Clarkson University selects its first female president

POTSDAM — Clarkson University has named Michelle Larson as its next president, who will become the first woman to lead the school in its 128-year history. Larson will succeed previous school president Marc Christensen when she begins her new duties on April 1. Clarkson University’s board of trustees had appointed David Heacock to serve as the school’s acting president and trustee in July 2024 after Christensen had resigned due to “personal reasons,” a Clarkson University spokesperson tells CNYBJ in an email. Larson joins Clarkson University from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, where she has served as president and CEO since 2013. A physicist by training, Larson brings both academic and nonprofit-business leadership expertise to the Clarkson campus in Potsdam in St. Lawrence County. “Naming Dr. Larson as Clarkson’s next leader is a significant milestone for the institution,” Nancy Reyda, chair of the Clarkson University board of trustees, said in the school’s Feb. 5 announcement. “Michelle has the personal character and a unique blend of professional experience that will enable her to lead Clarkson to a transformational future. She’s a powerful, visionary leader we believe in.” From the outset, the search process was “intentional and inclusive,” per the Clarkson announcement. “We established a Search Committee representing a wide range of perspectives within our university community,” Reyda explained. “Undergraduate and graduate students, professors, alumni, staff and Trustees all had a voice. Inclusivity was paramount.” The search began with more than 50 applicants, and Reyda said that “Dr. Larson’s exceptional balance of academic excellence, bold business acumen and leadership grace distinguished her immediately.” The sentiment among the search committee and the board of trustees was “unanimous.” Larson earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in physics from Montana State University and served in academic leadership for more than a decade, including as vice provost at Utah State University, before leading the Adler Planetarium for the past 12 years. Her career includes helping NASA “forge partnerships to engage the world with the universe” and working to make new discoveries in science, technology, engineering and math understandable for society as a whole, Clarkson said.

First impression

During her visit to the Clarkson campus, the Alaska native observed the Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED) Lab and the Student Innovation Hub (IGNITE). She also visited with faculty, staff, and students. “Clarkson University captured my head and my heart from the start. It’s clearly a place where curiosity grows, ideas illuminate the path forward and collaboration drives success,” Larson said in the school’s announcement. “As I came to know the Clarkson community, I was impressed by each person’s palpable commitment to this University. Everywhere I looked, I saw a spark in people’s eyes and the talent to ignite it. Clarkson is a bold yet humble community learning together and tackling the world’s challenges.” Larson’s husband, Shane Larson, an astrophysicist, will join Clarkson’s Coulter School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “We are excited to get to know the people,” Michelle Larson said. “We come from rural roots, and we are so pleased to join the Clarkson and North Country communities. I am eager to work with faculty, staff, students and trustees to forge a bold new path forward for Clarkson.”