Updates from President Glotzbach on website redesign, admissions, sustainability, and budget
I am pleased to announce that in partnership with the Office of Communications and Marketing, we have launched a newly redesigned Skidmore.edu website. With its striking visual design, simplified navigation, and enhanced responsiveness on mobile devices and tablets, the new site is designed to align with and support the College’s Strategic Plan, reflect our commitment that Creative Thought Matters, and bolster Skidmore’s strong brand awareness and reputation.
The website’s new layout will provide a better display of content, including photos and videos, to highlight the unique Skidmore College experience for current students, potential students, alumni, and our entire campus community.
The redesign project, which began in January 2017, sought input from many community members, including the Board of Trustees, students, faculty, and staff, through surveys and informational meetings. Local high school students were also involved in the research process.
The redesign involves graphic design, front-end development, back-end programming, and testing and migration of 227 microsites and more than 13,000 individual webpages. I extend my sincere thanks to the Office of Communications and Marketing for managing and implementing this important and detailed project.
The new website was launched during yet another year with a record number of applications for Skidmore College. This year, we received 10,750 applications, the largest number in our history, representing a 7 percent increase over 2017 and a 30 percent increase in applications over the last five years.
We also received a record number of Early Decision applications, with 695 students applying to Skidmore as their first choice of college, a 12 percent increase compared to 2017. Since 2012, Skidmore has seen a 65 percent increase in early decision applications. Additionally, the collective student body comprises 14.1 percent first generation college students.
We are now preparing to welcome 690 members of the Class of 2022 to our community in the fall. Accepted students hail from 47 states and 51 countries. Approximately 38 students will choose to begin their college experience at Skidmore’s First-Year London Program. Regular decision letters have been mailed to accepted candidates, and they have until May 1 to commit.
This week we hosted dozens of students in Skidmore’s Discovery Tour, which showcases academics, student life, and interculturalism, and today is the first of three Accepted Candidate Days. These events are an excellent opportunity for our community to show and tell what makes Skidmore exceptional, and I know I can count on you to make any visitors you come across feel most welcome.
Among the highlights you can proudly share with our visitors is Skidmore’s remarkable achievement under our Campus Sustainability Plan. The 2016–17 Campus Sustainability Annual Report has just been released by the Campus Sustainability Subcommittee, which will hold an open meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, in Ladd 107. I’d like to thank all the members for their tremendous work in steering our efforts across campus.
Finally, I’d like to extend my thanks to the team in our Office of Financial Planning and Budgeting for the hard work that developed parameters for a balanced budget next year. The budget recommendations, which were vetted and unanimously endorsed by IPPC, along with President’s Cabinet and the Board of Trustees, include increasing the budgeted net fiscal enrollment by 20 to 2,350 students. The recommended general salary adjustment for faculty and staff is 2.75 percent. As always, final approval of the budget will occur at the May meeting of the Board of Trustees.