Finding a Way Forward

Dear Members of the Skidmore Community,

I write to you from Asia, where Marie and I are meeting with alumni, current parents, supporters, and prospective students. While I wish I were on campus with you, my presence here at this particular time has given me an unexpected perspective on this week's events and a deep appreciation for how small and interconnected our world has become.

In the weeks and months ahead, it will be my top focus to help us work together across any existing divides to continue our efforts to make Skidmore more inclusive. Never has that been more important than in the challenging times that I believe will follow this divisive election. For now, I offer three points for us to consider together.

First, let us openly acknowledge and discuss the significant and troubling issues in the American politic that this election has revealed. These divides were reflected in the heated and corrosive tone of the campaigns and, ultimately, in voting patterns that show the deep demographic and ideological split in our country. We are not immune from those divides here, as various events from the past few years have shown. Clearly, we still have a long way to go if we are to achieve the "more perfect union" imagined by Lincoln and explored in the current exhibit at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, which has served as our town square over the past several weeks.

Second, we need to be attentive to the damage done and the hurt felt by individuals all across the political spectrum in this country and on our own campus. If there is one initial and fundamental lesson that we can take away from this week, it is that many—far too many—of our fellow citizens do not feel that they are fully enfranchised participants in this grand experiment called the United States. Both in perception and in fact, many of us do not and cannot now enjoy the privileges that should be a fundamental prerequisite for all. It will take candid dialogues and true collaborations across differences to address this abiding crisis.

Third, let us celebrate the fact that millions of individuals were able to participate in this election, one of the most fundamental activities of a true democracy. We are now on the familiar path of witnessing, once again, a peaceful transition of power from one administration to another. We must not take these privileges for granted. And we must fulfill our own personal obligations to protect them for all who live among us. Just as importantly, we must recommit ourselves to Skidmore's critical responsibility to prepare students to be thoughtful, civil, engaged, and responsible community members.

In the weeks ahead, there will be many more lessons to take away from this week's events and many opportunities to learn and grow from meaningful conversations. I encourage all of us to take the long view of our history as we work toward a better future together. We must be unwavering in our commitment to justice, to understanding, and to each other. Skidmore can, and must, be a place where we live by our stated principles every day. We must be a place where all members of our community can achieve their full potential. That is the goal of every great college and it must be ours.