Union College History

In 1795, Union College became the first college chartered by the Regents of the State of New York. The creation of Union was a bold experiment for its time. The founders wanted to establish a non-denominational institution dedicated to broadly educating future citizens of the world, devoted to unity and community.

From the start, Union blazed a trail of innovation. Eschewing the heavily classical bias of most colleges of the day, in the 1820s Union introduced French and engineering classes and placed greater emphasis on history, science, modern languages and mathematics. During the early years of Union President Eliphalet Nott, who served from 1804 to 1866, science and technology became an important part of the curriculum, and in 1845, Union became the first liberal arts college to offer engineering.

Located on 100 acres in Schenectady, a city of 60,000 founded by the Dutch in 1661, Union became the first unified campus in America in 1813. The distinctive design by French architect and landscape planner Joseph Ramée features a great central court flanked on three sides by buildings and open to the west, with a round pantheon – the 16-sided Nott Memorial – as the focus. An important example of American Victorian architecture, the Nott is a National Historic Landmark.

The 20th century brought significant changes to Union. In 1970, the College adopted co-education and welcomed the first class of two dozen women. Today, roughly half of Union’s students are women. In 2004, the campus experienced another dramatic change in student life with the Minerva system, a vibrant program of residential, intellectual and social activities that connects the entire campus community.

Academically, the College continues to embrace innovative thought. Interdepartmental and interdisciplinary studies are thriving, as are programs in Asian studies, bioengineering, digital arts, film studies, nanotechnology, neuroscience and religious studies. Currently under construction is the $18-million Peter Irving Wold Center for Science and Engineering, one of the College’s boldest interdisciplinary initiatives in recent history. It is slated to open by spring 2011.