Mark Clarke, Ph.D., the second provost finalist, visited Arkansas State University in a public forum to discuss his plan for A-State if elected as provost, #Discover2025.

Clarke currently serves as associate provost for faculty development and faculty affairs at the University of Houston. He holds a master’s of information and doctorate in cell biology and microchemistry from Manchester Metropolitan University. He has also served as associate vice chancellor for technology transfer at the University of Houston. 

#Discover2025 is a five part plan that focuses on student success, teaching and learning, research and creative activities, community engagement and campus culture and shared values.

To increase student success, Clarke would focus on increasing overall enrollment. With enrollment on a downward trend both nationally and for A-State, Clarke said he would work on improving outreach to admitted students, using data-driven systems for course scheduling and providing resources and instructional training for faculty. 

“There’s a wish to increase your four year, your six year graduation to targets with 45% for four years and 65% for the six year graduation,” Clarke said. “ We’ll be interested to see what the retention rate is and the target for 2025 within the #Discover2025 strategic plan being 85%.”

For the teaching and learning segment of the plan, Clarke would work to provide students with “career spanning” skills by providing experiential learning opportunities and engaging with industry and community partners. 

At the University of Houston, Clarke said he worked on a plan that, over the next 2-3 years, would implement an internship or extracurricular activity into undergraduate degrees, as well as providing opportunities for paid internships. If chosen as provost, Clarke said he would bring this same plan to A-State. 

For research and creative activities, #Discover2025 would increase the number of master’s degrees awarded by 25% and the number of doctoral degrees awarded from 88 to 176, as well as increasing Create@AState participants from 44 to 66. The amount of research expenditures given out, currently $25.5 million, would be increased to $30.6 million.

These goals would be achieved through embracing new technology such as artificial intelligence, extended new faculty orientation and providing a space for faculty to learn and share ideas.

#Discover2025 would work on community engagement partly through the research and creative endeavors, but also through various methods of teaching and instruction, such as service learning, internships and on-site class projects. It would also work to provide information to the community through the media, but also partnering with national associations and influencing legislation, among others.

To accomplish this, Clarke would build on existing networks created by A-State’s Center for Community Engagement, adopt the APLU Innovation and Economic Prosperity framework, which recognizes talent, innovation and place. 

“(The APLU Innovation and Economic Prosperity) framework is all about recognizing the fact that a university is a unique ecosystem that stewards all three elements of talent, innovation and employees,” Clarke said. “Talent could be our students. It could be your faculty members or staff members. My innovation element is my partner’s mission to generate new knowledge and transfer that knowledge.”

The final segment of the plan, which tackles campus culture and shared values, would “encourage open and honest communication,” encourage social interaction and volunteerism and embrace diversity.

Due to time constraints, Clarke only had time to answer two questions from the gathered faculty and staff, those being from Rebecca Oliver, director of the Honors College and Justin Castro, Ph.D., department chair of history.

Oliver asked Clarke what he thought the value was in an Honors program in higher education.

“(There are) certain students that are always going to be the students that need and deserve an enriched curriculum,” Clarke said. “There’s always a place for an Honors College.”

Since Clarke has a background in science, Castro asked him what role humanities programs play in a college.

“How do you envision the role of say our museum, the Fowler Center or our art centers? We have really unique heritage study sites,” Castro said. “So what kind of role do you see in these types of programs we have?”

Clarke said humanities, business and science fields all work together and that having a broad set of skills in all three areas helps to make students more marketable.

“Every student in STEM or business, for example, needs to pass English, they need to be able to communicate. That’s what you guys do best,” Clarke said.

The final provost candidate to visit A-State will be Calvin White, Ph.D., at 9 a.m. on March 7.

The livestream for Clarke can be found here. 

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