Below are award winners honored at the Alumni Convocation and the Engineering Awards Reception during ReUnion '11. The citations printed below are excerpted from the Convocation program.
Alumni Gold Medals recognize alumni and faculty who have demonstrated distinguished service to the College.
Donald S. Feigenbaum, Ph.D. `46
Union College, with its long history of innovation, owes much of its success to alumni like you who are global leaders in their field. General Systems, the management and engineering firm that you co-founded with your brother, Armand, of the Class of 1942, is a world-renowned enterprise that has implemented total quality management systems across a range of corporations, organizations and governments worldwide. Union is fortunate to have benefitted from your wisdom and experience. You have also been generous with your time and energy. Since 1996 you have hosted the annual Feigenbaum Forum at which you and Armand have led discussions with Union’s leaders about the mission and direction of the College. Much of our recent success as an institution can be attributed to the ideas that were borne at the Forum. Your generosity has supported the mission of the College. It is fitting that your family name adorns the College’s administration building, the renovation of which you made possible. Your honors are many and well deserved. At Union, you received an honorary doctor of science degree and, with Armand, an award as an outstanding engineering alumnus. You have received honorary degrees from the University of Massachusetts and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. You are a well respected citizen in your hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where you and your brother have supported a variety of cultural and historic causes. The naming of Feigenbaum Hall at the Berkshire Museum in 2008 was a fitting tribute to your investment in your local community. On behalf of the Alumni Council of Union College, I am pleased to present you with this honor: the Alumni Gold Medal, citation and certificate.
Stuart E. Cohen `61
Your impact on Union has been tremendous since you graduated with an economics degree in 1961. You’ve been an associate agent of the Annual Fund for 28 years. As a loyal supporter of its efforts, you’ve helped provide generations of students with unparalleled educational experiences while simultaneously propelling Union to new heights. As a ReUnion volunteer since 1984, you’ve served your class and made it easy for alumni to maintain or increase their engagement with the College. Having been a member of the Alumni Council for the last two decades, you’ve been instrumental in upholding the strong, productive communication channels among alumni and between alumni and Union’s Board of Trustees. You’ve done all of this, Stu, while raising a family and operating your own business, Stuart Cohen Accounting, here in Schenectady. You even use your skills as a certified public accountant to audit and prepare taxes for the Alumni Council on a pro bono basis. We are so grateful to have you and several members of your family as proud alumni of the Union Community. In 2001, we showed our gratitude with a Special Appreciation Award. Today, we’d like to do so again. It is my pleasure to recognize you with this Alumni Gold Medal citation and certificate.
John E. Kelly III, Ph.D. `76
It’s no exaggeration to say you’re devoted to your alma mater. As a trustee for the past 8 years, you’ve supported the enrichment and advancement of Union on multiple levels. In 2006, you and your wife, Helen-Jo, made possible the John E. Kelly III ’76 Digital Arts Lab, an interdisciplinary endeavor between the Visual Arts and Computer Science departments. You’re also an active member of the ARCH Society, and have contributed significantly to the new Peter Irving Wold Center. The Kelly Advanced Computing Lab, located within this facility, will be a digital sandbox where generations of students will uncover the wonders of cutting-edge data and image analysis, modeling and simulation, and high-end computer graphics. The lab truly positions Union to take a leadership role in the integration of computational methods across disciplines, creating opportunities for students of all fields to deepen their educational experiences with innovative technology.
Innovation is something you know well. As senior vice president and director of research at IBM, you’re at the helm of the company’s inventive and pioneering efforts. It’s a position you’ve thrived in. Just last year, John, you received the Semiconductor Industry Association’s highest honor – the Robert N. Noyce Award. In 2004, you were recognized with the MIKE Award at the Tech Valley Summit. Since earning your physics degree in 1976, you’ve remained dedicated to the success of this region and Union College. We’re pleased and thankful to have you. On behalf of the Alumni Council, I am pleased to recognize your confident and valuable leadership by presenting you with this Alumni Gold Medal, citation and certificate
The Faculty Meritorious Service Award goes to a faculty member or member of the Union College community who has rendered exceptional service to the College.
Carol S. Weisse - Professor of Psychology and Director of Health Professions
Teacher. Mentor. Volunteer. We’d be hard-pressed to find someone who better exemplifies those three titles, or who combines the attributes of these roles to develop well-rounded and compassionate graduates who will go on to become health care providers. As a professor of psychology, you have taught courses ranging from introductory psychology to cognitive neuroscience. In all of your courses you bring to students an understanding of the vital importance of maintaining humanity, particularly with patients and families facing the end of life. As a mentor, you have guided hundreds of students through the College’s hallmark National Health Systems term abroad program, which exposes students to best practices worldwide. You have developed a Hospice training program and directed student interns working with Hospice programs in Africa. You have developed an impressive network of alumni health care providers and researchers who readily share their wisdom and experience with our students. You also have marshaled perhaps thousands of pages of student applications for medical and dental programs, and not a few at the last minute. As a volunteer you practice what you preach; that compassion requires a direct connection with those in need. You have been a director of Schenectady Community Home, a Hospice volunteer and trainer, and a volunteer at the Joan Nicole Prince home, a comfort care home for the dying. To all these you have brought dozens of students who have made a difference in others lives and their own. I am pleased to recognize your service as a teacher, mentor and volunteer by presenting you with the Alumni Council’s Faculty Meritorious Service Award.
Engineering Alumni Awards go to alumni who are working as dynamic leaders and who show a commitment to their profession and community.
William B. Marx, Jr. '61, of Village of Golf, Fla. (Dean's Award)
Dr. R. Allen Miller ‘66, of Columbus, Ohio (Dean's Award)
Mark A. Skolnik '76 of Great Falls, Va. (Gold Award – Electrical Engineering)
Robin N. Stevenson '06, of Jersey City, N.J. (Silver Award - Electrical Engineering)
Charles Becht, Ph.D. '76, of Morristown, N.J. (Gold Award – Civil Engineering)
Jason R. Allen '01, of Niskayuna, N.Y., (Gold Award – Mechanical Engineering)
David C. Korim ‘06, of Albany, N.Y. (Silver Award – Mechanical Engineering)