Skidmore College

April 2017

Freirich Competition montage

Winning business plans

2017 Freirich Competition

Weston Stewart-Tennes '17

Fries First, a startup developed by Weston Stewart-Tennes '17, won the top award of $20,000 in cash and legal services in the final round of the Freirich Business Plan Competition. The new-business idea won for its forward-looking take on French fries sauced up for millennials in the "fast-casual" food niche.

Halo Venus was second ($10,000 and legal services) for its line of Asian-inspired baked goods and other products. Music Match finished third ($5,000) for its comprehensive services in online music lessons. The Global Exchange Project captured fourth prize ($2,500) as a social app to help world travelers immerse themselves in local, rural cultures.

More on the contestants and the judging here.

Navigating difference

Social identities in and beyond the workplace

Tim Harper

"In-groups and out-groups, privilege, stereotyping, the way we turn on and turn off certain identities in certain situations—these are universal, affecting our lives every day in big or small ways," says business professor Tim Harper, who is teaching "Social Identity in the Workplace." Up front he tells his students, "This course will require some self-disclosure," and he enlists their help in making the classroom a safe space for honesty and openness, "because without it, we won't learn anything new or useful here." And he predicts the course's insights will "help you navigate identity issues effectively" and even "help you help others do the same." [read more]

Building Brooklyn

Rehab and renovation experts

Work by Brooklyn Home Company

Artistic rehabbing of historic brownstones is the specialty of three alumni and their colleagues at the Brooklyn Home Company. Founder Bill Caleo '99 was a business major, actor, and a cappella singer at Skidmore and says, "I enjoy collaborating with creative people, technical people, a mix-and-match of different personalities."

Among those is art major Fitzhugh Karol '04, who incorporates signature items—perhaps a reclaimed barn door or a custom-sculpted bannister—to suit each client. And Mark Klein '05 loves the business side, where "problem-solving is what we do." [read more]

Also In This Issue

A fresh batch of alumni news, from travels to jobs to new babies, can be viewed now on the Class Notes site.

WOMEN, ART, AND SUCCESS

"When women thrive, communities thrive," notes Isolde Brielmaier, the Tang Museum's curator-at-large. "And it's true whether you're talking about Saratoga, the South Bronx, or the Congo." Hear her thoughts on art and society.

NEW AT THE TANG

This Place, through April 22, presents photos of Israel and the Occupied West Bank, creating a diverse portrait and revealing human stories behind the contested land.
If I had Possession over Judgment Day, April 22 to Sept. 4, samples the wide-ranging contemporary-art collection of Claude Simard (d. 2014).

PODCAST: SKIDMORE'S PAST

Lucy Skidmore Scribner and the early roots of Skidmore College are favorite topics of Wendy Anthony, special collections curator in the Scribner Library. She tells stories from Skidmore's past in this audio podcast.

OCEANOGRAPHY WAVE?

Penny Chisholm '69 won a National Medal of Science for her oceanographic research, and three new grads and two seniors may be next in line.

A special Chinese script used only by women is rapidly dying out in modern China, but a Skidmore professor is studying and preserving it.

EVENTS CALENDAR

April 19–20: Balm in Gilead, guest-directed by Phil Soltanoff, at Bernhard Theater

April 21–22: Spring Dance Concert, with work by McCormack Artist-Scholar Stephen Petronio, in the Dance Theater

May 12: Senior Art Show opening reception, at the Tang Museum

May 13: Manhattan Transfer concert, at Zankel Music Center

The riding team is heading back to the national championships, May 4–7, in Lexington, Ky.

Women's tennis, ranked 20th nationally, with a record of 8-6, will finish the regular season later this month at Vassar, Trinity, and Middlebury. The men's team, ranked 23rd at 8-5, will face RIT and Amherst on the road April 22 and 23.

SKIDS ON THE LOOSE

Brianna Hooijberg '20 brought Skids to Switzerland for genuine Swiss fondue for two. To request a Skids mascot and share photos of his travels and other adventures, click here.

This month only, alumni from the classes of 1957 to 2007 who give to the Skidmore Fund will receive a special keepsake: a piece of the pink stone from Moore Hall.

Reunion, June 1–4, will feature awards for Margaret Gentile Mckeown '72, Barbara Underhill Collyer '52, Florence Andresen '57, Susan Gottlieb Beckerman '67, Terrill Tiffany Sullivan '62, Sally Huling Hilderbrand '67, Nancy Hamilton '77, Angela Foss '82, Andrew Hughes '92, Emily Mopsik '07, Melvis Langyintuo '12, and trustee Charles Buchanan.

REGIONAL EVENTS

Atlanta: Center for Civil and Human Rights tour April 22
Boston: deCordova Sculpture Park tour April 29, Red Sox baseball June 29 (buy now)
Tampa-St. Pete: Rays baseball April 23
New York City: Mets baseball April 26, Breakfast at Tiffany's with New York Philharmonic May 11, Yankees baseball Aug. 15 (buy now)
Rochester, N.Y.: "Uncertainly as a Governing Strategy" by Prof. Ron Seyb April 27
San Francisco: "The Role of Death in Life" by Prof. Sheldon Solomon May 6
Los Angeles: "The Role of Death in Life" by Prof. Sheldon Solomon May 7
San Diego: "The Role of Death in Life" by Prof. Sheldon Solomon May 8

Recent accomplishments by alumni from the classes of '10, '05, '95, '87, '80, and '62, including a solo exhibition by Jamieson Thomas '80.

As a service to classmates, here is a listing of deceased alumni and their online obituaries that Skidmore has recently learned of.