News and announcements from Skidmore College

Weekly Bulletin

Skidmore News

February staff meeting considers draft Campus Master Plan, other important topics

Skidmore College President Marc C. Conner hosted the first staff meeting of the spring semester and 2022 calendar year and offered updates on important initiatives, including ongoing efforts to contain COVID-19, the Racial Justice Initiative, progress toward admissions targets, and the final phase of the Campus Master Planning process.

Olympian wears Team USA knit had and mittens outside in snow

Team USA wears Skidmore alumna's gear at 2022 Winter Olympic Games

Sh*t That I Knit (STIK), a Boston-based small business founded and run by Skidmore alumna Christina Fagan Pardy ’12, is an official licensee of Team USA for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

COVID-19 Updates

The latest messages and information regarding COVID-19 can be found on the Campus Planning Page. Important recent updates include:

Testing

Any employee who has been approved by Human Resources for an exemption from the vaccination requirement will be subject to weekly testing.
Employees with circumstances that result in specific workplace-related concerns prompting them to seek a test within the College’s testing program may contact Human Resources to discuss their unique circumstances and request a test through the College’s testing program. Such requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis and are subject to the availability of testing resources.

Masks

A KN95 mask (or equivalent mask, i.e. N95 or KF94) is currently required for everyone on campus when indoors in public spaces.
Individual departments may have one representative submit a request for additional masks by email and arrange for pickup.
KN95 masks and rapid antigen tests are now available for purchase at the Skidmore Shop.

COVID-19 Vaccination Submission Form

The COVID-19 Vaccination Submission Form has been updated for employees to submit proof of their booster vaccination. Please complete this form as soon as possible. The deadline was Jan. 24.
Please consult the College's COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for Faculty and Staff for additional information regarding the College's booster vaccination requirement.

Visitors

Effective Monday, Jan. 31, through Friday, Feb. 11, external visitors are permitted on campus but are required to wear a KN95 mask (or equivalent mask, i.e. N95 or KF94) at all times when indoors. Visitors must also show proof of vaccination and booster to the department, program, or office sponsoring the visit.

HERO Act Designation Extended

The designation of COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease has been extended until Feb. 15 by the New York State Department of Health. In turn, the College's Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan remains in effect and all employees working on campus must continue to complete the Daily Health Certification form at the beginning of each workday.

Dining Services

Please visit the Dining Services website regularly for updates, Spa specials, hours of operation, and other information.

While the College is operating at a “yellow” status level (“substantial” to “high” Saratoga County COVID transmission rate), Murray-Aikins Dining Hall will be open to students only. The Spa, Atrium Café, and Burgess Café remain open to everyone.

This semester, all food from The Spa will be served in ReuseMore containers, and all dining hall customers can use a ReuseMore container to take food to go. ReuseMore containers should be returned at bins in The Spa, Burgess Café, and the dining hall atrium, or in the dining hall dish return. Please email reusemore@skidmore.edu for more information.

Spa Rewards Program

Now through the end of the spring semester, The Spa is offering a new loyalty rewards program. Customers who purchase nine meals ($5 or more) will receive their 10th meal free (a $7.99 value). The loyalty cards will be kept on file at the cashier station.

Human Resources

New Open Positions

Human Resources invites interested Skidmore staff to submit their applicant materials for the openings listed below. These are current, approved, budgeted positions that are being filled due to vacancies.

Administrative Assistant – Information Technology (IT)
Digital Marketing Coordinator – Communications and Marketing
Operations Coordinator – Conferences and Events

To apply, please access the Okta portal. Click on the tile for “Oracle HCM,” then click “Me,” and then click on “Current Jobs.”

EAP Reaching Out Newsletter

The February edition of our Employee Assistance Program’s (EAP) Reaching Out Newsletter is here. EAP is an employer-sponsored benefit provided at no cost to you and your household members. EAP offers professional, qualified resources to assist you in resolving all types of personal or family-related concerns. All contacts with the EAP are strictly confidential to the fullest degree allowed by law.

Free TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions

Rachel Fiedler, a TIAA retirement planning counselor, will hold one-on-one phone consultations with employees on Tuesday, March 15. Call 1-800-732-8353 to schedule an appointment or visit the website.

Free one-on-one retirement consultations with Vanguard

Employees can schedule a one-on-one phone consultation with a Vanguard retirement planning counselor on Wednesday, Feb. 16, or Tuesday, March 8. You can sign up for an appointment by going to the website and selecting New York/Skidmore College/Saratoga Springs/one-on-one sessions.

Skidmore Spotlight

Meet Michael Wicks

Michael Wicks, lead painter in the Office of Facilities Services, heads a team responsible for making sure the interiors and exteriors of all Skidmore facilities continue to look crisp and clean.

Faculty-Staff Achievements

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

Jennifer Fawcett, lecturer of English, published an article. Read more>>

Lucia Hulsether, assistant professor of religious studies, published an essay. Read more>>

Heather Hurst, associate professor of anthropology, presented a paper at a scholarly meeting. Read more>>

Christopher Mann, associate professor of political science, was interviewed for an article. Read more>>

Gregory Spinner, teaching professor of religious studies, was quoted in a news article. Read more>>

Lectures

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

Associate Professor of American Studies Beck Krefting and Professor of English Emerita Susan Kress will interview renowned New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Registration is required for this virtual event.

Richie Hofmann: A Poetry Reading

Poet Richie Hofmann, whose book of poems, “A Hundred Lovers,” is forthcoming from Knopf in 2022, will read from his work at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, in Emerson Auditorium.

Panel discussion and screening of ‘A Love Letter to Brian, Lesley, and Michelle’

A panel discussion with Lecturer of Dance Hettie Barnhill, director of the film “A Love Letter to Brian, Lesley, and Michelle,” will follow a screening of the film at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, in Gannett Auditorium.

Spring Research Colloquium

Joseph C. Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government Beau Breslin will consider the famous debate between Jefferson, who favored generational constitutional change, and Madison, who preferred a single enduring Constitution, and imagine a world in which the loser (Jefferson) prevailed at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, in Emerson Auditorium.

Listening To The Field: Artists and Organizations

David Snider, lecturer in arts administration and executive and artistic director of Hubbard Hall, will lead a conversation with Melissa Crespo, Mei Ann Teo, and Karen Zacarías (part of the “Listening to the Field: Artists and Arts Leaders Discuss What’s Happened and What’s Next” series) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. Registration is required for this virtual event.

William Harder Lecture in Business Administration

Brian Corrigan, vice president and head of Americas for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation), will explore the past, present, and future of gaming and its impact on society and commerce at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22. Please register for this virtual event.

Be The Refuge: Re-Centering Asian Americans in the Study of American Buddhism

Chenxing Han, author of “Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists" (2021), will re-center the voices of Asian Americans to the study of American Buddhism in this lecture at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in Gannett Auditorium. This talk is open to Skidmore faculty, staff, and students only.

To view all upcoming lectures and for details on how to submit information about upcoming Skidmore academic lectures, named lectures, and faculty panels, visit the Skidmore Lectures webpage.

Announcements

Campus Master Plan Survey

The Campus Master Plan Task Force and Ayers Saint Gross, the firm that is drafting Skidmore’s new Master Plan, encourage members of the Skidmore community to participate in an important survey to help prioritize future projects. More information, including a Feb. 4 update, can be found on the Campus Master Planning website. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, Feb. 18.

New HEDS Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey website

The Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding (CIGU) announces the publication of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey website. The results of the campus climate survey, conducted in spring 2019, are available on the website in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, which includes expanded demographic information (more information on sexual orientation, gender identity, and religious identity) that we learned about our community. In addition, the website includes an overview of the analysis process, a timeline of presentations to constituents, and some steps that have been taken as a result of the findings.

We Hear You SGBM Update

Over the winter break, the College continued to make progress on its “We Hear You” initiative, including a staff training with Jackson Katz, LGBTQIA+ training for athletics personnel, and a workshop for peer health educators about the book “Sexual Citizens” by Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan. For more information about upcoming events and detailed updates, please visit the “We Hear You” Events and Updates page, and monitor email and Skidmore Weekly Bulletin for additional updates in the coming weeks.

Hockey wraps up regular season with weekend home games

The Skidmore College ice hockey team will be playing for playoff home ice when it hosts Johnson & Wales and UMass Boston in the final regular season games. There will be a free bus from Case Center at 6:30 p.m. Friday for the 7 p.m. game against Johnson & Wales. Saturday’s game against UMB is at 4 p.m. The Thoroughbreds are 13-9-1 overall and 8-7-1 in New England Hockey Conference play. The team is in sixth place, only two wins out of third.

Junior Admissions Workshop (JAWS)

Skidmore’s annual Junior Admissions Workshop for high school juniors will take the form of four virtual, recorded sessions this month. These sessions will provide valuable insights to make the college search more understandable and achievable. To register and view the recorded workshops, visit the JAWS website.

Skidmore Shop

Treat yourself this Valentine’s Day at the Skidmore Shop and get a free Skidmore heart-shaped chocolate with your purchase of $25 or more. And for the Apple of your eye, from now until March 26, enjoy an additional $50 off education pricing on MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs at the Skidmore Shop. Contact Doug Chang at dchang@skidmore.edu or 518-580-5491.

Pacifica Quartet performance

Pacifica Quartet will perform live at Zankel Music Center at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11. Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often daring repertory choices, the Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. This event is free and open to the public. Register online.

‘Disclosure’ screening

MDOCS is excited to host a screening of the award-winning documentary film “Disclosure,” an eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television. A discussion with the film's director, Skidmore graduate Sam Feder’ 97, Luna Peralta ’23, and others will follow the screening at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Gannett Auditorium.

Ensemble Connect

Ensemble Connect, a group of the finest young professional classical musicians based out of Carnegie Hall, celebrates its 15th year at Skidmore with a concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18. The performance will be free and open to the public in Arthur Zankel Music Center. It will also be livestreamed.

Juried Student Exhibition

The 2022 Student Juried Exhibition opens Wednesday, Feb. 9, with a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in The Schick Gallery in Saisselin Art Center. Juried by Photographer Daesha Devon Harris, the show runs through March 8. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The exhibition is open to the public.

Camp Northwoods registration

Online registration for Camp Northwoods, Skidmore’s summer day camp for children, will open for employees at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Skidmore community members receive priority in the registration process and should watch their email for specific instructions the morning of Feb. 10. New this summer: two sessions for rising seventh- and eighth-grade campers!

Thoroughbred Society awards

Thoroughbred Society members, student-athletes who achieved at least a 3.67 grade point average during the fall semester, will be honored at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Williamson Sports Center lobby.

RA nominations for fall 2022

The Office of Residential Life is collecting nominations from faculty and staff for passionate student leaders for fall 2022 resident assistants. Do you know a student who is compassionate, loves helping others, enjoys guiding and coaching, enjoys planning events, believes in the power of educating others, and thrives working on a team? Nominations are due at 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21. Please contact the Office of Residential Life for more information.

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. The deadline for all submissions is noon each Monday.