Union officially ushered in a new era with the inauguration Friday afternoon of Elizabeth Kiss as its 20th president.
Elizabeth Kiss was inaugurated as the College's 20th president Friday afternoon in Memorial Chapel. Kiss is the first woman to lead Union in its 230-year history
Kiss (pronounced quiche) assumed the presidency July 1. She took over for David Harris, who stepped down in June after seven years as president.
Kiss is the first woman to lead Union in its 230-year history.
Before formally installing Kiss as Union’s president in a ceremony replete with tradition and pageantry in Memorial Chapel, Julie Greifer Swidler '79, chair of the Board of Trustees, recalled what the search committee hoped to find in its new president.
“We were looking for a unicorn,” Swidler said. “An experienced educator with a commitment for the broad and deep education that is the hallmark of Union, while understanding the challenging times we face, and the need for change that will make our beloved institution stronger. Once we met Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, we knew we had found our unicorn.”
She then presented Kiss with the school medallion and the seal of Union University. Kiss also is the chancellor of Union University.
Looking out at the audience gathered for the historic moment, which included her husband, Jeff, her sister, Barbara, and many friends and former colleagues from her past stops before Union, Kiss touched on what makes Union unique.
She first encountered one of the core facets of the Union spirit back in 1983, but she didn’t know it at the time. She was a graduate student at Oxford and was introduced to a visiting professor, Baruch Samuel Blumberg ‘46, whose work led to an effective hepatitis B vaccine and earned him a Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Blumberg, or Barry as he was known to Kiss and her future husband, Jeff, quickly became a mentor to Kiss and others. He advised them to read and study wisely, and to not let a narrow understanding of professional or disciplinary identity or success keep you from following your curiosity.
“Barry Blumberg was a breath of fresh air, offering me an incredible role model of an agile, innovative, cross-disciplinary thinker, someone who draws on multiple tools and perspectives to ask questions, figure things out and solve problems,” she said.
“I’ve come to appreciate more and more how that capacity to make new connections and to keep fearlessly following your curiosity is critical to leadership and innovation, and to every human effort to build a better world.”
She noted the contributions of Charles Proteus Steinmetz, who founded the College’s electrical engineering department in 1902. Steinmetz argued it was critical for engineering students to be exposed to the liberal arts, which he said would “imbue them with the spirit of divine discontent, for without it the world would stand still.”
President Elizabeth Kiss exits Memorial Chapel with her spouse Jeff Holzgrefe, who served as a delegate for Oxford University, which is where the couple met.
During her first few months on campus, Kiss said she has witnessed many examples of how Union embodies its values, from the care and compassion of its staff and faculty, its coaches’ admonitions to its athletes to be graceful in victory as well as in defeat, and in the many efforts across campus and beyond to build bridges and nurture understanding and inclusion.
“Union has weathered many storms over the past 230 years,” Kiss said. “During this challenging time for higher education, when we are called to prepare students to lead successful and impactful lives in a world shaped by new technologies and buffeted by climate change, geopolitical conflict, political polarization and a rising tide of global authoritarianism, it is more important than ever to center ourselves around our core values of free inquiry, curiosity and the cultivation of wisdom, empathy and courage.”
The daughter of Hungarian refugees who fled the country during the 1956 revolution, she cited the words of her father, who emerged with his heart and soul intact after being a political prisoner under both the Nazis and the Communists in Hungary.
“He used to say that it was important to remember that some things endure: learning, curiosity, beauty and love.”
From 2018 to this past January, Kiss served as CEO of the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, U.K
She also spent 12 years as president of Agnes Scott College, a private women's liberal arts college outside of Atlanta.
Marvin Krislov, president of Pace University, met Kiss when both were Rhodes Scholars more than 40 years ago. He describes her as someone who brings people together, pays attention to the world and believes in making it better. Her career reflects those same values, he said, and that she is a natural fit for Union.
“In every role, Elizabeth leads with vision, clarity and care,” said Krislov, who was invited by Kiss to offer remarks on behalf of the academy. “She listens deeply. She asks the hard questions. And she doesn’t settle for what’s easy—she reaches for what’s right.
“Union College, you have chosen a president who will challenge you—to be bolder, more inclusive, more ambitious. She will guide your community with empathy and strength. And she will inspire you to do more, to go further, and to rise to the moment.”
The ceremony featured a number of notable performances from members of the campus community.
Adonis Richards, program coordinator in the Office of Intercultural Affairs, was recently selected as the city of Schenectady’s first poet laureate. He shared a special poem he composed for the inauguration, “True to U.”
“There once stood a college so true/With a dome that touched skies crisp and blue/Now Kiss takes the helm/Guides this storied realm/As Union writes brand new chapters’/Stay Tru, Stay Tru to U,” Richards read.
The program opened with “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,” performed by the Union College and Community Brass Chamber Orchestra.
The ceremony included a dance performance to U2’s “Beautiful Day” choreographed by Laurie Zabele Cawley, director of dance.
Other highlights included a vocal performance of “Be the Hero” from the Broadway musical, “Big Fish” by Lauren Coletti 27 and a dance performance to U2’s “Beautiful Day” choreographed by Laurie Zabele Cawley, director of dance.
The ceremony commenced with a procession of faculty, trustees, alumni and delegates from dozens of colleges and universities to the chapel.
Special guests included past presidents David Harris and Roger Hull, and two of Union’s oldest living alumni, Dante Scaccia ’45, who turns 100 this weekend, and Burk Ketcham ’48.
Greetings were offered by a number of faculty, staff, student and alumni representatives, along with community leaders. They included Stacie Raucci, College Marshal and the Frank Bailey Professor of Classics; Kristina Striegnitz, associate professor of computer science and chair of the Faculty Executive Committee; Kassandra Smeltzer ’26, Student Forum president; Tess Gould ’13, president of the Alumni Council and a trustee; and Daniel Mahar, information security officer and chair of Union Staff Council.
Following the formal ceremony, Kiss was later honored at the women’s hockey game between Union and the University of New Hampshire at the M&T Bank Center at Mohawk Harbor. The arena is the new home for men’s and women’s hockey.
The inauguration, which coincides with Homecoming and Family Weekend, kicked off Thursday with a symposium in the Nott Memorial centered around how a Union education prepares students for a future with AI.
The celebration continues 6 p.m. Saturday with a welcome reception in the Nott Memorial featuring food and music. The weekend event wraps up with dessert at 7:45 p.m. in a tent at South Lane, followed by fireworks.