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EXPANDING HORIZONS INFO Ruth Andrea Levinson SKIDMORE INFO Key Contacts STANDARD MAIL Skidmore College 815 North Broadway Saratoga Springs New York, 12866 SKIDMORE PHONE 518-580-5000

Skidmore Intercom
Vol. 2, No. 1
8/27/02

Expanding Horizons Gets $40K Grant for Program Support

The Educational Foundation of America has approved a new $40,000 grant for Expanding Horizons: The Skidmore/Schuylerville Connection.

Over the next two years, the grant will support initiatives designed to achieve three broad goals: to strengthen connections between the Skidmore and Schuylerville communities that will enable both groups to share information, resources, and experiences in ways that expand traditional academic content and classroom learning; to encourage Schuylerville students’ access to a college education; and to enhance curriculum and faculty development and educational research opportunities for both the College and the school district.

Now starting its third year, Expanding Horizons involves students, faculty, and community members from Skidmore and the Schuylerville Central School District, located about 15 miles east of the campus in rural Saratoga County. The program covers kindergarten through the senior year of college, fostering creative professional and community relationships and expanding the learning horizon for all participants.

Since its inception, Expanding Horizons has included a combination of one-time activities as well as ongoing projects designed to achieve the program’s goals. According to EH founder and director Ruth Andrea Levinson, associate professor of education at Skidmore, a new item on this year’s agenda is the development of an assessment component to solicit comments about individual aspects of the program, as well as overall program effectiveness. “We’ve received fantastic feedback about the program and we believe that the involvement of so many students, parents, and community members is indicative of a strong level of support,” said Levinson. Formal assessment instruments will allow for objective program analysis and enable Expanding Horizons participants to better direct their efforts and resources.

Sue Layden, who most recently worked on institutional assessment in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and earlier directed the Higher Education Opportunity Program, will be instrumental in helping to develop an assessment pilot plan for Expanding Horizons.
Levinson reported that Michelle Hubbs, coordinator of volunteer services in the Office of Campus Life, will work with the staff of the EH program on student co-curricular and academic involvement. Explained Levinson, “We hope to encourage the involvement of Skidmore courses that have an activity-based component, as well as promote increased involvement of student clubs and sports teams in the EH program.” By providing both academic and co-curricular options, the program will emphasize the strengths of participants and appeal to a broader range of interests.

In addition to its three broad goals, Expanding Horizons has helped both the College and the school district address several fundamental needs. Over the past few years, Skidmore reorganized its curriculum to expand interdisciplinary learning, developed more interactive collaboration between faculty and students, and increased faculty development for project-based learning. In connection with these developments, Skidmore began to concentrate on incorporating service-learning practices within the curriculum, creating a need for outside resources to provide new learning opportunities. At the same time, the Schuylerville Central School District sought to expand its access to educational resources and to increase faculty and curricular development.

Levinson points with pride to the broad College involvement in the many Expanding Horizon activities. “Skidmore students across the disciplines have gained field experience and added depth and meaning to their academic studies. Faculty on both campuses get a chance to explore their own content area interests, incorporate new ideas into their pedagogy, and forge bonds with educators outside of their immediate communities. It’s a win-win situation for all who are involved.”