Campus Libraries
The Robert Hutchings Goddard Library, named for the Clark physicist who invented the rocket technology that made space travel possible, is the academic heart of the University and an architectural landmark. Goddard is both a traditional and an electronic library with collections and services that are a combination of time-tested and brand new. The collections include more than 600,00 volumes, 300,317 monographs and subscriptions to 1,500 periodical titles. The library provides full Internet access and 70 end-user subject-specific databases. As a member of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Clark offers students the use of eight academic consortium libraries and a combined local collection of more than 3.5 million volumes.
Goddard Library also offers a viewing area for videocassettes; a listening area for compact discs, records and tapes; a language lab; computers; and terminals linked to the campus’ computing network. Through the University Computing Center, the Library’s menu of electronic information sources including the Public Online Catalog is available 24 hours a day.
The Guy Burnham Map and Aerial Photography Library, founded in 1921, is an active cartographic information center. The collection, global in scope, contains over 200,000 maps and 7,500 aerial photographs, as well as atlases, journals, globes, map reference materials and tourist information. A depository agreement with the U.S. Government Printing Office insures the availability of a full array of U.S. government maps. The library is located on the lower level of the Geography Building.
The Carlson Science Library, a branch of the Goddard Library, serves the disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Located on the top floor of the Sackler Sciences Center, it houses selected science journals and a research collection of recent monographs. Full Internet access, as well as subject-specific databases, are provided.
Information Technology
At Clark, information technology permeates all aspects of campus life. E-mail and Web systems provide online access to information, services, communication and collaboration. The high-speed campus data network connects all campus buildings including residence halls, to the Intranet; and wireless “hot spots” support laptop mobility around campus. Classrooms are networked and multimedia capable. Student computer labs provide access to specialized programs used in courses. Videoconferencing connects the campus to other locations, universities and laboratories. Walk-up kiosks provide quick network access as individuals move about campus.
Clark students, faculty and staff routinely utilize this computing and networking environment in their day-to-day activities. Students register for classes and access their records through Clark’s Web services portal, CUWeb. Students, faculty and staff use e-mail for personal and University communications. The University’s Intranet (known as Clark Commons) provides access to comprehensive campus information, services, directories and forums. Faculty and students utilize Clark’s online course management system to access course materials and participate in online discussions. Faculty and students use the multimedia resource lab to produce the multimedia content for their courses and other electronic communication vehicles. Select campus events are webcasted and archived for playback on demand. Student organizations initiate online discussions and “straw polls” on the Intranet forum, where any individual may participate.
Automated systems support the entire range of University administration and operations. Campus service departments offer information and access to services via the Clark Web site; and academic departments publish full descriptions of majors and programs along with faculty profiles.
All faculty and staff are provided with networked computers. Most students bring a computer to campus. Student computer labs and kiosks are also provided throughout the campus, supporting the curriculum and complementing students’ personal ownership. Desktops and laptops; Windows and Macintosh; wired and wireless—all are supported. The University provides information and assistance to help students, faculty and staff acquire computers and software at the best prices. Consulting, troubleshooting and training resources are also provided, including evenings and weekends.
These systems and services, for which students are charged no extra fees, are provided to the Clark community by Information Technology Services.
Science Facilities
Clark’s new science facilities include the Cathy ‘83 and Marc ‘81 Lasry Center for Bioscience, as well as the Arthur M. Sackler Sciences Center, which links chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. The Lasry Center for Bioscience is a 50,000-square-foot building that houses teaching laboratories, lecture halls, faculty offices and research laboratories used by faculty and students in biology and the biochemistry and molecular biology programs. Completed in 2005, Lasry Center has received Gold certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
The Sackler Science Center and affiliated buildings include many newly renovated research, teaching and office spaces used by faculty and their students in biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, environmental science, physics, mathematics and computer science.
All of these facilities feature:
- Research laboratories used by faculty in their research involving undergraduate and graduate students
- Flexible teaching laboratories well-equipped with state of the art technology, which accommodate a variety of instructional approaches
- Classrooms and seminar rooms that incorporate modern technology and facilitate interactions among students and between faculty and students
- Common use spaces that promote collaboration and collegiality
The science facilities also house a centralized science library, computer facilities including a parallel computing cluster, and a variety of shared-use state-of-the-art equipment including an automated DNA sequencer, an electron spin resonance spectrometer, and three high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers. The equipment is routinely used in research conducted by collaborative laboratory groups including faculty, undergraduate and graduate students.
Visual and Performing Arts Facilities
The Traina Center for the Arts, which opened in August of 2002, is a state-of-the-art facility for the visual and performing arts. The complex consists of a completely remodeled late-19th-century brick school building of Richardsonian design with a newly built hall for lectures, recitals and screenings. Studios for painting, drawing and graphic design, together with a print-making studio, photography darkroom, exhibition gallery, visual resource library, multimedia center and high-tech classrooms, create an integrated environment for the study, creation, display and performance of studio art, art history, music, theater arts and film.
The Michelson Theatre, houses primarily Theater and is devoted to the creation of theatrical performances and includes a black-box theater, experimental theater, costume shop, design workshop, practice studio and classroom. The building also includes a fully equipped sculpture studio.
Estabrook Hall contains additional facilities for the arts, including music classrooms, practice rooms, the George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation Center for Music, and senior studios for advanced studio-art students.
Athletic Facilities
The Kneller Athletic Center includes the Hurst Courts, a gymnasium with three full-size courts for basketball and volleyball; a newly renovated six-lane 25-yard swimming pool with one- and three-meter diving boards; four racquetball courts and two squash courts; a weight room; a training room with facilities for rehabilitation; a dance room; plus locker rooms, offices and conference rooms.
The 4,300 square-foot James and Ada Bickman Fitness Center, an addition to the Kneller Athletic Center, provides students with a cardiovascular area as well as a strength and free-weight area.
Students play outdoor sports at Russ Granger Field. Recently renovated, the area consists of six lighted PlexiPave-surfaced tennis courts and a lighted sport-turf field for varsity field hockey, baseball and lacrosse, as well as a lighted natural-grass field for soccer. The fields are also used for intramural and recreational sports. Included in the renovations was the construction of the 29,850 square-foot Dolan Field House, which provides indoor practice space, a training room, and locker rooms for visiting and home teams. The field house is also used for intramural and recreational use. O’Brien Field is the home to the varsity softball team. Clark debuted its new cross country course in the fall of 2003 when the Cougars hosted the Worcester City Meet and the NEWMAC Championship. Located about 20 minutes from campus in the neighboring town of Boylston, Clark’s challenging course is set within 269 acres of woodland, forest and community park land and includes a combination of wooded trails and open fields. The new course will be used to host dual meets and invitationals. The Donahue Rowing Center, one of the largest rowing facilities on the East Coast, is the home for the men’s and women’s rowing program. The teams practice and compete on Lake Quinsigamond, located approximately 10 minutes from campus and considered one of the best waterways for crew competition in the country. The lake has been the site of the New England Championships, the ECAC National Championships and the Eastern Sprints Regatta. |
