吃瓜爆料

Dear Skidmore Community, 

鈥孭lease find below a report from Skidmore College Board Chair Jon Achenbaum 鈥�77 regarding the October Board of Trustees meeting. The report gives a good sense of the major themes, topics, discussions, and actions by the Board at this meeting as well as the ways the Board was able to interact with various Skidmore constituencies, including students, staff, and faculty. I hope the report is of interest to you. As always, I am happy to respond to any questions about the meeting you may have. 

鈥孲颈苍肠别谤别濒测,&苍产蝉辫;

鈥孧arc C. Conner 
鈥孭谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟

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Greetings Skidmore Community, 

鈥孖 am pleased to share with you the following report about the October 2024 Skidmore Board of Trustees meetings. 

鈥孴he meetings took place Wednesday, Oct. 16, through Friday, Oct. 18. We had the pleasure of welcoming two new trustees, Kathryn 鈥淜ate鈥� Nedelman Herbst 鈥�02 and Winnie Wan 鈥�74. We also welcomed Kiki McMillan 鈥�13 back to the Board after a one-year hiatus. We look forward to working with them in the coming years. 

鈥屸�孧any of us also had the pleasure of joining other community members on Wednesday evening at the 鈥淭wo Dads Defending Democracy鈥� event with Fred Guttenberg 鈥�88 and former congressman Joe Walsh, moderated by Professor of Sociology John Brueggeman. Their conversation was a great example of how two people with vastly different political views can find common ground through respectful dialogue and civil communication. 

鈥孒ere are the key highlights from our October meeting: 

鈥孴he meetings began on Thursday morning with the President鈥檚 Update. President Conner reviewed the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan progress made since our May 2024 meetings and its focus on 鈥淓nhancing Skidmore鈥檚 Excellence.鈥� He then set out a timeline for the process moving forward. The 鈥渋nput period鈥� will continue through the Thanksgiving holiday, and we hope to have a draft plan ready for the Board to review in February 2025. By May 2025, the plan will be finalized and presented to the Board for approval.鈥�

鈥孭谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟 Conner also set forth the four 2024-2025 Strategic Action Agenda priorities as endorsed by the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC), which are: the Racial Justice Initiative, Speech and Expression, Strategic Planning, and Strategic Resources. President Conner also spoke about the current campus climate, which he indicated is in a positive place. 

鈥孷ice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jess Ricker provided us with an update on this year's new class statistics and an extensive review of her recruitment strategy and key initiatives for the next incoming class. Afterwards, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs Adrian Bautista invited Skidmore students Josh Maxwell 鈥�26 (SGA President), Konika Dhull 鈥�25, and Qavalina Andrade 鈥�25 to join the trustees to talk about what has made their Skidmore experience distinctive and what they see as the key priorities for improving the student experience. As is the case whenever we get an opportunity to engage with Skidmore students, this was an inspirational session. The students were each very impressive, and their perspectives will 鈥� I鈥檓 sure 鈥� be helpful in guiding future student life, admissions, and communications initiatives. 

鈥孴hree students from the on-campus organization Skidmore Coalition for Palestine then joined the Board meeting to share their concerns on a variety of issues, particularly the question of divestment and the College鈥檚 investment policy. The presentation was thoughtful and well-prepared and received by the Board with appreciation. 

鈥屸�孌uring the Strategic Planning Committee meeting Director of Sustainability Programs and Assessment Tarah Rowse and Associate Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies and Sciences Kurt Smemo joined Board members to assist with a discussion on the five Strategic Initiative themes. These themes are: 

• 鈥孋reativity and academic excellence
• Increasing the endowment for need-based financial aid鈥�
• The residential student experience 
• 鈥孌iversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) 
• 鈥孲ustainability (both financial and environmental)

Each theme was discussed in detail in separate breakout sessions, where trustees were asked to provide input on potential initiatives under each theme, supporting the next phase of the planning process that begins to get more granular. 

鈥孴rustees enjoyed lunch with members of the President鈥檚 Leadership Council and Campaign Consultant Emma Kieran to talk about preparations for the eventual next capital campaign. After lunch, there was a presentation by the Board鈥檚 Term Limits Task Force who presented their report and initial recommendations. 

鈥孷ice President for Finance and Administration Dan Konstalid shared that the completion of the McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center is on schedule and will open January 2025. Trustees had the opportunity to tour the center on Wednesday afternoon and were impressed with the quality of the facilities and how much of a positive impact they will have on our students once it鈥檚 open. Vice President Konstalid also mentioned that the Baseball Field construction is on schedule and will be ready for use in summer 2025. This year鈥檚 budget, which is balanced, was also reviewed. Dan emphasized that there is a substantial amount of work ahead to fine tune the key assumptions and make some tough decisions to ensure balanced budgets into the future. The next significant review of updated budget assumptions will be at the Budget, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee budget workshop early in the new year. 

鈥孋ommittee Chair and former trustee Linda Jackson-Chalmers joined us for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee meeting. A campus update was provided by Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity Joshua Woodfork and Wyckoff Center Director Mariel Martin highlighting several campus activities that have occurred in the last few months. Board members then formed smaller groups to consider the following question: When we arrive at 2030, or the end of our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, what would indicate DEI success and DEI failure? 

鈥孎ollowing the DEI Committee meeting, the Board met at the Wyckoff Center for a celebration of Linda Jackson Chalmers that included several brief presentations, a video tribute, and viewing of Linda鈥檚 portrait that was commissioned by the College and hangs in the Wyckoff Center. It was truly inspiring. You may view the video tribute and the event here.

鈥孴rustees then made their way to the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery for cocktails and dinner with faculty department chairs and program directors. It was wonderful to join with nearly 40 Skidmore faculty for this event. 鈥�

鈥孫n Friday, the Board reviewed reports from each Board Committee and the Board chair's report, voted to support the 2024-2025 Strategic Action Agenda, discussed further the endowment investment policy, held a robust dialogue on the Term Limits Task Force's recommendations, and finally heard from President Conner about 鈥渨hat keeps him up at night.鈥� 鈥�

鈥孖t was a highly successful set of meetings, and I am grateful to the trustees who give so freely of their time and energy to our College. I also appreciate the hard work of the Skidmore staff and Cabinet in organizing these meetings. 

鈥屸�孖 look forward to seeing everyone Feb. 26-28, 2025, in Saratoga Springs. In the meantime, enjoy the upcoming holidays with your families. 

鈥孞on Achenbaum 鈥�77 
鈥孋hair, Skidmore Board of Trustees