Famous Clark University Alumni
Clark University, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, has a long and distinguished history of producing notable alumni in various fields. This article aims to highlight some of the most prominent graduates and former students who have made significant contributions to society.
Academics and Education
Clark University has been a fertile ground for academic excellence, producing leading figures in various disciplines.
Frederic Lister Burk (1862-1924): A Canadian-born American educator, educational theorist, superintendent, educational reformer, and university president, Burk earned his Ph.D. from Clark University.
John Kneller: An English-American professor and the fifth President of Brooklyn College, Kneller received his B.A. from Clark University.
Francis Sumner: Sumner holds the distinction of being the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in psychology.
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Lewis Madison Terman: An American psychologist, academic, and proponent of eugenics, Terman was a pioneer in educational psychology. He is best known for his revision of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales and for initiating the longitudinal study of children with high IQs called the Genetic Studies of Genius.
William Leonard Langer: An American historian, intelligence analyst, and policy advisor, Langer served as chairman of the history department at Harvard University.
Li Ji: Also commonly romanized as Li Chi, was an influential Chinese archaeologist. He is considered to be one of the foremost figures in modern Chinese archaeology and his work was instrumental in proving the historical authenticity of the Shang dynasty.
Matthew Linzee Sands: An American physicist and educator, Sands is best known as a co-author of the Feynman Lectures on Physics.
Edward Bradford Titchener: An English psychologist who studied under Wilhelm Wundt, Titchener is best known for creating his version of psychology that described the structure of the mind: structuralism.
Read also: Columbia University Legacy
Arts and Entertainment
Clark University's alumni have also made their mark in the world of arts and entertainment.
John Heard: An American actor, Heard appeared in a number of successful films, including Heart Beat (1980), Cutter's Way (1981), Cat People (1982), Beaches (1988), and Deceived (1991). He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1999 for guest-starring as Vin Makazian on The Sopranos (1999-2004).
Padma Lakshmi: An American television personality, model, author, producer, businesswoman, and activist, Lakshmi hosted the cooking competition program Top Chef on Bravo continuously from 2006 to 2023. She is also the creator, host, and executive producer of the docuseries Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.
Xu Zhimo: A Chinese romantic poet and writer of modern Chinese poetry, Zhimo strove to loosen Chinese poetry from its traditional forms and to reshape it under the influences of Western poetry and the vernacular Chinese language.
Alexander Gould: An American acting agent and retired actor, Gould is best known for voicing the title character of the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo and for his portrayal of Shane Botwin on the Showtime drama series Weeds.
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Jeffrey Lurie: An American businessman, motion picture producer, and owner of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) since 1994.
Mitch Glazer: An American writer, producer, and actor.
Business and Entrepreneurship
Clark University alumni have also achieved success in the world of business and entrepreneurship.
Jacob Hiatt: Former president of Rand-Whitney, acquired by Kraft Group in 1972. Hiatt's daughter Myra married Robert Kraft; namesake of Clark's Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education and Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology.
Michael Marcus: A commodities trader who, in less than 20 years, is reputed to have turned his initial $30,000 into $80 million.
Sonia Gardner: An American businesswoman, hedge fund manager and the co-founder of Avenue Capital Group.
Steven A. Kandarian: Was the president, chairman, and chief executive officer of MetLife.
Politics and Activism
Clark University has also produced notable figures in politics and activism.
Grayson Louis Kirk: An American political scientist who served as president of Columbia University during the Columbia University protests of 1968. He was also an advisor to the State Department and instrumental in the formation of the United Nations.
Olta Xhaçka: An Albanian politician and Socialist Party member of Parliament. She served as the minister of Europe and foreign affairs from January 2021 to September 2023.
Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis: A Latvian Russian politician and economist, who has previously served as the Minister for Education and Science and as Minister of Economics of Latvia.
Terri Bonoff: A politician from the state of Minnesota. She is a former member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 44.
Mesfin Woldemariam: An Ethiopian academic and human rights activist.
P. C. Chang: A Chinese academic, philosopher, playwright, human rights activist, and diplomat.
Science and Technology
Clark University alumni have made significant contributions to the fields of science and technology.
Robert H. Goddard: An American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which was successfully launched on March 16, 1926.
Alan Kotok: An American computer scientist known for his work at Digital Equipment Corporation (Digital, or DEC) and at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Adelbert Ames Jr.: An American scientist who made contributions to physics, physiology, ophthalmology, psychology, and philosophy. He pioneered the study of physiological optics at Dartmouth College.
Mohammad Hassan Ganji: An Iranian meteorologist and academic. He is credited as being the father of modern geography in Iran.
Other Notable Alumni
Amy Dickinson: An American newspaper columnist who wrote the syndicated advice column Ask Amy.
Mark Bittman: An American food journalist, author, and former columnist for The New York Times.
Frederick Madison Smith: An American religious leader and author and the third Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (renamed the Community of Christ in 2001).
Henry Herbert Goddard: An American psychologist, eugenicist, and segregationist during the early 20th century.
Solomon Lefschetz: A Russian-born American mathematician who did fundamental work on algebraic topology, its applications to algebraic geometry, and the theory of non-linear ordinary differential equations.
E. Franklin Frazier: Was an American sociologist and author, publishing as E. Franklin Frazier.
Edwin Eugene Aldrin Sr.: Was an aviator and officer in the United States Army during World War I and World War II. He was the father of astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
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