John 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.