Welcoming Skidmore’s Class of 2028
With charges for new students to learn from a multitude of perspectives, to embrace change, and to build community, Skidmore College welcomed the Class of 2028 to campus for the 2024-25 academic year.
Selected from nearly 12,000 applicants, the 670 first-year and 29 transfer students were officially welcomed during New Student Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
The first-year students — drawn from the most selective applicant pool in College history (with a 21% admit rate) — hail from 34 states and the District of Columbia. They are citizens of 22 countries in addition to the United States. Thirty percent are domestic students of color, 15% are the first in their family to go to college, and more than a fifth are from homes where a language other than English is spoken.
“In your applications you shared that you are activists and athletes, gamers and geologists,” Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Jessica Ricker, a first-generation college graduate, told the new students.
Beyond the numbers, the grades, and the extracurriculars, what excites me most is the potential: You are pioneers of this new chapter in Skidmore’s history, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to watch you grow, learn, and shape the future of this College.”
More than 400 students arrived on campus on Thursday, Aug. 29, for Skidmore’s pre-orientation programs, which ranged from civic engagement-themed service experiences in the local community to an excursion in the Adirondack Mountains featuring whitewater rafting and yoga exercises led by certified peer leaders.
More than two dozen other students departed campus earlier in August and are spending their first semester in London as part of a Skidmore academic program.
All students participate in a range of orientation programs organized by Skidmore’s First-Year Experience program, including multidisciplinary Scribner Seminars. This year’s seminars range from Professor of History Tillman Nechtman’s Sailing the Seas with Captain Cook to David H. Porter Professor Jeffrey Segrave’s Sport, Self, and Society.
Classes on Skidmore’s campus began Wednesday, Sept. 4.
At New Student Convocation, Rachel Roe-Dale, director of the First-Year Experience and professor of mathematics, welcomed students on behalf of Skidmore’s faculty and stressed the need for students to grapple with change throughout their college years.
“All of you will change emotionally and intellectually as you experience college life and are exposed to new opportunities, new ideas, and new people,” Roe-Dale said. “Embrace this change.”
Josh Maxwell ’26, president of the Student Government Association, welcomed students to campus and led them in affirming Skidmore’s Honor Code.
President Marc Conner emphasized his optimism about the year ahead despite daunting challenges across the nation and the globe. He encouraged students to learn from others.
“A Skidmore education, above all, is about community,” Conner said. “Be fearless and bold as you embark on a great liberal arts education and all that entails. Take care of yourselves and each other, treating everyone with kindness, respect, and honesty. Welcome the perspectives and points of view of others, especially those with whom you disagree or who see the world differently than you do. And remember that every encounter with difference is an opportunity to learn.”
A recording of New Student Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Garland Nelson Jr. ’96, a Skidmore alumnus, musician, and producer who has also served on Skidmore’s faculty, welcomed students to the Saratoga Springs community. He spoke of his own experience as an Opportunity Program student in the 1990s and students’ role as community members.
“Being part of this community means that we rely on you just like you rely on us. So take pride, take ownership of being here at Skidmore.”
