a whole, and who make that knowledge material as donors. Lawyer Nancy Hamilton says, “I came to Skidmore on fi- nancial aid back in the 1970s and have been forever grateful to those who made that possible.” She calls the growth in financial aid and diversity at her alma mater “a signature achievement” demonstrating that “Skidmore has its priori- ties straight.” A trustee, alumni board member, and longtime supporter of scholar- ship aid, she has en- joyed returning to campus for the annu- al scholarship din- ners, where recipients and donors have a chance to meet. She reports, “Many stu- dents are surprised to learn that I and many others were also fi- nancial aid recipients. My hope is that they’ll be inspired to give as well. To me, scholarship gifts are not so much about paying as they are about paying forward, investing in the fu- ture. The return on that investment— someone like me, sometime down the road—makes it the best investment you’ll ever make.” Hamilton adds that the average debt for a Skidmore educa- tion “seems eminent- ly reasonable” com-
pared to the far larger debt burden of some grads, especially those from the for-profit institutes. She says, “We know the intrinsic value of the Skidmore experience—from having close relationships with outstanding faculty (expert, dedicated pro- fessors, not just graduate students) to having seats available in courses so that students can graduate in their chosen major within four years. Supporting financial aid extends those life- changing educational opportunities to more students.” Jerome Mopsik is on board with giving back, too. The for- mer Palamountain Scholar is now an organizer, along with wife Emily Carnevale Mopsik ’07, for this year’s Palamoun- tain Scholarship polo benefit. He declares it “the best deal in town for a summer gala. The best food, the best company.
It’s just $125 per person. And it all goes to financial aid.” These and other scholarship supporters, from every era and area, tend to share a belief in liberal education as a personal, professional, and public good. Skidmore’s codi- fied “Goals for Student Learning and Development” set an expectation that graduates will, among many other things, acquire discipline-specific knowledge; understand social and cultural diversity; develop advanced learning skills, in clud- ing the capacity to think critically, cre- atively, and independ- ently; and hone their ability to analyze, inte- grate, and apply infor- mation and communi- cate the findings effec- tively. It’s a “daunting” list, as Glotzbach ad- mitted at last year’s commencement cere- mony, but, he told the new grads, “the intel- lectual and ethical tool kit you have acquired through your Skid- more education pro- vides you the best possible platform for success in a world marked above all by rapid, persistent, and unpredictable change.” It’s no coincidence that it’s the same tool kit expressly sought, more and more ur- gently, by medical schools, law schools,
and employers in practically every profession. Educational like that doesn’t come cheap. What Skidmore does is necessarily cost-intensive—from its large faculty and personalized mentoring, to its laboratory, studio, athletics, and other resources, to its comprehensive First-Year Experi- ence program, to its research, service, internship, travel, and other opportunities. But the more world crises that arise, the more Glotzbach sees Skidmore as an incubator of creative problem-solvers. That’s why he and Bates and other Skid- more leaders not only defend the value of its ever more cost- ly education, but also insist that it should be able to work its magic on a diverse community of the best and brightest stu- dents regardless of their finances.
SPRING 2013 SCOPE 17
JON REINFURT
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