Skidmore breaks ground for CIS
Center for Integrated Sciences at 91抖淫 from 91抖淫 on Vimeo.
Celebrating the groundbreaking for 91抖淫鈥檚 Center for Integrated Sciences,
President Philip A. Glotzbach stressed science literacy as both an integral component
of a liberal arts education and a civic responsibility.
Celebrations for the groundbreaking for the single largest academic initiative in Skidmore鈥檚 history included a keynote address by Neil Shubin, the noted paleontologist and author of 鈥淵our Inner Fish.鈥�
The groundbreaking ceremony was part of Celebration Weekend, the College鈥檚 open house for students鈥� families. The weekend also featured art exhibitions, special concerts, athletic events and a dedication ceremony for Skidmore鈥檚 new Valentine Boathouse.
鈥淭he fate of the earth, as a biosphere capable of supporting human life as we know it, depends upon our increasing the overall level of scientific literacy among all voters,鈥� Glotzbach said. 鈥淭his is one reason why we have identified the Center for Integrated Sciences as our highest strategic priority.鈥�
The 200,000-square-foot Center for Integrated Sciences will put 10 Skidmore science departments and programs under a single roof in order to foster dialogue between and among scientific disciplines, the humanities, arts and social sciences. The science facility will house 46 research labs, as well as the IdeaLab, a creative maker space for students and faculty.
鈥淚n building the Center for Integrated Sciences, we are constructing a place for 21st-century teaching and learning,鈥� Glotzbach said. 鈥淪cience is and always has been an integral component to liberal education.鈥�
Author Neil Shubin and Marta Brunner, College librarian, sign a beam at the CIS groundbreaking ceremony.
In his address, Shubin, known for discovering the 375-million-year-old Tiktaalik roseae fossil 鈥� a key link in the transition from fish to land animals 鈥� stressed the value of a liberal arts education. He noted that a Russian literature course his sophomore year of college had profoundly influenced his intellectual development.
鈥淭hat course taught me critical thinking and the power of stories,鈥� the associate dean of biological sciences at the University of Chicago said. 鈥淭he great questions of science do not know intellectual boundaries.鈥�
Shubin also highlighted the importance of science for leaders of the future.
鈥淲e live in an age in which people speak of alternative facts, junk news and fake news,鈥� he said. 鈥淪cience has taught us a powerful concern for evidence 鈥� humility in the face of the unknown.鈥�
The weekend also included a dedication ceremony for Skidmore鈥檚 new Valentine Boathouse, named for trustee Peg Valentine and Mike Valentine, parents of Martha, a 2009 Skidmore graduate.
The three-building complex includes a completely renovated main building and two new buildings. The new center building, known as the Team Building, has a team meeting and workout space with ergometers, a locker room and office space for coaches. The second new building is a sculling pavilion that houses single and double boats.
Mike Valentine, trustee Peg Valentine and trustee Millie Tan '77.
The Center for Integrated Sciences is at the heart of Creating Our Future: The Campaign for Skidmore, an effort to raise $200 million by 2020 for Skidmore鈥檚 future. Creating Our Future also will increase funding for scholarships and financial aid, the Skidmore Fund, the Tang Teaching Museum, Athletics, and career development and transformative experiences for Skidmore students.
A campus-campaign launch party Thursday kicked off the weekend festivities.
