April 1 staff meeting recap
President Marc Conner and Skidmore College administrators offered updates on important initiatives including ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, Campus Master Planning, Commencement, and other topics at the Friday, April 1, monthly staff meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, the president shared the sad news that Pat Choukeir, coordinator of credit-bearing internships and project funds, died peacefully Thursday, March 31. The president expressed condolences to her family and colleagues, and Skidmore staff held a moment of silence in her honor.
The president also discussed recent changes to COVID-19 guidance and noted the robust range of events that are now able to take place in person on campus, from athletic competitions and performances to the recent Humanistic Inquiry Symposium and In It 6 events, which continue this week.
“Constant vigilance is the way we are approaching the ongoing pandemic. Whatever COVID-19 throws at us, we will be well prepared,” he said.
Commencement will also take place fully in person on Saturday, May 21, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Director, playwright, and activist-in-art Moisés Kaufman and novelist, literary scholar, and philosopher Charles Johnson will both receive honorary degrees. Lisa Grady-Willis, teaching professor and associate director of the Intergroup Relations Program, has been selected as the faculty speaker.
Joshua Woodfork, vice president for strategic planning and institutional diversity, shared information about ongoing DEI efforts. This spring, Skidmore is partnering with the USC Race and Equity Center to administer the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC) Staff Survey. As of Friday, April 1, more than half of Skidmore staff had participated. The College aims for 75% participation, and Woodfork urged all staff to participate in the survey, which will be available through April 21. Details have been sent to staff by email.
Vice President Woodfork also urged all Skidmore community members to participate in In It 6, a suite of DEI programs designed to raise cultural fluency and strengthen the Skidmore community. Programming continues through Friday, April 8.
Director of Facilities Dan Rodecker, co-chair of the Campus Master Planning Task Force, offered a brief update on Campus Master Planning. Rodecker said that Ayers Saint Gross (ASG) was moving toward completion of the plan ahead of a Board of Trustees meeting in May. ASG will share more information, including survey results, during sessions with community members at 1 p.m. Monday, April 11, and at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, as well as during a student-only session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.
College administrators will also hold a state-of-the-College-finances presentation in early May that will offer detailed information about next year’s budget, a recent study of compensation for Skidmore staff, and projected GSAs (general salary adjustments), as well as other key financial indicators, for next year.
The president also announced the concept of a Visions and Values Forum next academic year.
“The idea is for us to spend a year talking together in various kinds of formats and gatherings about what it is that makes Skidmore special, what is essential to our College, what are the things that make Skidmore Skidmore,” President Conner said. “This will be a series of opportunities in all kinds of different formats for us to talk among ourselves about what we most value about Skidmore.”
President Conner invited all community members to offer suggestions for these conversations, which will help inform President Conner about values important to the Skidmore community and serve as a springboard to strategic planning for the College’s future.
Collyer Vice President for Advancement Carey Anne Zucca said planning for celebrations of Skidmore College’s centennial is also underway and will be marked by a series of events through the 2022-23 academic year.
The next staff meeting on Friday, April 29, is scheduled to held in person in Zankel Music Center. President Conner expressed his eagerness to gather with the staff in person at last.