities other than compensation to current employees except in unusual circumstances

· Involve activities that are not eligible for other sources of funding at the College

Interested applicants should prepare a brief one-page description and a budget for the proposed project. The material should then be directed to the senior staff member who heads the applicant’s responsibility center by Apr. 15. A member of P&P will contact the proposer if any further information is needed. Project awards will be made in Jun. and funds will be available Jul. 1.

The College’s Strategic Plan web site provides easy access to information related to the planning process. In addition, the College’s Strategic Plan Nexus site provides additional documents related to the plan.

Strategic Plan Implementation Projects

Project#

Project name

1

Visual Arts renovation

2

Science & Engineering renovation

3

Equipment maintenance

4

Student skill development

5

Emerging technologies

6

Big questions

7

Diversity

8

Academic quality

9

Student retention

10

Behavior

11

Residence halls

12

Wellness

13

Leveraging our resources

14

Campus facilities

15

Endowment and development

16

Sustainability

17

Fourth revenue streams

18

Location

19

Advising

20

Study abroad

21

Academic support

22

Union history

23

Communication

24

Humanities renovation

25

Human resources

26

Integrated thought and action

27

Accomplishment and reputation

Publication Date

You can teach an old dog new tricks

NEWSWEEK

Christopher Chabris, associate professor of psychology, provided expert opinion on new research from neuroscientists at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital which reveals that different parts of the brain work best at different ages.

Chabris's insight on the study has been included in a number of media outlets.

To read a piece in Newsweek, click here.

Publication Date

People in the news

Robert Olberg, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of Life Sciences, co-authored the cover story of the Jan. 15 edition of Nature. The article is titled “Internal models direct dragonfly interception steering” and can be read here.

Cay Anderson-Hanley, associate professor of psychology, gave a talk, “Move it and Use it or Lose it? The Role of Mental and Physical Exercise in Cognitive Aging," for the Department of Psychology's Seminar Series at the National University of Ireland in Galway. Results were presented from a pilot of the Aerobic and Cognitive Exercise Study started when Anderson-Hanley was a Fulbright Scholar in Ireland in 2013. Irish older adults from Galway exercised using a cyber-cycle at the St. Francis Adult Day Program. Collaborators include Nikita Shah '14 and Ariella Yazdani '15, who traveled to NUIG to assist with the research for the past two years.

Publication Date

Union College student’s green initiatives given go-ahead

THE DAILY GAZETTE

Sara Covelli ’17 recently won a Presidential Green Grant that will be used to create the College's first rain garden.

Now in its seventh year, the program supports environmentally sustainable projects at Union, and is open to faculty, staff and students. Since it was launched, grants totaling nearly $120,000 have been awarded to support 81 projects.

Her project was featured in The Daily Gazette.

Learn more the Green Grants and other project winners