Moving forward: An invitation to learn about Clark’s budget and strategic plan

Dear Faculty and Staff,

On Tuesday, the University’s Board of Trustees approved a budget for the next fiscal year (FY2026, which begins on June 1) along with a multi-year strategic plan. These actions respond to Clark’s lower-than-anticipated enrollment for the fall 2025 entering class — about which we wrote to you on May 2 — as well as the broad challenges currently facing many higher education institutions.

The changing landscape

As we have discussed often, colleges and universities are experiencing an unprecedented combination of pressures to which Clark is not immune. Lower enrollment trends, especially in the Northeast, and increasing costs have made our current operating model unsustainable. We therefore must adapt.

Public perception of higher education, especially at private institutions, is at an all-time low and is having a direct impact on what families are willing to pay for college. We therefore must demonstrate the value of a Clark education and focus even more intently on outcomes for our students.

In addition, policy changes and rhetoric at the federal level are creating uncertainty and apprehension, including among our international student community. Therefore, we must anticipate potential additional impacts, especially to our graduate programs.

To be sure, Clark has overcome challenges throughout our 138-year history, and we can, and we will, persevere now — provided we make changes to our budget, academic programs, and operations. We have shared such a plan with the Board, which the Trustees have directed us to pursue with determination. It is a plan rooted in Clark Inspired, our evolving strategic framework, as well as initiatives and proposals that we have been discussing with faculty and staff since last summer. We shared this plan with the Faculty Officers and members of the Planning and Budget Review Committee last week, in advance of the Board meeting.

Refocusing, reorganizing, and reenergizing for the future

The plan calls for:

• Refocusing our academic programs around three key areas of strength that are most relevant to meeting the needs of today’s students for a changing world — Climate, Environment and Society; Media Arts, Computing and Design; and Health and Human Behavior — while also sustaining our historic and strong liberal arts foundation. We will prioritize well-enrolled academic programs and reimagine traditional, siloed structures around departments, majors, minors, and courses. Our new approach to undergraduate education — The Clark Experience — along with some new options for our students, such as the Honors Experience and a new three-year accelerated undergraduate degree (the same requirements fulfilled over a shorter period of time inclusive of summer studies and experiential opportunities), are key elements of the plan.
• Reorganizing the University by streamlining and right-sizing operations to better support the academic areas of focus and the student experience, and positioning us to direct limited resources in the most productive way possible. This includes reducing overall costs, as well as the size of the administration, staff, and faculty, to support a smaller student body and more focused academic programming within the next two years. Some immediate changes to benefits are necessary.
• Reenergizing our community by building reputation, boosting student recruitment, and inspiring pride and engagement through a long-term sustainable model that is well supported by an expanded resource base, achieved in part through a comprehensive fundraising campaign.
  The detailed plan addresses fundamental weaknesses that must be resolved for our long-term success, and builds upon a number of our strengths. It will be implemented over the next two years, starting this summer.

By acting decisively now, we can be most confident in our ability to reposition Clark for a strong future. Greater clarity of Clark’s distinctiveness, increased pride in our impact and reputation, and the assurance of an enduring legacy of providing transformational experiences for our students are all part of this plan.

An opportunity to learn more

We know that you will be eager to hear more details of the plan and of budget decisions made by the Board. We therefore invite you to a virtual information session next Tuesday, June 3, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for faculty, and from 1 to 2:30 p.m. for staff. A calendar invitation will be forthcoming.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these sessions.

Sincerely,

David Fithian
John Magee
Dan Hitchell