Oct. 6 staff meeting recap
President Marc C. Conner and College administrators provided updates about required trainings, upcoming events, and next steps in Skidmore’s Institutional Planning timeline at the Oct. 6 staff meeting.
The meeting opened with a moment of silence for Lisa Maureen Burke, assistant director of sponsored research, who died last month after a battle with cancer.
Sarah Delaney Vero, general counsel and vice president for human resources, reminded staff of the Employee Assistance Program, available to Skidmore employees. She went on to welcome new staff to several departments.
Julie Delay, director of human resources, invited employees to visit the Professional Development and Training website for information about upcoming events, including a Networking Breakfast on Thursday, Oct. 26, and an Employee Assistance Program Event scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 31.
All Skidmore employees will be required to complete mandatory sexual harassment and workplace discrimination training, between Oct. 16 and Nov. 10, on LearnMore Skidmore, a new employee training platform. Employees will also be required to go through mandatory IT training; more details are forthcoming.
Title IX Coordinator Joel Aure offered a brief overview of Title IX reporting responsibilities and available resources. He asked that staff reach out to him with any questions.
President Conner gave updates on the College’s institutional planning timeline and noted Skidmore was moving toward completion of Skidmore’s Visions and Values project.
He observed that the most recent Visions and Values survey, completed by hundreds of members of the Skidmore community, saw themes such as creativity, curiosity, and caring affirmed in its responses. The Campus Master Plan and Visions and Values project will both inform the drafting of Skidmore’s next Strategic Plan, which will begin soon and be completed by 2025. President Conner explained that the effort would be a transparent and collaborative process, similar to both Visions and Values and the Campus Master Planning processes.
“Of course, we want a strong Strategic Plan, but how we arrive there is just as important as where exactly we arrive,” President Conner said. He noted that growing Skidmore’s financial aid endowment; enhancing the residential student experience; and furthering Skidmore’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion would appear as priorities in the next plan alongside other goals that will be set by the entire Skidmore community.
The next staff meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3.