March 2013

Dear Classmates,

It seems hard for me to imagine that one year from now we will be busily planning our 45th reunion and I will be looking for lots of help. In fact, the planning will begin this summer and all of you are urged to participate. Wow! How the time does fly. Reunions remind me of connections, especially to friends and also to the College. I have gone through some very challenging years recently and I have heavily relied on the connections and friends that I made so many years ago at Skidmore.  I will take the liberty to quote thoughts on friendship, which has sustained me. A local columnist writes, "I urge you to all go out, buy some champagne, bake a cake, and throw some fancy anniversary party for your friends. …renew your vows to be there for one another through thick and thin…" They have been there for me.

A lot is happening at Skidmore that you might want to be aware of. Admissions and Skidmore financial aid continue to grow. Skidmore has a 95% full time student retention ratio. We awarded more than $36 million dollars in student aid in the 2012-13 academic year. Nearly 42% of the Class of 2016 received Skidmore aid, mostly based on your Annual Fund donations. For the second year, Skidmore has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, giving us national recognition.

As part of Skidmore’s ongoing effort to provide greater support to recent graduates and alumni in their career development and transitions, the Career Development Center welcomes Jenna Hartwell as the new Associate Director of Alumni Career Development. In this role, Jenna provides individual career counseling to Skidmore graduates and works with alumni to create networking connections for current students and alums. She also coordinates regional, off-campus career development events for alumni. Prior to working at Skidmore, Jenna served as the Coordinator for Student and Alumni Career Services at Wheelock College where she successfully increased the office’s visibility and services for their alumni population. Originally from Amherst, MA, Jenna received her B.S. in Social Science (History Focus) at Cazenovia College and her M.Ed. in Counselor Education (College Counseling) at North Carolina State University. Alumni interested in working with Jenna may contact her by calling the Career Development Center at (518) 580-5790.

Check out the Skidmore Scope web site (www.skidmore.edu) to learn much more about what is happening on campus. Take the opportunity to visit the campus and see how it has changed and progressed since our years of slogging out to the library through the snow and riding the bus between the campuses. And, of course, please contribute to maintain this quality of education.

Look forward to seeing you in 2014 to celebrate! What a class we were and still are!!!!!!

       Liz

Elizabeth McKinley Loomis ‘69
Class President