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As vice provost for Enrollment Management, Rick Clark develops strategies to expand access to �鶹�� Tech and help students find their path here. As an ultra trail runner, Clark understands that, while there may be twists and turns along the way, perseverance and a steady approach are vital when the path ahead seems daunting. 

He started running as conditioning for soccer, but as he looked for new challenges, he discovered ultra trail running — any course longer than a traditional marathon. The longest race he’s completed was a 60-mile trek in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, in a torrential downpour. Not concerned with the leaderboards, Clark says he runs to test his limits and reach new personal highs.  

“Sometimes you find yourself far from the finish line, wondering if you can keep going, but that’s when you know you really have to dig deep. In those moments, I put my hands on my knees, look at the ground, count to three, and go again. Eventually, you’ll have this moment where one second you’re wondering ‘Why am I doing this?’ or thinking you won’t do it again, and then a day later you’re looking at what races are coming up and asking yourself, ‘What can I do next?’” 

Whether it’s training for his next race or working toward Institute-wide goals — becoming a top university for , from all 159 �鶹�� counties, or expanding access through — Clark is energized by the work that precedes the payoff and sees that mindset on the trail and at Tech.  

“What I love about being at �鶹�� Tech is that nobody’s satisfied with the status quo. Nobody is satisfied with what we’ve done. There’s always this ambition among our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to ask how we can get better.” 

Clark has worked in various roles during his 25 years in higher education, including more than 20 years at Tech. Noting the parallel between his work and his hobby, Clark says that neither running 60 miles nor paying off a ‘’ happens all at once, and that it’s important to celebrate small victories along the way.  

“Higher education is an ultramarathon,” he said. “In trail running, there are aid stations along the course. You might go miles between them, but when you reach an intersection, and there’s a group willing to share a snack and a drink by the fire, that’s a point to celebrate that you’ve made it that far. And that’s higher education, too. We keep the end goals in mind, but it’s a long course, and you’re never going to just sprint to the end.” 

Clark also stresses that both on the trail and on campus, nothing is achieved alone. He says that his support system — family, friends, and fellow trail runners — is with him every step of the way during races, and that same level of support and collaboration is also critical to shared success at Tech.  

Finding time to train can be challenging, but having learned from his experience co-authoring a book  — — Clark takes any opportunity to fit a “therapeutic” run into his daily schedule, even if it’s at 4 a.m. or 11 p.m. Training and planning for any hurdle that may arise are what Clark says keeps him calm, even when adversity hits.  

“Even success can create new challenges, and with that comes some long days and tough decisions where you don’t know if you’re taking the right path. With trail running, you may end up a mile off course sometimes, and while that can be discouraging, you know it’s a chance to trust your training, not lose your composure, stay resilient, and keep going until the end,” Clark said.  

Acceptance to �鶹�� Tech can feel like the beginning of a race, and Clark and the enrollment management team want to ensure that every student has the opportunity to run it.  

“We believe strongly in the idea that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not, and that's what we're focused on: expanding that opportunity. For a student who has the ability, we need to be a place that gives them the chance to come here, and then support them when they are here, to ensure they can take advantage of all the resources Tech has to offer.”