Creative thought matters! The unofficial motto of Skidmore College makes itself evident all over campus – from the unusual combinations of student majors and minors to the faculty curated exhibits at the college’s Tang museum – creative thought is definitely alive and well here. Saratoga Springs, a lovely Victorian resort town of 30,000 people, is 40 minutes north of Albany. In the summer, the town is known for horse racing but the rest of the year, Skidmore is a main focus. The original campus was located in the heart of the town but was moved to the end of the main street in the 1960’s. As a result, the sprawling wooded campus is more modern than you would expect for a college founded in 1903. The buildings are mostly brick; many are connected to each other either internally or by covered walkways to make moving around campus in rain or snow more pleasant.
While Skidmore is primarily a liberal arts college with an undergraduate focus (“we want to be part of the undergraduate journey of exploration”), the curriculum is broader and more creative than one might expect. BA and BS degrees are offered and majors include business, management, education and exercise science. The visual and performing arts are particularly strong but English, management, studio art and business top the list of most popular majors. A small group of freshmen can elect to spend their first semester in London with Skidmore professors. The heart of the first year program are the Scribner Seminars – 45 different topics taught by professors who are instructed to design a course about whatever they are passionate about and then make it interdisciplinary. Freshman choose their seminar and live in the same residence hall as their other Scribner Seminar classmates. My dinner with the college President and faculty left me with the impression that these folks work well together, enjoy each other socially and academically and are energized to meet the challenges ahead.
Skidmore students travel abroad in large numbers (60%) but not because they don’t love the place. There are no fraternities or sororities and most students live on campus. Transportation systems allow students access to Albany and Amtrak access to New York City. The college awards most of its financial aid to students based on need rather than merit.
