Best of CASE District II Award
 

Institution: Skidmore College

Title of entry: Forging Skidmore's Second Century

About this entry: This is a story forged from a story, woven through time and media, started in one century, continued in another, and shared with thousands through print, web, photo, video, and social media.

Throughout 2023, Skidmore’s Communications and Marketing team, in partnership with the student-run Foundry Club, documented the discovery of an original college seal, its preservation, and its recasting in honor of the College’s centennial. The serendipitous journey was captured and told through a nine-page spread in the College’s magazine, accompanying videos, web article, and numerous photographs to the applause of thousands. It also fed into a special centennial-focused fundraising campaign that raised $767,437, surpassing its goals by 383%.

It all started when the team announced Skidmore’s 100th anniversary using an archival photo. Taken in 1936, the photo featured a ceramics student-now-alumna forming a mold of the College’s seal. It symbolized the liberal arts ethos of blending “mind and hand” while alluding to the generations of hands that formed the Skidmore of today. But that was only the beginning.

That one photograph sparked a chain of events that became the subject of our story. Months after the image was shared, the exact mold from the photo was serendipitously found in a consignment shop. Our fully in-house team followed the story, procured the mold, and ignited a collaborative effort with a student foundry club to 3D-scan, 3D-print, cast, and pour a 21st-century rendition to gift back to Skidmore for its 100th birthday.