THE COLLEGE

Skidmore is a highly selective, nationally ranked liberal arts college, currently enrolling 2,300 students in more than sixty degree programs, including programs in both traditional liberal arts and pre-professional disciplines. The College’s principal mission is the education of predominantly full-time undergraduates, a diverse population of talented students who are eager to engage in the learning process. Skidmore’s faculty and staff create a challenging yet supportive environment that cultivates students’ intellectual and personal excellence, encouraging them to expand their expectations of themselves while they enrich their academic understanding. In keeping with the college’s founding principle of linking theoretical with applied learning, the Skidmore curriculum balances a commitment to the liberal arts with preparation for professions, careers, and community leadership.

The history of Skidmore reflects a tradition of dynamic leadership, high aspiration, and corresponding achievement. Founded in 1903 by Lucy Skidmore Scribner as the Young Women’s Industrial Club of Saratoga to provide a practical education for women, the school rapidly developed into a thriving enterprise: it was chartered in 1911 by the New York Board of Regents as the Skidmore School of Arts and then in 1922 as Skidmore College. In 1971, Skidmore became one of the first women's colleges to make a successful conversion to coeducation and became the first school in New York State to provide nonresidential baccalaureate degree programs for adult learners through its University Without Walls. A low-residential Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program was added in 1992.

Skidmore’s campus is located in what was, at the turn of the twentieth century, a beautiful park of summer residences in Saratoga Springs, New York. The College’s campus encompasses more than 750 acres of wooded land a short walk from downtown. While contemporary in architectural style, the campus buildings honor their environment and reflect Skidmore’s Victorian heritage in numerous aesthetic details. Among the College’s more recent construction projects are the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, opened in fall 2000, and the renovation and expansion of the Case College Center. New on-campus apartments, designed to house 380 students, are slated to open in fall 2006, along with a completely renovated dining facility. Construction should begin in the not-too-distant future on the new Zankel Music Center, as part of a $42 million gift from the late financier, Arthur Zankel.

The endowment stands at approximately $220 million with a history of returns that places the College in the top 25% of colleges nationwide. Currently in the midst of a $200 million comprehensive campaign, Skidmore has received commitments totaling $115 million after two years. The admissions picture also has been characterized by strongly positive trends: a record 6650 applications were received last year for an on-campus entering class of 635.

The College is closely aligned with the city in which it is located. Saratoga Springs is the recipient of four national awards for its quality of life and vibrant downtown and was named one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” in 2002. Its myriad attractions include the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, ten museums, a number of spas, and the famed Saratoga Race Course for thoroughbred horse racing. Set in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Saratoga Springs is a half-hour drive from the New York State capital at Albany and a three-hour drive from New York City, Boston, and Montreal.

INSTITUTIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Creative thought matters – every life, every career, every profession, is made more profound with creative ability at its core. At Skidmore, the theme of creativity carries throughout and across all disciplines. The goal is to encourage creativity in every area of the Skidmore curriculum, where it matters just as much in science or mathematics or government or management as it does in theatre or dance or the visual arts.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM

The Skidmore curriculum provides a creative intellectual foundation for every student. Specifically, the College is firmly committed to providing its students with a superior grounding in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences, along with the opportunity to pursue career-specific fields such as business, education, exercise science, and social work. The cross-disciplinary, highly sophisticated environment of the college, coupled with skilled faculty guidance, results in a transformational educational experience that promotes a lifelong commitment to learning. Students pursue connections among an unusually wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, embarking on their careers well prepared to take full advantage of the challenges and opportunities they will encounter in the complex modern world.

The members of the Skidmore faculty are well known for the quality and range of education, research, and experience they bring to the classroom. Though they are prolific in their writing, productive in their research, and outstanding in their creative endeavors, their emphasis is always on teaching, on translating the richness of their experiences into meaningful learning and inspiring their students. Approximately 200 full-time faculty members afford an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. Skidmore's teaching faculty represents some of the top graduate schools in the nation and the world. Over 93 percent of Skidmore faculty members hold the Ph.D. or the highest degree in their field.

The flexibility of Skidmore’s curriculum allows students to major in one field and minor in another, pursue an interdepartmental major combining two disciplines, design self-determined majors, and include extensive off-campus learning opportunities as part of their degree programs. Students are encouraged to test their interests and develop their skills through Skidmore Internship Programs in government, business, communications, and nonprofit organizations at the local, state, and national levels. The Office of International Programs organizes a wide range of opportunities abroad for students and faculty members in many regions of the world. Students also may take advantage of courses offered through the Hudson-Mohawk Association of Colleges and Universities with institutions such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College, and the State University of New York at Albany. Cooperative programs include one in engineering with the Thayer School at Dartmouth College, a Washington Semester coordinated through American University, a semester at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, an M.B.A. program with Clarkson University, and an M.A.T. affiliation with Union College. University Without Walls students follow closely advised, individualized curricula that enhance their careers, as do graduate students in liberal studies.

Skidmore students engage in a multitude of co-curricular activities, including a competitive NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program. The Skidmore campus is active year round, and many of the public events sponsored by Skidmore’s Office of Special Programs are particularly popular in the summer, including the nationally recognized New York State Summer Writers Institute, the Skidmore Jazz Institute, and residencies of major dance companies. The College’s Summer Programs draw diverse participants and audiences throughout the season and add significantly to the cultural and arts offerings of the region. Beyond the campus, the quarterly journal of the humanities and social sciences Salmagundi represents Skidmore within the arena of influential public debate.

THE POSITION

The Vice President for Academic Affairs is the second-ranking administrator at Skidmore, assuming senior administrative responsibilities when necessary in the president’s absence. In addition to close collaboration with fellow members of the President’s Cabinet, the Vice President for Academic Affairs serves as the President’s primary academic advisor, providing strategic vision and overall leadership for all academic endeavors. The VPAA works closely with five direct reports and the Director of Technology (as indicated below) and serves on a number of governance committees as either a voting or ex officio member. The Academic Affairs division includes the following positions and areas of responsibility for the Vice President of Academic Affairs:

The Dean of the Faculty is the operational leader of the faculty and works closely with department chairs and others in envisioning, developing, and implementing Skidmore’s academic programs for residential students, with a dedication to undergraduate teaching and ongoing scholarship. The Dean oversees faculty hiring, development, and review and has responsibility for academic advising. The Dean of the Faculty also collaborates closely with the Dean of Special Programs and the Dean of Student Affairs to advance the College’s educational mission.

The Dean of Special Programs provides operational leadership for adult baccalaureate and graduate degree programs, as well as oversight for a distinctive array of institutes, seminars, residencies, and programs. These include degree-granting, credit and non-credit, community and continuing education programs for pre-collegiate, collegiate, adult and professional learners initiated, developed, and managed by Special Programs.

The Director of the Library is responsible for the Lucy Scribner Library, a 125,000-square-foot facility located at the center of the Skidmore campus. Responsibilities include the development, preservation, and accessibility of both physical and virtual holdings.

The Registrar and Director of Institutional Research handles student registration for residential students and for Special Programs through the new Skidmore Student System, a convenient online system for faculty and students. The Office of Institutional Research conducts assessment-related research for both internal and external audiences and reporting organizations.

The Dayton Director of the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery is responsible for this signature campus building and program that provides an environment for interdisciplinary discussion and learning through the visual arts. The Tang features contemporary art, as well as interdisciplinary exhibits in the natural and social sciences, performing arts, and humanities – helping students of all ages learn to respond critically to the visual world around them.

The Director of Technology reports to the Vice President for Finance with a dotted-line report to the VPAA and is responsible for the development and support of all administrative and teaching/learning technology on the Skidmore campus.

THE AGENDA

The Vice President for Academic Affairs will ensure Skidmore’s high standards of excellence, while providing vision and leadership to address the following areas:

Structure: The Vice President will facilitate collaboration across all units within Academic Affairs and will lead efforts to ensure creative integration among residential programs and Special Programs, as well as with the Tang Museum, the library, and instructional technology. The Office of Academic Affairs continues to evolve, with the addition of the Dean of the Faculty (new position in 2005) and Dean of Special Programs (relocated within Academic Affairs in 2005). Refining and clarifying processes and procedures, as well as supporting leadership development throughout Academic Affairs, will be priorities. The VPAA will help develop leadership within the faculty and academic staff to meet the requirements of Skidmore’s shared governance system. (Faculty members are actively engaged in governance responsibilities through a number of key committees such as the Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure (CAPT), the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning (CEPP), the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC), and the newly formed Faculty Executive Committee (FEC).)

Implementation of Strategic Goals: Skidmore has recently adopted an aggressive ten-year strategic plan [http://hudson2.skidmore.edu/planning/index.htm]. The primary areas identified as priorities include student academic engagement (especially in the first year and the sciences), intercultural literacy and global awareness, and responsible citizenship. All of these areas relate directly to hiring and to program development and implementation within Academic Affairs. The Vice President will lead the Skidmore community in establishing priorities and accomplishing these important goals. In addition, the Vice President will ensure that recommendations included in Skidmore’s recently completed Middle States Accreditation review are accommodated as part of the implementation of Skidmore’s overall strategic framework.

Supporting Academic Programs and Creating Opportunities: As Skidmore’s diverse academic programs develop and expand, there is a need to examine continuously the abilities of the faculty to meet the demands of those programs and the distribution of resources across departments and divisions. This includes ensuring effective budget management, providing for the hiring and support of new colleagues, and reviewing the promotion and compensation system. (This year Academic Affairs received $600,000 for new initiatives, four new tenure-track positions, and a five per cent increase in faculty and staff salaries along with significant additional funds for market and equity increases.) The Vice President will identify areas of synergy and resource development throughout the College. The continued development of technology for teaching and research, more national collaboration and visibility for the Tang Museum, and creative development of international programs through efforts such as increasing study-abroad opportunities and building collaborative relations with other schools are among the areas to be addressed.

Building Community: Skidmore College is of a size that allows significant cooperation across administrative departments and offices. The Office of Academic Affairs represents the core of the institution. The Vice President will be visible throughout campus and accessible to all audiences. The Office of Academic Affairs will model the college’s expectations and standards for open communication and collaboration, leading efforts that result in providing the best educational opportunities and services possible for Skidmore students.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The Vice President for Academic Affairs Search Committee has identified the following professional and personal characteristics expected of the person who will assume this position of leadership:

Exemplifies the model of excellence for a Skidmore faculty member as teacher-scholar-citizen and so is positioned to lead the College as Chief Academic Officer in developing and sustaining the exceptional faculty and curriculum that are central to Skidmore’s mission.

• Distinguished record of teaching; achievement in scholarship, creative, or professional work; and accomplished service so as to understand the core elements of the work of the faculty and academic professionals, uphold the College’s high academic standards, and merit faculty appointment at the rank of Professor at Skidmore.
  
  
• Broad and deep understanding of curriculum, interdisciplinarity, and the range of disciplines represented among Skidmore’s academic offerings.
  
  
• Demonstrated commitment to student development and academic achievement as defined broadly in the Mission of the College.

Commitment to the values of liberal education, in general, and to their particular realization at Skidmore.

• Passionate commitment to the values and goals of liberal education and the ability to articulate them effectively and persuasively both inside and outside the academy. Appreciation of the essential role of creative thought across all human activity.
  
  
• Ability to embrace and champion the particular expression of liberal education at Skidmore: traditional, interdisciplinary, pre-professional and professional, and adult undergraduate and graduate degree programs; historical strength in the visual and performing arts; and other unique features such as the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery.
  
  
• Capable of becoming an enthusiastic exponent of the values and goals of Skidmore’s current Strategic Plan – especially, student engagement and academic achievement (with special attention to the first year and enhancing the sciences), diversity and intercultural literacy, and responsible citizenship.

Demonstrated administrative abilities.

• Creative and accomplished leader with a proven record of fostering collaboration throughout an institution.
  
  
• Proven record of institutional management, with robust skills in communication, personnel management, and budgeting. Experience in managing administrative offices and developing systems and procedures to ensure responsiveness, effectiveness, and efficiency of operations.
  
  
• Evidence of ability to supervise and support academic deans in their work with departments, chairs and program directors, and individual faculty members to ensure appropriate distribution of resources and personnel to support the academic programs of the College.
  
  
  • Experience in hiring, developing, reviewing, and supporting faculty members throughout their careers.
    
    
• Experience in developing leadership within an academic community.
  
  
• Deep understanding and appreciation of shared governance, with evidence of the ability to work effectively within a governance system.

Connection to the broader world of higher education and beyond.

• Understanding of the issues and challenges facing higher education nationally – especially as they pertain to liberal arts colleges.
  
  
• Ability to participate actively in such national conversations, to bring them to the College, and engage the faculty and other constituencies.

Personal qualities.

• Intellectually curious and open to the ideas of others, conceptually rigorous, with facility in cross-cultural communication, combined with the highest professional integrity.
  
  
• Collegial and able to form strong working relationships, committed to the success of others and to the institution.
  
  
• Possessing a sense of humor.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. Submissions received by October 1 will be assured of full consideration.

Applications should consist of a cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, and an annotated list of five references. Nominations and expressions of interest, which will be treated in confidence, should be sent (Microsoft Word format preferred) to:

skidmorevpaa@academic-search.org

Skidmore College is being assisted by:
Dr. Tobie van der Vorm, Senior Consultant
Academic Search Consultation Service
ptv@academic-search.org · 202/263-7473

Skidmore College is committed to being an inclusive campus community and, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, family or
marital status, or sexual orientation.