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Campus Closed Friday, Classes Switch to Virtual 1/23

Out of an abundance of caution due to the forecasted weather, the Clarke University campus will be closed on Friday, January 23, 2026. Classes will switch to a virtual format. Students, please check your email and the platform utilized in each course for more information from your professors.   

Staff are excused from work, however, essential employees should report to campus unless otherwise advised by their supervisor.    

The Music Department’s Professional Performance Series has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 5 p.m. in Jansen Music Hall. 

Hours of Operation   

The Dining Hall will be open for Lunch from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Café 1843 will operate the convenience store from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., with hot food items available from 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and 5-8 p.m.
The library will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  
The Kehl Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Practices are canceled except for teams with competition the next day.   

Winter Safety Information 

With wind chills reaching as low as -40, frostbite can occur within 10 minutes. During the winter weather advisory, stay indoors whenever possible. Be sure to keep your cellphone charged and have access to blankets, water, and other necessities.  

If you must go out, dress in layers: wear fabrics that retain heat, use insulation layers to trap air, and choose outer layers that are wind and water-resistant. Stay dry and avoid excessive sweating to maintain body heat. 

Stay indoors, stay warm, and stay safe, Clarkies! 

Clarke University 

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Humanitarian Service Award Winner

The Humanitarian Service Award is presented for exceptional service to humanity through civic, faith-based or educational endeavors.

Mary Kilian Pollard, BVM ’48 (posthumously) 

After graduating from Clarke in 1948, Kilian Pollard joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in 1952, arrived at Saint Augustine’s School for African American children in Memphis, TN. She loved the school and the African American community and told her superior to forget her. Fifty-five years later, she was buried in Saint Augustine’s cemetery after spending her entire life there.

Her tenacious support of the African American community in Memphis was repeatedly recognized during her lifetime. Her students were poor, and colleges were not open to accepting Black candidates, but Kilian advocated tirelessly and successfully placed her students into colleges and even prestigious universities throughout the United States. Kilian also worked to influence the hiring of black doctors at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Memphis, and these doctors, in turn, advocated to admit African American patients. When the diocese decided to close the Catholic high school for African American students, Kilian and other BVMs objected. In the end, they helped negotiate a merged school with African American and white students learning together.

In Memphis, Kilian taught in grade school and high school. She served as vice-principal, curriculum developer, and guidance counselor. When presenting the prestigious “Martyrs of Memphis Award” to Sister Kilian, Bishop Dozier of Memphis stated: “In a city known for its racial strife and sometimes marked by violent prejudice, Sister Kilian’s single-hearted service has been its humble constancy, its unswerving integrity. This is a woman who practices what she preaches! She treats all with dignity and thereby gives dignity. Sister Kilian is a woman of steadfast service, and she excludes no one. No doubt, many people have learned from her of their own dignity and the dignity of others.”