Frederick W. Clark Jr., Esq., is the 12th president in the 184 year history of Bridgewater State University, his alma mater.
The advancement of student success has been the cornerstone of President Clark’s administration. BSU has ascended to a position of national leadership in removing barriers to academic success, providing the necessary supports to help every student grow and succeed, and eliminating equity gaps among all student groups.
BSU is ranked 18th of Massachusetts’ four-year private and public colleges in the Wall Street Journal’s 400 Best Colleges in the U.S. and ranked as the fourth leading university in Massachusetts for advancing social mobility among students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and identities.
Under President Clark’s leadership, BSU has launched cutting edge programs in photonics and optical engineering and cybersecurity and is building the state’s most sophisticated cyber range, which will be utilized to train students and municipal, law enforcement, non-profit and business organizations. The university is intensifying its partnerships with businesses to create a more expansive and deeper pipeline of students entering the workforce.
The university continues to build upon its undergraduate research program, which is ranked among the leading programs in the country, and expand experiential learning opportunities for students through its study abroad, honors, and paid internship programs.
President Clark served BSU in many capacities prior to assuming the presidency in July 2015, including as a member and chairman of the Board of Trustees, vice chairman of the Bridgewater State University Foundation, and executive vice president and vice president for External Affairs.
President Clark is former chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and currently serves as a Massachusetts Delegate on the New England Board of Higher Education. He also serves on the boards of the Metro South Chamber of Commerce (past chair), the Light Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of MetroSouth. He chairs the CONNECT Partnership and serves on the NCAA Division III Membership Committee.
President Clark worked for nearly 20 years as district director, legal counsel and Washington liaison officer for Congressman John Joseph Moakley.
President Clark graduated from Bridgewater State in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and received his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1986.
President Clark was born and raised in Brockton and lives in Easton with his wife Carrie Kulick-Clark, ’85, whom he met while they were students at Bridgewater State. They have two sons, Justin, ’14, and Derek, and a daughter, Reilly, who is an honors student at BSU.