Commonwealth Honors College Dean Priscilla Clarkson ’69, ’73G, ’77PhD, says the honors college is a close-knit community with deep roots and shared aspirations.
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Alumna, Scientist, Pioneer
Dean Priscilla M. Clarkson leads Commonwealth Honors College
Priscilla M. Clarkson is one of the best authorities on UMass Amherst: She earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate here, has served as a faculty member, associate dean, and distinguished professor, and is now dean of Commonwealth Honors College.
“I came to UMass Amherst because it was affordable,” says Clarkson, who grew up in a triple-decker in Worcester. Her father was a printer and her mother a stay-at-home mom. “A college education was not presumed in my family. I was lucky that I landed at UMass Amherst,” she recalls.
A faculty member since 1977, Clarkson is considered one of the country’s leading experts on muscle soreness. She taught in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences and was associate dean from 1994 to 2006, then took over the leadership of Commonwealth Honors College. Just as she made her mark in kinesiology, she is marking Commonwealth Honors College as the destination for the brightest students in Massachusetts and beyond.
Celebrating its 10th year, Commonwealth Honors College enrolls more than 3,000 students, offering them smaller classes within the rich landscape of a large public research university. “ComCol,” as it is often called, enriches a rigorous undergraduate education with courses in community service learning and research. Each senior produces a captsone project or thesis. “We have excelled at connecting students to faculty or distinguished alumni in meaningful relationships and making a difference in their lives,” Clarkson says.