Fithian could hardly have had a more challenging semester to start his tenure leading his alma mater.
Fithian, a 1987 Clark graduate, joined the Worcester school from the University of Chicago. It was only about two months after he was named the next president before the coronavirus pandemic hit and much of his first semester was spent having to coordinate plans to keep everyone in the Clark community safe, while holding classes online and in person, and conducting tens of thousands of coronavirus tests. Then, the university made unwanted headlines for severing its relationship with the Worcester Police Department amid the Black Lives Matter movement, and questions about its commitment to diversity. As a Clark grad himself, Fithian is the man to address that head-on. “There’s no question that I need to listen to what people are thinking and wanting in Clark today,” he said.
