Stephen Ainlay

Stephen Charles Ainlay is the 18th president of Union College. He became president in June 2006, succeeding interim president James Underwood, who succeeded Roger Hull after Hull retired in June 2005.

Born in 1951 in Goshen, Indiana, Ainlay earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Goshen College, and both his master's and Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1981, with a thesis on "Intentionality, identity and aging: an inquiry into aging and adventitious vision loss".

In 1982, he became assistant professor of sociology at the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He became associate professor in 1987, and professor in 1993. He was appointed Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies in 1993, dean of the College in 1996, and finally vice-president for academic affairs in 1997. He served in this capacity until assuming the presidency at Union College.

Ainlay became the 18th president of Union College on July 1, 2006. He also serves as the chancellor of Union University, whose member institutions include the Albany Law School, Albany Medical College, Albany College of Pharmacy, Union Graduate College and the Dudley Observatory. He holds a faculty position as professor of sociology at Union.

Ainlay serves on the board of the Commission of Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU). Ainlay joined with five other college presidents and, with the help of the Andrew Mellon Foundation, created the New York Six Consortium. The New York Six facilitates collaborative efforts between Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith College, Skidmore College, and Union College. In 2007, Ainlay was appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer to the Commission on the Future of Higher Education in New York. Ainlay also serves on the Board of Trustees of Loyola University Maryland.

Ainlay's sociological 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.

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