History & Facts

A Short History:

Clarkson University was founded in 1896 as a memorial to Thomas S. Clarkson, a successful entrepreneur and Northern New York businessman who was also distinguished by a deep and abiding concern for humanity.

When Thomas Clarkson died as a result of an accident in his sandstone quarry, his sisters, Elizabeth, Frederica, and Lavinia, and niece, Annie, established a memorial to his name by building and endowing an institution that would embody his philosophy. Clarkson's original motto, "A Workman That Needeth Not to be Ashamed," is taken from Thomas S. Clarkson's favorite biblical verse. Clarkson's colors, green and gold, were selected because the goldenrod was Thomas S. Clarkson's favorite flower.

The Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial School of Technology opened its doors on September 2, 1896, for 17 young men and women. In 1913, the charter was amended, and the name was changed to the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial College of Technology.

Steady growth and development resulted in the New York State Board of Regents designating Clarkson a University on February 24, 1984.

The Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries in Beacon, New York became a fully owned subsidiary of Clarkson University in 2011. Through a multi-disciplinary focus on science and technology, education and policy, the Institute is advancing real-time monitoring of New York’s rivers to create new standards for environmental science, promoting environmental stewardship with unique academic offerings, and informing long-term public policy solutions to protect water. www.bire

On February 1, 2016, Union Graduate College merged into Clarkson University and became Clarkson's Capital Region Campus serving as a hub for graduate and professional program admissions.   

Clarkson Today

Clarkson launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company.

Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through more than 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences, education and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.  With 261 full-time teacher-scholars engaged in world-class research, Clarkson has developed an international reputation in the fields of Advanced Materials Science, Biotechnology, Environment & Energy, Entrepreneurship and Global Supply Chain Management.

Yet the University remains true to Thomas Clarkson’s enduring legacy. Our primary mission is to educate talented and motivated men and women to become successful professionals through quality pre-collegiate, undergraduate, graduate, and professional continuing education programs.

At Clarkson, we value the diversity of our University community, and we strive to attune ourselves and our programs to our global, pluralistic society.

We share the belief that humane economic and social development derive from the expansion, diffusion, and application of knowledge.

A Clarkson Mosaic: bits and pieces of academic, personal, sports and administrative history creating a portrait of Clarkson University's first hundred years 1896-1995 by Dr. Bradford B. Broughton.