Introduction to Skidmore Component View Book 2019

A SIMPLE, BOLD PHILOSOPHY PERMEATES EVERYTHING WE DO

Creative Thought Matters

CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS

Creativity is at our core.

IT POWERS THE WAY WE THINK, COMMUNICATE AND DO. WE BOLDLY DECLARE THAT, HERE AT SKIDMORE, MORE THAN ANYTHING, CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS. It matters in the work we do, the actions we take and the people we are.

Creativity empowers us to combine unconnected ideas, bring them to life and turn them into solutions. Creativity drives us to uncover new ways to approach everyday challenges. Creativity opens us up to a wide range of perspectives so that everything we do is bigger, better and more inclusive.

At Skidmore, no matter what you’re meant to be, or do, or inspire— creative thought matters. And that makes all the difference.

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Dipesh KC (below), a computer science major, discovered a passion for performance and creative expression through dance—hear how in his own words at: SKIDMO.RE/DIPESH

CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS

We asked Skidmore faculty and students to describe what Creative Thought Matters means to them.

Each answer was a little different.

And each one was absolutely right.

How will you de�ne it?

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WHAT DOES “CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS” MEAN?

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“Creative Thought Matters means that I am able to connect all of my fields of interest to discover and create something new.”

ROBINSON RODRIGUEZ MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS AND SOCIOLOGY

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“Creative Thought Matters means a willingness to push intellectual boundaries.

There are no safe or easy answers. I tell my students they need to know this, not because it is on an exam, but because that’s what it takes to be an effective advocate in the real world.”

BOB TURNER ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

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“I think creativity requires problem-solving and developing new ideas. I also believe the best ideas are generated in groups.

Creative Thought Matters is the environment Skidmore fosters to provide a learning experience filled with inquiry, participation and growth.”

EMILIE BODE HUMAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS

Eight things that are undeniably Skidmore.

We’re always building on traditions and trying something new. And while you truly have to see, hear and feel these things to understand them, here’s a taste to get you excited.

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WHAT’S DIFFERENT

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BEATLEMORE SKIDMANIA This annual tribute concert was initially inspired by students in a Beatles seminar, who just wanted to play a few songs with their friends. Now, it’s so popular that it fills the biggest concert hall on campus for three sold-out shows and is live-streamed for alumni and fans around the world to see.

Go behind the scenes at:

S K I D M O . R E / B E AT L E M O R E

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CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS

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/03

UJIMA SKIDMORE-STYLE

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ACADEMIC FEST All day, all across campus, students present their best papers, scientific research, choreography and documentary videos, displaying something else that matters at Skidmore: excellence. Academic Festival is a celebration of our achievements and intellect.

Ujima, Skidmore’s Caribbean and African-American club, recently staged its 23rd annual fashion extravaganza. Student models took to the runway to demonstrate, through beauty and strength, how people of color excel in spite of life’s obstacles. Ujima is a Swahili word that means building community by treating others’ problems as your own and solving them together.

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BIG GREEN SCREAM What better way to tip off a season of Thoroughbreds basketball? Show up early for a chance to win huge prizes like smart TVs and catch some of Skidmore’s top performers at center court.

/05 THE NORTH WOODS

Skidmore’s 250-acre North Woods is a forest that’s home to more than 660 species of plants including rare ferns, the red-spotted newt and painted turtle, and a wide variety of birds, which migrate or stay to breed. Monitored by student stewards, the woodlands feature a trail system perfect for hiking, cross-country skiing and occasionally getting away from it all.

Political science major Josh Wagner fell in love with hiking in the nearby Adirondack Mountains. Learn more in Josh’s own words at: SKIDMO.RE/WAGNER

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CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS

MB 107 Each semester, about 20 student teams prep and pitch real business plans for real companies. Real execs grill and grade them on the spot. That’s the challenge of MB 107, Skidmore’s introductory business course. Developing a strategy tailored to Netflix, Tesla or Gap and selling it to savvy experts is an experience shared by nearly 7,000 Skidmore alumni. (It also convinces many students to take up one of our most popular academic programs: management and business.)

Watch students pitch their business plans at: SKIDMO.RE/MB107

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WHAT’S DIFFERENT

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/07 BE YOU, NOT A FEW LETTERS Strong friendships and a great sense of community keep things interesting on campus. According to The Princeton Review’s Best Value Private Schools, students are happy that we don’t have frats or sororities. It means there’s “no pressure to join or conform to anything.”

It also means our 120+ student clubs and organizations are only more vibrant.

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NO LAUGHING MATTER Actually, laugh all you want.

Because when it comes to college comedy, Skidmore might lead the pack. The National College Comedy Festival was started at Skidmore by David Miner ’91, Emmy-winning producer of 30 Rock. It’s a big draw, with professional comedians and college troupes like our own Skidomedy, Sketchies, Awkward Kids Talking and Ad Liberal Artists converging on campus.

For more on Com Fest, check out the This Is Skidmore podcast: SKIDMO.RE/COMFEST

Creative Thought Matters