2024
I am sure many of you are aware of a Wall Street Journal opinion piece authored by former Clark employee Mary Jane Rein, in which she shared her account of events leading to her resignation on Sunday. I recognize many of you may have questions and concerns prompted by the piece. …
I am very pleased to announce a $5 million gift to Clark from the estate of Carl Stuart Klorman ’71 that we will allocate primarily to endowed professorships to honor Mr. Klorman’s lifelong appreciation for the quality of his education. …
I am very pleased to announce that the University has received support from several Worcester foundations for our new Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design. The gifts, totaling $2 million, were awarded by the George I. Alden Trust, the Ruth H. and Warren A. Ellsworth Foundation, the Stoddard Charitable Trust, and the Fletcher Foundation. …
I am delighted to announce that Clark has received a $10 million pledge from our trustee and philanthropist Vickie Riccardo and her daughters, Jocelyn Spencer and Alyssa Spencer ’17. This gift enables the University to begin the process of establishing the new School of Climate, Environment, and Society. …
I am pleased to announce that Clark’s 120th Commencement will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 20, at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. Commencement is among our most meaningful and celebratory occasions each year, and I am looking forward to sharing this special day with our Clark graduates, families, and friends in a new setting that gives us the space and accessibility to fully celebrate this joyous milestone together.
We are pleased to announce that Dr. David A. Jordan, MPA ’02, has been appointed to a three-year term as dean of the School of Management, effective immediately. David, who has been serving in an interim capacity since August 2023, will now serve as dean of the School until June 30, 2027. …
Over the past few months, we have seen renewed, vigorous, and I believe fruitful debate across higher education about the role of colleges and universities in response to social, political, and economic issues and occurrences. The debate is multi-faceted and has a number of complexities but can roughly be summarized as follows. …
Thank you for joining me for this year’s State of the University address, which I am pleased is now in person. Let me say that I am grateful for all the ways we have come back together as a community since the pandemic. I want to begin by expressing my enormous gratitude to all of you here — and those who were not able to join us. Each of you, in your own way, contributes greatly to who we are as a community, to what we are as an institution, to how we fulfill our mission, and to the ways we have impact in the world. …
2023
The present situation in the Middle East, which was sparked by the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, is tragic with thousands of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives lost and ongoing immeasurable suffering. Here at Clark over the past month, we have remained intently focused on the safety and well-being of our community, grappling with these events emotionally and bringing to bear critical thought and dialogue consistent with our mission. …
On Monday, October 16, Clark University will launch the 2023 Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey for all students, faculty, and staff. Your participation is vital to helping us assess campus sentiment toward issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, inform us about our performance as an institution in these important areas, and help drive our efforts to ensure a more welcoming and just campus for all current and future members of our community. …
We are devastated and heartbroken by the horrific attacks in Israel and the violence that is spreading throughout the region, and we deplore the terrorism that has been carried out against innocent civilians. We know that many members of our community have been deeply impacted, and are worried and scared. …
Beginning with Clark’s 120th Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 20, 2024, we will now be holding our exercises in the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. We still anticipate holding other Commencement-related festivities on our campus. …
It is my great pleasure to welcome everyone to the start of a new academic year. I especially want to greet our new students who begin their undergraduate, graduate, professional, or continuing education programs of study today. I am sure I speak for everyone already at Clark when I say how happy we are to have you join us. I wish all our students an intellectually engaging and academically successful year ahead. …
We write to share with you a change in leadership at the School of Management (SOM). Alan Eisner will be stepping down as dean and returning to his faculty role effective August 14, timed with the beginning of the 2023–24 academic year. After a fall sabbatical to continue work on the 12th edition of his book, “Strategic Management: Text and Cases,” Alan will resume his teaching in management and global studies. David A. Jordan, a long-time member of SOM’s adjunct faculty and a Clark alumnus, will serve as interim dean pending a national search for a permanent replacement to begin sometime after the current academic year. …
Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision is a profound setback for institutions like ours that deeply value diversity, equity, social justice, and inclusion. We unequivocally reaffirm Clark University’s commitment to bringing more diversity into our student body and building a community where our students — faculty and staff, as well — feel they belong and are empowered to succeed. This is core to who we are as an institution, as is our determination to overcome centuries of systemic racism that has been a barrier to higher education for historically underrepresented students. …
I am very pleased to announce that Clark University will receive a $1 million gift to support the work of designing, developing, and launching an undergraduate honors program. The donor, a Clark alumnus who has asked to remain anonymous, saw the potential of an honors program — a set of courses and cocurricular offerings still to be determined — to amplify Clark’s reputation for academic excellence in an exceedingly competitive higher education landscape. …
This summer, I begin my fourth year as president. I want to thank you all for the advice and support you have given me to date, and, especially, for all the time and effort so many of you have invested in efforts to plan for Clark’s future. These efforts have included a multi-pronged assessment of where we are as an institution, the embrace of a new, more aspirational mindset, and the formulation of a strategic framework — Clark Inspired — that includes clear goals along with dozens of recommended initiatives, some with transformative potential.
This letter, then, sets out my vision for Clark University. It seeks to answer the question: To what ends (or heights) is Clark Inspired leading us? I hope you will receive this as an invitation to further engage in our path forward. …
With the COVID-19 national public health emergency expected to end on May 11, 2023, the COVID Advisory Group has been assessing the University’s COVID policies and procedures. Reflecting current trends and consistent with plans at many other higher education institutions, Clark will no longer require a COVID vaccination for students or employees as of June 1, 2023. …
As the academic year draws to a close, I want to thank you all for contributing as each of you do to the dynamic and vibrant life of our university. This year at Clark was actually an extraordinary one; the sheer number of things we achieved, accomplished, or attained as a university, many for the first time, is impressive. …
I am pleased to announce that Clark’s 119th Commencement exercises will take place Sunday, May 21, on the Campus Green. Commencement is among our most meaningful and celebratory occasions each year, and I am looking forward to sharing the day with our Clark graduates, families, and friends. …
We write to share our absolute heartbreak over the devastating earthquakes that have struck Turkey and Syria, and concern and support for the Clark University students, faculty, and staff who are from and have loved ones in the areas impacted by this incomprehensible disaster. We share in your pain. …
2022
It is a privilege and an honor to share with you my third State of the University Address. I regard this annual occasion not only as an important tradition but a meaningful opportunity to reflect on where we are as an institution and where we are going; on how we are doing as a community and how our work together might grow yet stronger. …
Today, I write to share with you an upcoming change in the University’s leadership team. Vice president for undergraduate admissions and financial aid Meredith Twombly let me know last week that she has accepted a position at another university in the region and will be leaving Clark in January. …
I write to share news of the appointment of a new vice president for university advancement. Effective January 17, 2023, Joe Manok will join Clark University to bring exciting new leadership to our work in development and alumni relations. Joe is a truly outstanding development professional with decades of experience in fundraising, alumni and friends engagement, partnerships, and overall institutional strategy. …
Every election matters. Some perhaps are more consequential than others, but all form the bedrock of our democracy and our collective participation is imperative. On this Election Day 2022-eve, we write to encourage you to ensure your voice is heard. …
On this first day of classes of the 2022–2023 academic year, I write to share my sense that this is an especially exciting time in the life of our university and to express the hope that you are feeling the same way. …
I write to share that Jeff Gillooly, Vice President for Advancement, is stepping down from his position on June 30, 2022. Jonathan Kappel, Executive Director of Principal Gifts, will be serving as interim vice president until a successor is named. …
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision announced yesterday in the Dobbs case overturning Roe v. Wade upends fifty years of established constitutional protection and puts at risk the health and well-being of people across the country, especially those who are most vulnerable. As president of a university that is deeply committed to the fundamental values of human rights, civil liberties, equality, and justice, I believe we must recognize how antithetical this decision is to those values even as we acknowledge and respect that individual members of our community — for religious or other personal reasons — may hold different views on this particular issue. Each of us is entitled to our own views and to have those views determine the choices we make in the conduct of our own lives. While we can have sharp disagreements, I do not believe we are entitled to force others to choose as we would. …
This week began for me — and I imagine others within our community — with a kind of emotional whiplash, something with which I have been grappling for several days now. The horrific murders of ten people in Buffalo, New York this past Saturday — purely motivated by racism — instantaneously produced for me feelings of outrage, disgust, and despair. …
I am very pleased to share with you the exciting news that Clark University Trustee Erica Penn ’84 and her husband, Kevin, have made a generous gift to the University that will enhance our ability to support Clark students in science and technology fields of study. …
Today, we write to announce that masking inside classrooms will now be optional beginning on Monday, April 4. Faculty, however, are being given the authority, for the remainder of this semester, to set class-specific policies based on risks that they may be aware of but cannot, for health privacy reasons, share publicly with the class as a whole. …
I want to thank everyone who participated in, supported, and attended “Gala: Remastered” this past weekend. This beloved tradition represents the very best of the Clark spirit and showcases the cultural diversity that is so important to who we are as an institution. …
We are writing to share an update on the effort a group of graduate students initiated to unionize and be represented by Teamsters Local 170. As we shared on February 28, this is a formal process that is overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). …
I am pleased to announce that Clark’s 118th Commencement exercises will take place Sunday, May 22, on the Campus Green. Commencement is among our most meaningful and celebratory occasions each year, and I am looking forward to sharing the day with our graduates and to welcoming families and friends to Clark. …
Since our earlier announcement, we have heard from a number of students, staff, and faculty that the simultaneous lifting of both the testing and masking requirements would leave them feeling particularly vulnerable when they are on campus. …
Today, we want to share with you the important steps we plan to take toward normalizing University operations. Most significantly, beginning on March 21, indoor mask-wearing and COVID testing will be optional at Clark. …
Earlier this month, a group of Clark University graduate students informed us that they had begun the process to unionize and be represented by Teamsters Local 170. Upon receiving the students’ notice, we indicated that we would work through the process with the intention of coming to an amicable resolution. That has not changed. …
The images and news coming out of Ukraine are gut-wrenching. Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by the mounting crisis, especially members of our community who have personal connections to the region. …
We are very excited to be able to share conceptual designs for the University’s new interdisciplinary Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design (MACD). …
Today, we want to share with you some upcoming changes to our COVID-19 policies based on our assessment of the scientific data and guidance from health officials that show a steady decline of the Omicron variant across the country and in Worcester. …
In observing Black History Month, we not only honor the achievements, courage, and resilience of the Black community in the United States and especially on our campus and in our alumni ranks but we also confront difficult truths about race in our country’s and our university’s past and present. …
2021
We hope you are enjoying a restful and joyous holiday break and extend our very best wishes to you for the new year. As the Spring 2022 semester approaches, we want to share with you our plans for welcoming our community back to campus with sufficient time for you to make necessary preparations. …
I start today’s address with heartfelt appreciation for each and every one of you — because what I am able to say about the state of our University is attributable to the work we have done together. While we may have different job descriptions and specific responsibilities, each of us is ultimately working to provide the most engaging, relevant, and rigorous education for our students. …
Today, I am writing to let you know that Clark is working to secure $100 million in capital markets financing, which will enable us to make essential capital improvements to our University, as well as refinance $56 million in debt. A portion of these bonds will be issued with a Green Designation, which means that Clark is committing to meet the rigorous environmental standards set by the Climate Bonds Initiative. …
I am writing today to announce that Clark has acquired 7.3 acres of land at the corner of Park Avenue and Maywood Street, just two blocks from the southwest corner of our campus. The addition of this currently vacant land to our campus opens the door to a host of new possibilities for renewal of Clark’s physical facilities. It also makes use of a parcel that has laid fallow in our neighboring community since 2010. …
As Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, I am writing on behalf of the full Board following a special two-day meeting we held this past weekend dedicated to strategic planning for Clark’s future. …
Our work to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Clark is an ongoing effort. Following is a quarterly snapshot of key advancements in this area. …
I am delighted to announce a $2 million gift from Clark University Trustee Vickie Riccardo and her husband Donald Spencer that will help transform the 54-year-old Little Center into a modern performance and theater arts teaching space. …
Today, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph M. Corazzini as Clark University’s next Vice President for Government and Community Affairs (VPGCA). Clark’s legacy of making life better here in our own neighborhood, nationally, and around the world is a distinction we are all very proud of and committed to continuing. As Vice President, Joseph will play a key role in ensuring that we are harnessing all of our great strengths — through our students, our research, our community-based programs, and partnerships, and our social conscience — to be an active, engaged University. …
One of our highest priorities at Clark is to be a just, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming institution – a place where all of our students, faculty, and staff are valued and given opportunities to flourish. Our Office of Diversity and Inclusion serves as a critical hub for our work in this area and, today, I am pleased to share that we have new, energizing leadership to not only oversee the office, but ensure we fulfill our commitments to DEI.
Effective October 15, Margo R. Foreman, MPH will assume the role of vice president and chief officer of diversity, equity, and inclusion (CODEI) at Clark. …
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Kendall Isaac, J.D., Ed.D., as Clark’s first general counsel in the University’s history. In addition to serving as the University’s chief legal officer, Kendall will assume the role of vice president and secretary of the University as well as assistant secretary of the Board of Trustees. Kendall brings to Clark broad legal expertise, exceptional judgment, and deep understanding of our higher education landscape. …
Welcome to the 2021-22 academic year! It is wonderful to have everyone back together again and to see the campus teeming with activity. To our class of 2025, graduate students, and others who are joining us for the first time, we are thrilled you are here. Welcome to the Clark community. …
We are delighted to extend a warm welcome to our students — new and returning, undergraduate and graduate.
Today, we write to outline Clark University’s preparations and expectations for a safe fall semester beginning August 23. We do so with both great anticipation and some caution. Our goal is to have an academic year that is as close to normal as possible – including in-person classes, face-to-face gatherings, guest lecturers and speakers on campus, athletics and performances, and more direct community involvement. …
As we prepare to welcome our students back to campus next month, I want to update you on the status of our COVID-19 efforts, and our prospects for reopening under normal operating conditions this fall.
As you know, Clark is requiring that all members of our community return to campus only if they have been fully vaccinated against the virus or received an exemption. …
The Task Force on Campus Safety and Security working since January to review current policing practices at Clark, explore alternative policing models, and engage the University community in dialogue and assessment of new ideas has now completed and presented its report to me. The report includes ten recommendations.
Here, I share some highlights …
Clark’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging remains a top priority and our work will continue through the summer in preparation for our next academic year. Following is a quarterly highlight of many of our efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), including an interim CODEI, honoring Juneteenth, affinity housing, and more. …
As Commencement 2021 approaches, we are writing to share a final update on plans and logistics. We are anticipating a joyful event to celebrate our students as they move on from Clark University to pursue their chosen career and life paths. …
As we near the end of the academic year, I am writing to let you know that Clark’s search for a chief officer of diversity, equity, and inclusion (CODEI) will continue into the summer. We did recently have the opportunity to offer the position to a very strong candidate who was enthusiastic about Clark and this role but the candidate was given an enhanced role at their current institution and chose to stay. A second strong candidate made a similar decision. I am confident that our search will result in the recruitment of an exceptional new leader in this role. …
The challenges during the 2020-21 academic year, soon coming to a close, have been profound. We are, more than a year later, still managing through the pandemic. A year ago today, the horrific murder of George Floyd commanded our nation’s attention to ongoing anti-black incidents of police brutality and systemic racism more broadly. The January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the killings of AAPI individuals in March, and most recently the tragedy unfolding in Israel and Palestine have been deeply troubling. All of these events have impacted members of our community and led to upset, anger, frustration, and outrage. …
I am very pleased to be part of today’s event. You are the fourth graduating class of the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program, and I’m incredibly honored to help celebrate this accomplishment with you. I know that you have been engaging in vital and honest conversations about how we can become a more just and equitable institution, and you’ve explored the tangible ways that you will be essential to this effort. …
As previously announced, Clark’s plans for fall semester are to resume “normal” operations as nearly as possible. To achieve this goal, I believe we must aim for the fullest possible degree of immunity among us all.
I am, therefore, announcing today that Clark students, faculty, and staff members will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than July 15 (or earlier for those planning to live or work on campus this summer). …
I am very pleased to announce that Sebastián Royo, vice president of international affairs and professor of political science at Suffolk University, has been appointed provost and vice president of academic affairs at Clark University effective July 1. In addition to serving as provost, Sebastián will hold a tenured position as professor in Clark’s Department of Political Science. …
We write today to share further details about Commencement 2021 that we hope will help our students and families formalize plans for observing this milestone occasion. As you know, Clark University’s in-person Commencement ceremonies will be held on June 12 for students receiving graduate degrees and on June 13 for students receiving undergraduate degrees. …
I am very pleased to announce a $6 million gift to Clark University from the late Tina Sweeney, MA ’49. Ms. Sweeney’s gift, a bequest, is dedicated to fostering broader music-education opportunities here at the University and to establishing music programs, through Clark, that inspire and bring music arts education to children in Worcester. …
This evening, we learned of the verdict in the trial of the police officer who took George Floyd’s life through an act of police brutality, shocking for its inhumanity. While nothing can ease the pain of the senseless loss of Mr. Floyd, we hope the decision by the jury to hold Mr. Floyd’s killer accountable and to bring justice for his killing provides some comfort to his family, friends, and loved ones. For our country, we hope this will mark the beginning of a healing process and be a catalyst for systemic change. …
It is with a heavy heart that we mourn another senseless killing of a black man at the hands of law enforcement, this time in a Minneapolis suburb where Daunte Wright, a twenty year old unarmed black man, was shot by a Brooklyn Center police officer.
The killing of Daunte Wright is especially painful in light of the collective trauma being relived as the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer responsible for the death of George Floyd, is underway. The deep pain and suffering of black communities, people of color, and others who have suffered from police brutality is a deep and festering wound rooted in racialized injustice that we all must acknowledge if we are ever to begin to heal. …
I write to share the good news that Clark University will hold 2021 in-person Commencement ceremonies on June 12 for students receiving graduate degrees and June 13 for students receiving undergraduate degrees.
The ceremonies will be held, rain or shine, on one of Clark’s athletic fields, at a time yet to be determined. So we may accommodate the maximum number of safely distanced people on the field, students and their guests will not be under tents. The ceremonies will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing on demand. …
Last month we reached the one-year milestone of the pandemic, a time that has truly tested us — yet one that also proved how adeptly we can meet an extraordinary challenge. Today, with tremendous optimism, I am pleased to announce that Clark will be returning to fully in-person classes and on-campus activities this fall. …
As a neighbor to Becker College for over 100 years, Clark University sincerely regrets that the college has had to make the painful decision to close. We know this is an extremely difficult time for Becker’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni and that the closure is a loss for our region. Clark stands ready to support the Becker community as it moves through this challenging transition. To that end, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Becker School of Design & Technology at Clark University, allowing one of Becker College’s most renowned programs to remain within the city. …
We write to share the news that Francy Magee, Clark’s Associate Provost and Dean of Students, has chosen to step down from her role at the University to explore new opportunities and challenges that coincide with her professional goals. Francy’s last day with Clark will be March 28th. …
Last night in Atlanta, we witnessed violence committed against Asians and Asian Americans. Acts of hate against Asians in the U.S. surged by nearly 150 percent over the past year, fueled by the anti-Asian rhetoric propagated during our national fight against COVID-19. We say “surged,” because anti-Asian racism is not new. It has always been a part of the racist history and landscape of this country, and it has always been chronically under-reported. Now, the frequency of these attacks are rapidly escalating. And the numbers continue to rise. …
As I walked on campus yesterday (and stopped by the Kneller for my COVID test), it was wonderful to see signs of our University coming back to life. Students with whom I spoke at the Kneller all felt their classes were off to a good start and everyone was excited for the reopening of residence halls and, next week, our classrooms. Welcome back!
All of you deserve the credit for the confidence I feel in our decision to reopen campus for spring semester despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19. …
Our work to develop a strategic framework for the University is underway. We have begun with a visioning phase in which we – together – are establishing a sense of what defines Clark and Clarkies, and how we can bring that forward into an even stronger, bolder Clark of the future. …
Following is a quarterly highlight of our efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), including the University Diversity Action Council, campus safety, undergraduate admissions, strategic planning, a new DEI initiatives website, and ombudsperson. …
We write today to announce our plan for Clark University’s Spring 2021 semester. …
Spring-term classes will begin as planned on Monday, February 22. However, all classes will be conducted online to start, as we think it best to delay the return of students to campus. …
On October 27th, when I announced the appointment of Lauren Misale as Chief of the Clark University Police Department (CUPD), I noted that an immediate priority will be working with her to conduct a thorough assessment of our police practices and overall approach to campus safety and security. Today, I am announcing the formation of a Task Force on Campus Safety and Security that will help to channel engagement of the entire University community in this review and look to practices and expertise outside of Clark. …
Today we honor the extraordinary life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a champion of racial equality and social justice, and an advocate of nonviolent civil disobedience, Dr. King taught us that change requires persistence and resolve. He challenged us to open our hearts and minds to others’ realities, and to widen our eyes to the injustice that must be overcome to truly realize the foundational principles of our democracy. …
We want to acknowledge the concerns surrounding matters of race, policing, and affordability at Clark amplified last night by our Black Student Union and the Clark University Student Council. These issues are critically important and therefore we wanted to respond quickly, especially given the events unfolding nationally. …
The images emerging from our nation’s capital today are alarming, unprecedented, and very likely affecting each of us in ways both shared and personal. …
2020
One hundred years ago, on September 15, 1920, our undergraduate college and our research university were joined to form one great institution. Leadership at the time seized that pivotal moment to set Clark on an ambitious, bold march into the future. A century later, we find ourselves at a similar transformative juncture — a moment when we can harness our great strengths and, at the same time, challenge our own convention and welcome and embrace a world of new opportunity for Clark.
It is both a privilege and an honor for me to be able to share with you this, my first State of the University address. …
This morning, we raised Clark’s COVID-19 alert status to Level 3 based on two factors: the return of five new positive test results overnight through our University testing process, and the overall trends in the Worcester region and nationally. There is no evidence to suggest that the five positive test results are linked. Nonetheless, it does raise concern.
While this is not an emergency situation, it is serious. Our highest priority remains maintaining the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff and finishing the semester strong.
Therefore, effective immediately, we are taking the following precautionary measures …
The final hours of this extraordinary election season are upon us. We are witnessing historic levels of participation, which is a powerful outcome for our country. At the same time, the election has generated deep emotions, across the political spectrum. I have no doubt that many of you are feeling anxious. The coming day or days likely will challenge us further as we learn the results of the election or that the results will be delayed for some time. …
On behalf of the entire administration, I have made a promise to you that we will become a more just, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming institution. This is an imperative for Clark.
Many of you — students, faculty, and staff — continue to raise your voices and hold us accountable for remaining focused, vigilant, and determined in this effort. We have heard from individuals and organizations, including the Black Student Union and our staff of color, through protests, correspondence, and conversation.
I am writing to you today to underscore, unequivocally, that it is our responsibility not only to listen and hear but also to understand, empathize, and act. …
We write today to share the news that Clark University intends to welcome students back to campus and resume in-person classes for the Spring 2021 semester under the same general operating philosophy that we have followed for the current Fall semester: physical presence on campus is optional, and coursework will be conducted through a mix of in-class and online teaching. …
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Sgt. Lauren Misale, MPA ’12 as Chief of the Clark University Police Department (CUPD), effective November 2. Lauren is a 12-year veteran of CUPD and therefore brings to this leadership role deep familiarity with, and long experience at, Clark. In addition, she brings tremendous energy, focus and commitment to providing safety and security in the special context of an educational environment. Being able to promote a longstanding and dedicated member of our staff — and a Clarkie — makes me especially proud of this appointment. …
I am pleased to provide several updates pertaining to Clark’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). …
I recently shared with you the news that Sheree Ohen, Clark’s Chief Officer of Diversity and Inclusion (CODI) since 2016, would be leaving her role here at the University on September 18 for a new opportunity at Harvard. Sheree’s work has contributed significantly to Clark’s efforts at inclusive excellence, even as we recognize the need to do more—more of what our institutional values demand of us as we strive to build a truly inclusive community, counteract systemic racism, and actively promote justice and equality at Clark.
I am therefore moving expeditiously to launch a national search for a new leader to shape, direct, and advance the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Clark. …
In a normal year, the challenges involved with planning and launching a new semester are imposing. In 2020, they have been simply extraordinary. With the second full week of the semester drawing to a close, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has made reopening possible. This starts with each of you, for your diligent and admirable willingness to take the many personal steps that ensure that you and the Clark community stay healthy as we fulfill our educational mission together. …
As classes begin today, I want to extend my very best wishes to each of you for a successful semester. Thanks to you, Clark is back in session despite the challenges of COVID-19. Students and faculty who have chosen to return to the classroom in person are working together as never before. Others — any student or faculty member who could not and did not wish to return to campus — will work together in virtual classrooms, making progress towards degrees through remote instruction that faculty have worked hard this summer to ensure is engaging and effective. …
I write to share with you the bittersweet news that Sheree Ohen, Clark’s first full-time Chief Officer of Diversity and Inclusion (CODI), has accepted a new position at Harvard University and will be concluding her work at Clark on September 18. …
We are writing to inform you that as of today, Clark is a smoke-free campus. Smoking of any kind, including any electronic nicotine-delivery system or smoking device, is prohibited for the entire campus community in or within close proximity to all Clark facilities, Clark-owned or -leased properties, and areas occupied or controlled by the University — both indoors and outdoors. …
It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Jill D. Friedman as Clark’s next Vice President of Marketing and Communications. As a key member of the leadership team, Jill will oversee Clark’s marketing and branding efforts and shape communications strategies that will expand and amplify the University’s standing as a premiere academic and research institution. Our news release, which will be distributed this afternoon, contains more information. Jill will start at Clark on September 15. …
On June 18, the vice presidents, deans, other senior administrators, and I promised you an update within 30 days on our plan of action to advance the University’s goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am pleased on behalf of my colleagues to provide this update today. …
I write to share with you our decision to welcome students back to campus and resume in-person classes as fully as possible starting on August 24. This decision, which confirms the intention we expressed in our letter of June 10, follows our continued analysis of public-health information, regular consultation with medical and public-health experts, and important progress we have made as a result of extensive health and safety planning since that previous update. …
We write to affirm our unequivocal support for our international students and to convey to the Clark community our strong objections to the guidance issued Monday by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This guidance, if implemented, would prohibit international students from remaining in the U.S. if they only take online classes. These guidelines contradict ICE’s policies established this spring in response to the pandemic. They also punish international students only because the pandemic is forcing some institutions to offer only online classes, and run counter to the values that the United States has upheld as a leader in the global academic community. …
As I start my first day as president of our great university, I can’t help but think back to my earlier beginning here. It was a sweltering day in August of 1983 when I drove from New York to Worcester and moved into Bullock Hall as a first year student knowing little about what my future would hold. That I would someday — today! — be president of Clark was beyond my imagining then. Even now, months after the announcement of my appointment, and despite the serious and immediate challenges we are all facing, I remain delighted by and ever more determined to embrace this opportunity.
Earlier this month we wrote to you about our decision to commission an independent review of the events that took place in Worcester the night of Monday, June 1, 2020, during which five Clark students were arrested. We indicated at that time that the University would share the results of this independent review with the Clark community once the review was completed. We provide here the full report of the review, which was prepared by Michael Angelini and Brian Mullin of the law firm Bowditch and Dewey.
Racism and structural inequities have been overlooked, tolerated, and accepted — in fact were institutionalized national practice — in our country for centuries. This painful and shameful reality and its implications in particular for African Americans and Black people have been laid bare again by the recent, senseless killings of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police.
We, leaders of Clark University, are committed to counteracting and doing our very best to end systemic racism and inequity and to actively promoting justice and equality at our institution. We are determined to achieve positive impacts and lasting change not only in the areas for which we have responsibility — teaching, research, community engagement, admissions, athletics, student services, campus police — but also across the entire University. …
We write with an important update regarding plans for the 2020-21 academic year. Based on a careful analysis of available public-health information and thorough discussion with related medical and public-health experts, as well as input from student surveys and our faculty and staff, we intend to be able to welcome students back to campus and resume classes in-person in August. Our plan is for classes to begin on August 24, the previously announced start of the 2020-21 academic year. …
This past Tuesday we announced our intention to undertake a review of the events earlier that day in which four Clark students were arrested. We write with an update regarding this commitment. An independent review, which began today, will be led by Michael Angelini from the Worcester law firm of Bowditch and Dewey. The scope of this review is specific. We seek to gather as much information as possible on the events of Monday evening into Tuesday morning as they pertain to Clark University and our students. This process will be conducted thoroughly and expeditiously and we will share the results with you once it has concluded. …
The killing of George Floyd and the protests that have erupted around the country in its aftermath demand the attention and empathy of all of us educated in the values of understanding, respect for others, and a shared community. We unequivocally support our students and all other Americans who are expressing the rights to free speech and free assembly that are enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution, and their demand for a more just society and fairness before the law and the police who embody it. Without change, we cannot end the fear that people of color, especially those who are Black/African Americans, live with daily. …
We are horrified by the cruel and unjust killing of George Floyd, by the grave other recent incidents of violence against black men that it mirrors, and by the deeper issues in our society that it reflects. We share with all of you deep concern at the trauma that is once again being experienced by people of color across this country. We know that fear and vulnerability extend to the African American/black members of our own community, and to others who are marginalized. Our community must stand united against racism and injustice. We must not be silent. …