Fall planning update

Dear Skidmore Parents, Families and Students,

We appreciate your patience as we continue to work on our plans for the fall term of 2020. As you all know quite well, we face an extremely complex and challenging set of circumstances during this pandemic, and every school in the nation is working through the many challenges of returning to campus while living with this virus.

Skidmore is committed to bringing back all, or nearly all of our students in the fall for an on-campus, in-person educational experience. Skidmore plans to begin classes two weeks early, the week of Aug. 24, and end in-person classes by Thanksgiving Break. Students will complete their exams, projects and other work remotely in the two weeks following the break. This aligns with what most of our peer institutions are planning as well.

These are ambitious goals, but we are confident we can achieve this through focused, collaborative efforts. Administrative action teams representing all areas of the College are working on very specific plans to safely deliver an in-person Skidmore education to our students.

The reopening planning process will include robust communication and collaboration, including regular updates on guidance and policy, and opportunities for questions and answers with administrative leadership. We have also launched a new website focused on our planning process. The website, which will continue to evolve and expand, centralizes updates and decisions about our planning. It includes a form to submit questions and comments, and the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section will be built as questions are received and new information develops. There are dedicated sections specifically for parents, families and students.

The top guiding principle in all our decision-making is the health and safety of our entire community — our students, staff, faculty and the Saratoga Springs community. Our second principle is to provide to all our students the intensive, fully engaged, in-person Skidmore education of which we are rightly proud. My highest goal is to work together to bring our students back to campus and engage in that education this fall.

To bring all, or nearly all of our students to campus, we’re looking at how we can expand our residential life options in light of state and federal safety guidelines. We’re exploring additional teaching spaces that can accommodate social distancing and safety measures. We’re looking into athletic competition and co-curricular activities to figure out how we can offer a robust college experience to all our students. We’re also engaging consultants and experts to help us provide whatever is needed to bring our college together in person in the fall.

We are exploring a range of options for residential life that can accommodate the best practices of social distancing, hygiene, cleaning protocols and safe communities. Similarly, we are exploring ways to create safe classroom environments so in-person instruction will be possible, including new spatial arrangements, personal protective equipment, plexiglass shields, cleaning protocols and more.

We have offered significant preparation support to our faculty, ranging from academic technology to instructional design to teaching workshops. Support for staff will help us all understand what practices can best promote a healthy and safe working environment for all at the College.

The challenges are great and, now more than ever, creative thought truly matters. Again, our commitment is to bring as many of our students to campus as we can in accordance with health and safety guidance provided by the county, state, federal agencies and best practices, and to continue to provide our students with one of the best liberal arts education experiences in the country.

We will follow up soon with more information, updates and engagements as we work together to continue to deliver the Skidmore education. I am confident that this will be a unifying experience for our entire community and that we can achieve our aims. I am grateful for your support of Skidmore College.

Sincerely,
Marc C. Conner
President-Elect