Cocurricular Environment

Student Services

Academic Advising

The Office of Academic Advising, in cooperation with the faculty and the student affairs staff, provides academic guidance to students, contributes to academic policy and curricular decisions, and coordinates a wide range of academic opportunities. The Office of Academic Advising assigns each entering and advanced-standing student to a member of the faculty who can advise the student about course scheduling, the College’s general academic requirements, and the student’s particular field of interest. Students may seek further advice on these and other issues from the office. Questions about degree requirements, academic policies and procedures, timeline to graduation, summer course offerings, course withdrawals, leaves of absence, academic standing, choice of major/minor, and other academic opportunities and difficulties may be referred to this office. The Office of Academic Advising, in collaboration with the Office of Student Academic Services, also provides guidance to students seeking academic support resources and services and provides support to students who receive academic alert notices. The Office of Academic Advising publishes the annual New Student Advising and Registration Guide.

The Learning Commons

In support of Skidmore’s Goals for Student Learning and Development and commitment to academic excellence, The Learning Commons supports the development of knowledge, intellectual skills and practice, personal and social values, and transformation in all Skidmore students. The Commons promotes high academic achievement and guides students to take full advantage of the wide variety of opportunities available at Skidmore, in the Saratoga Springs community, and beyond. The Learning Commons houses the office of Accessibility Services, Academic Support and Enrichment, International Student and Scholar Services, and Immigration and Visa Services.  Collectively, staff in the Learning Commons collaborates with other campus offices and faculty to support all Skidmore students with specific responsibility to students with disabilities, international students, student-athletes, and first-generation students.

Campus Life and Engagement

The Office of Campus Life and Engagement (CL&E) cultivates a vibrant, inclusive, and justice-minded campus community by supporting transformative co-curricular experiences that foster belonging, leadership, purpose, and holistic student development. Rooted in care and equity, CL&E empowers students to explore their identities, build meaningful connections, and grow as active, ethical participants in campus and global communities. 

CL&E is comprised of three integrated offices—Leadership Activities, Religious and Spiritual Life, and Student Diversity and Inclusion—each of which champions student agency, interdependence, and the creation of affirming spaces across lines of difference. Together, these offices provide dynamic programs, personalized advising, and educational opportunities that support students in cultivating community, advancing equity, and leading with authenticity. 

Whether organizing student-led initiatives, engaging in interfaith dialogue, celebrating cultural heritage, or exploring new leadership roles, CL&E ensures every student has access to spaces and support systems that reflect their lived experiences and encourage their full participation in the life of the College. Through this work, CL&E contributes meaningfully to Skidmore’s mission of creative thought and inclusive excellence. 

Student Diversity and Inclusion

The Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion (OSDI) promotes student success and cultivates an inclusive, equitable campus climate through education, advocacy, and community engagement. Guided by a broad understanding of diversity—including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, spirituality, and nationality—OSDI fosters cross-cultural understanding and positive relationships across differences. 

OSDI supports the development of students' identities and leadership through intentional advising, educational workshops, and cultural celebrations. The office actively collaborates with student leaders and campus partners to increase awareness, encourage dialogue, and ensure that Skidmore is a place where all students feel seen, valued, and empowered. 

A core component of OSDI’s work is supporting and advising identity-based and cultural student organizations such as Skidmore Pride Alliance, Raíces, Hayat, Ujima, the International Student Union, Asian Cultural Awareness, and Hip-Hop Alliance. These groups offer meaningful spaces for connection, expression, and cultural consciousness while promoting inclusive excellence throughout the Skidmore community. 

Leadership Activities

The Office of Leadership Activities empowers students to lead with purpose, authenticity, and a commitment to equity and community. Through dynamic advising, inclusive programming, and hands-on learning, the office supports the Student Government Association (SGA), over 100 registered student clubs and organizations, and a wide range of campus events and traditions that shape Skidmore’s vibrant co-curricular life. 

Grounded in the belief that leadership is a developmental and identity-informed journey, Leadership Activities provides students with opportunities to explore their values, build inclusive teams, and engage in ethical decision-making. From civic engagement initiatives and club development to social justice-centered leadership training, the office fosters environments where all students can find their voice, build community, and create lasting impact. 

Signature programs—including student leader retreats, new club development support, and organizational management training—are designed to develop transferable skills in communication, collaboration, and accountability. Leadership Activities is dedicated to ensuring that every student, regardless of background or experience, has access to meaningful leadership pathways and the support to thrive as a changemaker at Skidmore and beyond.

Religious and Spiritual Life

The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) fosters a welcoming and affirming environment for students of all religious, spiritual, philosophical, and secular identities. Rooted in a commitment to interfaith engagement, equity, and holistic well-being, RSL supports students in exploring questions of meaning, identity, and purpose as they navigate their college journey. 

ORSL offers diverse opportunities for spiritual expression, ethical reflection, and communal care—including worship services, meditation and mindfulness practices, interfaith dialogues, retreats, and social justice initiatives. The office advises a range of student-led religious and spiritual organizations and partners with local and regional communities to help students access the resources and traditions that sustain them. 

With a deep respect for each student’s unique path, ORSL provides individualized spiritual support, pastoral care, and programming that affirms and uplifts students across faith traditions, worldviews, and lived experiences. In accordance with Skidmore’s academic policies, religious observances are honored with flexibility and dignity, ensuring all students can fully participate in both their spiritual and scholarly lives. 

Student Conduct

The Office of Student Conduct promotes community standards and positive relationships through the values of honesty, integrity, and a commitment to personal responsibility. We address the harm of student misconduct, as well as the impact on the student and community. 

Residential Life

The Office of Residential Life is here to help students navigate their college experience. By choosing to live on campus and attend a residential college, students are joining a tight-knit community. 

The Office of Residential Life guides students as they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by community living experiences. The office promotes student success by fostering communities that value equity, holistic development, inclusivity, and well-being. 

The Office of Residential Life provides students with housing, assists in their transition to college life, handles conduct as assigned by the Office of Student Conduct, and promotes and provides residential programming and education. We are also always here to help and are more than happy to assist you in finding any office or resource on campus. 

Residence Halls

Our eight traditional residence halls house primarily first-year and sophomore students in single, double, and triple rooms. Each residence hall offers floor lounges, study rooms, laundry, and vending services. Seven of our residence halls offer suite-style living where four to eight residents share a common bathroom. One residence hall is corridor style where each wing of a floor shares a bathroom. All residence halls are co-ed, but many suites are single gender.  There are a limited number of co-ed suites.  All students living in the residence halls are required to be on the unlimited meal plan. Regardless of age, all residence halls are smoke-, drug- and alcohol-free facilities. Students can choose, and are encouraged, to live on special-interest housing floors: 

• Substance-Free Community; 
• Substance-Free/Quiet Community; 
• PRISM Community; 
• Multicultural Community; 
• Global Community; 
• Women’s Floor; 
• Gardenside (sustainability); or 
• Quiet Floor. 

Our residence halls are supervised by area coordinators (ACs), full-time administrators. Each floor in our residence halls has a resident assistant (RA), a peer who receives Residential Life staff training. 

Apartments

Our two apartment villages offer housing to primarily junior and senior level students in three, four, and five person apartments. Each fully furnished apartment has an appropriately equipped kitchen, common space, and shared bathroom facilities. Students living in the apartments are not required to be on a meal plan, but they may choose from various meal plan options. 

Our apartment villages are supervised by an AC. Each neighborhood in our villages has a community assistant (CA), who is an upper-class student with past RA experience. 

Off-Campus Living

Skidmore has a commitment to supporting the educational philosophy embedded in the importance of living in on-campus housing and therefore guarantees on-campus housing to all full-time students. Recognizing that some may want to experience off-campus living, Skidmore College permits junior- and senior-standing students to forfeit their housing guarantee and choose to live off campus through the annual housing selection process. 

With few exceptions, full-time first-year and sophomore students are not permitted to live off campus and are required to live in college-supervised housing. Exceptions to this policy may be made in the following situations: 

• students living with a parent and/or guardian and commuting daily 
• students who turn 22 years old before the start of the academic year 
• married students 
• students with children 
• students with approved accommodations to live off campus 

All part-time students may be permitted to live off campus.

Student Success 

Skidmore College offers a wide range of resources to support students' academic, co-curricular, and personal development. The Office of Student Success, part of the Dean of Students Office, provides comprehensive support throughout a student’s college journey to help them achieve their academic and personal goals. Staff meet individually with students to identify challenges, connect them with appropriate resources, and collaborate with both students and campus partners to develop personalized action plans for success. 

Skidmore Health and Wellness

All three departments that support student health and wellness (Health Promotion, Health Services, and the Counseling Center) are co-located in the McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center. The departments offer holistic, integrated clinical care and support to matriculated Skidmore students so that students can thrive and engage fully in academic and co-curricular opportunities. There is no additional charge for office visits and all clinical services are confidential.

All Skidmore students are required to complete health forms and submit immunizations records in order to register for classes. All students must also meet the college’s requirements with regards to active enrollment in a U.S. based health insurance policy that covers non-emergency care in the Saratoga Springs area.

Health Promotion

The Department of Health Promotion is dedicated to helping students thrive through health education that is inclusive, evidence-based, and accessible to all.  Through dynamic programming and personalized support, Health Promotion help students make informed, responsible choices and cultivate a healthy, balanced college experience.

Students can access information and resources on topics such as alcohol and other drugs, nutrition, stress management, healthy relationships, life skills, and exercise through our campus-wide outreach or sessions with certified Wellness Coaches. 

Wellness Coaching

Wellness Coaching is a resource for students who want support in building healthy habits, navigating challenges, and working toward personal wellness goals. Through one-on-one sessions with a certified Wellness Coach, students can explore areas such as stress management, self-care, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, and life balance. Coaching provides a supportive, nonjudgmental space to reflect, set goals, and stay motivated.

BASICS

BASICS is a nationally recognized, research-based assessment and education program that is available to all Skidmore students. The program involves a series of one-on-one meetings with a BASICS provider and is designed to help students examine their drinking and/or drug-use behavior in a judgment-free environment. Utilizing motivational interviewing within a harm-reduction framework, the student works to set goals that are aimed at reducing risky behaviors and avoiding harmful consequences related to alcohol and other drug use.

QuitNic

QuitNic, a nicotine reduction and cessation program, offers personalized support and resources for students to explore their use of tobacco and/or nicotine. Students can meet one-on-one or in a group session with a certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist to get tools, strategies, and encouragement to help them reach their goals.

Peer Health Education

The Peer Health Education (PHE) program uses the power of peer-to-peer education and support to promote healthy choices and empower the campus community to thrive. PHEs are passionate student leaders who educate, inspire, and support their peers on a variety of important health topics. They provide fun, interactive, and judgment-free programming designed to help fellow students make informed decisions about their well-being.

Whether they’re leading activities or sharing helpful tips, PHEs serve as role models, trusted resources, and go-to guides for all things health. PHEs help create an open, supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable learning and growing together.

PHEs go through extensive training for their initial onboarding and then they dive into a variety of roles. Some join topic-based committees to focus on specific health issues, while others work hands-on in the vibrant Student Wellness Center, making a positive impact on their peers every day.

Student Wellness Center

The Student Wellness Center is the go-to, student-powered hub for health, connection, and self-care. Located in the first floor of the Mc-Caffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center and staffed by trained Peer Health Educators (PHEs), the student wellness center is a welcoming space where students can get support and trusted info on a wide range of wellness topics—from stress and sleep to substance safety and beyond.

Students are welcome to swing by to grab wellness products, rent fun gear like hammocks and snowshoes, or just hang out with a regular roster of beloved therapy dogs (fan favorites for a reason!).

Health Services

Health Services offers confidential, professional medical care to matriculated Skidmore students. The department is staffed by an interdisciplinary team who are experienced in working with college students and who are passionate about offering compassionate and accessible high-quality clinical care and education to students.  

Health Services provides a range of clinical support, including:

• treatment of acute illnesses and injuries
• immunizations
• birth control counseling
• physical examinations, including gynecological examinations

Health Services also provides on-side rapid testing for illnesses such as flu, strep throat, and COVID-19. Blood tests, gynecological specimens and STI/STD tests are sent to an outside laboratory. Health Services can assist students in accessing referrals to local specialists, including vision and dental services, orthopedic care, ENT and cardiac care.

Health Services also provides health education and programs focusing on increasing health knowledge and providing students with skills to successfully manage their health.

There is no charge for visits to Health Services, but students, or their health insurers, are responsible for bills related to emergency room or urgent care visits, outside laboratory and X-ray tests, visits to specialists, immunizations and prescription medications.

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center supports the mental health of all Skidmore students by providing timely access to a range of clinical services, as well as educational programming, outreach and consultation. Clinical services include up to 8 in-person sessions per academic year, an additional 8 tele-therapy sessions, same-day emergency appointments, peer-led support groups, and tailored referrals for more on-going, frequent or specialized care. After hours emergency care can be accessed 24/7/365 by calling the main Counseling Center phone number (518 580 5555) and following the prompts for immediate assistance.

The Counseling Center also offers a range of workshops, programming and consultations aimed at helping create a more responsive, empathic and resilient community. It is staffed by an inter-disciplinary team of mental health professionals and serves as a training site for advanced graduation students. All services are confidential and included in tuition.

Career Development Center

Skidmore’s Career Development Center is committed to supporting all students and alumni through the creative process of integrating their liberal arts education and experiences into a rewarding career. In keeping with the College’s founding principle of linking theoretical with applied learning, we facilitate the process of self-discovery, cultivate partnerships, and help students prepare for experiential learning opportunities including internships, collaborative research, and civic engagement. We encourage students to build skills and participate in engaged liberal learning practices early in their Skidmore career and provide ongoing support to both current students and alumni as they strive to create fulfilling careers.

Furthermore, we actively promote civic engagement and community service both locally and globally, through our Associate Director of Civic Engagement. They connect students to various volunteer programs, sponsor fundraising activities for local charities, and advise Benef-action, a student organization dedicated to community involvement. Additionally, we collaborate with faculty to provide comprehensive advising for students interested in pursuing paths in pre-health, pre-law, and graduate school.

For resources on internships, service, employment, networking, research opportunities and graduate school, visit our website at www.skidmore.edu/career/.

Cocurricular Activities

Student Government Association

The Skidmore College Student Government Association (SGA) serves as the primary voice and advocacy body for the student community, championing inclusive excellence, democratic participation, and ethical leadership. Every student at Skidmore is a member of SGA, which operates under the authority of the Board of Trustees and plays a vital role in shaping campus life through student-centered governance. 

The SGA Executive Committee—comprising the president, vice presidents, and Interclass Council chair—guides strategic initiatives in academic affairs, student experience, club coordination, equity and inclusion, sustainability, and financial transparency. The SGA Senate, a representative legislative body elected by the student body, works in partnership with faculty, staff, and administration to ensure student perspectives are reflected in campus policy, curriculum design, and college-wide decision-making. 

SGA also empowers student leadership through appointment to standing and ad hoc faculty, administrative, and all-college committees. These committees address topics ranging from institutional diversity and academic innovation to community well-being and sustainability. Students play an integral role in shared governance, including participation on tripartite judicial committees that uphold Skidmore’s community standards and Honor Code. 

With a focus on equitable representation, accountability, and transparency, SGA is a hub for student-led innovation and advocacy. 

Student Organizations and Co-Curricular Life

Skidmore students bring campus to life through over 100 SGA-chartered student clubs and organizations that reflect a wide range of identities, interests, passions, and academic pursuits. These student-run groups foster community, spark dialogue, and provide dynamic opportunities for expression, leadership, and social change. 

From a cappella and dance troupes to cultural affinity clubs and social justice collectives, student organizations create inclusive spaces where students can explore identity, build skills, and connect across difference. SGA also supports special-interest clubs focused on wellness, sustainability, recreation, faith, and advocacy, ensuring that every student can find a sense of purpose and belonging beyond the classroom. 

Major student-led initiatives include: 

• Student Entertainment Company (SEC): Produces concerts, comedy shows, and all-campus events. 
• Student Speakers Bureau: Hosts public lectures, performances, and visiting voices that stimulate critical thought and creativity.
• Interclass Council (ICC): Leads class-based engagement and organizes signature campus traditions like Oktoberfest, Junior Ring Weekend, Winter Carnival, and Spring Fling. 

Students are also engaged in identity-based and culturally rooted organizations that promote equity and belonging, along with academic clubs that deepen connections between disciplines and co-curricular learning. Additionally, club sports and recreational groups—including Outing Club, martial arts, sailing, ice hockey, and circus arts—offer spaces for movement, teamwork, and joy. 

These co-curricular experiences enrich Skidmore’s commitment to whole-student learning, creating a campus culture where students are empowered to lead with intention, collaborate across communities, and shape the future with integrity. 

Media Opportunities

Campus media outlets include

• the student newspaper, the Skidmore News 
• the college’s FM radio station, WSPN 
• literary arts journals 

Performing Opportunities

Music

Skidmore students can perform with ensembles directed by Music Department faculty as well as with student-directed SGA-sponsored musical organizations, accommodating a wide variety of musical preferences. They are open by audition to all interested students, regardless of major; some are open to faculty.

The Skidmore Community Chorus performs a large repertoire of works from many centuries. The Vocal Chamber Ensemble, a subgroup of the chorus, performs a wide variety of a cappella and accompanied music. The Skidmore Opera Workshop (offered when needed) presents scenes and complete works from classical through modern operatic repertoire.

The Skidmore Orchestra, a 70-member orchestra of Skidmore’s best instrumentalists supplemented by professional musicians, performs four concerts each year, presenting major symphonic repertoire from the Baroque period to the present. Skidmore chamber ensembles for strings, woodwinds, brass, and piano are coached weekly by faculty and perform at the end of the semester. The guitar and flute ensembles also perform every semester.

The Skidmore Jazz Ensemble plays a big-band repertoire. Several small jazz combos rehearse weekly under faculty direction and perform regularly on and off campus.

SGA-sponsored musical clubs include a gospel choir and a cappella singing groups that perform a variety of genres from classic pop to standards, from jazz and R&B to current hits. The Sonneteers and the Accents are all-women groups, the Bandersnatchers is a men’s group, and the Dynamics, Drastic Measures, and Treblemakers are coed. Skidmore also has two student-directed percussion groups:

• Pulse, which plays on found objects
• Skidaiko, which performs Japanese-style Taiko drumming

Many musicians participate in the musical theater productions of Cabaret Troupe, also directed by students.

Theater

Members of the Skidmore community, including nonmajors and interested non-theater majors, have numerous opportunities to gain experience in acting, design, and production. The Theater Department’s production activity includes fully mounted productions in the large thrust theater and in the more flexible black-box studio space of Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater. Throughout the year, many workshops are presented in the two rehearsal studios. On occasion, the department hosts visiting professional productions and various training workshops.

The department maintains strong relationships with the Adirondack Theatre Festival, Opera Saratoga, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, Capital Repertory Theatre, and Williamstown Theater Festival. Many Skidmore students participate in summer and year-round programs with these and other companies throughout the country.

SGA comedy groups include the Ad-Liberal Artists, Awkward Kids Talking, Skidomedy, and the Sketchies, who write, improvise, and perform their own comedy material.

Dance

Academic, technical, and club-level opportunities encompass ballet, modern/contemporary dance, ethnic dance, jazz, improvisation and choreography, history and repertory of dance, dance production, ballet pedagogy, music for dancers/choreographers, dance for the child, independent study, professional internships, dance capstone, and special dance forms of both the Western and Eastern worlds (such as pointe, character, yoga, and African). The Dance Department invites visiting artists to offer workshops, master classes, performances, and lectures throughout the year.

Student dance clubs include Terpsichore (modern ballet and jazz), Stompin’ Soles (tap), Breakbeats (hip-hop), Rithmos (hip-hop), Irish Dance, Ujima step, and Swing Set.

Collegiate Athletics

Mission Statement

The Skidmore College Department of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation is committed to pursuing excellence both academically and athletically and subscribes to the NCAA Division III philosophy and the concept of the student-athlete. The department seeks to be a unifying force for the College’s diverse population by providing opportunities to maximize academic, athletic, and life-skill potential through core values such as teamwork, leadership, discipline, lifelong fitness, and service to others.

The department provides athletic programs that are comprehensive and varied, with opportunities for all students, faculty, and staff, including:

• A vigorous intercollegiate sports program that strives for excellence and is committed to sportsmanship and fair play.
• Physical activity courses that promote good health, physical fitness, and lifetime activities.
• An intramural program that encourages students of varied abilities and skills to participate in a wide range of recreational athletic activities.
• A fitness program that encourages participation, builds community, and promotes lifelong fitness through a variety of class offerings.
• Facilities that are maintained and available for Skidmore community members to take part in independent or group physical activities.

Intercollegiate Teams

Skidmore College is affiliated with the NCAA, ECAC, and Liberty League. The College fields intercollegiate men’s teams in baseball, basketball, crew, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, and tennis; and women’s teams in basketball, crew, field hockey, lacrosse, riding, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and volleyball. Consult athletics personnel on the faculty page for the names of head coaches and athletics staff.

In compliance with the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, Skidmore College publishes an annual report that includes participation rates, financial support, and other information on men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic programs. The report is available online at www.skidmoreathletics.com/sports/2008/8/28/comp.aspx?tab=compliance.

Intramurals, Clubs, and Recreation

Like intercollegiate athletics, intramural and recreational activities are an important part of the Skidmore experience. Students, faculty, and staff have joined in a cooperative effort to provide a program that serves the needs of students of varied levels of skills and abilities. On campus and beyond, recreational opportunities abound for the individual enthusiast as well as for the student seeking group activities in intramural or club sports.

Intramurals

A thriving intramural program provides a wide variety of coeducational sports activities. Among the current intramural sports are basketball, dodgeball, touch football, racquetball, indoor soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Clubs

Students who share similar enthusiasms also form activity clubs. Clubs include alpine and nordic skiing, Ultimate Frisbee, hiking, climbing, cycling, polo, karate, men’s and women’s ice hockey, basketball, and Quidditch.

Informal and Individual Activities

Williamson Sports Center is open during the school year for students and staff to pursue informal activities such as running, swimming, weight training, racquetball, basketball, indoor soccer, and aerobics.

Complementing the facilities especially designed for sports — Williamson Sports Center, tennis courts, playing fields, outdoor athletic complex and Van Lennep Riding Center — are the natural recreation grounds of the campus itself. Set among woods, hills, and open fields, the campus is alive in all seasons with unstructured sports activity, as hikers, runners, and cross-country skiers set their courses along the trails that wind through it. Backpacking, rock climbing, and wilderness weekends are popular, with the Outing Club organizing trips and providing camping equipment.

The Surrounding Area

The city of Saratoga Springs offers additional opportunities for golf, bowling, racquet sports, and ice skating. Nearby areas offer a wide range of recreational activities. Located in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Skidmore is only one hour from major ski resorts, while Lake George and Saratoga Lake are available for sailing and water sports. State parks with trails for cross-country skiing, biking, and hiking are readily accessible.