The firms of Hillier and Mallin Mendel & Associates, hired by the SUNY Construction Fund as consultants to the University at Albany's Master Plan, are scheduled to give their initial recommendations on the development of the University's physical facilities in a report due in early June.

"Their recommendations will be in line with the goals and objectives as defined by the University and published in the April 2 University Update and currently on our Website," said Steven Schaffer, campus coordinator for the Master Plan. He said the recommendations will be posted on the site in June.

Nine State University of New York students, more than from any other higher education system in the country, have been selected as 1997-98 national winners of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship Awards, named in honor of Senator Barry M. Goldwater. "The State University of New York has, historically, always done well," said Gerald J. Smith, president of the Goldwater Foundation. The Foundation selected 282 national scholars on the basis of academic merit from among 1,164 outstanding mathematics, science and engineering students. The nine Goldwater Scholars from SUNY included Albany's Lydia A. Finney.

The Legislature, prior to recessing for two weeks, introduced and passed a retirement incentive bill upon a message of necessity from Governor Pataki. The bill, signed into law by the Governor on April 16, is virtually identical to last year's incentive program and becomes effective on May 16. If the trustees adopt the same approach as last year, each campus will select one open period each for classified and unclassified employees. The open period can run from 30 to 90 days, but no later than Dec. 31 for the unclassified employees and March 31, 1998 for the classified employees. The Trustees are expected to address this matter at the May 28 meeting of the Board.

The retirement incentives for the employees are identical to those in last year's law. For members of the public retirement systems, the benefit is up to three years of additional credit (1/12 for each year of service) for members who are in service as of Feb. 1, and are at least 50 years of age with ten years of service. For those below age 55, the retirement payment is reduced five percent for each year below age 55. For employees in the optional retirement plans, the incentive is a cash payment in three installments equal to 1/12 for each year of service times 15 percent times the annual salary rate in effect on Feb. 1.

Robert W. MacVittle, President Emeritus of Geneseo, died recently in Fredonia after a long illness at 76. MacVittle guided the development of Geneseo from a small regional teacher's college to a nationally recognized liberal arts college during his 16 years as president from 1963 to 1979. Under his leadership, student enrollment tripled, academic programs expanded dramatically, and two dozen buildings were constructed. The college union building is named in his honor. He established the Geneseo Foundation in 1971 to stimulate fund raising.

SUNY College at Cortland has received the 1996 Energy Efficiency Award from Energy User News. Cortland's $9.6 million efficiency improvement project is expected to pay for itself in fewer than eight years. Energy User News noted that many organization's are choosing Cortland's multi-technology approach to energy saving: automatic light sensors that turn off the lights when people leave classrooms, offices governed by energy-saving occupancy sensors, and greater use of the college's industrial power supply, as opposed to residential utility service.

Shirley Strum, president of the University at Stony Brook, has announced creation of an endowment to pay for the future college educations of sextuplets born at University Medical Center. Beverly Boniello, the mother of the children and a postal worker from Queens, said, "It's just an amazing wonderful gift and I didn't think this would ever happen."

The State Senate recently passed a bill which authorizes construction and development of the Asian Cultural and Studies Center on the Stony Brook campus. The entire construction and development of the Center will be funded through a significant contribution from Charles Wang, founder and owner of Computer Associates International.