Statements, Messages and Speeches from President Marc C. Conner

Join President Marc Conner and Luis Miranda Jr. for a lively discussion about Miranda's life, career and thoughts on fatherhood; the value of public service and the liberal arts; Miranda's involvement with Skidmore; and his thoughts on the new HBO documentary about his life, "Siempre, Luis."

In this first monthly report on the Initiative, President Conner communicates the progress that has been made on the action items presented to the Skidmore community four weeks ago on Sept. 1.

President Marc Conner expresses gratitude and kudos to students for working hard to keep COVID-19 in check throughout the first half of the fall semester.

President Marc Conner urges all members of the Skidmore community to exercise their right to vote and engage in civil discourse this election season. Skidmore has launched a new Election 2020 webpage that brings together a broad and diverse array of programs and perspectives and offers voting resources for all faculty, staff and students, as well as members of our broader Saratoga Springs community.

President Marc C. Conner announces the launch of the Racial Justice Initiative, a year-long series of projects that seek to address the realities of racial injustice locally, nationally and globally.

In announcing the start of a fall semester unlike any other, President Marc Conner reflects on the gravity of this historic moment and expresses his confidence in Skidmore students, faculty and staff to make responsible decisions that will keep the campus and surrounding communities safe.

This past weekend, our first cohort of students arrived to begin their quarantine period in local hotels in accord with the governor’s order. I wrote to these intrepid students to praise their grit and commitment, and to note that although this semester will indeed be a fall unlike any other, with serious challenges and frustrations, it will also give us great opportunities for service, for achievement and for community-building. I’m certain we will all never forget this year.

Skidmore College is working with the city of Saratoga Springs to ensure that the safety and rights of our entire community are respected.

Two events in downtown Saratoga Springs on July 30, 2020, a Back the Blue rally and a Black Lives Matter counter-protest, resulted in a police response and reported arrests that drew news media and social media attention.

Wednesday, July 1, was my first official day as the eighth president of Skidmore College. I accepted the job in mid-December - back in a different world, it seems.

We will continue to work with all international students to make sure they feel welcome and valued as members of the Skidmore community, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure their continued access to a Skidmore education.

The presidents of the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium today issued a statement objecting to the Trump Administration’s recent actions limiting opportunities for international students and scholars on American college campuses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges the likes of which Higher Education has never seen. Our response in March and April was true emergency management in the face of acute crisis, and Skidmore responded beautifully. Staff, students, faculty — everyone accomplished amazing things to keep the Skidmore education going.

I'm so happy to write you on this morning, the first day of my service as the eighth president of Skidmore College. Barbara and I made the drive from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia up to Saratoga Springs on Friday and have now settled into the lovely Scribner House on campus.

Last week we shared an update on the fall planning with all faculty and staff on Wednesday, and a separate update with all parents and students on Thursday. We also went live with our ongoing Fall Planning website, which provides multiple resources, links and information, including these updates and messages.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to work on our plans for the fall term of 2020. As you all know quite well, we face an extremely complex and challenging set of circumstances during this pandemic, and every school in the nation is working through the many challenges of returning to campus while living with this virus.

I’m pleased and honored to be sending out my first weekly update to you all. Below, I write about the considerations and next steps involved in planning for the fall semester, a new website focused on our reopening planning process, and the decision about our fall study abroad and international programs.

I am writing to express my gratitude and enthusiasm for the very helpful findings and well-supported recommendations that the 2020-2021 Academic Planning Working Group shared on Monday. As I said at the IPPC discussion on Wednesday, you have done the College a great service through this thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion of, as the charge outlined, “options for how we can offer high-quality educational programs for our students under a variety of possible scenarios.”

The last four months have certainly tested us all in ways we never could have anticipated, and we thank you all for your efforts in supporting our students, each other and the mission of Skidmore College during such an immensely challenging time.