La Roche University names new president

La Roche University has named as its eighth president Christina Clark, former provost at Marywood University in Scranton, who has spent two decades as an academic at comprehensive Catholic universities.

Officials announced the hiring Thursday. She takes office in July as the school’s second lay president in its 61-year history.

Clark succeeds Sister Candace Introcaso, who died on May 22, 2023.

In a statement, officials with the private campus in McCandless praised her attributes as an educator, administrator and individual prepared to advance the school’s mission.

“What set Dr. Christina Clark apart as a candidate was her belief that the skills, cognitive capacities and values developed in a La Roche education are critical for thriving and solving complex problems in a rapidly changing world and workforce,” said Dione Graswick, chair of La Roche’s Board of Trustees. “She understands our challenges and is excited by the opportunities ahead. I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Clark to her new home in Pittsburgh.”

Introcaso served as the university’s seventh president for nearly two decades. Provost Howard Ishiyama became interim president after her death.

Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik noted Clark’s skills as an academician.

“I am encouraged that as a woman of faith, she will advance the Catholic mission of La Roche University with and for the students, faculty, staff, alumni, board of trustees and benefactors of La Roche,” Zubik said.

Clark, in turn, expressed gratitude.

“I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given to join the La Roche University community,” she said. “I admire La Roche’s commitment to empowering students in an inclusive campus environment fostering global citizenship and creating a community of scholars infused with the core values of the Sisters of Divine Providence.”

Before becoming Marywood’s provost, Clark was dean of the School of Design, Arts and Humanities at Marymount University, a Catholic Hispanic-serving institution in Virginia. She was a tenured professor of literature and languages.

She also held various academic roles at Creighton University in Nebraska from 2001 to 2016.

She has master’s and doctoral degrees in classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s degree in classics from Georgetown University, officials said. She spent her junior year abroad at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.