Philip A. Glotzbach, Skidmore College’s President since 2003, will step down as President at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Glotzbach confirmed his decision with Skidmore’s Board of Trustees last Friday and will leave behind a nearly two decades-long legacy that includes increasing diversity among Skidmore’s students and faculty, as well as an impressive $150 million investment in campus infrastructure and renovation, which included the construction of the college’s 55,000 square foot Arthur Zankel Music Center.
“President Glotzbach’s exemplary leadership over the last 15 years has strengthened Skidmore in every aspect,” said W. Scott McGraw, Chair of Skidmore’s Board of Trustees, in a statement. After 11 years as the Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Redlands in Redlands, CA, Glotzbach moved to the other end of the country to become Skidmore’s seventh president in 2003. Throughout his tenure at the college, Glotzbach worked closely with his wife, Marie, to push through projects such as the construction of the massive Center for Integrated Sciences, which broke ground last spring and, once finished, will be the largest infrastructure project in Skidmore’s history. In addition to this and Zankel Music Center, other ambitious building projects completed under Glotzbach’s term include Northwoods and Sussman Village (both student apartments), renovations to the Murray Aikens Dining Hall and development of the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery into a national model of interdisciplinary learning. About the Glotzbachs’ contribution to the college, McGraw said: “We are very grateful to Phil and Marie for their remarkable service that will forever be part of Skidmore’s history.”
In addition to the number of aesthetic changes to the campus, Glotzbach has also achieved a number of significant, behind-the-scenes changes. These include increasing the college’s financial aid budget by nearly 150 percent; leading highly successful fundraising campaigns such as the 2010 Creative Thought – Bold Promise campaign, which raised more than $200 million for the college; and pushing for more diversity both on campus and in the school curriculum.
Glotzbach and his wife say they’ll remain deeply engaged in Skidmore during their last full academic year. They have plans of raising another $200 million for their Creating Our Future campaign, a package of transformative initiatives that includes funding for the new Center of Integrated Sciences. The college has already raised $176 million. “More than ever in its history, Skidmore is stronger, more unified and more successful in fulfilling our primary mission,” said Glotzbach in a statement. “The world has long recognized Skidmore’s value, and that recognition has been heightened in recent times because of what we have accomplished together.”
