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Engineering education at Union has broadened over the years. The addition of an entrepreneurial mindset course in 2005 heralded a new era, emphasizing the importance and value of entrepreneurship. Union College became affiliated with the Kern Engineering Entrepreneurship Network in 2007. A second course was developed – the Engineering & Liberal Arts Entrepreneurship Seminar. This interdisciplinary course is taught by Dr. Ronald Bucinell, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Harold “Hal” Fried, professor of Economics & Business Ethics, who bring complementary experience and a shared enthusiasm to their class. “I came to Union in 1993 with an interest in entrepreneurship that was nurtured from my years as a practicing engineer in industry,” Bucinell says. “I feel strongly that students need to understand how to identify opportunities, understand customers, and sell their solutions. Eventually, I teamed up with Hal because he was the ‘go-to’ person on campus for teaching entrepreneurship.” Fostering a Mindset in the Classroom 12 Not many private, liberal arts colleges feature engineering majors among their diverse offerings, but Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., is one of the few. In 1845, the school became the first of its type to offer a civil engineering degree. Today, Union students can pursue degrees in bioengineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, with minors available in environmental engineering, nanotechnology, and energy studies.