Welcome to a new academic year
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
We write on this first day of classes to extend our very best wishes to you all for a productive, inspiring, and meaningful academic year. This time of year is always filled with energy and excitement as we enjoy a sense of both continuity and a fresh start. For those who are returning to campus, welcome back. And for those who are new to Clark, we are so glad to welcome you to our community!
We are grateful to the many colleagues who worked through the summer to advance a number of University initiatives, and there is much for us to look forward to this year, including:
The launch of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society. This fall, the Departments of Sustainability and Social Justice and Economics, the Graduate School of Geography, the Center for Geospatial Analytics, and the George Perkins Marsh Institute along with affiliated faculty from across the University – including the Department of Biology, humanities, business, and social sciences –have come together in a bold new venture. The School of Climate, Environment, and Society honors decades of leadership in addressing climate and global change and through deeper interdisciplinary efforts catapults forward our ability to find solutions. It is a very exciting milestone for Clark and our students. We hope you have an opportunity to learn more and get to know this new offering. The purpose, distinctive program, and impact of this new school will be signaled and celebrated through events and activities spanning the entire academic year. We welcome the School’s inaugural D.J.A. Spencer Dean, Louis Leonard, and invite everyone on campus to learn more about the School and participate in its academic programs and activities.
The Clark Experience. Last year, under the leadership of Dean of the College Laurie Ross, we introduced The Clark Experience, a new and comprehensive structuring of the exceptional education our undergraduates receive with an integrated system of career preparation, skill building, hands-on learning, reflection, and community connections. It is our promise to every undergraduate student that your unique Clark journey will empower you to lead a life of purpose and consequence. First-year students will have access to several new components of The Clark Experience, including an e-portfolio which helps you draw meaning from all you learn in your academics, experiential learning, co-curricular activities, and reflections. Stay tuned for lots of news on this front!
New Colleagues in Leadership Roles. In addition to Dean Lou Leonard, we welcome Professor Jing Zhang to the role of Interim Dean of the School of Business, Lukman Arslan as Interim Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, Danielle Morgan Acosta as Assistant Provost and Dean of Students, and Andrew Marx as Registrar.
In addition, we are marking the second year of our undergraduate Honors Experience, we have new degree programs in climate, environment, and society, as well as education, new courses across the curriculum, and several newly renovated or updated classrooms.
As we both conveyed in our welcoming remarks to new students last week, we hope everyone engages fully in the life our university, embraces its diversity and takes advantage of all we offer in our distinctive and we believe especially compelling approach to education.
With very best wishes for the year ahead,
David Fithian ’87, President
John Magee, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
