Clarkson College history

The school graduated its first nursing class in 1890.

In August 1894, Thomas S. Clarkson was in a severe accident in his sandstone quarry just upriver from Potsdam.

Founded in 1896 to honor Thomas S. Clarkson, a pioneering entrepreneur and humanitarian, Clarkson University today is a private, national research university that is a leader in technological education and sustainable economic development through teaching, research and scholarship and innovation.

In 1902, the Bishop Clarkson Memorial School of Nursing began offering a three-year program, which it maintained for the first half of the twentieth century.

The hospital moved in 1908 from its original site at 1716 Dodge Street to 2100 Howard Street to keep up with the growing demands of nursing education.

The new facility featured classrooms, elevators and large wards where in 1918, Bishop Clarkson Memorial School of Nursing students tended to flu victims as the world reeled from the Spanish Flu pandemic.

In 1936, Bishop Clarkson Memorial School of Nursing moved to new facilities at 26th and Dewey Streets, with students housed in several nearby homes.

In 1982, the school changed its name to Bishop Clarkson College and began offering its first four-year degree option: a bachelor's degree in Nursing.

In 1987, the institution appointed Doctor Patricia Book Perry as its first President and established its first board of directors.

In 1988, Bishop Clarkson College received full eight-year accreditation from the National League for Nursing (NLN).

The College settled into its current site at 42nd and Dodge Streets in 1992 and changed its name to Clarkson College.

In 2004, the College opened a two-story Student Center complete with a Bookstore, community commons area and student success center.

The Interprofessional Learning Center opened its doors in fall 2019.