Gary F. Kelly has been named professor emeritus for his exemplary service to Clarkson University.
Kelly has had a long and distinguished career at Clarkson for the past 49 years.
His career in higher education began in 1973 when he became the founder and director of the Student Development Center at Clarkson, the University’s first counseling center, a position he held until 1988.
Kelly was among the founders of The Clarkson School, an early college program for motivated high school students who start college early and enroll as first-year students at Clarkson. He served as its director of student life from 1978 to 1982 and took over as headmaster in 1982, holding the position until 2004.
He served as the University’s associate dean of students from 1988 to 1998 and as vice president for student affairs from 1998 to 2005, when he retired from administrative work.
Most recently, Kelly served as a professor for first-year students in the Honors Program and in an adjunct position in psychology, a teaching role he has held since 1996.
Kelly’s writing and textbooks on sex and sexuality were used widely across the country. His book Sexuality Today is now in its 11th edition, with a new version being prepared for publication. From 1974 to 1998, Kelly also taught popular graduate courses on human sexuality to counselors in training and was considered an innovator in sexuality education for counselors.
Kelly’s sexuality education work with students received national recognition with his election to the board of directors of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. He served for eight years as editor of the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy and was one of the charter editorial board members of the American Journal of Sexuality Education.
He is a member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists; the Society for the Scientific Study of Human Sexuality; the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the American Association for Humanistic Psychology; the American Counseling Association; and the New York State Counseling Association.
Kelly served on the New York State Board of Regents Curriculum Council from 1991 to 1994.
He is a past director of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce.
Born in the St. Lawrence Valley, Kelly was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of St. Lawrence University with a bachelor of science degree in biology as well as a master of education degree in counseling and human development.
Today, he and his wife, Betsy, live just south of Adirondack Park, close to many of the things and people they love. He has continued to work as a therapist, has several writing projects in process, and teaches online.
The Kellys have two adult daughters, Casey D. K. Walter, who owns a horse-riding stable in Saratoga Springs, and Chelsea A. Wilson, a school counselor in Clifton Park, and three grandchildren.
https://www.clarkson.edu/news/gary-kelly-named-professor-emeritus-clarkson-university
