Dr. John Clark will be stepping down as President of Western Connecticut State University on July 14th.  He assumed the role in 2015. He says during the COVID-19 pandemic the university community rose to the occasion in the true spirit of Western Connecticut State University, where they teach students to learn, grown and overcome adversity.  Clark says it's that spirit which will carry WestConn forward in the coming years and help it to grow and prosper as a leading regional comprehensive university.  CSCU President Terrence Cheng says Clark helped to introduce an in-state tuition program that first included seven bordering counties in New York, the first of its kind for the system.  Due to the success of the program, it was expanded to include all of New York and New Jersey.  The interim president will be Paul Beran.  Beran has 40 years of experience in higher education leadership: most notably as Executive Director and CEO at South Dakota Board of Regents for Public Universities; as Chancellor at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith; as President at Northwestern Oklahoma State University; and Vice President for Faculty and Instruction at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts.