Union in the Media

Union’s faculty, staff and students are often mentioned in local, national and international media outlets. Among the outlets that have highlighted Union include the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, U.S. News and World Report, MONEY and the Associated Press.

Content on Union’s news site has been honored by the Council for the Advancement of Secondary Education (CASE).

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Sun, Earth fuel Union building

Brian Nearing - Times Union

The Times Union recently featured the Peter Irving Wold Center in an article on green buildings in the state.

The Wold Center earned LEED Gold status, one of the highest honors for sustainable design. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, rewards best practices for a building’s energy, water and natural resource performance.

This marks the first building on Union’s campus to receive the coveted status.

To read the Times Union article, click here.

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People in the news 03 - Jan 2013

Lewis Davis, associate professor of economics, and Matthew Knauss '11 published “The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation” in the February issue of the Journal of Socio-Economics. The paper, which began as Knauss’ senior thesis, uses international survey data to investigate whether economic growth increases the preference for egalitarian social policy.

Deidre Hill Butler, associate professor of sociology and director of Africana Studies, was interviewed on Impact Program, a local current events cable interest show. The conversation focused on how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy is reflected in our nation today.

Choice Reviews has named a translation by Hans-Friedrich Mueller, the William D. Williams Professor of Classics, as an outstanding academic title for 2012. "Mueller's translation of Mehl's Römische Geschichtsschreibung (2001) offers homage to the work of a distinguished German scholar and teacher: it is both thorough and concise, covering virtually every known Roman historian from Q. Fabius Pictor (third century BCE) to the Christian universal histories of Eusebius, and beyond to Procopius (sixth century CE)," the review states. "This is the distillation of a lifetime's scholarship, a rich and invaluable resource. There is nothing like it in English, and it is much needed in the study of ancient Greco-Roman history: Mueller's translation reflects the scholarly German style in idiomatic and accessible English. Sure to become a handbook for all historians of the ancient world and scholars of historiography: indeed, for all classicists."

An essay by Ryan Semerad ’13 was published in Ephemeris 2012, an undergraduate journal of philosophy published by the Department of Philosophy. Semerad’s work is titled “Addiction and Language: An Analysis of Naked Lunch.” The issue also includes work by students from Bethel University (Minn.), Bowdoin College, Brooklyn College, Florida State University, George Washington University, the University of Illinois (Springfield) and Trinity College (Dublin). Editorial Board members were Julia Hotz ’15, Claire Kokoska ’15, Caleb Novins ’15, Trevor Martin ’14, Claire Nelson ’15, Dan Pallies ’15, Georgina Teasdale ’15 and Sam Walsh ’15. Also assisting in preparation of the journal were Brian Karimi-Pashaki ’12, Emily Lnenicka ’12 and James Sedlak ’12. Faculty advisor is Felmon Davis.

Edward Summers, the president's chief of staff, recently penned an op-ed for Huff Post College, calling for strict gun control laws.

Tomas Dvorak, associate professor of economics, recently presented a paper, “Do 401k Advisors Take Their Own Advice” at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in San Diego. It was part of a session, “Saving for the Common Man: Target Date Funds, Defaults and the Design of 401k Plans.”

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Union students, robots to show skills on ice this weekend

Justin Mason - Daily Gazette

Fans at this weekend's inaugural Mayor's Cup men's hockey game between Union and RPI at the Times Union Center will be treated to an unusual shootout during the second intermission: Robo-Hockey.

Four teams of mechanical engineering students who designed and built the wheeled robots about the size of a briefcase will compete in a four-minute period Saturday night in front of thousands of spectators.

To read about it in the Daily Gazette, click here.

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Volunteer of the Week: MaryKate Farber ’15

By: Maura Driscoll '15

MaryKate Farber ’15 is the Kenney Community Center’s Volunteer of the Week.

A resident of the Wells House community service theme house, Farber dedicates much of her time to sponsoring various charity events each week with her house, as well as volunteering elsewhere.

As a first-year student, Farber participated in the community service pre-orientation and returned to it this year as a student leader.

Farber is also the president of U-ReBloom, a club that gathers flowers used at a variety of campus events and delivers them to local nursing homes, senior residences and other facilities. “I love going because you are able to see how having visitors really brightens the days of the residents,” she said.

Farber is a History and Art History double major from Oneonta, N.Y.

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Making campuses safer

Edward Summers - Huff Post College

Edward Summers, the president's chief of staff, recently penned an op-ed for Huff Post College, calling for strict gun control laws.

To read the piece, click here.

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Inside Look: Learning Spaces

Kristen Domonell - University Business

The Peter Irving Wold Center is featured in University Business magazine in an article about creating learning spaces that foster innovative thinking and collaboration.

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Philosophy Speaker Series to continue

By: Maura Driscoll '15

The Philosophy Department kicks off its speaker series this term on Thursday, Jan. 24 with Owen Flanagan, the James B. Duke Professor of Neurobiology at Duke University. He will discuss “The Meaning of Life in a Material World.”

The event will take place in Everest Lounge, Hale House, at 4:30 p.m.

Other dates and speakers in the series (same time and place, unless otherwise noted) are:

  • Thursday, Feb. 7: George Sher of Rice University, “Wrongdoing and Relationships: The Problem of the Stranger”
  • Thursday Feb. 21: Elisabeth Camp of University of Pennsylvania, “Why Metaphors Make Good Insults”
  • Thursday March 7: Stephen Leighton of Queens University, “Aristotle on Fear and Tragedy”

In addition, the department will sponsor lunch talks, philosophical cafes, puzzle contests and a team to compete in the Ethics Bowl. Questions? Contact Chairman Leo Zaibert at zaibertl@union.edu.

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Powerful images on exhibit at Union raise questions about vital issues

Karen Bjornland - Daily Gazette

“Flashpoints,” a critically acclaimed portfolio of photographs by international photojournalist Gilles Peress, is on view in “Art or Evidence: The Power of Photojournalism,” at the Mandeville Gallery in the Nott Memorial. The exhibit opened Jan. 3 and runs through March 10.

To read a review in The Daily Gazette, click here.

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Volunteer of the Week: Mary O’Keeffe

By: Maura Driscoll '15

The Kenney Community Center’s Volunteer of the Week is Professor Mary O’Keeffe.

A public policy economist who teaches the College’s service-learning class, Eco 391: Income Tax Policy and Practice, as well as supervises the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, O’Keeffe has overseen IRS-certified student volunteers in preparing and filing free tax returns for low-income working families, senior citizens and disabled individuals in Schenectady.

O’Keeffe also contributes to the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) on campus and is the founding director of the Albany Area Math Circle, an effort that grew from her volunteer work in local public schools. She is co-organizer of the Math Prize for Girls at MIT, where she works with hundreds of enthusiastic young women in mathematics.

In May, O’Keeffe received the Kenney Center’s award for Outstanding Volunteer Service to Union College and the Schenectady Community. “We admire Mary O’Keeffe so much for the incredible dedication and desire to help the community in so many ways,” said Janet Sweeney, Kenney Center assistant director.

On Feb. 6, O'Keeffe will be hosting a luncheon talk at Messa House about her community math outreach work, focusing on the mathematical leadership and community collaborative opportunities that her math circle initiatives provide to young women. It is also the keynote talk for President Ainlay's annual Commission on the Status of Women meeting. For those interested, RSVPs can be sent to Professor Sheri Lullo at lullos@union.edu.

Publication Date

Psychology professor flirts with hip hop

Scott Waldman - Times Union

Christopher Chabris, associate professor of psychology, got to spin his science recently on the stage of “Ingenious Nature,” a theatrical mixtape that recently completed its run at the SoHo Playhouse.

To read more in the Times Union, click here.