|
Campus News
The end of September was filled with many Homecoming activities and events. It was wonderful to see past and present Clarke students on campus celebrating Clarke in a variety of ways.
The celebration was tinged with sadness due to the loss of our Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Steve Kapelke, who passed away on September 23. Our hearts are heavy with grief, and our spirits are filled with gratitude for all of the time and talent he shared with us.
We are grateful to Dr. Yvonne Zimmerman, who has transitioned into the role of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. We have launched a search to fill the Dean of Academic Affairs position that she previously held. In the meantime, our appreciation extends to Deann Petitgout, who has agreed to serve as our Acting Dean.
Please check out Clarke’s social media and newsroom pages to engage with our community from near and far.
Strategic Plan Update
During the past 20 months, we have developed and implemented multiple processes and systems to increase enrollment and retention as part of our objective to increase and sustain student enrollment. However, the problems and uncertainties created by the Department of Education’s flawed implementation of its new FASFA system negatively impacted new enrollments and retention for this year, as it did at many colleges and universities across the country. As a result, we are assessing future enrollment projections and recruitment and retention strategies.
While the realm of higher education is rife with challenges, it is important to remember it is part of the Clarke legacy to turn challenges into opportunities. When Clarke College buildings burned to the ground in 1984, Sr. Catherine Dunn, President Emerita, stood at the helm and declared “Clarke Lives.” The community marched toward the future with hope and faith in our mission. When reflecting upon the fire’s impact, Sr. Catherine said, “A problem is an opportunity, and that’s what the fire did for us. And the key there was going on. The key was not stopping and wringing our hands and saying ‘oh, poor me.’ But it was to go on, and we didn’t miss a beat.”
There is good to be celebrated amongst the challenges, too. We have seen steady growth in our graduate degree programming over last year, and we exceeded the number of transfer students we anticipated for fall 2024. We move forward then, united in purpose, positively impacting the Common Good and the world in which we live.
| 
