University faculty and staff,
Clarkson is a very welcoming community and at the end of my first week, I want to thank everyone for the warm greetings to this great institution in its 125th anniversary year. I look forward to meeting all of you throughout the course of the summer and start of a new academic year.
I also want to thank those engaged in candid conversations and contributing to forward-thinking solutions to address national issues in higher education and our specific institutional challenges and opportunities. From the numerous zoom calls before my first day on the job and the people I have already met on my tours of Beacon Institute, the Capital Region Campus in Schenectady and walking and talking with faculty and staff on the Main Campus in Potsdam, you all have demonstrated that while we face some very big issues, this is a community that cares deeply about our students and knows why the education, research, outreach and the innovations we create matter. I am working with the cabinet, provost’s council and others to define institutional priorities for this year which include student recruitment, employee engagement, and an improved budgetary process aligned with our priorities. We will have more campus-wide dialogue on these important issues in the coming weeks.
National and global social issues that matter to our faculty, staff and students are also coming forward — addressing systemic racism, the impacts from the Roe v. Wade decision, and our role in impacting climate change – to name just a few. While many of these represent difficult conversations with differing viewpoints, it is encouraging that we have members of our community involved in active scholarship, open debate and as private citizens expressing themselves in local, national, and global activities. Clarkson’s Values demonstrate the respect to listen, learn and solve problems and will continue to make Clarkson a welcoming community for all.
My wife, Seema, is still busy packing up our house in Dallas and will be here in time for the Alumni Reunion next weekend. I look forward to our belongings arriving shortly thereafter. We have been reading the stories of many of the alumni you had such an impact upon and look forward to meeting them and learning more about their experiences. These can be a guide to our future as our path ahead should continue to create student experiences in that fine tradition. Finally, I would like to also express my appreciation to the students who decorated the dorm room that I have been staying in while awaiting the final preparations in Foster House. They created a warm and welcoming environment, and their Golden Knights pride clearly showed through in the process.
Clarkson matters. That is why I am so looking forward to our work ahead.
Let’s Go Tech!
Marc Christensen, President
