Sad News: Former President John Clark
Dear WestConn Community,
I write with sad news that former WestConn President John Clark passed away last night, Friday, January 2.
I spoke with his brother this evening. John passed peacefully, surrounded by family. I shared, on behalf of all of us, our gratitude for his service to WestConn and our sympathy for the Clark family during this difficult time.
Dr. Clark served as WestConn’s ninth president from 2015 to 2022, a period marked by real change, pressure, and complexity for public higher education. He championed in-state tuition for students from New York and New Jersey, a policy that widened access, grew out-of-state enrollment, and signaled that we mean it when we say we are a regional opportunity engine. From conversations with our colleagues, it became clear that he led us through the most challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic: moving online fast, keeping people safe, and planning our return we care.
Although his brother shared that Dr. Clark had always appreciated higher education and research, having earned three master’s and a doctorate degree, his path to academia was quite unconventional. He spent 18 years on Wall Street as a bond trader, while earning an Ed.D. in Philosophy from Teachers College, Columbia University. He went on to serve in a range of senior leadership roles across the SUNY system, including interim president at multiple campuses and interim chancellor of the system, and held executive roles at the CUNY focused on entrepreneurship and industry partnership.
He was a native of the Bronx, a U.S. Army veteran during the Vietnam War era, and a devote Irish Catholic, identities he spoke about openly and with pride. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, their two adult daughters, and twin granddaughters.
Like many leaders, Dr. Clark’s time at WestConn will be remembered differently by different people. That is the truth of leadership, and the truth of most institutions with long histories and many chapters. As a university, we are shaped not only by where we are going, but by those who came before us. Today, we honor the role he played in that history, the service he gave to public higher education, and the people who loved him beyond his professional life.
Information about final arrangements will be shared as it becomes available.
Please keep the Clark family in your thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Jesse
Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
President
Western Connecticut State University