Reunion approaches
Student vocalists lead singing of the
Alma Mater at Reunion 2012.
Skidmore is on target for a record-breaking attendance at Reunion 2013, scheduled May 30 to June 2 on campus.
Members of classes ending in 3 and 8 will be special guests during the weekend. Mike Sposili, director of alumni affairs and college events, says this group of alumni is known for an enthusiastic response to reunion. “The last time this group gathered, in 2008, we had a record 860 alumni in attendance,” said Sposili. He added, “We’re on track to equal that number for 2013.” The numbers to date bear out Sposili’s prediction. Current registration for the weekend totals 775 alumni and a total of 983 people (alumni and guests) registered for the weekend. At this point five years ago, 658 alumni were registered.
The most senior class attending is the Class of 1943, with three people registered for their 70th reunion. The Class of 1963 is 10 people shy of posting a new reunion attendance record for a 50th-anniversary class. Other milestone classes — the 60th reunion Class of 1953 and the 30th reunion Class of 1983 — are both within range of setting attendance records as well.
The youngest returning class will be the Class of 2008, celebrating its fifth reunion.
Marte Berntsen ’68, from Filtvet, Norway, is the alum traveling the farthest to return to Skidmore this year. Second longest-distance traveler is Kacey Schneider ’08, from Playa Grande, Costa Rica.
Sposili says there’s a lot of excitement expressed by alumni who plan to return, especially about changes on campus. “Alumni will get a chance to see the phoenix of new student housing rising in the area where Scribner Village was once located,” said Sposili, about the final phase of construction of residential facilities. He added, “Many of these alumni have never seen the Arthur Zankel Music Facility, which opened in 2010.”
Saratoga Springs is a major lure for alumni, according to Sposili. “People always enjoy going downtown for the lively and rich array of activities,” he noted. While most class dinners will be on campus, the Saratoga Springs City Center will be the scene of the Class of ’63 dinner, which President Philip Glotzbach will attend.
Saratoga Spa State Park is the location of the alumni golf tournament, which has a robust number of entries, and the Class of 1983 has planned a scavenger hunt throughout downtown. Tours of the Saratoga battlefield also will be offered.
A highlight of the event will e the Saturday morning Alumni Awards and Recognition Ceremony, scheduled at 10:30 a.m. in the Zankel Music Center. This year’s program will include a video on the effect of philanthropy. Mini-college courses on a range of topics including Skidmore’s Science Initiative, identity politics, and the liberal 1950s will be offered. Saratoga Winery will present a mini-college class on the winemaking process.
For details on Skidmore's 2013 Reunion, please click here.
