“We are energized.
We are united.”

In this special edition of Clark magazine, we bring forward the voices of our students—representing the next generation of leaders who will tackle our world’s most intractable challenge. They eloquently express their thoughts about the increasingly fragile state of our planet. While words like “pressure,” “anger,” and “late” (as in: Is too late to fix?) crop up in their quotes, other words and phrases supply a heartening counterbalance. Among them are “hope,” “energy,” and, my favorite, “revolutionary optimism.”

In establishing the School of Climate, Environment, and Society, we give Clark students, and our world, more reasons for revolutionary optimism.

For many decades, Clark has raised awareness of, and pursued solutions for, the most imposing threats to our planet. Clark researchers have sought answers in every corner of the globe; they’ve trekked the ice of Antarctica, descended into mines in South America, and peered from the sky using GIS technology—some of it developed here—to assess the health of the Earth. Our history is filled with examples of faculty, students, staff, and alumni who have built a better world through policy-making, community development, and scientific discovery.

Our new School of Climate, Environment, and Society signals an amplification of our efforts to find human-centered solutions to our climate challenges. The school represents the very best of Clark’s approach: removing barriers between disciplines to promote collaborative and creative thinking, and inspire focused and decisive action. 

At a kickoff event in September, we gathered outside the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center, to plant one of nearly 80 trees Clark has added to our campus and Main South neighborhood in the past two years. The Shaich Center is a LEED Gold-certified building, as is the Lasry Center, and our Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design. It’s a reminder that shaping a stronger, healthier, more sustainable climate, environment, and society—at Clark and beyond—is a work-in-progress and we are focused, with determination, on keeping the momentum and impact going. 

I am very proud that we have reestablished the Sustainability and Climate Committee, who will help guide the University’s efforts to achieve sustainability goals through its operations, academics, and community engagement. We are also reestablishing the full-time position of director of sustainability to oversee University initiatives toward a greener campus. All of this is inspired in large part by our students, particularly the Clark Environmental Action group, who continually challenge us as an institution to “walk the talk” here at home.

This is an important moment for Clark and the world. We are determined, we are energized, we are united, and we are ready to be the force for change that always has been, and always will be, the hallmark of Clark University.