Tbred Tails

Reunion!

2008-06-10T08:19:00.001-07:00

It was a blast! Enough said.

Two "admissions people" posing for a picture together. Angel is the Director of Admissions at Pitzer College

NYSACAC conference

2008-06-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

The New York State Association for Admissions Counseling annual conference was held last week at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. The conference is held every year at a different New York State college and is a great opportunity for admissions counselors and guidance counselors/college advisers to see one another, network and make new friends. The "NizzyACAC" conference is what I look forward to at the end of every year; kinda like the prom:) The conference keynote speaker was Jonathan Kozol, a highly regarded educator/author. I was very interested to hear about the work he is doing with the Barrack Obama regarding education policy.

One of my favorite aspects of the conference is the chance to see another college campus. I inevitably fall in love with the host institution every conference and Manhattanville was no exception. The student workers we met were incredible ( I bonded with the Hawaiian students), the facilities were impressive and the professors I met were very impressive. Conference participants also have the "luxury" of staying in the dorms!

A picture from inside the "castle" at Manhattanville

Most of the Skidmore crew inside our dorm room

Dalton Conley addressed the conference on Tuesday night. I asked him to sign my copy of his book, Honky.

IGR Workshop: One of the best professional workshops I've experienced

2008-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Summer for the "admission professional" entails a number of conferences and workshops. I was lucky enough to participate in an incredible workshop right here on the Skidmore campus. The IGR workshop was a very effective workshop to help professors, staff members and community members open up dialog surrounding race and identity. Thirty plus Skidmore staff members were admitted into the program run by the program directors, Monita and Charles (now retired). The three day workshop was challenging, rewarding and empowered participants with more knowledge, tools and experience to work with majority and diverse populations! I highly recommend the IGR workshop!

Here is a link to a short clip about IGR workshops/classes.

Skidmore is in the process of introducing more IGR type classes (there are a few offered already on campus) into the academic curriculum.

Graduation!

2008-05-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

My spring travel (see post below) this year coincided with Senior Week. I didn't have a chance to say congratulations to many of the seniors I met during the admissions process more than four or five years ago. Congrats to everyone who graduated!

Spring Travel

2008-05-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Spring travel season has come and gone. Compared to the fall travel season, spring travel season is much shorter and not nearly as intense.

I spent a short time in New York City where I traveled with Jasmin Escobar, assistant director of admissions at Pitzer College. My good friend and Skidmore classmate, Angel Perez, is the Director of Admissions at Pitzer and I look forward to seeing him this weekend at our 10 year reunion.

I met so many great students in New York City and- ate so many great meals:) High Schools typically offer dinner before a night time fair. Some of the schools' PTA prepare a multi-ethnic feast fit for kings and the college reps dine before the college fair begins (like this one at one NYC high school)

I went to a handful of fairs and sat on one College Night Panel in the New York City Area. I traveled to Long Island for a big fair organized by guidance counselors in the Nassau County School district. I also attended some college fairs in the mid-Hudson region of the state. I enjoy being on the road but this year I felt very guilty because I missed out on some graduation events on campus. My Spring travel season ended appropriately at the high school I graduated from nearly 15 years ago. I sat on a panel along side colleagues from Bucknell, Hartwick, Tufts, Union, University of Connecticut, and Yale. We spoke about various topics surrounding the admissions process. I spoke briefly about Facebook and public domain. Dinner was (of course) provided with a neat little twist; students in a culinary arts class prepared dinner for us.
Kudos to the student chefs!

Adirondack Scholars

2008-05-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

About five months ago, I wrote about a project to serve rural, first-generation students. Well, we pulled it off and it was a great success! A big thanks to the Skidmore Women’s tennis team, and the other Skidmore students who acted as mentors for the day (Hillary Ekwall, Megan Labbate, and Saundra). We had about eighty five students visit campus on Tuesday, participate in a scavenger hunt, and have lunch in the dining hall. The day was designed to help the Adirondack scholars become acquainted with a college campus and college life so they will think about going to college in the future!

Here is a rough copy of the scavenger hunt. We hope other campuses take the lead in promoting early college awareness to under served populations.

THE SKIDMORE SNAPSHOT with ADIRONDACK SCHOLARS- APRIL 29^TH, 2008

Find or take a picture of the following items on the below list!

Extra points given for being in the picture with the “subject.”

Someone younger than 10 years old on campus! 5pts
Skidmore student, class of 2011. 2pts
Skidmore Student in the library studying science! 4pts
Skidmore student wearing shorts and flip flops 5pts
Skidmore Professor 2pts
The President of Skidmore (outside of his office) 9pts
Skidmore student exercising in the gym 5pts
Skidmore student in an art studio 2pts
Skidmore student in the science lab 4pts
Skidmore student practicing an instrument 4pts
Skidmore students in the library studying together 4pts
Skidmore Student Government Officer (SGA officer) 5pts
A poster for an upcoming event 2pts
“ICE AGE” (the movie) 4pts
Inside a Skidmore dorm room 5pts
On the Skidmore basketball court 5pts
On stage of the Skidmore Theatre 5pts
In an art gallery 4pts
A fireplace 5pts
The Skidmore Seal 4pts
Skidmore sweatshirt 4pts
Skidmore Post Office 4pts
Wachenheim Field 3pts
Display of student research 6pts
A copy of the Skidmore News 2pts

Here are some pictures from the scavenger hunt!

Dani Fancher, a member of the women's tennis team, poses for a picture in order to get points in the scavenger hunt
One of the groups poses on the stage of JKB theater

Some of the Adirondack Scholars talk to a group of Skidmore students studying in the library

Some of the Adirondack Scholars listening to their Skidmore mentors speak

Adirondack Scholars find a first-year student at Skidmore in line waiting for food

Discovery Weekend

2008-04-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Discovery Weekend at Skidmore, a program designed for (but not exclusively for) accepted students of color to become more familiar with Skidmore.

Skidmore has made incredible strides in diversity over the last few years. When I returned to work for Skidmore in 2003, the student of color population was about 13% of the student body. The class of 2011 has nearly 24% students of color, and I expect the class o 2012 to be even larger.
Prospective students should not judge a school's "diversity" by looking at percentages. Skidmore may have had only 13% students of color in 2003, but we were recognized in a national study as a model for success in regard to graduation and retention rates for students of color. We have a much larger percentage of under represented students now, but we have not compromised the retention and graduation we were applauded for in 2003. Here is another article about what is being called, "The Skidmore Model."

And of course- the requisite pictures for each blog post!

Professor Joshua Woodfork (in the stripes) at breakfast with a few Discovery Weekend students

Hanging out at Galactic Bowling

In front of Case Center

Hanging out with some of the Hawaiians on Discovery Tour:)

Link to all of my pictures are here and here

Catching Up

2008-04-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy few weeks so I apologize for not blogging recently!

A couple weeks ago, I had the honor of speaking at the High School of American Studies at Lehman College. We had a great discussion about the application review process!
A view from the back at HSAS' College night

A few days later, Stuyvesant High School brought eighty juniors to campus. I had a great time hanging out, answering questions, and eating in the dining hall!
Stuy students saying goodbye to Skidmore

The Filene Music Scholarship competition took place on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Congratulations to all of the finalists!

Two current students perform during a break in the competition!
Another current student performance

John Ashcroft

2008-04-03T17:59:00.001-07:00

I went to the John Ashcroft lecture on campus last night. I am proud of Skidmore for bringing a controversial speaker to campus. I may not agree with much of anything he said, but I'm appreciative of the discourse and debate he brought to campus (even before he arrived). Events like this makes a small learning community so rewarding; students are able to hear, share, defend, and oppose ideas in an academic forum.

I think his lecture would have been more appropriately tittled "Defending the Patriot Act," as opposed to, "Leadership in difficult times."

I watched from a simulcast of the lecture in Case Center.

Thank you

2008-04-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Now that you have received your decision letter, please take the time to do the following:

Thank your teachers (especially the ones who wrote recommendation letters for you)!

Thank your guidance counselor/college counselor. He/she was much busier than you might think!

Last but not least, thank your parents!

Students at Mid-Pac pose with the counseling staff and admission counselors from Agnes Scott, Colby and Kenyon.

Letters are in the mail!

2008-03-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

The mail truck arrives to collect 7,420 letters

It was an emotional day for our beloved Diana Burke. This year will be the last time she loads the mail truck with decision letters. Words can't thank her enough for the forty one years of service to the Skidmore community!

The wait is (almost) over!

2008-03-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

On March 27^th, decision letters will leave the Skidmore admissions office. Months and months of hard work culminate into one simple decision letter. Some applicants will be ecstatic when the mail arrives, most will be disappointed. This post is dedicated to all 7,400+ applicants this year, regardless of the decision letter you receive. We thank you for your patience through the entire application process. We hope all of you will find the right institution for you, and for some of you, we hope that institution is Skidmore.

Accepted students can sign up for an Accepted Candidates Day here.

Check out some of the Skidmore groups on facebook: Skidmore Class of 2012 (started by a Skidmore class of 2012 student) and Discovery Weekend at Skidmore (a page I maintain). You can also check out the video I posted on the Discovery Weekend page.

While my next few blogs will be geared toward accepted students, please know I have not forgotten about the students just beginning their college search process. I will include a few posts to help students navigate the college search process.

Podcast Tour?

2008-03-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week is Spring break for Skidmore students. We still offer group information sessions for prospective students but we do not have student led tours this week (March 10th-March 15th). On that note, I notice a larger population of students visiting Skidmore during the weekend, when the admissions office is not necessarily open. This got me thinking about what we could do to service the self-guided tours better.

We are currently playing with the idea of having a podcast or mp3 audio file (available on the Skidmore web page) of a self-guided tour; visitors could visit buildings they were interested in and click play on their Ipod/mp3 player to listen to a student talk about that specific building. For those less technically inclined, we could also have a phone number to call (using a cell phone) with the same recorded description of the building.

We recorded audio for two of the buildings on campus, JKB Theater and Filene Music Hall. We selected two superstar seniors (Natasha Amendolara and Ryan Klein) to leave their legacy behind in the form of their recorded voice.
Natasha getting ready to record (my camera was accidentally in video mode)

Ryan on his way to class

Faculty Basketball at Skidmore

2008-02-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

Now that I work at Skidmore, I can play "noontime faculty/staff basketball". Games are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at, you guessed it, noon. You can always judge how good a college is by how competitive the faculty basketball is (uh....not really- but wouldn't that be neat to see in the guidebooks?).

Here are some pictures from the last outing.
Executing the triangle offense
Sometimes we play soccer too (click on photo)!
Some of the professors can really play:)

Chowderfest!

2008-02-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

Chowderfest 2008!

I have been busy reading applications and I haven't had time to blog as much as I want to. Here is a post about Chowderfest!
http://www.discoversaratoga.org/Chowderfest/

We brought our pugs along ( bundled up for the cold), a bottle of water, and a couple cans of soda to cleanse the palate and quench our thirst!

This Chowder won "Best Dog Chowder" as judged by the Mayor's dog.
Dookie dares Walter (in the Skidmore sweater) to try the dog chowder
The line outside at one of the chowder stops!
I actually had two bowls of this chowder. It was one of the winners of the day!
Our ballot for Chowderfest 2008!

Skidmore musicians

2008-02-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Julia Nunes '11, the winner of the Bushman World Ukelele Video Contest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-lt3vVA-4I

Skidmore has an incredible music community; here are some other Skiddies I enjoy listening to.

Amy Regan
"So in Love" is my favorite!

Lisa Bastoni
Can be seen performing all over Boston.

Sinem Saniye
"Boom Sheke Nana" won the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest

Lyle Divinsky
Also starred in Cabaret Troupe's production of "Fame" earlier this fall.

Nat Osborn
His group features a number of Skidmore classmates. "Yours alone" is awesome!

Dylan Connor
So versatile and talented.

Here is a brand new way to keep track of all your favorite Skidmore musicians:http://skidmore.magnify.net/

Super Tuesday

2008-02-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a super Tuesday in many respects. Skidmore has enough voter participation in order be its own polling district so Skidmore students vote right on campus!
Skidmore students also vote in local elections (but we'll save that for another post).

I was also able to join many of the international students at an informal gathering at Scribner House, the home of President Glotzbach and his wife Marie.

College Connect Conference

2008-01-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

Marisa, Dean and I just got back from the CFES College Connect Conference. This year the conference focused on helping underserved students in rural areas and Lake Placid was an ideal meeting place.

Fact: Only one percent of philanthropist dollars (in education) went towards underserved rural populations!

There were twenty-one colleges represented and even more elementary, middle and high schools from rural areas present! Some participants drove more than seven hours to be at the conference.

The conference connects schools with underserved populations with/to Colleges. The partnership then shares ideas and comes up with a program to present at the end of the conference. CFES provides funding for the programs each team comes up with! Skidmore worked with a CFES program manager and outlined an incredible day to take place later this spring.

Student Summit 2008; A Skidmore Snapshot will bring one hundred (100) underserved students from the Adirondacks (from at least five different schools) to campus in late April! The 6th-8th graders will meet a number of Skidmore students and work with them to complete a "scavenger hunt." Each team of 10 Adirondack scholars (and Skidmore mentors) will be given a disposable camera. Each team will need to take a photo of specific items and people on all around campus in order to check off items off their scavenger hunt list! The Adirondack scholars will walk away with photo albums to remember their day on a college campus (not to mention lunch in the awesome dining hall!)

The Olympic Center

Marisa writes down our ideas to share with the group

Everyone shares their ideas at the end of the conference

Skidmore in NYC

2008-01-11T20:36:00.001-08:00

Some of the admissions office is in New York City tonight for an admissions event on Saturday.

We were able to catch up with my former director John Young, now the director at Hobart William Smith. We also had the chance to have dinner with a former Head Ambassador (tour guide) from our office who now works in Admissions for Parsons! Go Sarah!

Marisa, Peter, Dean, Sarah, Shardae, Cathy and John!

Marisa and Sarah talking shop!

SUCH festivus party

2008-01-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

A huge round of applause to Hamilton College for organizing a great SUCH party. The party this year had a "festivus" theme based on a Seinfeld episode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-wm9N0KiAs

We were all instructed to send in some festivus grievances- or something that drives us crazy (relating to the admissions process). The top ten grievances were read while standing at the festivus pole.

We all knew Hamilton had something up their sleeves for the "feats of strength" portion of the program after dinner. This turned out to be an admissions related trivia contest. Our emcee was Dave Lyons, a former Hamilton admissions counselor who now is a college advisor at The Rivers School. Dave did a fantastic job of coming up with all of the admissions related trivia questions!

Kyle from Hamilton with Marisa from Skidmore. Dave Lyons played the part of emcee for the SUCH party
The Deans of the SUCH schools
Seating placards

The Colgate team busy at work

Hamilton busy at work
The Union team trying to figure out the maximum allowable display height at a NACAC college fair
One question every team answered incorrectly

Picture Round. One point to match the school to the picture. One more point to name the Director of College Guidance at the school.

Kudos to the Women's Basketball team

2008-01-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

You already know I am a big proponent of early college awareness (especially for underrepresented populations). In fact, I think all colleges should be required to do early college awareness and I am currently working on a proposal to the national board to try to ensure this happens!

Darren Bennett, head women's basketball coach, arranged for Arbor Hill Elementary School (in Albany) to visit Skidmore, take a short tour, and see the women's basketball team play! There were raffles throughout the game and many students walked away with Skidmore backpacks, t-shirts and other collectibles.

The opposing team from Southern Vermont College was probably not expecting a crowd at the game because Skidmore students are on break until later this month. Skidmore came away with the victory but the highlight of the day was after the game when the students from Arbor Hill were able to interact with the players from the Skidmore Women's Basketball team!

Students from the Greenberg Child Care Center on campus also came to watch the game!

The students from Arbor Hill wait for the Skidmore basket before cheering!

Students line up to meet the Skidmore team

A young spectator celebrates his new Skidmore t-shirt!

The students have fun with the Skidmore players after the game

Skidmore cheer after the gameLet's see your moves!

Everyone having a good time after the game!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Saratoga Springs has a great New Years Eve celebration every year. http://www.ymcasaratoga.org/firstnight/shogrid.php I spent my first NYE in Saratoga in 2007 after spending the last seven years celebrating in New York City. This year I was under the weather and stayed in.
What is coming up?

I'm really looking forward to the annual SUCH holiday gathering! The admission offices from Skidmore College, Union College, Colgate University, and Hamilton College get together every year to celebrate the holidays, take a break from the application review season, and just to catch up with each other. The party host rotates every year so this year Hamilton College is the host school. One of the biggest surprises to me about my job in admissions is the extraordinary collegiality in the profession. This was particularly surprising given my experience as a student athlete for Skidmore (we compete against Hamilton and Union in the Liberty League).

I'll be at the College Connect Annual Meeting held at The Hilton Lake Place Resort in Lake Placid, New York on January 17th-18th (Carpooling with Union College to the event!).
http://www.collegefes.org/pdf/CCAnnualMeeting08.pdf

Walter, one of the (many) admissions office mascots, gets tangled in some holiday lights. Happy Holidays!

Beatlemania

2007-12-21T08:25:00.001-08:00

Beatlemania, my favorite Skidmore tradition (check out some of my other "favorite things" around Saratoga), was awesome! We got there at 7:30 pm and there were no seats left. We were able to bring in chairs and sit at the very back. The Zankel Music Center (coming soon) will be able to accommodate the entire crowd!
Standing room only
The Bandersnatchers

Alex Selby, summer tour guide extraordinaire, rocking out with his crew

Twenty-four hours of Manchester, Vermont

2007-12-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

The admissions office held its annual reading retreat. The admissions committee leaves Saratoga and spends twenty-four hours in Manchester, Vermont. We carefully cover all aspects of the application review process. (No cameras allowed during our meeting:))

After a full day of work, we headed into town and spent some time in the outlets. I went with a group to the Northshire Book Store and spent an hour or so happily reading. Some of us later went to the Burr and Burton Academy Hockey game. The team's head coach, Corey Herrington, is a Skidmore Alumnus (class of 96).

Leaving the admissions office for Manchester, Vermont
Travel gift exchange to round out the official part of our meeting
Peter keeps getting taller at Skidmore. In front of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester

Burr and Burton Academy Hockey game!

Jane reads a question to an opposing team during a game of Cranium

More Gore = More Sore

2007-12-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Skidmore has an ideal location in so many ways. We are three hours from some incredible cities like New York City, Boston and Montreal (not to mention being in Saratoga Springs). We are at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and we are close to some great ski mountains!

Skidmore is:

90 miles from Mount Snow

87.2 miles from Killington Ski Resort

64.2 miles from Stratton Mountain

61.9 miles from Gore Mountain

19.4 miles to West Mountain

Peter and I decided to go to Gore for the day. He has a season pass at Gore (which he got for $300 because of his young age:)) and I buy the Price Chopper pass books (3 tickets + a couple companion tickets for $105). We had an awesome day of skiing and boarding. Peter cut out early but I continued to board until closing (and I am really feeling it today)! Peter is really tall and I am really short (and Peter was standing on a pile of snow)

Peter is happy because Gore has gondola

Permanent smile from the cold

My Favorites list

2007-12-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

My favorite Pizza: Panza's. This place has thin crust pizza that is only made a few nights a week. It is located on the lake and I would guess the vast majority of Skidmore students don't know about this hidden gem. I've only known about this place for a few years.

My favorite shop: Alpine Shop is a cool little snowboard/ski shop that students can walk to from campus. They have a friendly dog in the shop, free popcorn, and knowledgeable staff.

My favorite restaurant: Lanci's is hands down the best dining experience in Saratoga and beyond. It is a tiny restaurant where you will be treated like you are the only guest in the place (we were the only guests the last time we were there). The food is top notch, the service is excellent and I can't think of a better restaurant experience (anywhere) for a quiet dinner for two.

Favorite Bagel shop: Uncommon Grounds is the obvious choice here. It really is a coffee shop and I hear their coffee is really good ( I don't drink coffee so I wouldn't know). Our office will get a bunch of bagels and cream cheese for a nice treat every once in a while.

My favorite hotel to recommend: The Springs Motel. It's not the nicest place in town. In fact, it is probably one of the most affordable in town. The Springs Motel is consistently clean and most of the guests are repeat clients/guest. It is also owned by one of Skidmore's security officers.

Favorite Fast Food: Moe's. Huge portions for really fair prices. I usually get the Overachiever, Billy Barou, or the Homewrecker. The queso sauce is addictive.

Favorite place for a Sandwich: Roma's Deli! I've only ordered one type of sandwich here for the last few years; domestic prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, onion and light Italian dressing on an Italian sub. Olives on the side.

Favorite place for a quick bite downtown for less than four dollars: Esperanto. The rice and beans plate is an awesome meal for so little money. Don't forget to try the dough boy (you'll need more than one to fill up).

My favorite Skidmore tradition

2007-12-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

This post is going to spawn in to another post about all of my favorite things at Skidmore! However, this post is specifically about my favorite Skidmore tradition, Skidmania Beatlemore. Originally dubbed "Beatlemania" seven years ago on the 40th anniversary of the coining of the term "Beatlemania" -this festival is probably some of the best two hours spent in the Skidmore community. http://www.skidmore.edu/~gthompso/mu344-Beatles/Skidmania/Skidmania-2007.htm

See you there!

Skidmore Invite

2007-12-05T06:25:00.001-08:00

My colleagues and I arranged for a group of students from New York City to spend a Saturday at Skidmore. Thanks to all of the Skidmore students who helped make the day an enjoyable one for all of our visitors!

Some students pose with the EAC bottle dino (see next picture)

Our panel addresses some great questions about being a student of color on campus

The Dynamics serenade one of the prospective students TDS perform for the students

Ujima Fashion show rehearsal
We enjoyed two meals in the dinning hall

Thursday night activities

2007-11-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 29

There are so many things to do at Skidmore. There were at least four events I wanted to attend on Thursday alone and it was impossible to attend them all. The Honors Forum has a series of panel discussions called "Shades of Grey"(recently changed to "Degrees of Grey") and Thursday nights' specific topic was about Global Warming.

There was a movie sponsored by the Black Faculty and Staff Group on campus immediately following the "Degrees of Grey" discussion.

The "tree lighting" ceremony is one of my favorite traditions on campus and was going on Thursday night as well.

Rithmos is one of the many talented dance groups on campus and they were performing on Thursday night too!

The Victorian Street Walk was also going on and this was what we ended doing. It was very hard to find parking (we drove from home) but once we did we strolled into town to see a huge crowd (over 21,000 people attended last year) scattered across Broadway. I was only able to snap 3 photos before my camera battery ran out.
Inside the first store we stopped into. We enjoyed the free Masala Chai tea here.

One of Skidmore's own a cappella groups!

We enjoyed free warm cider and cookies all around town. We wanted to get some kettle corn, but the line was too long and we had to rush back to campus to catch our next event, The Cherry Orchard.

Anton Chekhov's play written in the early 1900's was one of the many productions the theatre department puts on per semester. It was featured in our Theatre Open House a weak earlier and had rave reviews from the audience. Kudos to the entire cast and staff of the production. You guys are incredibly talented and hard-working!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

2007-11-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

It is restaurant week in Saratoga. There are a number of restaurants in town that feature pre-set menus for $18.19 (Saratoga was founded in the year 1819).

We are planning to go to one of the restaurants on Tuesday night. We hope to to return downtown on Thursday for the Victorian Street Walk

We can't decide on Hattie's or One Caroline.

Hattie's chef was featured on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay."
One Caroline was featured on "Rachel Ray's $40 a day". This restaurant features incredible live music (see Sarah Pedinotti if you have the chance!) in addition to their great food. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

It's easy to see why the Skidmore community is so lucky to have Saratoga Springs!

Great Conference!

2007-11-25T20:19:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to attend the cFES National Conference last weekend! It was an incredible conference for many reasons; networking (Aloha to my new friends from Hawaii), professional development, and brainstorming were all very easy to do at the conference. I don't think I've been to a conference so chock full of speakers who challenged, provoked and inspired educators to continue in our efforts to promote early college awareness in under served populations across the United States.

The Mario Pena Award was given out to two very hard-working people. Phil Smith, Dean of Admission Emeritus at Williams College, and our very own Mary Lou Bates, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Skidmore College!

I forgot to mention the conference was held just north of Saratoga Springs at the Sagamore Resort.

The view from our room
Another pic from our room

Another post about food!

2007-11-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

We had a group of prospective students visit us on campus last night so I had the chance to go to dinner in the D-hall with them. The lunches (as I have posted) are very good, but this dinner was amazing!

Carved turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes and more!
The pumpkin cheesecake was so good!
Crepes!

Seafood Paella!

Cranberry relish on the left!

NCAA tournament home game!

2007-11-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Our field hockey team recently hosted a home game for the NCAA tournament. It was on a Wednesday afternoon and I was able to attend.

Congrats to the field hockey team who has been nationally ranked all season long! Beau Breslin's Scribner Seminar "The Killing State" held class at the game (It was a "do or die" single-elmination game)

Go team!

Final score: 2-0 Skidmore!

Congratulations to Gail Cummings-Danson

2007-11-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

Shortly after I graduated from Skidmore, I filled a survey out to reflect on my Skidmore experience. I specifically remember suggesting Skidmore continue to raise the profile of the athletics program. Skidmore has done just that over the last ten years and it starts from the top down. Our president, Phillip Glotzbach, is an avid supporter of athletics and the hiring of our (relatively) new athletic director, Gail Cummings-Danson, is a testament to our commitment to the student-athlete experience. We now have the Thoroughbred Society, a group of student athletes who are recognized for a GPA of 3.67 or above! The last induction ceremony honored over 70 (seventy) student-athletes!

Gail was recently inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Megan Buchanan, our Associate Athletic Director extraordinaire, organized a surprise party for Gail.
Surprise!

Trek to MUWCI

2007-11-03T04:40:00.000-07:00

I was driven to the airport shortly after my breakfast to catch my flight to Pune. My airline had no record of my reservation even though I showed them my confirmation email and number. After purchasing (another) seat on the plane, I had to rush to catch my plane.

I arrived in Pune a short twenty minutes later and found the driver from MUWCI (Mahindra United World College India). Little did I know I was on the same flight as two other college representatives from College of the Atlantic also traveling to MUWCI. All three of us crammed into a "Jeep" and hung on for a nearly two hour ride (due to traffic) through the Indian countryside. MUWCI, like all UWC schools, is an incredible place because of it's location. It is located among the poorest villages in India and this impacts the "community interaction" projects available to students.

I arrived at MUWCI where Mike McGahan, the college advisor, showed me to my "residence house." The accommodations were much nicer than I expected and I was excited
to spend the next 20 hours at MUWCI.

The front of my residence at MUWCI
My room at MUWCI. Thanks again Mike!

The view from MUWCI

A pathway on MUWCI's campus

I had lunch in the dining hall and got to feel the energy the students on campus exude. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to spend a prolonged period of time on campus (at all my school visits) because I'm able to really experience the daily culture of the school.

One of my three meals at MUWCI

After a wholesome lunch, I presented to a much larger group of students than I expected. Many students that were not necessarily interested in Skidmore came to the my presentation to see a video (youtube link coming soon) they had heard about. Shortly before leaving for India, I was able to catch two MUWCI alums who are first-year students at Skidmore. We filmed a video greeting to their classmates. (Thanks again to Matt in the Media Lab for help with the video!!)

I met with a couple of students individually after my presentation and suddenly it was time for me to go on my "community interaction" trip. I met 14 MUWCI students at the Social Center. We squeezed into two jeeps and headed down the road to a local orphanage. We spent the late afternoon playing and socializing with local orphans. I was prohibited from taking photos but I'm sure you can imagine the scene. Some of the MUWCI students have been visiting this orphanage for two years but even the newer MUWCI students had a great impact on the orphans.MUWCI students posing in front of the orphanage

Breakfast in the hotel

2007-11-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

I woke up early after a much needed sleep in my hotel room. I rushed downstairs to enjoy the buffet breakfast. I didn't know when the next time I would get to eat so I quickly put my eating skills to the test.

Assorted fruit juices
Bhaji (but I don't know if this dish was correctly marked)
Poori

India!

2007-11-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Mumbai late at night and locate the driver from the hotel. This was my first confirmation of finally being in India! The ride to the hotel was a mix of horn-honking, pedestrian-dodging, breath-holding and overall a great cultural introduction to India. I still haven't slowed down enough to formulate my thoughts on the driving in India but I do know it definitely is not for the faint of heart!

India, I'm almost (maybe) there!

2007-11-01T09:48:00.001-07:00

I could add another long post about more trials and tribulations in order to get to India, but instead, I'll just give you the abridged "poetic" version (tribute to Darren Drabek).

Inclement Weather
Five hours in Albany Airport
Remarkable Sprint
Out of breath
Flightless
Howard Johnson Hotel overnight
Day two, Check in and spend Eight hours in the Airport
Flight leaves
Fifteen hours straight
Touchdown Mumbai

India, here I (maybe) come

2007-11-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have been planning to visit India for the past two years. Last year's trip was canceled at the last minute because I did not have the visa needed to enter the country. This year, I started the visa process as soon as I got back from my early trip to Asia (see first few posts in my blog). I needed to renew my passport inorder to get a visa (because it was within six months of expiration). The morning arrived for me to turn in my paper work and I arrived to the Counsulate General's Office to find out India has decided to outsource their visa service. This meant an entirely different application (online only) and different photo requirements (two of the same picture instead of one). To make a painfully long story short, after several day trips to New York City, I finally received my visa. If anyone is considering a trip to India, feel free to contact me for some tips in securing your visa.

Fridays with Faculty

2007-10-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

Skidmore has instituted a new program entitled "Fridays with Faculty." This serves as a great way for the community to come learn about what faculty are doing in their respective departments. This past Friday, four professors from the Science department talked about the current state of the Sciences at Skidmore, what makes us distinguished, and where we will be in ten years! If you missed the event, you should certainly request a videotaped copy of the discussion.

Skidmore is an incredible place to study in the Sciences!

The entire panel assembled at 8:30 am.
Professors Corey Freeman-Galant and Michelle Frey Professors Hassan Lopez and Paul Arciero

A week in Saratoga

2007-10-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

I finally spent an entire week in Saratoga Springs since the end of May. I happen to catch the leaves changing colors, some sporting events on campus, and of course I had the chance to enjoy the incredible food in the dining hall on campus.

A tiny puppy at the Skidmore tailgate on Saturday
The pasta bar makes pasta fresh everyday
One of the menu items for the day

Another menu item for the day

I didn't have my camera on the day the dining hall served "Coconut Curry Mussels over White Noddles", or the day they had their "Pad Thai." Soon you will be able to see the menu online. soon

Warm weather and changing leaves

2007-10-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

The weather has been unusually warm for October and the leaves have been slow to change color. I was in town to snap some these pics:
I pass this horse farm on my commute to work
Some nice foliage
The horses were camera shy on this particular morning

A view down North Broadway
Admissions office

Along North Broadway

Leave your car at home week

2007-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Next week is "Leave your car at home week" at Skidmore. Community members will log in and register the number of miles saved (by walking, biking or carpooling). Current students will measure the reduced carbon footprint during the week.

I've actually been carpooling to Skidmore recently. Today my fellow "carpooler" was out of town for a "College Night" panel and I had the opportunity to bike to work. It was a great ride of about seven miles with a mix of inclines and declines. I passed the Skidmore baseball field, the Wombats' (Ultimate Frisbee Team) field, and several horse farms. It is an incredibly beautiful ride. I arrived to work a bit sweaty with my work clothes in my back pack.
The commute took me thirty minutes long.

I received cheers and waves from community members on my way to work and I hope to see many more community members joining in the effort!

One week in NYC

2007-10-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

I just returned from one full week in New York City. I am accustomed to spending up to three weeks in the big apple so my trip felt a bit rushed. My colleague, Dean Mendes, and I shared a hotel room and were able to double the number of schools I would have been able to do in one week alone. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for the entire week and it made my daily walks to schools much more pleasant!

On Saturday, I participated in a workshop organized by the Peter Jay Sharp foundation. The program is intended for students who are disadvantaged (socioeconomically and educationally) in the college application process. I participated in a College Essay Writing workshop with Peter Jay Sharp Foundation this past summer, and was excited to help students and families learn more about the entire college process on this particular day. I was teamed up with two guidance counselors and we specifically covered the "common application."

Here is my team member explaining the general timeline for college applications

On Sunday, I went to two different street fairs. The first was right outside our hotel on Lexington Avenue. It was filled with great food and shopping bargains. I then met some of my friends in Brooklyn for "Atlantic Antic." It was larger and more diverse in the food choices, shopping and people present. As always, I had some great food!

The scene on Lexington Ave.

Bryant, and I started off with sausage and peppers (No we didn't plan to both wear pink t-shirts)

Bryant, James and I sit down for some seafood. I went with the raw clams!

This band was jamming!

Mmmmm.

A new friend.

A glimpse of the scene in Brooklyn.

Kid with cool hair waiting to get his face painted.A reluctant friend

Two amazing days in Ohio

2007-09-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Ohio and recruit for Skidmore's nationally recognized Opportunity Program. My travel partner was Kate, an academic advisor for the Opportunity Program.

Our connection flight was running late so we were rerouted to Dayton, Ohio via Charlotte, North Carolina. It didn’t make sense to us, but we got to our final destination safely but later than expected. Our travel karma seemed to balance out and our rental car turned out to be a convertible. The weather forecast was perfect convertible weathertoo!

A few hours after checking into our hotel, we were up and on our way to our visit to Meadowdale High School.

Kate in front of Meadowdale HS.

We were scheduled to spend the full day there and while it was a long day, it was one of the most amazing days I have had as a college admissions officer. Cheryl Lincoln, the only counselor at the school, was responsible for over 1100 students (and growing). She still managed to shuffle us off to the appropriate classrooms in addition to all of her other responsibilities. Drastic budget cuts have made the school day shorter but the students there are still eager to absorb everything their dedicated teachers give them. We met with all grade levels and encountered so many great students defying the odds. These are students who are ready to go to college and we hope to be able to help their transition to Skidmore (and other great institutions). My only regret is I didn’t have a chance to take pictures of any of the students on campus.

After a full day, Kate and I took Cheryl and an English teacher out to lunch. It was the least we could do to thank them for giving us an incredible opportunity to talk with so many of their students.

After the late lunch/early dinner, Kate and I drove about 3 hours to Cleveland. We were so emotionally (and physically) drained, we went straight to our rooms and went to bed.

The next morning we visited Cleveland School of the Arts. It is a magnet school and all of their students are incredibly talented. We had a chance to meet with all grade levels and take a tour of the school.

The choir showing us a little of their incredible talent.

I had the opprtunity to speak to the entire freshman class.

We witnessed the school choir practicing, a dance class in progress, and a tour of the photography and art studios. We finished the day with a late lunch with Carol Soljanick and another counselor from the school at an incredible restaurant, Nighttown.

We were even luky enough to drive through Cleveland on the way back to the airport!

The "tribe" had just come back to beat the Tigers.

Back in Saratoga!

2007-09-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Saratoga and the energy on campus is amazing! Here is a post about this past Monday, September 10th, our last day together as a group.

We flew to Maui in the morning and arrived just in time to get to H.P Baldwin High School. We met some students interested in leaving the islands for school on the mainland.Steve puts on his game face!

Jennifer loved this student's t-shirt

Maui High School was next on our schedule. We met some enthusiastic students and a great counseling staff!

Picture for the blog behind the blog

We ended our trip together with a visit to Seabury Hall. It has arguably one of the most picturesque campuses in the world, and it was a great ending point to a fantastic trip. After meeting with students, we were invited to the headmaster's house for a home-cooked meal! Thanks to everyone at Seabury Hall for making our visit so special.

Our last group picture (at Seabury Hall)!

Sunday at Hawaii Prep!

2007-09-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening we headed over to Hawaii Preparatory Academy for a program open to all students on the big island. We had a larger turnout than we expected and we all met some great prospective students and families!
THANK YOU to Andrew, Cindy and Joanie for hosting us at HPA! Larry is excited to present on St. John's Colleges

Attendees head over to the "college fair tables"

Saturday on the water!

2007-09-11T09:24:00.001-07:00

Saturday was our second "free" day since the start of our journey on August 28th. I interviewed another student from Oahu at 8am before boarding our flight to the Big Island, Hawaii. We were so lucky to spend the day in the water. We celebrated the beautiful sunset in the ocean in a group huddle (sorry, no picture available)

Steve tests his luck on the water slide at the hotel

Steve entered the pool with speed
Jennifer had the most fun.

Stephanie was graceful

Larry was silky smooth

Creative Though Matters. Lava rock "Skidmore"

Friday in Hawaii!

2007-09-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

We had another early morning on Friday. The "Six Pack" hosted a counselor breakfast at 7am in our hotel. Twenty-six counselors from Oahu attended the breakfast! Thanks again to all of the counselors for coming out to learn more about our schools!
Stephanie is busy at work

The rest of the day was spent visiting Mid-Pacific Institute, Kamehameha School, and Punahou School on the island. (We are still trying to transfer the pictures you sent so we can download them to the blog!)
The incredible view from Kamehameha
A warm greeting at Punahou School
The impressive computer lab at Mid-Pac
The requisite food shot (lunch at Punahou)

We all rushed back to the hotel to interview students from all over Oahu. I was able to sneak in a short surf session (my second session in Oahu) before my interviews.

Ground hog day; September 6th twice

2007-09-07T00:16:00.000-07:00

I started Thursday, September 6th, with a trip to the local fish market at 6:30 am. I had fresh tuna and salmon roe over rice, miso soup and chilled tea for breakfast. The whole meal was absolutely amazing and only cost me about $10.00usd. The menu for another restaurant at the fish market
The crowd overflows out the door (even at 6:45am)
Steve looks over the Tokyo subway map! Waiting for our first train in Tokyo
I get in front of the group on the way to the subway station
Buying subway tickets
I met the rest of the group in the lobby to mentally prepare for the LONG day ahead of ourselves. We were about to begin the "ironman triathlon" of the college admissions world. Our first visit was at St. Mary's International School, an all boys school in a residential area of Tokyo. Steve (El Capitan) mapped out our subway route to the morning visit.

Waiting for our first train in Tokyo
Stephanie and I pose during the ascent to our first school visit. We all were sweating profusely by the time we reached St. Mary's.

We met some friends on the way to the school. A sight for sore eyes (in front of St Mary's)

After a productive visit, we were driven to our next school visit! This was a huge relief because this leg of the trip was to be our most difficult on the subway system. Big thanks to Peter!
Mark is big in Japan

We arrived to our next school, American School in Japan, just in time for lunch. I enjoyed a nice bowl of Udon noddles. After a satisfying meal, we met with some great prospective students!

.Bowl of Udon for lunch at ASIJ

We left ASIJ and took several trains back to the hotel just in time to catch the bus back to the airport. A typhoon was scheduled to land in Japan at the same time we were scheduled to leave for Hawaii.

After sitting on the runway for almost two hours, we were able to take off for Hawaii. We landed in Hawaii at 8:40 am on Thursday, September 6th.

We checked into the hotel and gathered ourselves for two more school visits at Iolani school and La Pietra

A much needed lunch at Iolani. Thanks again Todd!
A courtyard at La Pietra

Big in Japan

2007-09-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

We left Singapore early in the morning for our flight to Tokyo. I was able to have four bowls of congee in the airline lounge before boarding the 7 hour flight to Japan. We took a bus to the Ginza neighborhood and had a little downtime before meeting for "the meal."View from the bus

Bus ride to the hotel

In a huddle before "the meal"

In true academic form, Larry busts out another incredible poetic verse to celebrate our journey thus far!

Just as "Mr. Larry" finished, the food began to arrive!

Preparing for "the meal"

Kobe beef!Picture with the restaurant owner and his wife.

Jakarta International School

2007-09-04T05:58:00.001-07:00

We woke up early to fly to Jakarta for the day. Commuting in Jakarta is quite the experience. There is a mix of small motorcycles, cars, vans and trucks all fending for themselves along the road. It reminds me t of commuting in Thailand (where I'll be later this fall).

We were glad to finally arrive at Jakarta International School . The counseling staff greeted us with a warm welcome and surprised us with a traditional Indonesian meal. It was simply the best overall meal we have had thus far. Thanks again to everyone at JIS for a great visit! See you next year.

Jennifer meets with a prospective student

All of us met great prospective students. I was even able to reconnect with a terrific student I interviewed in Saratoga Springs this past summer!

Pic with a new friend on the JIS campus

Singapore American School and UWC SEA

2007-09-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

I started the day with breakfast poolside. I opted for the traditional Asian breakfast called Congee, or rice porridge. I met up with the rest of the "six pack" where our "poet laureate" kicked off our group meeting with an original poem reflecting upon our adventures thus far. Larry sharing his poetic verse with the group.

Our first visit was to Singapore American School. It is the largest International school in the world with a enrollment of 3800 students. It was a terrific visit and I met a good number of students eager to find out more about Skidmore. We then rushed off to UWC SEA (South East Asia). It was our second UWC school in a few days, and as expected the students we met with were incredible.

After our presentations, we each interviewed a number of students interested in our respective colleges.
Stephanie in presentation mode

Mark is busy interviewing a UWC student.

What's next for the "six pack"? A day trip to Jakarta!

Memorable meal in Singapore

2007-09-02T08:04:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went out with a Colby College alum who has lived in Singapore for many years. This dinner is an unspoken tradition for this trip to Asia and it is easy to see why.

Our dinner's highlight was surely the pepper crab. Let's get to the pictures!

pepper crab! (before)
pepper crab (after)

Bye Bye Hong Kong, Hello Singapore!

2007-09-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

We left Hong Kong yesterday. We each had some interviews in the morning and then we had a little time to explore Stanley Market. We all met for a late lunch at a German restaurant overlooking the water.

Stephanie is tentative about the "pig's feet" she is about to enjoy!
Our first group pic!
The K4 bus back to the train station.
I say goodbye to a new friend in the Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong's airport is very well designed. There are airline counters at the bus station and we checked our luggage before boarding the train to the airport. At the airport, there are rooms for travelers to nap and take showers in the terminal. I can't wait to return to Hong Kong!

A day of interviews

2007-09-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we all woke up early and conducted interviews in the lobby of the hotel. We then rushed back to Li Po Chun for a full day of interviews. The day ended with a great dinner back in the hotel with Li Po Chun's college counselor and his wife.

Larry, Stephanie, Steve and me (Nat)

Group pic at dinner

Picture with some new friends.

This post is dedicated to Sammy, our friend in the club level lounge. See you next year!

Busy day in Hong Kong

2007-08-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

We started the morning with a visit to Hong Kong International School. The vistas along the way to HKIS were amazing!

I met two students I interviewed in Saratoga this summer and a number of others interested in Skidmore. All of us (my travel buddies) had great conversations. Here is a picture of Larry doing his thing!

Chinese International School was next. I also had some great conversations here, and I met the brother of a current first-year at Skidmore!

We then ventured to Li Po Chun. We had a large group of enthusiastic students. The energy in the room was incredible and it will be one of the most memorable schools visit I have.

We gave this to our taxi driver. "Please take us to Li Po Chun"

Dueling cabs on the way to Li Po Chun. Steve, Stephanie and Larry get a slight edge thanks to their driver.

10 minutes before our presentation at Li Po Chun. There was not a seat left by the time we started

The frenzy to sign up for interviews after our presentation.

After leaving LPC, we head over to the "Education USA center" in Hong Kong. We did a presentation about applying to highly selective colleges in the United States.

It was an incredibly long day. We head back to our hotel on the Star Ferry
just in time to grab a few complimentary drinks in the "club level lounge." We all decided we were too tired to eat dinner.
Group pic on the Star Ferry.

Despite being too tired to eat, three of us decided to go out to explore Temple Street, a night bazaar filled with some pretty interesting shopping. I was very happy with all of the various purchases I made. Mark bought hair pins for his two daughters back home. He also decided to get a tarot card reading.

Some of the "hair bling" Mark bought

I made a new friend on Temple Street

Group travel is the best way to travel

2007-08-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Skidmore College is traveling with Agnes Scott College, Colby College, Colorado College, Kenyon College, and St. Johns College through Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Tokyo, and the Hawaiian Islands. We all met in Chicago and board the same flight to Hong Kong. After about 15 hours in cramped quarters, I was excited to deplane and see the city I have heard so much about.

Planes, Trains, and a Bus

We collected our luggage and boarded a clean train to Kowloon, the area we are staying for the duration of our trip to Hong Kong. We exited the train station and board a bus which drops us off right in front of our hotel.

Mark Hatch and I enjoy the train to KowloonSteve Thomas, Mark Hatch and Larry Clendenin Jennifer Delahunty and Stephanie Balmer

The view from the train

A display of our progress towards Kowloon

We decided to go to "Panorama," one of the hotel restuarants. The views were incredible (pictures don't do it justice), the food was memorable, but the highlight of the night had to be the stories Steve Thomas told

A quick picture with the singer performing in the restuarant. She was covering Norah Jones and was very talented.