5/01 Challenge underway - $500,000 on the line -- Time to Give!

And we're off!  Eight hours ago the bell went off for the 5/01 Challenge as we begin a daylong race to our goal of 2,000 donors. All gifts of any size will count toward the goal, which we need to reach over the course of 24 hours.  If we reach that mark Skidmore will qualify for a $500,000 challenge grant and the campus has mobilized to make it happen. 

"Celebrity" faculty and staff operators including Sheldon Solomon, professor of psychology; Gail Cummings-Danson, director of athletics; Robin Adams ’00, associate director for leadership activities; and John Brueggemann, professor of sociology will be on call at different times throughout the day to speak to alumni, parents, and friends making gifts.  Professors John Anzalone of the Foreign Languages Department and Mary Crone-Odekon of the Physics Department will offer online webinars, and members of President's Cabinet will be serving snacks at a campus-wide rally.  Skids, the Thoroughbred mascot, will also be making surprise appearances around the campus and Saratoga Springs.

Alumni, parents, and friends will be rallying at spots around the globe with gatherings London, New York, Seattle, and Chicago.  Others are organizing smaller house parties in Paris, Madrid, and Florence as the global Skidmore community joins in the effort to set a new record for the College and celebrate the place that makes creative thought matter.

"We are really looking forward to this challenge,"  said Lori Eastman '87, Skidmore's Director of Development.  "It's an opportunity not only to make a real difference but to join with classmates and friends to celebrate what makes Skidmore such a special place."  Last year's challenge provided funds for financial aid, student research, and career internships, she noted. 

Keep tabs on the day’s activities by liking the Skidmore College Alumni Facebook page or following @SkidmoreCollege on Twitter using #Skidmore501. 

Or call 1-800-584-0115 to make your gift.