OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
PAST PRESIDENTS
John B. Clark
(2015-2022)
About President Clark
Dr. John B. Clark assumed the presidency after a career on Wall Street and an administrator in the SUNY and CUNY systems in New York. With the backing of the CSCU Board of Regents, Clark expanded WestConn’s traditional recruitment area beyond Connecticut into New York and New Jersey. For the first time, students from those states could attend WestConn at an in-state tuition rate, adding to enrollment even as the number of available Connecticut students decreased. He also guided the university through the major disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic that stopped normal operations for more than a year. In addition, he served as a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies for several years.
Clark began his higher ed career as interim president at the State University of New York Plattsburgh campus, followed by interim president positions at Brockport, the College of Optometry and the College of Technology at Alfred. He then served as chancellor of the SUNY system for two years, overseeing the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the country with 64 campuses across New York.
He joined the City University of New York in 2009 as executive director of the Office of Business and Industry Relations, and later took on the responsibility as executive director of the CUNY Center for Student Entrepreneurship.
Clark spent 18 years at a number of Wall Street firms supervising bond trading in the health and higher education sectors. He earned his Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2001.
He and his wife, Carolyn, have two adult daughters.
James W. Schmotter
(2004-2015)
About President Schmotter
James W. Schmotter became president of Western Connecticut State University on Aug. 1, 2004. During his tenure Western has solidified its place as the home of high quality professional programs on a strong arts and sciences foundation, as the “hometown” university of the Western Connecticut region, and as the preeminent public university of the fine arts in Connecticut. The last of these characteristics is evident in the construction of Western’s new $97 million Visual and Performing Arts Center, which will open in 2014. During his tenure, WCSU’s enrollment has grown by 19% and more than $150 million in capital development projects have taken place on its two campuses.
Schmotter came to Western from Western Michigan University, where he served as dean of the Haworth College of Business for seven years. Prior to that, he served as Dean of the College of Business and Economics at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. In his 14 years at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, he served as associate dean and director of international studies, as well as teaching business history and international management.
Schmotter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History at Muskingum College in Ohio. He received his doctorate in Colonial American history at Northwestern University where he studied the evolution of the ministry in 18th-century New England. He also studied higher education administration at Columbia University.
Schmotter has consulted for a variety of organizations, including IBM, TRW, the Institute for International Education, the Cleveland Foundation, the Graduate Management Admission Council, the Educational Testing Service, United States Agency for International Development and a number of universities in the U.S., Asia and Europe. He is the author of numerous monographs, chapters, and articles in popular and scholarly publications on international business, business education, and business history, as well as several guidebooks to MBA programs. He has been frequently quoted in the press, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Danbury News-Times and the Connecticut Mirror.
Schmotter has been active in local community groups in the towns he has served, including in Danbury. He currently serves as Chair of the United Way of Western Connecticut, as a director of Ethan Allen Interiors, the Connecticut Campus Compact, and the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce as well as a corporator of the Savings Bank of Danbury. He is also past president of the Little East Athletic Conference and past chair of the NCAA Division III Presidents’ Council and is a former member of the NCAA Executive Committee.
James R. Roach
(1992-2004)
About President Roach
James R. Roach became the seventh president of Western Connecticut State University on September 18, 1992. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, cum laude, at Boston College; a Certificat d’etude from the University of Geneva, Switzerland; and a doctorate in World Religions at Boston University. He completed post-doctoral work at Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. Dr. Roach served in the United States Navy.
Dr. Roach’s leadership experience includes service at North Adams State College as Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1986, he accepted the presidency of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where he served until his appointment to WestConn.
Dr. Roach continues to be an active member of many professional and academic organizations, including the American Association of State Colleges and University (AASCU), where he serves on the Committee on International Education; the American Council on Education (ACE); and the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), an association of chief executive officers from higher education institutions around the world. He currently serves as Chair of the North American Council of IAUP and is head of IAUP’s Mission to the United Nations. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation. He also serves on several Danbury area agency boards, including the Board of Directors of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce.
Stephen Feldman
(1981-1992)
Robert M. Bersi
(1975-1981)
Ruth A. Haas
(1946-1975)
Ralph C. Jenkins
(1935-1946)
Lothrop D. Higgins
(1923-1935)
