Worcester Business Journal

28 Worcester Business Journal | October 30, 2023 | wbjournal.com F A C T B O O K W O R C E S T E R : J U S T T H E F A C T S BY TIMOTHY DOYLE WBJ Staff Writer G azing at Clark University from its entrance gate on Main Street in Worcester, the institution's rich histo- ry as a research institution is on display. Traditional brick academic buildings surround a green quad. A statue of Sig- mund Freud commemorates a series of lectures he gave at the university in 1909, Fitting in Clark is balancing a need for new facilities while trying to avoid sprawl the only lectures he gave in the United States. Much of the entrance to the campus is what David Chearo, Clark's vice presi- dent for planning and chief of staff, calls American collegiate style, as opposed to college buildings emulating the gothic revival style of British universities. However, the campus features a variety of styles of architecture, Chearo said, reflecting the functions of each of the buildings. ere's the Robert H. Goddard Library's brutalism-influenced style built in 1969 to the contemporary steel, glass, and cladding of the Shaich Family Alumni & Student Engagement Center, completed in 2016. e school has begun a series of new capital projects serving the university's changing needs: a futuristic structure serving the future of media, a reimag- ining of a Clark-owned mixed-use block on Main Street, and the potential redevelopment of a long vacant car dealership lot on Park Avenue. e need for growth is forcing Clark to expand, but the university is taking steps to be a good neighbor through thoughtful development and attempts to continue to integrate itself in the community with which it has been entwined since 1887. Departmental growth On the North side of the campus, Clark opened its 70,000-square-foot Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design at the beginning of the fall semester. Work is still being completed on some of the center's features – like basement recording space – but classes are being held and students are using the common spaces that are designed to integrate the building into the larger campus. "We want it to be accessed and used by everyone," said Chearo. He said the building has lounge spaces and study areas for use by all students as well as an open lobby, featuring stadium seating, that can be used for events or for people to pass through enroute from one part of campus to another. e building houses the Becker School of Design & Technology, Clark's growing computer science program, and accommodates makerspace and gallery space. e need for the building arose when Clark adopted Becker College's renowned video game program in 2021 following Becker's closure. Clark leased property to house the program for two years as a temporary solution, said Chearo, but had to decide for the long Clark University hopes to address its shortage of student beds while providing a home for local business- es with its planned six-story building. IMAGE | COURTESY OF CLARK UNIVERSITY

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