PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
What we’ve learned; investing in promise
A
t Founders Day recently, I observed that it was nearly two years since we faced the greatest existential threat to residential higher education. In March 2020, we had the first COVID case on campus and announced that the last day of winter term classes were canceled and that finals would be online. Within days, nearly all faculty, staff and students left campus to begin working and studying remotely. Many would stay out through the fall, others for much longer. Thankfully, we continued to thrive. Today, unless a dangerous new variant arises, it’s clear that the worst days of the pandemic are behind us. The masking, testing and other protocols that have become so familiar will end. So, what have we learned? A lot. First, we’ve learned just how important community is, the formal connections and unplanned interactions. It’s why so many students returned to this campus in the fall of 2020, even if all of their classes were online. We recently watched women’s basketball win a playoff game in a packed and noisy Viniar Athletic Center. That was the kind of joy that we missed. Second, we were reminded of the importance of a residential education. Ever since I’ve been a college administrator, folks have asked if this is all going to be replaced by online learning. “It’s so expensive to have residential education,” they say. “Can’t we just do it all online?” The last two years have answered that question with a resounding “no.” It’s clear that for most students at most times, residential is far better than online. Our commitment to the residential model is as strong as ever. Third, we reinforced the power of expertise— the power of people who actually know something—as well as the power of breadth and depth to identify real solutions to the challenges we face. It’s one of the most significant lessons of the pandemic. I think of our colleagues in the STEM fields that created the vaccine in record time. But this is also an important time for those in the social sciences and humanities. Those fields are critical to understanding why people don’t get vaccinated and what we can do to change that. You need to have expertise, breadth and depth. And that’s the core of what we do at Union College. 2
UNION COLLEGE | WINTER 2022
This issue focuses on first-generation students, the challenges they face and the support they find at Union. Also in this issue, we share some exciting news: with strong support from alumni and friends, we have reached our goal for the Schuler Access Initiative, a challenge that has raised $42 million for scholarship support. Much of that support is destined for firstgeneration students. As I wrote in a Chicago Tribune op-ed last fall, I was a first-generation student at Northwestern, where tuition nearly equaled my parents’ combined income. Thanks to financial aid, including a federallybacked Pell grant, I was able to attend and go on to a fulfilling life and career. More than three decades later, many promising young people aren’t so lucky. With income inequality at historic levels, creating equality of opportunity for deserving young adults has never been more vital. At Union, Pell-eligible students graduate at a higher rate than the student body as a whole and they are well represented among our academic award winners. They are leaders who go on to success after Union. These students belong here. We have a responsibility to expand opportunities for them. Union is proud of its commitment to meeting the full financial need of every student who enrolls. With Schuler’s support, more outstanding students with the greatest need will get a chance at an education. As a former Pell Grant recipient, I can’t help but think about all of the opportunities these students will have in life, all of the contributions they will make to their communities and the world around them, and how different their lives could have been if not for support from Schuler and our donors. This is not charity. It’s an investment in the future of the College and, by extension, our country and our world.
DAVID R. HARRIS, Ph.D.
