Skidmore 'town-hall meetings' upcoming

Halfway through its 10-year Strategic Plan, the College will conduct a series of town-hall-style meetings in seven cities this fall and early winter. Called "Your Voice, Our Future," the series aims to engage alumni, parents, and friends in a far-reaching discussion of the value of a Skidmore education in the 21st century.

Meetings in October will take place in Boston, Hartford, Fairfield/Westchester, and New York City. In November a meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. Meetings in January will be in Los Angeles and San Francisco. At each gathering, President Philip A. Glotzbach will lead a panel discussion with distinguished Skidmore alumni, faculty, and parents.

"The global economic recession has directed much critical attention upon the cost, price, and value of the education offered by liberal arts colleges," said Glotzbach. "We must revisit, reconsider, and reaffirm the principles and beliefs at the core of our mission. We must think even more deeply about, and articulate more clearly, the continuing worth of a Skidmore education."

Key background on these issues will be provided in the fall issue of Scope magazine, arriving in alumni and parent mailboxes in mid-September. And more information will follow in future Scope Monthly dispatches.  As information becomes available, you will find it posted on the Your Voice, Our Future web site.

Glotzbach said he plans to "engage the entire Skidmore community, on campus and off, in this critical inquiry." The end product, he said, will be a "summary document that will become the basis of further work by the faculty, administration, and board of trustees in shaping Skidmore’s future."