Union in the Media

At 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, 1920, Union’s student-operated radio station conducted a historic broadcast. Using a 150-watt transmitter from a studio in a shack behind the electrical engineering building with the antenna strung between two trees, the half-hour broadcast opened with tenor John Steel’s “Tell Me Little Gypsy.”

The broadcast 100 years ago made Union the first college station, and the first licensed station of any kind, to air regularly scheduled programs.

The Daily Gazette featured the milestone in a recent story (a subscription may be required).

President David Harris announced the creation of a four-member leadership team and a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity and inclusion.

A story on the announcement appeared in The Albany Business Review with the headline, "How Union College is stepping up its diversity efforts (and what others can learn from its strategy)." A subscription may be required to view the article.

An op-ed on the origins of the federal government's involvement in disaster relief by Andrew Morris, associate professor of history, was published by the Washington Post’s Made by History feature.

Morris joined Union in 2003.

The first wave of students returning for the fall arrived this week. The 56 students includes mostly international students and those traveling from states on New York’s travel advisory list who are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York.

Local media visited campus to learn how Union is taking care of its students in quarantine:

Daily Gazette (subscription may be required to read article)

News10 (ABC affiliate)

Emilie Munson, the Washington correspondent for Hearst Newspapers, interviewed Zoe Oxley, professor of political science, on the role of progressives in the Democratic Party ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The story appeared in the Times Union and other Hearst outlets.

President David R. Harris was among several prominent leaders in the Capital Region to share their thoughts for a cover story, "Lack of Diversity at the Top" in the Albany Business Review (a subscription may be required to read article).

President David Harris was recently interviewed by Paul Grondahl, the director of the New York State Writers Institute, for its program The Conversation.

Now in its 36th year, the Writers Institute is one of the nation’s pre-eminent literary presentation organizations. It has hosted a dozen Nobel laureates and highly-acclaimed writers and thought leaders from around the world.

To listen to the episode, visit the website.

President David R. Harris recently announced a new initiative that will engage the campus community on issues of race and privilege in the country and at Union.

The President’s Initiative on Race, Power and Privilege comes in the wake of nationwide protests sparked by the death last month of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Protesters have voiced their anger and frustration with systemic racism, police brutality and social inequality and have demanded change.

Harris shared his thoughts on the initiative and current events with Liz Bishop of CBS-6, the local CBS affiliate.

The Wall Street Journal recently asked college students to assess the activist slogan "Defund the police."

John Pugliese '21, a political science major, was among those whose response was selected. A subscription may be required to read the full article.

The College recently honored the Class of 2020 during a virtual ceremony Sunday afternoon.

The 90-minute event, “Honoring U: A Tribute to the Class of 2020,” premiered on YouTube and Facebook. It featured the conferral of degrees on the 477 members of the class by President David R. Harris.

The event was featured in the Daily Gazette (a subscription may be required).