News and announcements from Skidmore College

Weekly Bulletin

COVID-19 Updates

Important update on masking and social distancing requirements

As you are aware, the CDC and New York state recently announced that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in most outdoor and indoor settings. Based on current vaccination rates, the New York State Department of Health still strongly recommends that individuals wear masks indoors when the vaccination status of all individuals is not known. As federal and state guidance evolves, so will the College's masking and social distancing requirements. Based on current guidance, the following rules currently apply to employees on campus:

  • Fully vaccinated employees do not need to wear masks outdoors.
  • Fully vaccinated employees do not need to wear a mask or socially distance indoors when with other fully vaccinated individuals (including meetings and small gatherings).
  • Fully vaccinated employees must continue to wear masks indoors when in the presence of other individuals where the vaccination status of the other individuals is unknown. This includes all indoor public spaces on campus such as shared workspaces, classrooms, labs, studios, Case Center, Scribner Library, Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, hallways, restrooms, etc.
  • Employees (vaccinated and unvaccinated) are not required to wear face masks when working alone in their private offices or vehicles.
  • Unvaccinated employees must continue to wear appropriate face coverings and maintain appropriate social distancing when in public spaces and outdoors.

 

Please be cognizant of your own risk in making decisions about masking and safe physical distancing. All members of our community must be respectful in their communication with others regarding mask wearing and vaccination status. While individuals may voluntarily disclose their vaccination status, the College expects all community members to exercise sensitivity to individuals’ unique circumstances. This includes refraining from asking an individual why they have not been vaccinated.

 

COVID-19 surveillance testing policy, effective May 24

As a reminder, employees who are fully vaccinated (14 days past last dose of COVID-19 vaccine) are exempt from the College's surveillance testing program effective May 24. Testing after May 24 will continue to be required on a weekly basis for all non-vaccinated employees who will be working on campus with regular proximate contact (working in the same workspace) with co-workers or students. Non-vaccinated employees who will only come into incidental contact with others but who otherwise work alone (either in their own private office or in a shared office space but who will work alone because of staggered staffing arrangements) are also exempt from the College's surveillance testing program effective May 24. Find more information and the summer testing schedule here.

 

Please note: Testing is for surveillance testing only. Staff who are experiencing symptoms should contact their primary care provider. You must bring your Skidmore College ID for proper identification. Masks must be worn, and employees must maintain appropriate social distancing at all times.

 

Over the past year, the College has made a significant effort to create a safe campus community, and vaccinations are an important next step in returning to a normal learning and working environment. Please see the Employee COVID-19 Information section below for more information.

Skidmore News

5/26 Staff Meeting Notes

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.

Read More
Endurance, resilience, grit

Skidmore College conferred 570 degrees to the Class of 2021 during in-person Commencement Exercises that celebrated graduates’ perseverance during a challenging senior year.

Read More
What comes next? Class of 2021 members look forward

As we look forward to celebrating the post-grad careers and adventures of our 2021 graduates in the coming months and years, several already have some exciting news to share.

Read More
Skidmore remembers Samantha Sasenarine '21

Skidmore faculty and leadership, friends and family gathered to remember the life of Samantha Sasenarine ’21 and plant a tree in her memory.

Read More

Dining Services

Murray-Aikins Dining Hall is now open to all faculty and staff. Please visit the Dining Services website regularly for updates, specials, hours of operation (including new summer hours) and other information.  

 

Pop-up Grill: Beginning June 3, Dining Services will hold a pop-up grill featuring hamburgers, hot dogs and plant-based Beyond Burgers from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday (weather permitting) outside Burgess Café. $6.99 lunch combo meals and a la carte pricing are available. The grill is available to the entire Skidmore community. 

Human Resources

HR welcomes new staff member Jim Calhoun

The Human Resources Department is excited to welcome a new staff member, Jim Calhoun, to the Skidmore community! Jim will serve as the employment coordinator in the HR Department. Jim brings to Skidmore an extensive background in Human Resources, including 15 years of experience at St. Peter's Health Partners in recruiting, background checks and new hire on-boarding. He enjoys working on spreadsheets, being a problem solver and making things simpler for the constituents he works with. 

HR welcomes new staff member Jim Calhoun

Jim is a survivor of leukemia and loves to inspire and help others. Outside of work, Jim loves football and baseball; his teams are the New York Giants and the Boston Red Sox. He has a wife whom he has been married to for 19 years, two wonderful young adult children and his best friend and dog, Bailey. Please give a warm Skidmore welcome to Jim Calhoun!

 

Annual Employee Retirement and Recognition Ceremony

Yesterday, the College released a virtual Retirement and Recognition ceremony to recognize and celebrate faculty, staff and retirees for their service and commitment to the College. This year's ceremony includes retiree commemoration and recognition, service recognition for employees reaching special milestones, and a presentation of the 2021 President's Awards by President Marc Conner. Please take time out of your busy work day to view the event and join in this well-deserved celebratory moment. You can view the virtual ceremony here. On behalf of the College, we also extend our sincere thanks to all employees for their hard work and dedication during these challenging times.

 

Annual Performance Reviews

At this time, staff should have completed an Accomplishment Summary & Development Review and provided this to their supervisors for review, and supervisors should have completed their review of staff performance evaluations, including proposal of an overall rating. Supervisors should review completed performance reviews with their supervisor by the end of this week. All forms are available on the Performance Review Resources webpage under the Forms heading. Supervisors should plan to schedule performance discussions between supervisors and staff and setting of Annual Goals beginning next week. Please contact Brianna Herman if you have any questions about the process.

Employee COVID-19 Information

Daily Health Certification

The Daily Health Certification must be completed before or upon arrival to campus each day.

 

Reminder to Report Your COVID-19 Vaccination Status

As a reminder, employees who are fully vaccinated are now exempt from COVID-19 testing requirements. As federal and state health and safety guidelines evolve to consider individuals’ vaccination status, the College will continue to align its testing program, health and safety policies, and anticipated return to full, on-campus employment with these guidelines. If you have not already done so, Human Resources requests that all employees complete the COVID-19 Vaccination Status form promptly. Employees who have not already submitted a copy of their vaccination card may do so by emailing vaccine@skidmore.edu. Please include [OME] in the subject line to encrypt your message.

 

The information submitted through the COVID-19 Vaccination Status form and vaccination records will be maintained confidentially by Human Resources. Skidmore College continues to strongly encourage all faculty and staff to get vaccinated as soon as possible as the next step in returning to a normal learning and working environment. If you have any questions regarding this process, please direct them to Interim Director of Human Resources Sarah Delaney Vero.

 

Paid Time Off for Vaccine Appointments During Work Hours

Skidmore strongly encourages all employees to get vaccinated. All employees who cannot schedule vaccination appointments outside of regular work hours will receive paid time off for work time missed due to receiving the vaccine. Exempt and nonexempt employees should record any work time missed due to traveling to and receiving the vaccination as sick time. Union employees should record this time as College Emergency Leave. To be eligible for paid leave, employees must provide proof of their vaccination appointment to their supervisor, who will work with Human Resources to approve a sufficient period of paid time off for each vaccine injection. The amount of paid time off will depend on the time and location of the vaccination appointment (e.g., local appointments may require 1 to 2 hours of paid time off to attend while an appointment in Plattsburgh could require 4 hours of paid time off to account for the additional travel time.)

 

Testing for New Hires Working on Campus

Hiring managers should reach out to Leslie Miakisz to coordinate testing for new hires who will be working on campus. New hires should be tested within 72 hours of their first day of work on campus.

Skidmore Spotlight

Brian Burr, a short-order cook/customer attendant in Dining Services, mainly works at the Atrium Café. Like many members of the campus community, he and his colleagues have juggled shifting regulations during the pandemic, and he is looking forward to a return to activities that have been put on hold.  

Read more
Meet Brian Burr

Faculty-Staff Achievements

Click here for details about the achievements below.

 

A book co-edited by Lisa Aronson, professor of art history emerita, has received an award. Read more >> 

 

David Domozych, professor of biology, and Li Kozel, Skidmore Microscopy Imaging Center coordinator, published a scientific paper. Read more >> 

 

John Galt, assistant professor of art, is exhibiting his work at several shows. Read more >> 

 

David Howson, senior teaching professor and Arthur Zankel Executive Director of Arts Administration, moderated a discussion and was named a Mellon Periclean Faculty Leader for next academic year. Read more >> 

 

Evan Mack, senior teaching professor of music, was interviewed on WAMC and was named a Mellon Periclean Faculty Leader for next academic year. Read more >> 

 

We welcome submissions from faculty and staff related to professional accomplishments and scholarly endeavors.

Announcements

“Finances of the College” presentation

A "Finances of the College" presentation to share updated Fiscal Year 2021 projections, the Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget and a five-year financial forecast will be held via Zoom at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 27. Details for joining the Zoom event will be shared via email.

 

Fellowships, Scholarships and Grants

Skidmore supports high-achieving students with outstanding academic and personal accomplishments as they consider and pursue prestigious national undergraduate and postgraduate opportunities such as those offered by the Goldwater, Truman and Fulbright programs. These and other scholarships and fellowships provide opportunities for international study, research and independent projects, as well as extended leadership opportunities and graduate school funding. Check out upcoming deadlines. For more information, contact Marla Melito, student academic development coordinator, by telephone at ext. 8112 or by email.

 

2021 MDOCS Forum

“Co-Creation: Delights, Discontents & Dislocations” is the theme of the 2021 MDOCS Forum, an annual documentary arts festival that brings together nonfiction makers, students, scholars and activists from around the globe. From June 6 to 13, for the first year ever, MDOCS Forum is virtual, presented in five different languages and with co-presenters on four continents. MDOCS Forum is free and open to the public. Register online.

 

Stewart’s Signature Summer Series Announced

Made possible through a generous gift from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family, this series of premiere events produced by the Office of Special Programs celebrates collaborations with our local partners in 2021. Contact Maria McColl with any questions.

 

Recent malware attacks and administrative access

In light of recent cyber security attacks responsible for taking down major systems at some higher education institutions, Information Technology will be implementing security measures designed to protect Skidmore from the increased risk of ransomware and other attacks which put the College, users and data at risk. In addition to the rollout of dual-factor authentication, Skidmore will be changing how administrative access on institutional hardware is made.

 

Effective May 31, you must contact the Help Desk before installing applications on your Skidmore laptop or PC. The User Services team has the tools and will coordinate with you directly in order to assist you in the installations of those applications. This will allow all of us to continue to use our computers to meet our needs while safeguarding our community.

 

If you have any questions about this change or would like to know more about what IT is doing to limit the risks of cyber security attacks, please contact Chief Technology Officer Dwane Sterling.

 

Private Music Lessons Scholarship opportunity

The Skidmore Music Department invites students who are thinking of studying or continuing the study of an instrument or voice to consider applying for a lesson scholarship. The submission deadline is June 1 for the fall semester. Details and eligibility requirements are posted on this website. For more information, please contact Artist-in-Residence Michael Emery.

 

Fall 2021 vegetable CSA shares now available

9 Miles East Farm will be delivering freshly harvested vegetables and herbs to subscribers in the Skidmore community for 12 consecutive Fridays starting Sept. 3. Shares are available by subscription only. Sign up online. Joining a CSA is a great way to support the local farm community. There are only 100 shares available for the entire campus community, so sign up now. Send questions to 9 Miles East Farm.

 

Skidmore Shop

Show your thoroughbred spirit and get free shipping (regular ground shipping within the continental United States) on all branded items at skidmoreshop.com. Use offer code FreeShip2021. Offer may not be combined with any other promotion.

 

Share news in the Skidmore Weekly Bulletin

Please help reduce bulk emails by posting your announcement in the Bulletin, which reaches all faculty, staff and students.

Accessing College Resources

A comprehensive list of current resources and services available to the Skidmore community is now available online. This website will be updated frequently. Updates and additions to this list can be submitted by email.

 

Skidmore College continues to provide campuswide updates on the Campus Planning 2020-21 website.  

 Please send submissions to the Office of Communications and Marketing. 

Skidmore College

 

 815 North Broadway

 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

518-580-5000