Students and staff went to Milwaukee on the Kutchera Service Trip during Spring Break.

Campus News 

During Spring Break last week, some of us took it easy, others were hard at work, and a few of us balanced both! Now, we're all back on campus and ready to finish the final weeks of the spring semester strong. 

The final portion of the spring semester brings with it Focused Learn and Engage Day—an event I always look forward to. This semester’s FLED is on April 1. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. that day, Clarke community members will participate in a Job fair and our 2nd Annual Celebration of Scholarship.

The first week in April also features the final Mackin-Mailander event for the year. On April 2 at 7 p.m. we will host the rescheduled lecture from Chrissy Hogue Bartels—“Crucial Conversations: Turning Pain into Purpose and Setbacks into Success.” In addition, on April 3, Clarke students will host a “Take Back the Night” event to raise awareness of and advocacy for sexual assault survivors. Then, April 4-6, Clarke’s student-led Cast & Crew will perform Frankenstein Slept Here. The week ends with the 10th Annual CU Dance Marathon taking over the Robert & Ruth Kehl Center on April 5.  

Our alumni and friends consistently support opportunities like these, and we are deeply grateful for their ongoing commitment. Our gratitude is just one of the reasons we celebrate Clarke Day each year. This year Clarke Day is March 27. This event highlights our mission and offers a variety of ways to get involved, including social events on campus, sharing your Clarke story on social media, and helping us reach our goal of 500 donors. 

Strategic Plan Update   

There are more scheduled opportunities for faculty, staff and students to share their feedback on the current Strategic Plan and their ideas about the next Plan that will be launched in 2027.

I am deeply appreciative of Kate Zanger, Vice President for Student Life, as she leads our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan implementation. She will retire from the Vice President role on May 31, 2025, but will continue to impact the Clarke community in a part-time role as the facilitator of our Strategic Plan. Thank you, Kate, for your dedication to our community and its future. 

Living our Legacy Spotlight

Tucker LaBelle ’22, ’23 MBA, Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach, is in this volume’s spotlight.  

Living our legacy stems from our mission:  

Clarke University is a Catholic academic community that believes learning is lifelong and life changing. We inspire intellectual curiosity, cultural engagement, professional preparedness, spiritual exploration, and a commitment to contributing to the common good in a global society.   

As an undergraduate student, Tucker was deeply engaged in the Clarke community. He served as President of the Clarke Student Association and as captain of the lacrosse team; he was also a prayer partner. Now, as he coaches the lacrosse team, Tucker is sharing that same passion for involvement and life-long learning with a new generation as he lives our Core Values. 

His steadfast commitment to our Core Value of Justice is evident in his encouragement of Indigenous lacrosse players to share their stories in the recent Mediacom production “Creator’s Game.”  This powerful piece underscores Clarke’s mission to “strive to create a society that recognizes the dignity, equality, and rights of all people.” 

Tucker also shares his gifts widely beyond the Clarke community. He has served as a volunteer coach for the Dubuque Bulldogs High School lacrosse program and is the co-founder and general manager of the Iowa Dogfish senior box lacrosse team. 

Thank you, Tucker, for proudly representing the Clarke Core Values on and off the field! 

Go Pride! 

Fletch

Visit our Newsroom webpage to learn more about all the great things happening on campus and in the wider community!

Clarke University

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