Clarkson University Names Christopher Robinson Provost
Clarkson University has announced longtime professor and Associate Provost Christopher Robinson has been named the University’s next Provost. Robinson has been serving as Provost ad interim since July 1.
“We are thrilled to have Chris Robinson take on the permanent role of Provost here at Clarkson,” said Clarkson University President Marc P. Christensen, Ph.D., P.E. “In his role as interim provost over the last several months, Chris has demonstrated his capacity to navigate complex and challenging sets of circumstances. It is clear to me that he has the disposition, wisdom, and skills to be an exceptional Provost for where we are now and into the future.”
Robinson holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany and is highly published in the area of political theory. He has been a Fulbright U.S. Scholar, which he pursued at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea where he engaged in research and courses in human rights and environmental political theory.
Robinson’s research includes completing a book on contemporary political theory as a series of responses to political trauma and ecological catastrophe. He is also studying the politics of sustainable development and formulating a position dubbed Political Ecology that considers the larger political effects of acknowledging the illogic of limitless economic growth on a planet of limited natural resources.
“Clarkson has been my home for 25 years, and I look forward to continuing to serve this university community as provost,” Robinson said. “The current higher education landscape demands that we come together to solve problems in a creative and unified manner. I am eager to work with the diligent leaders at Clarkson to face these challenges and build on our roots to offer our students a strong education that serves humanity.”
Robinson joined the Office of the Provost in 2020 as Associate Provost for Faculty Achievement where he led faculty development programming and supported school-based and programmatic initiatives. He launched the faculty fellowship program; expanded teaching and learning in diversity, equity and inclusion; and fostered new areas of instructional excellence.
Robinson joined Clarkson in 1998 first as a Visiting Assistant Professor before being promoted to Assistant Professor in 2004. He rose to the rank of Associate Professor in 2010 and was granted the rank of Full Professor in 2019.
Prior to joining Clarkson, Robinson held faculty positions at Siena College, the State University of New York at Albany, the College of St. Rose, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Robinson is a member of Phalanx. He was the inaugural recipient of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in recognition of his commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice on the Clarkson campus and received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011.
