Fast Facts OFFI CE
O F
ADVANCE ME NT
Skidmore’s liberal arts education has never been more necessary or more valuable. All of the crucial skills, experiences and competencies that young people need to thrive in the world are offered through a Skidmore education, including critical thinking; creativity and imagination; the ability to understand and control data; encountering other cultures, languages and expressions; grappling with science and the empirical reality of the natural world; and the ability to work on focused projects to a deadline and produce results in collaboration with others. This is what the world demands, and Skidmore prepares its students to take on exactly this kind of work.
— Marc C. Conner, President
LEADERSHIP
Marc C. Conner An innovative leader of interdisciplinary academic programs, a longtime advocate of diversity and inclusion initiatives and a widely published professor of English, President Conner joined Skidmore College following more than 24 years at Washington and Lee University, a private liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia. There, he co-founded the university’s African American studies program, established the Office of Community-Based Learning as well as the Center for Academic Resources and Pedagogical Excellence, created interdisciplinary programs in data science and legal studies and steered the university’s faculty recruitment, hiring and retention diversity initiatives. In keeping with his scholarly pursuits, Conner launched the Racial Justice Initiative at Skidmore on his first day as the College’s eighth president, as a means to seek to address the realities of racial injustice locally, nationally and globally.
To learn more about President Conner and his contributions to Skidmore College, visit: www.skidmore.edu/president
F A C U LT Y
Skidmore’s faculty is committed to working collaboratively with students. Participation in the Faculty-Student Summer Research Program surged from seven students in 2005 to 73 in 2020. Thirty-seven faculty members worked with students over the summer conducting original research on wide-ranging subjects such as regenerative agriculture, women in politics, HIV, evolution of land plants, cardiovascular disease in fire service, evaluating outcomes of poverty reduction initiatives and much more. Many teams present their findings in regional and national scholarly conferences, including the New York Six Undergraduate Research Conference, as well as in academic journals. These research experiences give students an edge in applying for competitive graduate programs and job placements.
286
FULL-TIME FACULTY MEMBERS
88%
HOLD THE HIGHEST DEGREE IN THEIR FIELDS
54/46
FEMALE TO MALE RATIO
25%
ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR OR INTERNATIONAL
Among others, Skidmore faculty have received grants from: Administration for Children and Families
Faculty also engage in grant-funded collaborative research with U.S. and international institutions, including: Auburn University
American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund
Cornell University
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Kent State University
Federal Emergency Management Agency Howard Hughes Medical Institute National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Humanities
Harvard University Ohio State University Rutgers University University of California at San Diego University of Hawaii University of Iowa
National Institutes of Health
University of Northern Colorado
National Science Foundation
University of Notre Dame
Nature Conservancy
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
New York State Council on the Arts
and more.
Smithsonian Institution
Skidmore professors have also won major prizes including the MacArthur, Guggenheim, Peabody, Pulitzer and Emmy awards.
CURRICULUM
Close student-faculty interaction is ensured with an average class size of 16 and a student-faculty ratio of 8 to 1. In the 2019-20 academic year, 1,675 courses were offered (excluding independent studies). Skidmore offers nearly 50 majors ranging from international affairs to environmental studies and neuroscience. The top majors for the Class of 2020 were management and business, psychology, English, political science and art.
The John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) embeds documentary within Skidmore’s core curriculum and culture — profoundly enhancing the College’s overall capacities for creative public engagement, social impact and integrative learning. It offers theory and skill-based courses spanning many documentary mediums, including film, audio, archive, exhibit, photography, writing, virtual reality, mapping and web design, and has an enhanced production/post-production workspace, the DOCLab. It also hosts and supports numerous events presenting documentary work and practice, including the weekend-long MDOCS Forum during the Storytellers’ Institute summer residency program.
OFF CAMPUS
Nearly 60 percent of students study abroad at some point. Skidmore sponsors semester and yearlong programs in England, France, New Zealand and Spain, as well as many short-term programs around the globe. In addition, students have access to over 100 other approved programs in the United States and more than 45 countries. In summer 2020, Skidmore provided funding to 113 Skidmore students to participate in experiential learning. Experiences included internships, research, coursework, volunteer work, community service and opportunities throughout the United States and abroad. Gifts from Skidmore alumni, parents and friends, funding from Skidmore’s student government and the SEE-Beyond Awards program help make these summer stipends possible.
ADMISSIONS
Skidmore received a near-record number of applications (10,000+) for the Class of 2024. The 730 students in the class come from 37 different states and 26 countries (10 percent are international students).
50% 59% 25% 41%
accepted through early decision.
female to male ratio
identify as domestic students of color.
14%
are the first in their family to attend college.
Scholarships & Financial Aid Skidmore’s financial aid budget grew from $15.1 million in 2003 to $55.6 million by the end of the 2020 fiscal year and now stands at more than $60 million. 2020-21 financial aid packages range from $12,500 to $74,630, depending on need. 52% of Skidmore’s students receive some form of financial aid (57% in the Class of 2024 alone). Of all admission applicants for the Class of 2024, 79% requested financial aid assistance. The average grant amount for first-year students is $40,802, and the average grant amount for all classes is $43,158. The current average post-college debt for a Skidmore graduate is $31,381, below last year’s national average of $32,731. Aid in specialized fields comes from the Lincoln and Therese W. Filene Music Scholarship awards and the Porter/Wachenheim Award in Science and Mathematics.
BY THE NUMBERS Increase in financial aid budget: From $15.1 million in 2003 to $55.6 million today
79% 52% of applicants request financial assistance
$40,802
$31,381
average first-year student grant
$167 MILLION
Operating Budget, 2020-21
of students receive some form of a Skidmore grant
average post-college debt
$73,652
Tuition, required fees, traditional residence hall and board, 2020-21
$357.1 MILLION
Endowment as of May 31, 2020
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (DEI)
All over campus, every day, work is taking place to make Skidmore an even more diverse, equitable and inclusive community.
DEI initiatives are woven into every aspect of campus life, from efforts to ensure that a diverse group of prospective students and employees receive welcoming and informative invitations to join the Skidmore community, to requiring that Skidmore’s curriculum includes upper-level, purposeful and creative thought about DEI. Outside the classroom, there are ongoing resources and training for faculty and staff; committees charged with responding to bias and safeguarding equity and fairness; and an array of clubs and
community groups that strengthen our cultural fluencies and enrich and enliven campus life. Skidmore’s decentralized, multipronged approach ensures that Skidmore students, faculty and staff take an active role in diversity, equity and inclusion work. To learn more about signature DEI projects like The Center, In It and the Racial Justice Initiative at Skidmore, visit: www.skidmore.edu/diversity
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Skidmore’s Campus Sustainability Plan sets ambitious goals in the areas of energy, food, waste, lands and grounds and engagement. Skidmore offers more than 125 sustainability-related courses in 21 academic departments or programs across the College. Skidmore received a Silver Rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education for its sustainability achievements and earned a place on Princeton Review’s 2019 Top 50 Green Colleges list, at No. 36. Skidmore is also advancing sustainability projects in energy and food. Low-impact dining in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall aims to reduce the environmental impact of our menu while supporting a just, fair and ethical food system. Campus now has five electric vehicle charging stations. The 54-panel solar thermal array on the roof of the dining hall heats over 1,000 gallons of water every day, and Skidmore’s 2.1-megawatt solar array and small hydro project produce 20 percent of the College’s electricity needs. About 35 percent of campus is heated and cooled with geothermal energy.
AT H L E T I C S
Skidmore student-athletes excel — on and off the field. Skidmore’s 2019-20 athletics program saw five of 10 teams go on to postseason play, while championship play was cancelled for nine teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The riding team repeated as Zone 2/Region 3 champion, winning its 24th regional title. Skidmore Athletics racked up 107 Liberty League All-Academic Awards, while the ice hockey team placed 16 players on the New England Hockey Conference All-Academic team. Twice each year, a number of student-athletes are recognized as Thoroughbred Society members for achieving a GPA of 3.67 or higher for the previous semester. In February 2020, 113 athletes were recognized, 19 of whom held a 4.0 GPA.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Summer academic programs offer opportunities for Skidmore, visiting and pre-college students to enroll in credit-bearing courses. Three summer sessions offer formal classes as well as independent study and internship opportunities. Academic-year residencies bring students together with world-class scholars and artists, such as Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, author and playwright Caryl Phillips, Bessie Award-winning choreographer Stephen Petronio, visual artist and MacArthur Fellow Janine Antoni and gospel singer and civil rights icon Bernice Johnson Reagon.
Skidmore hosts nationally known and highly regarded summer institutes. The Skidmore Jazz Institute, SITI Company Theater Workshop and the New York State Summer Writers Institute serve pre-college, college, postgraduate and professional students. Skidmore provides programming for area youth and senior adults and participates in partnerships with Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Caffe Lena and other community organizations.
THE ARTS
Across campus, the dynamic academic, cocurricular and social culture is enriched by the visual and performing arts. The Theater Department delivers a preprofessional program of theater arts within a liberal arts setting. Dance majors work toward a Bachelor of Science degree — fulfilling College liberal arts requirements while receiving intensive dance training. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Frances Young Tang ’61 Teaching Museum and Art Gallery is a renowned, cutting-edge museum and a leader among academic museums. Tens of thousands of Skidmore students have walked through its doors for a wide range of classes, one-of-a-kind events and transformative work experiences. Students can borrow work from the Tang collection to hang in their residence hall rooms. With a fast-growing website and social media presence, and exhibitions that regularly receive praise from The New York Times, Art in America and other national publications, the Tang connects with alumni and museum-goers across the globe.
The Arthur Zankel Music Center opened in 2010 as a hub of musical activity for the College and surrounding community. With more than 54,000 square feet of teaching, practice, performance and administrative space, this nonprofit venue welcomes almost 25,000 guests each year. The 600-seat, acoustically tuned Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall has drawn sold-out crowds and featured performances by internationally renowned artists, including Emanuel Ax, John Baptiste, Dave Brubeck, Ani Difranco, Havana Lyceum Orchestra, Indigo Girls, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Paul Simon, Gloria Steinem, Manhattan Transfer, Taiko Project and the Ying Quartet. It has also hosted the National Public Radio programs Selected Shorts and The Moth.
SUPPORT
In total, 27,193 donors contributed $229.4 million to Creating Our Future: The Campaign for Skidmore, which concluded on Dec. 31, 2020. Building a creative, collaborative and community-centered future for Skidmore is at the core of this historic and record-setting campaign, which will provide for today’s students and help them to achieve lives of meaning and purpose. Skidmore received gifts of more than $22.4 million from alumni, parents and friends during the 2019-20 giving year. Parents made gifts totaling $3.35 million to Skidmore and over $1.5 million to the College’s Annual Parents Fund. Families of the Class of 2020 contributed $634,079 to the Senior Family Project. Nearly 70% of members of the Class of 2020 gave back to Skidmore through the Senior Gift campaign and 47 seniors joined the Presidents Society before they graduated. Although unable to celebrate in person due to COVID-19, Reunion 2020 classes raised more than $3.3 million for Skidmore.
Skidmore Fund gifts of $7.2 million will help students pursue their studies and discover their passions by providing every part of campus with resources that prioritize the needs of students and faculty. Endowed gifts strengthen the College in perpetuity. 1,089 alumni, parents and friends generously supported Skidmore at a leadership level during the 2019-20 giving year. Presidents Society donors contributed more than $6.3 million to the Skidmore Fund, and nearly 3,600 alumni were recognized as 1903 Society members for their support for three or more consecutive years. Major grants from the George I. Alden Trust, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Davis United World College Scholars Program, GKV Foundation, Kettering Fund, Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation, Charles Hayden Foundation, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, John Ben Snow Foundation and Memorial Trust, Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, Teagle Foundation and Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund enhance Skidmore’s programming. 3,983 Skidmore volunteers provided more than 36,000 hours of service and gifts exceeding $3.7 million. 790 Volunteers attended regional, campus and Reunion events and also assisted with 100 Skidmore events around the globe.
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JAN 2021