Skidmore College

What is the history of Skidmore College?

Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college that began in Saratoga Springs as a school for women. Lucy Skidmore Scribner founded the Young Women's Industrial Club in 1903 to provide practical and educational opportunities. It developed into the Skidmore School of Arts and received a college charter in 1922.

Skidmore later moved from buildings in downtown Saratoga Springs to its present campus north of the city center. The college began admitting men to its undergraduate program in 1971. Its history helps explain two features that remain visible today: a broad liberal arts curriculum and a substantial place for creative and performing arts alongside the sciences and social sciences.

What are the faculties and departments at Skidmore College?

Skidmore organizes undergraduate study around liberal arts disciplines rather than a collection of separate professional schools. Its academic offerings span the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, with interdisciplinary programs connecting those areas.

Students can explore fields such as biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, English, history, psychology, studio art, theater, and business and management. Interdisciplinary options include environmental studies and international affairs. The college also offers opportunities for independent study and faculty-supervised research or creative work; the requirements depend on the department and project.

Skidmore awards undergraduate bachelor's degrees, including the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. Prospective students interested in a licensed profession should check the specific major and any additional education required for that career. A major's presence in the catalog does not, by itself, establish that it meets every state's professional licensing rules.

What is the location of Skidmore College?

Skidmore's campus is in Saratoga Springs, New York, north of the city's downtown district. Students have a residential campus setting while remaining close to shops, restaurants, arts venues, and other community services.

Downtown access does not make every off-campus trip walkable, particularly in winter or for students with mobility needs. Prospective commuters should consider their actual route and parking arrangements. Albany International Airport is the principal nearby airport for longer-distance travel, though reaching it generally requires a car, shuttle, or another ground-transportation connection.

What is the mission and vision of Skidmore College?

Skidmore presents creative thinking as central to its educational mission, not as a value confined to the arts. Its stated approach combines liberal learning with intellectual inquiry, creative work, and preparation to participate in a wider community.

"Creative Thought Matters" is the college's well-known expression of that philosophy. For an applicant, the more useful question is how the approach appears in a proposed course of study: through interdisciplinary classes, laboratory or field research, performances, writing, or other work. Skidmore is a nonsectarian institution; applicants do not need a religious affiliation to attend.