Union College hockey 2025-26 thread

[Dutchman]

I've been inside and have tickets to the RPI-Union tilt... which were not hard to come by BTW (for those critical of the size of the joint.)

You don't seem to realize what a miracle Union having a new rink really is. Celebrate it !! Schools like Union are an endangered species in the northeast....the very existence of the institution as a whole is not a given -- with declining enrollment and demographic headwinds. The T/U article discreetly details the challenges Union is facing for its future. Including a hiring freeze, slashed retirement contributions, etc.

"...This year’s admissions results provide an even greater sense of urgency around the need to accelerate the difficult, change-making work needed to secure a strong future for Union,” Harris wrote.

Union College falls short on enrollment with big loss of international students

Union College has fallen short in filling its freshman class for two years, and is now pulling millions of dollars from its endowment to balance its budget, college President David Harris said.

www.timesunion.com

The hockey programs have been, and thanks to the new barn, will continue to be a stellar promotional tool for the school.

I spoke with Harris and his team on a conference call with Alumni shortly after he took office. I pointed him at research by Christianson at HBS, suggesting that unsustainable business models would cause 50% of all 4-year colleges to be out of business (or merged with other schools) by 2030. I also tried to emphasize the importance of the hockey program and hoped that he would focus on strategy and our survival. Are the school's assumptions about itself correct? Arrogance builds barriers. Does our board recruit heavyweight new members outside of the Union Family that can help us? Union also has a "Governance Problem," which is going to prevent a strong strategic leader from ever being hired or ever being allowed to prevent it from going off a cliff. I look at RPI's new president and board of directors with great envy.

 

[Thomas Kaine]

I spoke with Harris and his team on a conference call with Alumni shortly after he took office. I pointed him at research by Christianson at HBS, suggesting that unsustainable business models would cause 50% of all 4-year colleges to be out of business (or merged with other schools) by 2030. I also tried to emphasize the importance of the hockey program and hoped that he would focus on strategy and our survival. Are the school's assumptions about itself correct? Arrogance builds barriers. Does our board recruit heavyweight new members outside of the Union Family that can help us? Union also has a "Governance Problem," which is going to prevent a strong strategic leader from ever being hired or ever being allowed to prevent it from going off a cliff. I look at RPI's new president and board of directors with great envy.

Dutchman and I sometimes disagree on things, but on this I couldn’t agree with this more. Harris lacked anything resembling a vision, and the board is no better. The faculty is worse - ossified, short-sighted, and self-interested. I am hoping market forces will ultimately give Union no choice but to adapt and evolve; I think at least the new president understands that the status quo is simply not an option, but it remains to be seen whether she can get the board and faculty to do anything other than the college governance equivalent of smelling their own farts.