Presidents’ Day Awards Presented

President Studley presented Presidents’ Day Awards to a selection of Skidmore community members in a campus ceremony April 26.

The awards honor individuals and groups who have embraced the educational mission and progressive spirit of the College through exemplary commitment to personal excellence, campus pride, and community service. This year’s award recipients, and information from their award citations, follows:

Juan Martinez ’03

A founding member and president of the student-activist club Turn Left, and a vigorous
political campaigner since his sophomore year, Martinez dedicated himself to increasing Skidmore student voter registration and turnout in last November’s Saratoga Springs
elections. The pre-election candidates’ night and Case Center voter registration table he
organized ensured that the city’s newest election district — the Skidmore campus — had a powerful impact. Martinez’s exceptional commitment and tireless effort have raised student consciousness about voting and generated engagement among students in local politics.

Elyssa and Rebecca Brand, both Class of ’02

Elyssa and Rebecca Brand are well known around campus for “giving 110
percent in everything they do,” as a fellow student put it, and for quietly and consistently putting the needs of others above their own. Actively involved in many aspects of campus and community life, the Brands work in Skidmore’s Writing Center and Early Childhood Center, coach Special Olympics swimmers, and volunteer as Big Sisters to two local children. They also organized a student-teaching buddy program, guided campus tours, and served as LS1 tutors while maintaining highest honors and a place on the dean’s list for four years. Their generosity and unfailing energy for the good of the community are an inspiration to students and faculty.

Susan Rosenberg, editor of Scope

As chair of the Campus Environment Committee, Scope Editor Susan Rosenberg has lent her trademark humor, editorial excellence, and persuasive powers to CEC issues large and small, from e-mail alerts on upcoming lawn pesticide applications to recycling tips for the CEC Web site, from a new recycling internship to a full-scale stewardship plan for the North Woods. Under her leadership, the committee’s efforts have won consideration for
environmental issues in every aspect of the College’s decision-making. Rosenberg’s good sense, appreciation of complex issues, and commitment to recycling and preservation make her an inspired and inspiring champion of the Skidmore environment.

Cheryl Towers, administrative assistant,
Department of Chemistry and Physics

Outstandingly well-organized and famously willing to handle new challenges, Towers is noted for her high level of job competence and sound administrative experience. But she is even better known for the above-and-beyond support she offers faculty, students, and community members-staying after hours to receive late-day course evaluations, serving on the College’s Affirmative Action Committee, attending student activities ranging from dance recitals to each year’s Honors Convocation, keeping information files for pre-med students, and much more. Her unflagging loyalty, generosity, and powerful work ethic make Towers an outstanding member of the Skidmore community.

Frank Clark, lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

An adjunct instructor and head tutor at Skidmore for 22 years, Clark teaches computer science and quantitative reasoning, and assists with exam preparation and test administration. But his greatest asset is his extraordinary ability to help math-challenged students feel more at ease with the subject. Clark often spends hours beyond his scheduled work day helping struggling students, even those not enrolled in his own classes. One faculty member describes him as “our department’s best weapon against math phobia.” With his unselfish dedication and unstinting efforts to bring understanding to math students, Clark is a vital resource for his department and the College.

Phyllis Roth, professor of English

For more than 25 years Roth has embodied the ideal of service to Skidmore. An accomplished Nabokov scholar and a widely recognized Dracula expert, Roth has served as professor and chair of the English Department, as dean of the faculty, and as both acting and interim president of the College. As dean, her ability to attend to the details of administration while keeping her eye on the grand vision has seen the College successfully through assessment and reconfiguration, the inauguration of the Tang Teaching Museum, and increasing excellence in teaching and scholarship. Roth’s service also includes work on the current athletic review, decades of mentoring, and the Dracula exhibition on campus. Enthusiastic, energetic, supremely confident of Skidmore’s achievements and potential, she is a model of dedication and commitment.

The V-Day/Vagina Monologues Team

The 19 student members of Skidmore’s V-Day team were honored for organizing
the College’s first V-Day observation, featuring performances of Eve Ensler’s off-Broadway play, The Vagina Monologues. Produced in conjunction with the international V-Day movement to stop violence against women and girls, the Skidmore event
raised money for the Saratoga Rape Crisis Center and benefited V-Day’s Spotlight on Afghan Women. Their exceptionally hard and dedicated work created close bonds, an extraordinarily professional production, and a provocative contribution to our community.

The Faculty/Staff Club Staff

The Faculty/Staff Club’s fine food is garnished with the service of a staff whose attentive, impeccable care makes the Faculty/Staff Club and Case Center’s Burgess Café
extraordinarily pleasant places to dine. Distinguished for their good cheer and fine humor, thoughtfulness and kindness, the team of Karen Stevens and Mary Ellen May, supported by the wonderful staff who work with them, cheerfully greet newcomers and “regulars,” unfailingly remembering who likes spicy mustard and who appreciates extra potato chips. Their ebullience, warmth, and attention to detail reflect the best of the Skidmore spirit.

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