Textron Exec Here Today

The first in the School of Business�s four-event 1998-99 Milton C. Olson Memorial Lecture Series, which focuses on business ethics, will take place today, Dec. 2, in the Campus Center Assembly Hall at 4 p.m.

William Gauld, vice president and chief information officer for Textron Inc., will speak to students, faculty and the general public, with a reception following in the Fireside Room. His topic will be "Operational Challenges and Ethical Practices Facing a Multinational Corporation."


Master Plan Update

The University�s five-year, $130-million Master Plan will begin having physical impact this spring. Kathy Lowery, Associate Vice President for Finance and Business, says that grading and site work realigning Perimeter Road near the Health Center will begin soon, possibly even during the winter months if weather allows.

The realignment will create room for a new parking lot to replace parking space that will be removed from in front of the Podium.

In addition, by the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1999) design starts for the new Life Sciences and art sculpture buildings, and the renovation of the current Administration Building, will be complete, said Lowery. Working committees for the Life Sciences and sculpture buildings are chaired by Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Hoffmann; the art sculpture committee is chaired by Ed Mayer of the Department of Art.


Mancuso a Who�s Who

A former faculty member recently received dual honors. James Carmine Mancuso, formerly of the Department of Psychology, was acknowledged in the 27th Edition of Marquis Who�s Who in the East: 1999-2000, and he also received the North American Personal Construct Network (NAPCN) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mancuso, a prominent member of the personal construct psychology community for over 30 years, joined the Albany faculty in 1961 and remained until his retirement in 1992, serving as associate dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences from 1985 to 1991. A well-published author, he has also designed computer software, manages a website devoted to psychology, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Constructivist Psychology.


Foundation Purchases New Presidential Residence

The University at Albany Foundation has purchased a home in downtown Albany to serve as the official residence of the University at Albany president.

The house and property, located at 5 Englewood Place on the northwestern corner of Washington Park, was purchased from Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Mincy. The closing took place Dec. 1. President Hitchcock and her husband, Murray Blair, are expected to move into the residence early next year.

The new residence is only one block from the Downtown Campus, and two houses away from the building that served as the University�s first dormitory for women in the early part of this century. The new presidential residence, built circa 1887, was designed by one of the leading architects of the day, Robert W. Gibson, who also designed the Episcopal Cathedral of All Saints.

"Not only does the University at Albany president now have a home in the heart of the City of Albany, but this new residence has the additional benefit of offering appropriate space for meetings and social gatherings," said George R. Hearst III, president of the Foundation�s board of directors. "The University is an important partner in the community and the Foundation wanted a president�s home that would help support that role." The Foundation will lease the house to the University.

Last year the Foundation sold a home in Loudonville that had served as the official residence of the University president from 1985 through 1995. President Hitchcock has resided in her own home since she came to the University in 1991 as vice president for academic affairs.


SEFA/United Way Passes 2/3rds of Goal

The University is more than two-thirds of the way toward its $76,000 goal in the SEFA/United Way campaign. A total of 368 employees had pledged a total of $51,331.80, or 68 percent, as the University approached the long Thanksgiving weekend. Last year, more than 500 employees contributed a total of $75,000 to help the University meet its target. Both of those numbers are record-high figures.

Gail Cummings-Danson, interim assistant vice president for student affairs, who is overseeing the SEFA/United Way effort, said the number of donors to the campaign is running slightly higher at this point than last year. "One of our main goals was to increase the participation levels, so we�re very encouraged to see that," she said. The campaign officially concludes Dec. 18. Cummings-Danson said that payroll deduction is a convenient and preferred way of giving, or employees may write a check.

If you haven�t received information about how to contribute to SEFA/United Way, call Joanna Kreps at 442-3381.