中心, a new space for equity and inclusion, opens at Skidmore

Skidmore's leadership, 教师, students, and 工作人员 are marking the opening of The Center, a new space in the heart of campus that reaffirms the College's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).  

马克·康纳总统, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity Joshua Woodfork, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer and inaugural Director of 中心 安妮塔Jack-Davies, and many others gathered at an open house on Friday, 9月. 24.

The new space, open to students, 工作人员, and 教师, offers a dedicated campus space to discuss, collaborate, and think creatively about DEI work. 它欢迎所有人 and also serves as a social hub and community base for people from diverse cultures, identities, religions, gender identities and expression, and sexual orientations. 

"Today, we are witnesses to the convergence of thousands of ideas by 教师, 工作人员, students, and other professionals that have culminated in the creation and development of this breathtaking space," Jack-Davies said. "Our vision is that 中心 will be a vibrant space of learning, questioning, exploration, debate, discussion, and 也放松."  

Prominently located in Case Center in heart of campus, 中心 is available to both the campus and broader 萨拉托加温泉市 communities for classes, workshops, talks, special events, and other programming. 

The bright, open space includes a large main stage area that can be reconfigured to serve a variety of purposes, a seminar room, and a fireside reading room with couches for smaller groups that can be used on a drop-in basis.  

President Conner, who has prioritized building a stronger Skidmore community through Skidmore's Racial Justice Initiative and other efforts, said 中心 offered a space where the community could come together to tackle the work of creating a more just society. 但这项工作不会 很容易.  

"This is a place where we will come to have courageous conversations. 在心脏 of that is this: How do we make the place better? 我们如何让火博体育变得更好? 我们如何让世界变得更美好?康纳问道。. "Courageous conversations — that's what a liberal arts education is all about."  

Conner acknowledged the contributions of Jack-Davies, Woodfork, Associate Dean of 学生事务 Mariel Martin, and many others to 中心. Woodfork高亮显示 the role of students, 教师, and other community members over the years in bringing 该项目取得成果. 

 "I'm very grateful to all those voices and the input that people gave us that tried to make this better," Woodfork said.  

Jack-Davies encouraged members of the Skidmore community to offer feedback to help shape the development of programming at 中心. 校园社区的成员 是否也被邀请参加 参观中心, which continue through Friday, Oct. 8.  

For more information on how to reserve space in 中心, please contact 安妮塔Jack-Davies. 

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