Academic Affairs
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty: Michele Angrist, Feigenbaum Hall, (518) 388-6102
Dean of Academic Departments and Programs: Kara Doyle, Olin Center 210 (518) 388-6233
Dean of Studies: Michelle Osborn, Olin Center 210 (518) 388-6234
Assistant Vice President for Academic Planning and Operations: Greta Donato, Feigenbaum Hall, (518) 388-6033
Academic Affairs is responsible for the formulation of educational policy, matters involving the faculty, and all academic related processes. The Academic Affairs Office includes the Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Academic Departments and Programs, the Dean of Studies and the Assistant Vice President for Planning and Operations.
The Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs has responsibility for all Academic Affairs areas, including academic matters related to faculty and students, the curriculum and academic budgeting. Supervisory responsibilities include the College Grants and Sponsored Programs, Institutional Research, International Programs, Learning Design and Digital Innovation, Registrar’s Office, Schaffer Library, the Union College Academy for Lifelong Learning (UCALL), the Director of Academic Affairs Assessment, the Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, the Dean of Engineering, the Director of General Education, and the Director of Templeton Institute of Engineering.
The Dean of Academic Departments and Programs oversees all academic departments and interdisciplinary programs, playing a key role in faculty recruiting, faculty development, curriculum development and advising the Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs on matters associated with the review and promotion of faculty. Supervisory duties include Common Curriculum (General Education), Complex Questions: Global Challenges & Social Justice (General Education), Interdisciplinary Programs, Faculty Development, the Leadership in Medicine program, Makers Space, and department chairs and program directors.
The Dean of Studies has responsibility for the implementation of the Honor Code and has academic policies and has supervisory responsibilities of Academic Advising, the Academic Opportunity Program, Fellowships and Doctoral Pathways, the Health Professions Program, the 3+3 Accelerated Law Program, the Scholars Program, Student Success, Undergraduate Research, and the Writing Center.
Assistant Vice President for Academic Planning and Operations manages academic finances and facilities, supervises the Engineering Machine Lab and supports the Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, faculty members, administrators and staff within Academic Affairs on various resource matters.
Academic Opportunity Program/Higher Education Opportunity Program
Director: Philip Poczik, Olin Center 112, (518) 388-6115
aop@union.edu
The Academic Opportunity Program (AOP) and the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) have a long and proud tradition of academic excellence, serving students for over fifty-five years. These talent search programs offer support services to ensure academic success for a select group of students. Services include: an intensive five-week pre-first year summer program; individualized and group tutoring; academic, career, and financial counseling; and a peer mentoring program.
Academic Advising & Enrichment
Director Tom Jordan, Old Chapel 201A, (518) 388-7116
Academic advising is central to the mission of a liberal arts college such as Union and is a key faculty responsibility. Union students enjoy a close working relationship with the faculty advisors who encourage and assist their advisees to make informed choices that maximize the benefits of a liberal arts education. First-year students are assigned advisors by the Dean of Studies Office while upper-class advisors are chosen by the student in conjunction with the corresponding department chair. Students may request a change of advisor at any time by completing the Change of Advisor form. Additional information on advising can be obtained on the advising website.
Accommodative Services Office
Students interested in support services for learning disabilities should refer to “Accommodative Services ” in the Student Services section for additional information. Students are also encouraged to consult with the Director of Accommodative Services located in Schaffer Library Room 222.
Health Professions Advising
Director of Health Professions Program: Professor Carol Weisse (Psychology), Olin Center 110C, (518) 388-6300
The Health Professions Advising Office at Union College offers tailored advising to students who are planning a career in medicine (including osteopathy, dentistry, podiatry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and other health professions such as nursing, physician assistant). In addition to academic advising, advisor works closely with students to help them identify the kinds of experiences on campus and in the community that will foster personal growth and the development of interpersonal skills necessary for a successful career in healthcare delivery.
Professional schools give no preference to any particular major when seeking candidates; therefore, Union College does not offer a “premedical” major. Although many major in the natural sciences, students are encouraged to choose a major in any field in which they are interested. Today more than ever, professional schools are searching for students who have not only mastered the sciences but who also have backgrounds that are well-rounded and diverse. Please consult with the directors on requirements for various professional schools. Most professional schools require students to complete and do well in the following courses:
Note: Introductory Psychology or Sociology and statistics are also recommended. Some health professions programs (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing) also require additional courses such as Microbiology and Developmental Psychology as well as Human Anatomy and Physiology.
Chief Information Officer: Ellen Yu, Steinmetz Hall, (518) 388-6293
Union College and Information Technology Services (ITS) make computing resources available to all students. Through Union’s G Suite environment, students have access to Google Mail, Calendar and Drive. Wireless network access is available in all buildings on campus in addition to outside wireless access in Library Plaza and the College’s outdoor classroom. Union College has partnered with Apogee to provide high-speed internet access through the residential network with 24/7 customer support. There are also many other resources dedicated to assist students. Assistance with hardware and software problems is provided by the Union Student Technical Assistance Resources (USTAR), the student-run technical support program to assist students by students. Full-time Help Desk personnel are also available to provide assistance. Additional information including network access, assistance, training, computing policies & forms can be obtained from the ITS website.
Language Center
Director: Audrey Sartiaux; Old Chapel 3rd Floor, (518) 388-6216
The Language Center is open to all students with a valid Union ID. The Center is composed of a main lab/classroom, and a collaborative workspace. The main lab contains 10 PC’s and USB headsets with microphones. Language methods for self-study are available for the languages taught at the college (to be used in the center only). All computers have East Asian, Slavic, and Arabic languages enabled as well as Romance Languages. Language Assistants and Language Mentors (skilled in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish) are available during their office hours to answer questions and to help with practicing your language skills, reviewing vocabulary etc. This is a complimentary service for all Union Students. Conversation Partners are available for students registered in an Intermediate Spanish course (see your syllabus). The center is open during Union College academic terms. Consult the Language Center website for more information (such as opening hours Language Assistants and Mentors’ hours).
Office of Student Success
Director: Lesly Clay, Old Chapel 201C, (518) 388-6493
The office provides academic support for all students at Union to help them reach their full academic potential. A variety of programs are available to assist students in becoming stronger, more independent learners. Current programs include Supplemental Instruction, Academic Coaching with a Peer Coach or Director and Peer Mentoring programs.
Prelaw Advising
Advisor: Associate Professor Bradley Hays (Political Science), (518) 388-6227
Union College provides prelaw advising to students interested in graduate legal education. As a general rule, law schools do not require a specific major but instead look for academic success in a student’s chosen academic discipline. Given the many available academic paths to law school, prelaw advising is inclusive of general curricular and extracurricular guidance, insight into the Law School Admission Test and the application process, and aid in targeting appropriate law schools for admissions.
Fellowships and Doctoral Pathway
Director: Lynn Evans, 17 South Lane 104, (518) 388-6643
The Office of Fellowships and Doctoral Pathways provides support to students and alumni applying for prestigious, external undergraduate and postgraduate awards as well as those applying to Ph.D. programs. Students are recruited to apply for fellowships and scholarships months before their national deadlines and months to years before doctoral program application deadlines. During the recruitment period, the director works closely with students to understand their goals and to match opportunities to their strengths and needs. The office then oversees the application process for the appropriate awards and/or graduate programs. Union regularly supports students for awards such as the Rhodes Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, the Fulbright programs, the Watson Fellowship and many more.
Permanent Collection and Mandeville Gallery
Collections Manager/Registrar of the Permanent Collection: Sarah Mottalini, Schaffer Library 212, (518) 388-6318; mandevillegallery@union.edu; ucpc@union.edu
https://muse.union.edu/mandeville
The Union College Permanent (Art) Collection and Mandeville Gallery are responsible for stewarding over 3,200 works of art and items of material culture, and for producing art exhibitions in several campus locations.
The Union College Permanent Collection (UCPC) holds significant visual art resources from internationally recognized artists, as well as Eastern and ancient cultures. Our strongest collections consist of contemporary art, historic 19th century scientific instruments, ancient Asian ceramics, fine art prints on paper, and 19th century portrait paintings. Many artworks from the UCPC are installed around campus in departmental buildings, administration offices, and throughout the library, and include informational labels. Images and details of a number of sub-collections can be found on our website.
The galleries are the Mandeville Gallery on the 2nd floor of the Nott Memorial, and the Castrucci Gallery located in the Peter Irving Wold Center. Artwork is also regularly displayed in Schaffer Library. All exhibitions, as well as our events programming, which includes artist talks, receptions, and demonstrations, are free and open to the campus and the community during academic terms. Information about exhibitions can be found on our website.
The offices are located on the second floor of Schaffer Library in rooms 212, 239 and 241.
Registrar’s Office
Silliman Hall, (518) 388-6109
www.union.edu/offices/registrar
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for overseeing the functions of online registration, maintenance of student schedules, creation of each term’s course and final exam schedules, creation of the academic calendar, assignment of classrooms, grade entry, Self Service (a new student planning module), rank in class, Dean’s List, academic records, certification for graduation, transcript processing, certification of eligibility for veterans’ benefits, and the maintenance of the online Academic Catalog. The Registrar’s Office also coordinates the reporting of student enrollment status and degree verification to the National Student Clearinghouse, which in turn, reports to the National Student Loan Data System.
Schaffer Library
College Librarian: Frances Maloy, (518) 388-6739
www.union.edu/Library
Schaffer Library provides print and electronic information resources in a comfortable environment for reading, writing and research. The library is open extended hours during the term and 24 hours per day, 7 days per week during exams. The friendly and knowledgeable staff assist students with all phases of their research. The library provides a variety of spaces for quiet study, collaborative learning as well as production areas furnished with both Apple and Windows workstations, software, scanners, printers, and other hardware. The Adirondack Research Library, located 4 miles from campus in the Kelly Adirondack Center, houses an extensive collection on the 20th century wilderness movement in New York State’s Adirondack Park. The Special Collections and Archives Department houses rare and unique materials that document the College’s history along with rare books and prints available for research upon request. Refer to the Schaffer Library website for additional information.
Undergraduate Research
Director: Associate Professor Matthew Anderson, Steinmetz Hall 219A, (518) 388-6848, ugr-director@union.edu
Students are encouraged to explore scholarship through a diverse array of student-faculty collaborative opportunities at Union. All students complete a research-intensive course as part of the Complex Questions Curriculum. There are many other research activities available to students including senior projects / theses, summer research, Scholars research projects, practica, independent studies, and work studies, all of which are supervised by a faculty member.
There is generous funding available to support students in their scholarly pursuits: (i) Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships, which fund students to work on independent projects with a faculty mentor during the summer full time for 4 to 8 weeks, (ii) the Student Research Grant (SRG) program, which provides financial support for students for Scholars research projects, practica, and senior thesis / project expenses, and (iii) the Student Conference Travel Grant (SCTG) program, which funds student travel to professional society meetings and to local and national undergraduate research conferences to present their research results. More than 500 students participate in the annual Steinmetz Symposium, a celebration of student scholarly work, held in early May where students communicate the results of their scholarly efforts through oral presentations, exhibits, posters, and performances.
Writing Center
Director: Joseph Johnson, Schaffer Library 221, (518) 388-6680
The Writing Center provides individualized peer-feedback to Union students working on writing projects of all kinds-from course assignments and class projects across the curriculum to personal statements for graduate and professional school, essays for study abroad or internship applications, scholarship and fellowship statements, job application essays, and more. Specially trained writing mentors-Union undergraduates from a range of different majors-work with their peers in an open, supportive, and enthusiastic learning environment.
The Writing Center is located on the second floor of Schaffer Library, Rooms 226 and 227, and is open during the term, Sunday through Thursday, 3-11pm, by appointment only. The Writing Center is closed on Friday and Saturday, and when classes are not in session. Learn how to make an appointment online.
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