SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College announces a $10 million initiative in support of its longstanding commitment to a liberal arts experience rooted in creativity that prepares students for thriving professional and personal success. A $5 million one-to-one matching pledge along with additional matching gifts creates the Sands Family Foundation Initiative for Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Skidmore College.
Rob Sands ’81, a Skidmore business major who is executive chairman of the board of directors of Constellation Brands, explained his personal commitment to this gift.
“At Skidmore I gained the fundamental knowledge to become a successful attorney and businessman along with an invaluable set of life skills,” he said. “The Sands Family Foundation Initiative promises to support and grow these aspects of the education I experienced at Skidmore — exactly the kind of education I believe our world needs. We are so excited to spearhead the expansion of entrepreneurial thinking for all Skidmore students, and my hope is that, through this support, students will use their talents upon graduation to create or grow new ventures from the Capital District to Rochester and beyond.”
Sands Family Foundation member Bill Caleo ’99, a Skidmore business major who went on to attain his master’s degree in theater and is now a member of the College’s Board of Trustees, stressed the promise of the gift to build on Skidmore’s creative, inclusive, and interdisciplinary education.
“I’m so proud to be able to support my alma mater with this gift,” he said.
“I want the world to see that a Skidmore education is truly the best preparation for the 21st century. Our gift is going to provide programmatic support for the kind of entrepreneurial thinking that is a natural and fundamental part of the College. This will literally enable students to learn how to shape their own future.”
