President Glotzbach updates the Skidmore community
President Philip A. Glotzbach and other College officials provided updates to the Skidmore community on the recent Board of Trustees meeting, planning for long-term financial sustainability, upcoming campus projects, the search for the College’s next president, and other important issues.
Glotzbach announced four new members of Skidmore's Board of Trustees – M. L. Graeme Campbell '98, Katherine (Kiki) Pohlad McMillan '13, Ann Schapps Schaffer '62 and Kim Wachenheim Wagman '88 – who attended the most recent board meeting earlier this month.
President Glotzbach noted that although the College remains financially strong, challenges remain, including deficits currently projected in the next few years that must be eliminated.
“We can’t just assume business as usual,” he said. “We’re still at a point that would be enviable to many other schools.”
Joshua Woodfork and Michael Forbes, staff representatives on the Presidential Search Committee, provided an update about the search for Skidmore’s next president. The search committee and search consultants have been conducting in-depth reference checks for a pool of candidates selected after the first-round interviews, and in-person interviews will follow in the weeks ahead. Members of the faculty will receive an update during their meeting on Nov. 1. For more information or to contact the search committee, please visit the Presidential Search website.
President Glotzbach and Donna Ng, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, also discussed two recent forums about student wages.
“We’re continuing to work on this issue. There probably will be some changes,” the president said, adding that the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee, or IPPC, would take up the issue.
Updates for three major facilities projects at Skidmore were also discussed.
Construction of the North Wing of the Center for Integrated Sciences is on track for the scheduled opening in 2020. The CIS Annex is slated to open in time for the next academic year. Faculty members have started using the new state-of-the-art CIS greenhouse.
Glotzbach said a separate community meeting would be dedicated to dicussing plans for two other important projects: a Center to support the increasingly diverse student body, an idea which has been in development for decades, and proposed new athletics facilities, which would introduce improved locker rooms and exercise spaces for the entire campus, as well as a tennis facility. The president noted that the new athletics facilities would be funded primarily by a $7 million gift from the Williamson family and by additional fundraising.
“Our athletics staff have struggled for years with the facilities that aren’t up to par with peer institutions,” he said. “This is also very important for recruitment of prospective students.”
The president invited members of the campus community to participate in Skidmore Cares, an annual event through which the Skidmore faculty, staff and their families connect with each other in a meaningful way by giving back. This year's Skidmore Cares open house, which is open to Skidmore employees and their families, will take place from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at Scribner House.
Creating Our Future: The Campaign for Skidmore, which aims to raise $200 million by the end of this fiscal year, has already raised more than $190 million toward its goal. Sharon Clemmy and Jeffrey Segrave reported that nearly half of Skidmore employees have participated in the campus campaign, which has raised $938,000.
“Our participation rate is what matters. Our participation rate helps Advancement in their work,” Clemmy and Segrave said. “Thank you to everyone who has given and to those considering a gift.”