Union College President Stephen Ainlay to speak at Goshen College commencement April 26

GOSHEN, Ind. – Stephen Charles Ainlay, president of Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.) and a 1973 Goshen College graduate, will present a commencement address to graduating seniors titled, "A Pilgrim's Mind" at the 111^th annual Goshen College Commencement on April 26 in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center at 3 p.m.

A highlight this year during commencement will be the conferring of the college's first master's degrees. Three students are graduating with Master's of Environmental Education degrees. The program is based at Goshen's Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center near Wolf Lake, Ind. About 230 undergraduates will also receive diplomas.

Ainlay, a native of Goshen, has a distinguished record as a scholar, teacher and administrator. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Goshen College, and both his master's degree and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Ainlay became the 18th president of Union College in 2006 and is a sociologist by training.

In addition to his role as president of Union College, he also serves as a professor of sociology for Union and chancellor of Union University, a united entity composed of Union College, Union Graduate College, Albany Medical College, Albany Law School, Albany College of Pharmacy and the Dudley Observatory of the City of Albany. Before joining Union College, he was vice president for academic affairs at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., which he joined in 1982 as a professor of sociology and then served as dean.

Ainlay's research projects have focused on investigations of blindness, aging, spirituality and various aspects of Mennonite life, all aimed at better understanding the ways in which people find meaning in their lives. His books, which he co-authored or edited, include "Day Brought Back My Night: Aging and Vision Loss; Mennonite Entrepreneurs," "The Dilemma of Difference: A Multidisciplinary View of Stigma" and "Making Sense of Modern Times: Peter L. Berger and the Vision of Interpretive Sociology." He has also published a number of articles and book reviews related to his research areas and is a frequent presenter at conferences of scholars and academic administrators.

Among his fellowships, Ainlay was a visiting scholar at St. Edmund's College in Cambridge University and summer fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, Calif. He also held a post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton University's Mental Health Training Program. In 2007, Ainlay was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Higher Education for New York which studied the state's higher education system and made recommendations.

Ainlay is married to Judith Gardner Ainlay, also a graduate of Goshen College, and they have two young adult sons, Jesse and Jonathan.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.