Faculty Biographical Sketches
Lynne W. Clark, Ph.D., Dean, School of Professional Studies
Dr. Lynne W. Clark serves as the third Dean of the School of Professional Studies. Prior to coming to WestConn in 2001, she served as the Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Hunter College of City University of New York. She is a graduate of Elmira College (B.S.), Columbia University (M.S.) and CUNY's Graduate Center (Ph.D.). After professionally practicing as a speech-language pathologist for 16 years in adult rehabilitation centers and extended health care facilities, she became a full-time college instructor. Dr. Clark, who first taught at Queens College, CUNY, joined the faculty at Hunter College in 1984, where she served for eleven years as Chair of the Communication Sciences Program at Hunter College. In 1994, she was elected to CUNY's Doctoral Faculty in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Program. She also served on the faculty of the Hunter-Mount Sinai Geriatric Education Center for 12 years, and as a Fellow of the Brookdale Center on Aging.
Dr. Clark is nationally known for her expertise and clinical research in gerontology, which encompasses the effects of normal aging on communication and the communication changes associated with Alzheimer's disease. She has authored two books, Communication Disorders of the Older Adult, and Faculty and Student Challenges in Facing Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, as well written as over 40 journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Clark has impressive record of research and development grants, collectively totaling over 2 million dollars of funding from U.S. Department of Education, New York State Department of Health, U.S. Health and Human Resources Administration, Connecticut Department of Higher Education and Connecticut State Development of Education. Dr. Clark has held various elected leadership positions in national and state professional organizations, such as serving as an American Speech, Language and Hearing Association's Legislative Counselor, has made over 100 professional presentations, and received various professional honors and awards, such as the New York State Speech, Hearing and Language Association's Distinguished Achievement Award. Currently, she is the Connecticut Co-coordinator for American Council of Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education, and serves as a board member for several educational and health organizations in the western region of Connecticut.
