College centennials are opportunities for nostalgia and also useful chances to learn from the past. While there are obvious differences between the infant Young Women’s Industrial Club of 1903 and the established Skidmore College of 2003, a close look back to 1903 shows the roots of three important characteristics of today’s college—its commitment to diversity, its ethic of service and its willingness to take risks in order to achieve its highest goals—that stem directly from the ideas of its founder, Lucy Skidmore Scribner.  —Scope magazine, winter 2004