Clarkson renames hill campus in honor of outgoing President Collins

“I am deeply appreciative that the Board has chosen to recognize Karen and my contributions to Clarkson with the naming of The Collins Hill Campus. It is important to acknowledge that the progress of Clarkson could not have been achieved without the support of the students, alumni, faculty, and staff as well as the broader community and I hope that all constituents understand they are part of this recognition,” Mr. Collins said in a statement.

Mr. Collins, president of Clarkson University since 2003, will step down as the university’s 16th president at the conclusion of the 2022 academic year. A Clarkson faculty member since 1982, Mr. Collins has been “a champion for economic development in the North Country and throughout New York state, and a national advocate for higher education,” Clarkson said in a news release.

“President Collins established the vision for the renovation and expansion of the hill campus, which has been realized over the last two decades through his exceptional leadership and fundraising efforts,” Clarkson Board Chair Thomas L. Kassouf said in the release. “Our resolution and decision to officially name the hill campus acknowledges the supportive and engaging student environment unceasingly nurtured by Tony Collins and Karen Collins.”

As highlights Mr. Collins’ tenure, the university pointed to “Vision of a Clarkson Education and Clarkson@125 have guided strategic initiatives which have been substantially realized over almost two decades. Clarkson’s Potsdam hill campus has been expanded both physically and in academic reach, while the downtown campus has been repurposed to advance interdisciplinary entrepreneurship, the recently added Lewis School of Health Sciences, and the economic revitalization of the Village of Potsdam.”

“Outside of Potsdam, Clarkson has expanded geographically in recent years, with new graduate and professional programs accessible at its Capital Region Campus in Schenectady and at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries on Dennings Point,” the release said.