Staff, faculty, and retirees from across campus came together at this year’s Retirement and Recognition Ceremony to enjoy good food, good company, honor colleagues, and celebrate the achievements and milestones of the Skidmore community.
Rising senior Molly Sullivan from the Skidmore College women's rowing team was named a Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Second Team All-American for the second consecutive season. Sullivan was the program's first All-American a year ago.
(From left) Kevin Lloyd, Peter Sickler, and Kate Berheide celebrated their 45-year
commitment to the College at the ceremony led by Sarah Vero (right).
by Tory Abbott
Staff, faculty, and retirees from across campus came together at this year’s Retirement
and Recognition Ceremony to enjoy good food, great company, honor colleagues, and
celebrate the achievements and milestones of the Skidmore community.
The ceremony, held on Case Green, was led by General Counsel and Vice President for
Human Resources Sarah Vero, with Director of Human Resources Julie Delay reading the
Recognition of Service Awardees and Thoroughbred Thanks recipients. Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity Joshua
Woodfork led the President’s Awards portion of the event, and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Parker Diggory
presented the Memorial Acknowledgements.
President Marc C. Conner, who was leading a travel seminar in Ireland and unable to
attend, expressed his gratitude in a video message emailed to campus the morning of
the event.
All of you make Skidmore a great place to work, learn, and grow. I am so grateful
for all you've done and continue to do to make our college such a special place. I'm
very proud of what we've accomplished this year, and I thank everyone for making such
a great year possible.
President Marc C. Conner
The event honored 20 employees who retired during the 2023-24 school year.
Several community members were also recognized as President’s Awards recipients —
members of the Skidmore community who have embraced the educational mission and cooperative
spirit of the College through their exemplary commitment to personal excellence, campus
pride, and community service.
"One of the best things about teaching at Skidmore is seeing our students get to engage
and interact with our wonderful community on campus,” said Senior Teaching Professor
and Arthur Zankel Executive Director of Arts Administration David Howson, one of the
recipients. “Making those connections and building those relationships is so important
and personally fulfilling to me, and I'm beyond honored to have been recognized alongside
my colleagues for our contributions to the College."
Managing Director of Arthur Zankel Music Center Zhenelle LeBel, a fellow award recipient,
echoed Howson’s appreciation for his campus peers. “Sharing a meal and laughs with
my colleagues on a sunny day under the trees was indeed a highlight of this year.
These gatherings are so encouraging because the camaraderie between faculty and staff
is so obvious — we like working together, and it shows!” said LeBel.
Lisa Burke, who served as assistant director of sponsored research and died in 2023,
and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life were also recognized.
Jewish Student Life Martina Zobel (left) and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life
Parker Diggory (center) accepted the President's Award from Vice President for Strategic
Planning and Institutional Diversity Joshua Woodfork (right).
We were delighted to have the work of this challenging year honored, it is clear to
us both that the support and active participation of our colleagues and particularly
the students are the foundation of our accomplishments.
Coordinator of Jewish Student Life Martina Zobel and Director of Religious and Spiritual
Life Parker Diggory
The ceremony celebrated an additional 214 current employees for their years of service
to Skidmore; Robert Boyers marked an impressive 55 years with the College, while Kevin
Lloyd, Peter Sickler, and Kate Berheide were honored for their 45-year commitment.
Michael Arnush, Harold Dowen, Dawn Greenlaw, Masako Inamoto, David Peterson, Greg
Pfitzer, and Joyce Tighe were among those celebrated for their remarkable 35-year
tenure.
5 years
47 employees
10 years
43 employees
15 years
15 employees
20 years
19 employees
25 years
10 employees
30 years
9 employees
35 years
7 employees
45 years
3 employees
55 years
1 employee
"What makes Skidmore a wonderful place to learn and work is our people, and the Retirement
and Recognition Ceremony provides an annual chance to acknowledge the contributions
of every member of our College community," reflected Vero.
"We are so proud of our awardees for their contributions to our campus and hope everyone
cherished the opportunity to gather, savor the lovely weather, and appreciate the
company of our friends and colleagues on campus."
Using resources from Skidmore's Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences, Leo Parra ’24 was asked to help try to solve two archaeological mysteries during his senior year at Skidmore.
With appeals to stand up for their beliefs and confront injustice while continuing to build community through empathy and kindness, Skidmore College conferred 650 degrees to the Class of 2024.
