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April 29, 2022

Clark to inaugurate President Fithian

Photo | Courtesy | Clark University David Fithian at his announcement as the incoming Clark University president in January 2020.
By Brad Kane

Clark University officially will inaugurate its 10th president, David Fithian, on Saturday, in a ceremony delayed two years by the coronavirus pandemic.

Fithian started as president of the Worcester university on July 1, 2020, taking over for former president David Angel. He took over in a time of crisis, as Clark was figuring out how to adjust to the pandemic with remote learning, testing, vaccine requirements, and coming back to campus safely.

Among Fithian’s accomplishments in the first two years of his tenure were the acquisition of the game design and technology department from the closing Becker College, his securing of $100 million in capital markets financing, which will help with the college’s construction of a 70,000-square-foot academic building to house its new design and technology department, and the purchase of a seven-acre vacant land parcel for $7 million. His last five individuals appointed to the university’s leadership team were all non-white, making nearly 60% of the school’s administration women and/or people of color, and Fithian has committed $1 million toward diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

It is not unusual for universities to wait some period of time between a new president’s start date and the official inauguration ceremony, although two years is significantly longer than average. The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester held its inauguration for new President Vincent Rougeau in October, even though he started in July.

Fithian’s inauguration will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.

After Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark is the second-largest private college in the city, with 3,162 undergraduate and graduate students and a $410-million endowment, according to the WBJ Research Department. Clark was founded in 1887, and FIthian is the first alumnus to lead the school.

The ceremony for Fithian will come two days after Clark broke ground on its Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design, the planned home for the Becker School of Design & Technology, the Department of Computer Science, and programs within the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.

Photo | Courtesy of Clark University
Participating in the Clark University groundbreaking ceremony for the new media arts center were (from left) Dean of the Faculty Esther Jones, Mayor Joseph Petty, student Wednesday D’Angelo, student Dilasha Shrestha, President David Fithian, Chair of the Board of Trustees Ross Gillman, Dean of the College Betsy Huang, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., Dean of the Becker School of Design & Technology Paul Cotnoir, and Professor John Magee.

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