President Conner holds end-of-year briefing for Skidmore staff

President Marc Conner and other College administrators extended words of thanks and appreciation to Skidmore employees for contributing to the successful conclusion of the 2020-21 academic year and provided updates on important topics, including plans for all employees to return to campus by the fall.   

More than 130 employees attended the final staff meeting of the 2020-21 academic year on Wednesday, May 26. 

“The big news is we did it: We pulled off Commencement for our incredible senior class, the Class of 2021, the class who endured,” Conner said.  

Luke Meyers, director of marketing and engagement, said the video coverage of the in-person ceremony at Saratoga Performing Arts Center was viewed more than 24,000 times; 1,700 viewers also watched it live on Skidmore’s website. Others participated in a virtual watch party on Zoom or attended a viewing event at Saratoga Springs City Center.  

“It was a classic Skidmore Commencement day. The response that we saw both during the event and after from students, parents and families was just overwhelmingly positive,” Meyers said.  

President Conner extended special congratulations to the 2021 winners of the President’s Awards for Leadership and Service. This year’s staff recipients were Michele Koskinen, academic administrative assistant in the Department of Music, and the late Robert W. “Robb” Meisner, a cook in Dining Services. Faculty awards went to Emmanuel A. Balogun, assistant professor of political science, and Jeffrey Segrave, professor of health and human physiological sciences.  

The team award went to Skidmore’s Health Services. 

“You all know what this team did this year coordinating all the efforts campuswide for COVID-19,” the president said.  

Interim Human Resources Director Sarah Delaney Vero praised all Skidmore employees for their contributions this year.  

“On behalf of Human Resources, I have to say thank you to each and every one of you for your incredible grit, dedication and patience as we move through a year like really none other in the College's history,” she said. “You're the foundation of the College, and without your extraordinary efforts we would not have been able to get through this year successfully.”  

Student awards went to Korotoumou “Katy” Ballo ’21, Haja Isatu Bah ’21, Shawn N. Sharifi ’21 and Nicole Wong ’21. 

Vero also provided information about Skidmore’s plan for all Skidmore employees to return to campus by this fall. She noted that remote courses would only be offered in very limited circumstances and outlined plans to provide normal on-campus services in offices beginning no later than Aug. 2 and gradually increasing to full capacity by Sept. 2.  

She said units and divisions would complete specific plans by July 1 and described the process as a collaborative one.  

President Conner also made several additional announcements.  

The search for the next Collyer Vice President for Advancement has concluded and an announcement would be made on Thursday, May 27, he said. The search for Skidmore’s next dean of students and vice president for student affairs continues.  

Donna Ng, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, will provide a detailed look at Skidmore’s finances during a Zoom presentation at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 27. Details for joining the Zoom event were shared via email. 

“I don't want to give away too much, but I will say we are extremely well poised in terms of the financial picture,” President Conner said.  

Mary Lou Bates, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid, announced that Skidmore had again slightly exceeded its enrollments for the Class of 2021 and is planning to enroll 708 students this fall.  

The president also expressed his profound gratitude to all Skidmore employees and his hope that they might enjoy a restorative summer.  

“We did it through endurance, we did it through community. And we did it through collaboration. That's the recipe,” said President Conner, who is also a professor of English literature. “I compare this to a Shakespearean romance. We're coming at the end of this play, having achieved the good community, but with a powerful sense of the suffering that went into this. I don't think we get beyond the losses of this year. But we do find ways to move forward. And having an awareness of how caring the community of Skidmore has been — that is worthy of a sense of pride and a sense of empowerment for all of us.” 

Staff meetings will resume in September.