April 4, 2025
Dear Union College Community Member:
As the calendar turns to spring, I wanted to provide a brief update on the Board of Trustees winter meeting, which was held the first week of March.
The highlight of an engaging set of committee meetings and full board sessions was the approval of the new engineering and computer science (ECSI) building. The $60 million building will be funded completely with donor funds, including a lead gift from Rich and Mary Templeton, both class of 1980, that was announced in April 2024.
The ECSI building will be located adjacent to the Integrated Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) facility, which opened in 2019, and will have a covered walkway connecting the two buildings. The second phase of the project will result in extensive renovations to nearby Butterfield Hall and the demolition of Steinmetz Hall.
Work on the ECSI building begins this fall with an anticipated opening in the fall of 2027. This latest development, which has received enthusiastic board support, will further strengthen Union’s distinct place as a college that offers top-tier engineering and computer science programs in a vibrant liberal arts setting. We are deeply appreciative of all donors who made this project possible, especially Rich and Mary Templeton, whose generosity continues to transform Union.
On the subject of strengthening Union’s academic profile, the Trustees also heard about plans to add three new minors starting this fall, in climate change studies, civil engineering and musical theater and vocal performance. These new programs, come on the heels of the recent additions of civil and environmental engineering majors, which have proven to be extremely popular with students already, and are indicative of the culture of continuous improvement in place at the College.
Honoring President Harris
As you know, President David Harris last fall announced his plans to retire from Union on June 30 after seven years as president. He has done a superb job in leading the College through some extraordinary challenges, such as the COVD-10 pandemic. He also has been instrumental in some of our greatest successes, including the completion of the record-setting Powering Union capital campaign and the agreement that led to the construction of the new arena at Mohawk Harbor that will be home to our men and women’s hockey teams starting this fall. Throughout his presidency, David has been an unwaveringly positive force on campus and has led Union with wisdom, empathy and courage.
Other meeting highlights:
- The Admissions committee received some good preliminary news on the enrollment season for this fall. Interest in Union remains strong, with applications at their highest level ever, and early data on acceptances is positive. Helping the situation was the successful release of the federal student aid applications on schedule in Decemberwhich were delayed by several months last year and believed to be at least partly responsible for our enrollment challenges with the current first-year class.
- The College Relations committee shared good news from the ‘Illuminate the Future of Learning’ fall giving challenge, in which nearly $1.1 million was raised from approximately 1,200 donors. The challenge culminated in the announcement of Ewo Harrell ’10 as the inaugural Illuminator of the Year for her peer-to-peer fundraising work.
- The Communications and Marketing committee received an update on efforts to drive Admissions yield through increased social media content as well as targeted email outreach to prospective students. The latest work is the continuation of ongoing efforts to better align the college’s communication and marketing work with our admissions strategy.
- In the Facilities committee we learned about exciting work being done to develop a residential master plan for the campus. As a first step, the College has purchased two homes on Union Avenue, which will become off-campus student housing options. We also have plans to turn the area immediately west of campus into a residential precinct for upper-class students. These efforts will allow us to begin offering more off-campus housing options to students, increasing student satisfaction, while capturing more revenue.
- Our students continue to excel in the classroom, playing fields and in the community. Here are just a few examples that were shared in the Student Affairs committee.
- Senior Maren Friday was awarded the Mandi Schwartz Scholar-Athlete of the Year – the top honor given by the ECAC hockey league to recognize academic and athletic achievement among women hockey players. Maren, a native of Duluth, MN, is a mechanical engineering major with a 4.0 GPA who also has been one of our top performers on the ice throughout her time at Union.
- Last fall, the College launched Community Connections as an online resource for the community to explore community engagement opportunities and partners around the Capital District. Students, faculty and staff can also record their community engagement hours through the website. More than 1,100 students have created an account on Community Connections, logging more than 2,200 hours of community engagement in a single term.
- The Board also learned about the success of our Class of 2024 as can be seen on our career dashboard. A major takeaway from our first destination survey, which drew responses from nearly 90 percent of the class, was that 71 percent of our most recent grads are employed and 26 percent were on their way to graduate study – another sign of the power of a Union education.
As always, I am extremely appreciative of the outstanding work being done by our students, faculty and staff. Likewise, I am grateful to my fellow Trustees and our alumni who continue to support our great institution.
Sincerely,
Julie Greifer Swidler ‘79
Chair – Union College Board of Trustees