On Dec. 18, 2024, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner announced that Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Clark plans to step down from her current position this summer. She will go on a sabbatical before returning to the University of Denver as a faculty member. In the Fall of 2026; she will be teaching both law and undergraduate students.

Provost Clark attended Bryn Mawr College, a women’s college where she majored in English literature for her undergraduate years.

“It helps explain my commitment to women’s rights and women’s empowerment,” she said. Clark has served on the board of her alma mater for thirteen years.

After graduating from Bryn Mawr, Clark attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated with future president, Barack Obama. After Harvard Law, she worked in women’s and civil rights litigation before becoming a law professor. 

Provost Clark’s upbringing inspired her to pursue education. Both of Clark’s parents were first-generation students whose education had transformative effects on their lives. Because of her parents’ high regard for education, both Provost Clark and her brother have pursued advanced degrees. 

“My parents made it very clear to my brother and I that education was highly important, highly valued,” she explained.

When it comes to her passion for women’s rights, Clark has been particularly proud of her work as a professor and academic administrator, especially in the field of law. Clark has also been able to advance opportunities in women’s employment through her work as a litigator.

“I brought lawsuits on behalf of women who were claiming sexual harassment, for example in the workplace,” she said. 

More recently, Clark has been involved with the Denver Public School system as the treasurer of the DPS Foundation. She also serves on the board of the Denver Urban Debate League, where she helps judge debate and speech tournaments for students around the Denver metro area. 

In July 2020, Clark was recruited to be the Provost of the University of Denver. With her background in women’s and civil rights, Clark was attracted to DU’s commitment to the public good. One moment that Clark highlighted during her recruitment process was how students and faculty were involved in the search process for a new Provost, something she found appealing.

“In the interview process, I saw the mutual regard that faculty and students had for one another. The way they spoke of their work with one another was very appealing. The [hiring] committee gave me one question that I could ask them and I said ‘What do you enjoy most about your experience at DU?’ and the students in the community said, ‘Working with faculty’ and the faculty said, ‘Working with students.’”

Clark cites the recent loss of former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election as part of her inspiration for her next chapter. Clark views the messages of Harris’s campaign as relevant to her own vision of her work moving forward.

“I want to work with girls and young women to advance their sense of self-confidence, self-esteem and opportunity. I want to identify important role models that girls and young women can look to for inspiration and empowerment,” she explained.

When it comes to her legacy at DU, Clark finds pride in the university’s work towards a greater public good. 

“We have basic science that is helping to support the public good through developing treatment for cancer and Alzheimer’s. We have journalism, international affairs, or the arts in the public good,” she expressed. 

Jeremy Haefner referred to Clark’s stepping down as a “transition.” She will be working part-time as a special advisor in his office during her sabbatical. The role is in “evolution,” but it is meant to help develop the “…strategic vision for the university moving forward” — as described by the Provost. 

To prepare for her sabbatical, Provost Clark has applied for many fellowships that center around women’s empowerment, primarily through education. When she returns, Clark will be teaching part-time at Sturm College of Law and as a professor of free speech and women’s rights for undergraduate students.