On a sunny September afternoon, I sat down with President Conner in his office on the fourth floor of Palamountain Hall. As we discussed the academic year ahead, I asked him key questions about his hopes, goals, current and planned campus renovations, and current events.
Before serving as the President of Skidmore College, you studied English and Philosophy and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in English. What attracted you to the English and Philosophy majors as an undergraduate student? Do you have any advice for students trying to decide their major?
“I was drawn to English literature as early as high school and knew early on that I wanted to become a teacher. My fascination with literature is drawn from the story aspect; it’s about understanding humanity, reading stories from people and cultures other than my own, in time and space, and seeing what’s both common and unique in the human experience. My interest in philosophy also stemmed from that. As my college experience went on, I realized I wanted to become a college professor. I wanted to write and work in higher education while surrounded by professional scholarship.
My advice is that choosing a major might be the least important decision that a student makes, not because it isn’t important, but because you can’t go wrong. Young people tend to obsess over their majors, but it doesn’t matter. They will make their way after graduation based on skills, experience, knowledge, and confidence. If a student wants to be a biochemist, maybe majoring in classics isn’t the way to go, but the beauty of a liberal arts education is that it prepares you for any career you want to embark on. Students should do the things they’re good at and enthusiastic to work in.”
If you could choose one theme to represent this academic year, what would it be and why?
“Kindness and excitement. I know that’s two themes, but they go together at Skidmore. One thing I’ve realized about Skidmore is how kind this community is. That’s a huge part of what got us through the COVID-19 pandemic and what sustained us through last year’s global challenges.
I meet with all the Scribner Seminars for dinner at the beginning of the year. We shake the hand of every freshman student, and I talk about the extraordinary kindness of the Skidmore student body. If we can spread that to the nation and the globe—if we could engage in kindness and truth-telling—95% of our social and global ills would go away. There’s something special happening at Skidmore, and it’s a model for what we want to see more broadly.
When I talk about excitement, I mean excitement for future initiatives on campus. We can look at the 2024 Presidential Election as an example. This is an extraordinary time that we’re living in, and to be able to approach that as a college by essentially making this election season a campus-wide seminar with all the events we are doing is a dream as an educator. There’s also so many good events on the horizon for Skidmore, and I’ve got a lot of excitement about that.”
In terms of college infrastructure and development, what goals do you have for this year? Are there specific areas/buildings on campus that you have marked as priorities?
“The biggest goal is the student experience. We defined the student experience as the “residential student experience,” but now we’re broadening that to all facets of Skidmore life. In terms of non-residential buildings, we’ve finished the Science Building, and we’re proud to say that it’s now one of the best in the country. We’re also finishing building the McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center, which is very important for our community, as is health and wellness in general. Additionally, we’ve tended to some of the athletic facilities we have.
Now we’re looking at those first- and second-year dorms. I’ve been told that thirty years ago, people said that Skidmore’s dorms were like palaces. Well, unfortunately, nobody is saying that now. So we’re looking at what we need to do now. The solution is not as simple as saying, “We need fewer triples” or “We need more common space.” The issue is larger than a simple renovation. We are trying to figure out what students want for their campus experience when they live, work, play, and study. Everything happens on the campus, and we want to understand what living experience would reflect that. We’re working closely with SGA President Josh Maxwell and Dean Bautista, reaching out to students and looking for feedback.
Another goal is renovating the learning spaces, such as classroom infrastructure and technology. What does AI mean for how we live and learn together on campus? This question will be a big driver of our priorities for the next few years.”
A follow-up: do you expect that as the school gets around to this renovation process, tuition costs will increase?
“The cost of this kind of education will keep increasing. But these renovations will not add to that increase. We’ll fund these renovations through gifts, philanthropy, and capital projects. They won’t be passed on to students directly.
Every school’s tuition increases by about three to four percent per year. That trend will continue, but we’re not going to suddenly ask for more tuition because of these projects. We’ll find other ways to pay for it.”
Is there any specific dorm or living space that might be the first place you start renovating?
“We’re not sure yet. We’re currently conducting a study of all first and second-year dorms. The village apartments are still marvelous. I want the first two years of the Skidmore living experience to be just as wonderful for students as their experience in the apartments. Living experiences won’t be the same because the dorms and apartments are two different living experiences, but we want our students to be comfortable. We’re figuring out specifics, such as the kinds of spaces, the amounts of spaces, and how many suites, singles, and doubles we might renovate or build. The CIS is a great example. There are so many informal spaces that day-to-day students make into whatever they need it to be at the time. I want to get some of those into the residence halls.”
According to the Campus Master Plan, there is a proposal to possibly build a new dorm, either near Jonsson Tower or near Wiecking Hall. Does the college still plan to do so in 2024?
“Yes and no. One option we looked at during our Campus Master Plan meetings was building a new residence hall. Right now, the space next to Wiecking seems to be the best location for that. But as of now, we don’t know if a new hall is needed or if the proposed renovations we’re planning for will address all existing needs in the living spaces. The new hall will cost millions. We have a huge question to answer: is it better to put those funds into renovating the current halls or into building new ones? We will have to decide in the future, and student feedback is vital for this task.”
N.B. Among many proposed changes, the 2022 Campus Master Plan outlined an effort to renovate the Falstaff’s Pavilion. On October 14, Zachary Schwan, Director of Leadership Activities, and Alex Ciardullo ‘25, Falstaff’s Chair, announced a renovation of Falstaff’s, marking significant momentum in the refurbishment of Skidmore’s buildings.
There are currently many contentious conflicts raging across the globe, such as Israel’s invasion into Gaza and Lebanon, between Russia and Ukraine, and within Sudan. Is Skidmore taking any steps to facilitate dialogue about these events? How do you see Skidmore students and the community engaging in dialogue about these issues?
“I urge you to visit my President's Messages and look at the last two years’ worth. Two years ago, you’ll see that freedom of speech and expression was one of the biggest initiatives at Skidmore and is still a signature part of my presidency. I believe in this passionately.
Then last year happened, with all the terrible events of October 7th; what followed was an enormous amount of pressure on individuals to say or not say certain things. We stuck to supporting freedom of expression, supporting multiple beliefs throughout our community, and taking care of each other. Throughout last year, we had dialogues, discussions, classes, lectures, speeches, and active engagement with students who identify as Jewish. We did a three-day residency on free speech, and one of those events included leadership from the Skidmore Coalition for Palestine and Hillel sitting down at the same table and engaging in dialogue.
We also supported demonstrations. I’ve always said that demonstrations are a sign of a healthy campus rather than a weak one. This was in March when other campuses were facing similar demonstrations. We tried to have more speech, more understanding, and more education, rather than stifle discussion. If you visit our Election Programming Website, you’ll see that many events are happening as we try to lean into the importance of dialogue and understanding.”
What is your favorite dish and why?
“My wife, Barbara, is an amazing cook and is of Mexican heritage; her homemade enchiladas are my favorite thing to eat in the world. Other than enchiladas, I would have to say a close second is either lamb vindaloo or chicken korma, depending on how adventurous I’m feeling. During my junior year of college, I did a study abroad program in London where I tried Indian cuisine. I had never had Indian food before, and I absolutely loved it.”