Skidmore Spotlight: Sue Rosenberg
Sue Rosenberg, writer/editor in the Office of Communications and Marketing, is retiring after nearly 26 years at Skidmore.
Prior to Skidmore, Rosenberg worked in publications for Kenyon College and SUNY Binghamton, but she credits a job at a typing service center for Carnegie Mellon University as the moment she “fell into” her career.
“I had just quit graduate school and had taken the job at Carnegie Mellon to come up with Plan B career ideas,” said Rosenberg. “While there, I took in a lot of bad writing that made my skin crawl. Correcting as I typed, I learned I really had a knack for editing.”
In 1992, Rosenberg joined Skidmore to shape the alumni periodical Scope, first as a six-times-a-year tabloid and then a magazine.
“I loved the autonomy of being the magazine editor, working with a small group of writers and artists to develop a voice that struck thousands of alumni as credible, familiar and welcome,” said Rosenberg.
Whether for Scope, a news item or a campus event, Rosenberg has been to every corner of campus, jumping into situations both exciting and bizarre — whatever it took to tell the story.
She said, “My job has been the most fun kind of journalism. I’ve interviewed well over a hundred professors and staff and at least as many alumni from every walk of life. I’ve eavesdropped on dozens of classes, labs and studios and I’ve had behind-the-scenes tours of the Tang Museum, Zankel Music Center and Murray-Aikens Dining Hall. One time, I even jumped into the pool to film a video of a varsity swimmer underwater!”
“I stayed at Skidmore because I totally loved my officemates in communications,” said Rosenberg. “One of my favorite memories was being summoned to a ‘meeting’ only to find the whole office gathered to surprise me with a ‘puppy shower’ to celebrate my first dog. Many of these people are among my best friends in town.”
Reflecting on her time at Skidmore, Rosenberg said she enjoyed chairing the Campus Environment Committee and representing Skidmore in spelling bees.
She also said, “Another favorite moment was performing in the employee talent show as Dinah and the Dinettes. Scribner Library archivist Wendy Anthony, English professor Kate Greenspan and I danced with my standard poodle, Dinah, to a MoTown song … the video is still out there somewhere.”
In retirement, Rosenberg looks forward to spending more time with her dog Reggie, bird-watching and doing some literacy volunteering. She also plans to continue training animals:
“I’m currently working with a donkey named Gus, devoting ridiculous amounts of time to perfecting his pirouette on a pedestal and his mini-basketball dunk.”