The 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes Committee is planning this year’s edition of the area’s premiere new home tour.

Now in its 25th year and celebrating its silver anniversary, this annual community tradition has contributed over $1.3 million dollars to  local charities.

The Saratoga Showcase of Homes will be over three weekends this fall—Sept.18-19, Sept. 25-26 and Oct. 2-3.

It will feature award-winning builders showcasing new construction. Other special events surrounding the milestone event anniversary will be announced at a later date.

Organizers said the Showcase of Homes Committee has an extensive marketing and promotional campaign in development that includes official media sponsors in newspapers, magazines, television, online, social media and more.

Creating Our Future: The Campaign for Skidmore has raised a record-setting $229.4 million from 27,193 donors to support innovative opportunities and liberal arts experience for students, while continuing to build resources for the future, school officials said.

The seven-year campaign, launched in October 2013 and concluded on Dec. 31, 2020, was marked by major milestones for Skidmore and meaningful acts of generosity from alumni, parents, friends, retirees, students, faculty and staff.

“Strengthening a creative, collaborative and community-centered future for Skidmore has always been at the core of Creating Our Future,” said President Marc Conner. “Our commitment to this vision for the future remains steadfast.”

Officials said gifts raised through the campaign are strengthening every aspect of the Skidmore experience. Donations are helping to fund construction of the new Center for Integrated Sciences (CIS); support critical priorities through the Skidmore Fund; bolster scholarships and financial aid; enhance athletics, health and wellness initiatives; fund innovative exhibitions and programming at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery; and increase career development opportunities.

The first phase of Skidmore’s Center for Integrated Sciences, the largest academic initiative in the college’s history, opened in fall 2020 with the completion of the 58,000-square-foot North Wing, home of the departments of computer science and mathematics and statistics.

SUNY Empire State College is celebrating 50 years of academic achievements and excellence throughout 2021.

Founded in 1971, SUNY Empire State began as a bold re-imagining of higher education, one focused on increasing accessibility and opportunities for students.

Officials said that for the past five decades, SUNY Empire has transformed the face of student-centered, accessible, equitable education, ushering in a world of possibilities for busy adult learners. The college began utilizing mail-in correspondence and satellite feeds in the 1970s and was one of the first to move to internet-based and blended coursework in the mid-1990s.

Since then, SUNY Empire has been at the forefront of distance and online education and continues to explore new pathways for students of all ages to pursue their educational and career aspirations.

SUNY Empire’s mission aligns with that of the State University of New York’s, which aims to provide students with accessibility to the highest quality academic, professional, and vocational programs, officials said.