禁漫天堂

Hundreds of members of the Skidmore College community gathered to welcome to campus President-elect Marc C. Conner, who expressed his deep respect for the College鈥檚 accomplishments and excitement for the future.

鈥淚鈥檓 enormously humbled to be asked to take a leadership role at one of the great liberal arts colleges in this nation and to put myself in service of what I think is an admirable mission,鈥� said Conner, who will assume office in July. 鈥淎nd I feel great pride as well, to be part of such a great school and to get to work with such a great community.鈥�

Conner comes to Skidmore from Washington and Lee University, a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, where he has served as provost since January 2016. He is a widely published professor of English and a longtime advocate of diversity initiatives.

Conner said he and his wife, Barbara Reyes-Conner, who joined him at the event Friday, Feb. 7, in Arthur Zankel Music Center, found Skidmore to be a special place.

鈥淐reativity pervades everything that Skidmore does. It obviously is not confined just to the arts, but it pervades every field, every discipline, every endeavor,鈥� Conner said. 鈥淚t is also an institution that is proud to talk about the highest ideals of liberal arts alongside the career preparation and the career trajectories of its students.鈥�

The president-elect said he is looking forward to making connections with Skidmore faculty, staff, students and the Saratoga Springs community.

鈥淭here are many roles to being a president,鈥� he said. 鈥淏uilding relationships is the heart of the work, it鈥檚 the heart of the mission. When we think about our highest commitment to a community of diversity and inclusion, that really comes down to building a community of trust, a place where everybody feels at home, everybody feels they can thrive and everybody feels safe enough to challenge and be challenged by an education that we know is daring.鈥�

Conner acknowledged that there will be challenges to overcome, but he said he is unabashed in talking about how well the liberal arts prepare students for a remarkable life of achievement.

鈥淭he liberal arts education we offer has never been more exciting, it has never been more challenging, and it has never been more necessary,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are going to help our students become all the things they want to be, all the things they aspire to be.鈥�

Members of the Skidmore community also watched a video in which Conner鈥檚 Washington and Lee colleagues spoke about the positive impact he has made as a leader, teacher and mentor.

鈥淧resident-elect Marc Conner comes to us with a significant breadth and depth of experience that will serve Skidmore well into the future,鈥� said Nancy Hamilton 鈥�77, chair of Skidmore鈥檚 Board of Trustees. 鈥淪kidmore, this is a wonderful and momentous day 鈥� a day to welcome Skidmore鈥檚 next president and to recognize the incredible work done by fellow members of this community during the presidential search process.鈥�

 

Search committee co-chairs Jon Achenbaum 鈥�77 and Maxine Isaacs 鈥�69 thanked the Skidmore community for participating in the search process and noted that the committee included Skidmore faculty, staff, students and trustees.

鈥淵our input helped inform the development of the presidential position profile and the criteria the search committee used to evaluate all candidates,鈥� Achenbaum said. 鈥淲e received hundreds of applications, which is a testament to Skidmore鈥檚 distinction as a top liberal arts college.鈥�

Linda Toohey, trustee emerita and former chair of the Board of Trustees, also paid special tribute to the leadership of President Philip A. Glotzbach, who is retiring after the current academic year, and Marie Glotzbach.

鈥淪ince President Phil Glotzbach arrived on this campus in the summer of 2003, Skidmore has grown in myriad ways, thanks to his vision and leadership,鈥� said Toohey. 鈥淎s we look to the future of Skidmore, it is important to reflect on and celebrate the strong foundation that has been set in place for our next leader, Marc Conner.鈥�

Conner expressed gratitude to the entire Skidmore community, including Hamilton and the search committee.

鈥淚鈥檓 profoundly grateful to Phil and Marie, who have been so kind, so generous, so helpful, absolutely the soul of grace and class, and indeed to the whole community,鈥� Conner said. 鈥淓verybody is making Barbara and me feel so welcome and, of course, we鈥檙e so excited to join this community.鈥�