SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College has recently been recognized in national rankings for their excellence in liberal arts, innovation, and student life. Skidmore has been ranked No. 41 by U.S. News and World Report in the National Liberal Arts Colleges; ranked in the top 50 for “Most Innovative Schools;” “High School Counselor Rankings;” “Best Value Schools;” and “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” Skidmore was also on The Princeton Review’s 2019 list of The Best 384 Colleges, along with earning top 50 positions in the “Best Campus Food,” “Great Financial Aid,” and “Best Quality of Life” categories.
It was also listed as a “10 Best Green School in America” by The Knowledge Review magazine and a “Top 50 Green College” by the Princeton Review in 2017. Among other accolades, Skidmore is also considered a “Hidden Ivy.” Skidmore does not submit themselves for these accolades, rather, they let their publicly available information and data speak for them, as well as student surveys.
“We have a wonderfully inclusive community at Skidmore. We don’t have fraternities and sororities and I think as a result there is a cohesiveness to the community that’s very appealing to students. There’s also a supportive environment amongst students, and that contributes to quality of life,” said Mary Lou Bates, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid.
A typical class size for Skidmore is roughly 690 students and this past year they had just under 11,000 applications. The reason the campus earned a top spot with their food? The students have a say in the menu.
“They provide feedback on a bulletin board in the dining hall and our award-winning Culinarians use that input when making their menus and recipes. Students also offer ideas for special themed meals —like our upcoming Nightmare Before Christmas and Harry Potter dinners. We create our own four-week rotational cycle each semester and adjust it based on the seasons and student feedback. We use only high-quality ingredients and support local farms and businesses as much as possible,” explained Mark Miller, director of dining services.
Skidmore’s sustainability program speaks for itself.
“The Sustainability Office serves as a hub for sustainability at Skidmore. While we lead several student programs and initiatives on campus, we also partner with colleagues across campus and with community members and organizations in Saratoga Springs, all with the goal of advancing sustainability in our community. Sustainability is a broad concept and requires collective community effort, which has been growing for decades at Skidmore,” said Levi Rogers, director of sustainability programs and assessment.
Tucked away in Saratoga Springs has a lot of advantages.
“Our location in Saratoga Springs is a significant factor in students’ decisions to choose Skidmore. They like the fact that they are in a city but it’s not an urban environment. Saratoga Springs is a city with lots going on, with a strong cultural base and great restaurants and coffee shops — it complements everything that happens on campus. Students like being in the beautiful foothills of the Adirondacks and having easy access to New York City, Boston and Montreal,” Bates explained.
If anyone is on the fence about attending Skidmore, Bates has the perfect pitch for that: “What makes Skidmore unique is our strong sense of community, the breadth of choice and flexibility in our curriculum and programs, our outstanding faculty and our interdisciplinary approach that equips students for success.”
