Union College is a private, multipurpose college. Founded for men in 1795, it adopted coeducation in 1970. It is different from other liberal arts colleges with an engineering department in two ways: It has a more clearly defined and developed core curriculum than most residential liberal arts colleges, and the engineers are expected to complete the same core courses as their liberal arts peers. In fact, an effort is made to keep engineering and liberal arts students in the same courses as much as possible. Union also differs from other institutions in its emphasis on undergraduate research and strong student/faculty interaction on joint projects. Finally, recognizing that diversity enriches the college experience and that academic excellence serves as its foundation, Union actively seeks students who will add to the life of the campus, in and out of class. Its 100-acre campus is located in Schenectady, 15 miles from Albany.