Well-known on the Skidmore campus, Jeanne has worked
at the College since 1974; she currently serves as the English
Department’s administrative coordinator. After studying
part-time at Skidmore for six years, Jeanne enrolled in Skidmore’s
University Without Walls, a program that enables working adults
to complete undergraduate degrees at their own pace. She graduated
with a B.A. in English literature in 2003, having earned departmental
honors for her final project on Victorian images of motherhood,
and began her work in the Master’s Program with the
guidance of Professor Adrienne Zuerner, Director of Skidmore’s
Women’s Studies Program.
The move from UWW to the master’s program was such a natural
progression for me. Both programs believe in self-directed education,
and I’ve always liked that kind of independence. They
let me know that I’m the one responsible for my education,
that it’s something I created, not just a series of slots
I filled in.
In the master’s program, you build your coursework around
the ideas you care most about, the ones that have been percolating
inside for a long time. I’m planning to find out more
about the lives of women, like myself, who are single and middle-aged—a
place I never thought I’d be. I want to understand how
women like me answer the question “what next?” How
does our experience change what friendship is, and romance?
Who are we at mid-life, and how does that person compare to
who we dreamed about being when we were younger?
The master’s program invites you to indulge your passions,
but it also makes you think about them from different perspectives.
You investigate one aspect of a subject thoroughly, and then
turn it around to look at it from another perspective. It’s
like a multi-disciplinary microscope. I’m planning to
switch between the lenses of psychology, philosophy, and literature—maybe
even economics. That kind of approach makes me pay attention
to aspects of a topic that don’t come easy, and look hard
at the parts that I’d usually pass over. I like that the
program doesn’t let me stay comfortable doing what I’m
already good at—or being who I already am.
This is an education for life that you get while you’re
living it. It’s not the kind of school that removes you
from the “real world.” The program is set up to
let you stay involved with work and family while you pursue
your studies. You don’t have to produce A, B, and C at
a certain set pace—you need to find the pace that works
with the rest of your life. And I think that's a good system
for me: I’m the kind of person who operates best when
there’s some chaos in the background.
I feel like I’ve been given all the provisions I need
for the journey I’m taking. And the lighthouse is up there,
shining. But I’m not tied to it. My advisors trust me
to do good work. They’re there when I need help, but they’re
not going to tell me where I have to go. Finally, I’m
the only one who can decide that.
Creative Thought Matters.
Master of Arts Program
Skidmore College ·
815 North Broadway · Saratoga Springs, NY · 12866 mals@skidmore.edu · 518-580-5480
