Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

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.

This past week, we welcomed our largest incoming class to the undergraduate college as well as, historically, our largest cohort of students into our graduate degree programs. I believe this is an important signal that interest in and demand for a Clark education is strong and on the rise. And our incoming students are as accomplished and diverse as ever. Our undergraduates hail from 34 states and 27 countries worldwide. Nineteen percent of these incoming students are the first in their families to attend a four-year college, and 29 percent are BIPOC. Our new graduate students come from 20 states and 39 countries.

I am also pleased to welcome our new faculty members, all of them accomplished in their fields, who bring with them fresh perspectives and approaches and who are ready to inspire our students through their classes. We also have new staff at Clark, who I know are eager to do all they can to support our new and returning students, faculty, and each other. In addition, we also have reorganized and expanded student support services and resources, particularly within the new Division of Student Success as part of the office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Work on the University’s Strategic Framework — a set of goals, areas of focus, and initiatives that support our mission and help set our priorities for the future — is now at an advanced stage but will, by design, continue to evolve. I am immensely grateful to all the faculty, staff, and students who have devoted time, energy, and ideas to this work so far. Among the potential initiatives emerging from this effort are a reimagination of liberal arts education at Clark; a redesign of the Department of International Development, Community, and the Environment (IDCE); a possible new honors program; stronger connectivity around our work on global and climate change; and a rededication to our Main South and Worcester community partnerships.

Also exciting are the new curricular programs we are launching this year: a new minor in Interactive Media and Design; both a major and minor in Finance; a new major in Math Education; and new programs in Cybersecurity and General Education in the School of Professional Studies (SPS). Also starting in SPS this year is a new master’s degree program in Sports and Esports Management Administration.

This coming spring, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of our Graduate School of Geography, which has long been, and continues to be, one of the highest-ranked programs in the world.

For those returning to campus this fall, work to improve and enhance our campus environment will be apparent. Last year at this time I was sharing news about new projects soon to be underway. This year, I am pleased and proud to report on the tangible progress that’s been made. The Little Center/Michelson Theater renovation has greatly improved one of our signature performance spaces, and I hope you will find an opportunity this semester to attend a student show in the reimagined black box theater. The new Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design is rapidly emerging from the ground and will be fully enclosed by December, and work to repair and restore the exterior of Goddard Library is progressing. We also completed exterior upgrades to both Anderson House and Beck House, and we will start construction on a new greenhouse adjacent to the Lasry Biosciences building. At times, we may have to contend with navigating around temporary fencing, parking limitations, and other aspects of construction in our daily lives. There are always challenges that come with growth and improvement, and I thank you for your understanding and patience with these periodic disruptions.

In my welcoming address to students in the college last Thursday, I reflected on the fact that my own first day at Clark was 39 years ago. Clearly, a great deal has changed since then — at Clark, in higher education, and in society — but I believe that some of the same things that drew me to Clark back then (the promise of a rigorous education, direct attention from excellent faculty, a sense that I could belong here, and a warm and welcoming community, for example) have drawn our new students here today.

As we together think about and work toward realizing the best possible future for Clark, I hope we will recognize that continuity and progress are not mutually exclusive. We must advance the University in order to best fulfill the educational mission and research agenda of our time while remaining true to a set of institutional values established over the course of our history that will continue to make Clark a distinctive and distinguished learning environment.

It is truly a joy to watch the campus spring to life and to see how eager everyone is to engage with each other and to create the remarkable experience that is the hallmark of a Clark University education. As with any new school year, we are sharing a singular moment, when this specific group of talented students, faculty, and staff come together as a community. It is an honor to be a part of it with you.

Sincerely,

David Fithian ’87
President