Potsdam, NY, June 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Anthony G. Collins, president of Clarkson University since 2003, will step down as Clarkson's 16th President at the end of the 2022 academic year. A member of Clarkson's faculty since 1982, President Collins has been an advocate for economic development in the North Country and throughout New York State, and a national advocate of higher education.
Tony Collins has enhanced the reputation of Clarkson University, a nationally ranked institution whose 44,000 living students are well represented in the leadership ranks of American companies, with one in five serving as CEO, President, Vice President, founder or owner of a company. During his tenure as president, student outcomes, including retention, graduation rate, field of interest placement, starting salaries, and return on educational investment, have been outstanding.
Under the leadership of President Collins, the Clarkson Education Vision and Clarkson @ 125 have guided strategic initiatives that have materialized substantially for nearly two decades. The Clarkson campus in Potsdam Hill has been expanded both physically and academically, while the downtown campus has been repurposed to promote interdisciplinary entrepreneurship, the recently added Lewis College 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 in Dennings Point.
“President Collins' contributions to Clarkson University have been extraordinary and will last. He has passed the broadest measure of success, leaving the institution in much better shape than when he accepted the position of president. In addition to advancing many of the metrics typically considered when evaluating institutional success, Tony's leadership through the challenges of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 has been outstanding, ”said Tom Kassouf'74, President of the Board of Trustees. “We are exceptionally grateful for his long service as president, as well as the supportive and engaging student environment that Tony and Karen Collins continually nurtured, amplifying what has always been one of Clarkson's greatest strengths: the direct personal connection between students, teachers and administration. ”
“ It has been an honor bestowed by the Trustees to lead Clarkson University as President, motivated by the commitment and dedication of our inspiring faculty, staff, and students. Beyond the campus constituents, the communities surrounding our multiple campuses have joined us to work to move Clarkson forward, ”said Tony Collins. “Clarkson has a unique character that draws this support. I am grateful to our federal, state, and regional representatives, as well as our often alumni donors, who have provided the resources necessary to build this great university. ”
Originally from Australia, President Collins earned a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Monash University. He then worked for the Australian Consolidated Industries and the Utah Development Company before obtaining master's and doctorates from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1982, he launched his career at Clarkson, progressing from assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering to full professor, department chair, dean, vice president for academic affairs, and chancellor. During that time, he received awards for his outstanding teaching, research, and advice, as well as lecturing internationally and being the author of more than 90 publications.
He currently serves as president of the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), he is president emeritus of the Commission of Independent Colleges and Universities of New York (CICU), he is a member of the board of the New York State Business Council, he is president of Seaway Private Equity Corporation, and was previously nominated to serve on the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, and has served on various New York State advisory task forces, as well as co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council .
A search committee, co-chaired by trustees Georgia Keresty '83, board secretary, and Sanjeev Kulkarni '84, chair of the Academic Mission committee, will be formed to identify a successor to Tony Collins. It will include trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, representing Clarkson's major constituencies. The search committee will provide details on the committee's full membership and the process that will guide the search for Clarkson's seventeenth president when available.
For more questions and information, contact Kelly Chezum '04, Vice President of External Relations and Deputy Secretary of the Board of Trustees, at 315-268-4499 or kchezum@clarkson.edu.
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