Skidmore Scope Magazine Annual Edition for 2017

1 SKIDMORE COLLEGE From the editor 2 8 About the cover: Jess Wong ’09 is both a farmer and a marketer. (Photo by Don Hamerman) See page 21 SCOPE 2017 2017 Contents The math major who minors in Japanese, the double major in dance and business, the self-determined major in public health—I’m not sure any other college has quite as many mixed-major students applying quite as much eclecticism and practicality to their studies. When I was in college, I focused tightly on my two, related majors in European his- tory and German. At the time, I thanked my stars that the rules-free spirit of the 1970s had infused the curriculum such that I got away with Psych 101 and “The History of Science” for my outside-the-humanities requirements—no labs, no arts. And my edu- cation served me fine over the past few decades. But if I were a student in 2017, shunning nonverbal expression and rejecting the sciences in order to cleave only to my one intellectual love would be a colossal mistake, given the pace and complexity of today’s world. History and language are still crucial (more so than politicians and the public may realize), but only wider, well-incorpo- rated proficiencies can navigate, let alone contribute any solutions to, contemporary issues from energy and medicine to socioeconomics and globalism. Skidmore’s faculty and students know this exigent truth, and they act on it. It forms the integrative core of everything here, and it shapes the lives and careers of alumni ever after. Just flip some of the following pages and you’ll see. Year in review 2 Election 2016 4 Faculty make headlines 5 Summer interns 6 Venue for diversity 7 Art and equality appointments A fresh batch of alumni news, from travels to jobs to new babies, can be viewed now on the class notes site at alumni.skidmore.edu/ classnotes CLASS NOTES Director of Campus and Media Relations Diane O’Connor Editor Susan Rosenberg srosenbe@skidmore.edu Associate editor Paul Dwyer ’83 pdwyer@skidmore.edu Designer Blake Dinsdale Writers Jim Akin ’84 Helen Edelman ’74 Kathryn Gallien Skidmore College Switchboard: 518-580-5000 Alumni Relations: 518-580-5670 Admissions: 518-580-5570 Scope is published annually by Communications and Marketing Skidmore College 815 North Broadway 518-580-5733 www.skidmore.edu/scope Table: Arthur Evans; athlete: Mark Bolles 8 Skidmore champions 9 Science center progress 11 Precollege previews 12 Commencement ’17 14 Reunion ’17 SAY IT WITH SKIDMOJI Skiddies all over theworld areexpressing themselves withSkidmoji—a free, Skidmore-themedemoji keyboard for the iPhone andother iOSdevices. More than500 sets have beendownloaded so far. From initial designs by an alum, thedozens of Skidmoji feature campus landmarks, school colors, andof courseSkids in everymood imaginable. Todownload the latest set, go to skidmore.edu and searchon “skidmoji.”