The Planning and Priorities committee (P and P) has announced the latest round of special grants that support the College’s Strategic Plan.
In spring 2013, Union unveiled a reshaped strategic plan. Drawing from key strengths outlined in the College’s 2007 version, the ambitious plan provides a blueprint that strengthens and enhances Union's position as a highly selective national liberal arts college that “produces graduates who make important contributions to humanity.”
Last year, the committee approved 13 of 18 projects, totaling $208,000.
This year, the committee again invited the campus community to apply for one or two-year grants:
• Planning grants of $2,000-$5,000 (to facilitate project planning activities such as retreats, attending conferences, consulting outside experts).
• Implementation grants of $10,000 and up (to undertake specific projects).
The grant proposals needed to involve activities that were not eligible for other sources of College funding. They must also have clearly contributed to one or more of the 27 main projects identified for Strategic Plan implementation.
For this second round, the committee approved 11 of 28 submitted projects for a total of $180,000. In brief, the monies go to:
• The Union College Concert Series, for promotion in regional and national media outlets.
• Political Science Department, to re-launch and re-invigorate a local political internships course
• Office of Admissions to enhance diversity outreach by paying transportation costs for students to visit campus, and to place ads in publications targeting students from diverse backgrounds
• Kelly Adirondack Center, to launch a lecture series, “Young Leaders, Diversity and the Environment”
• Expand the bystander intervention training to combat sexual assault
• Create the Union College Idea Lab, an interdisciplinary project that will foster creative and innovative thinking
• Develop an online end-of-care community-based learning program and palliative care fellowships
• Fund a two-year fulltime historical records project archivist to conduct a survey of special collections and archival material held by the College
• Support an initiative for Union to become a tobacco/smoke-free environment
• Support the 15th anniversary of the Kenney Community Center