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Campus Closed Friday, Classes Switch to Virtual 1/23

Out of an abundance of caution due to the forecasted weather, the Clarke University campus will be closed on Friday, January 23, 2026. Classes will switch to a virtual format. Students, please check your email and the platform utilized in each course for more information from your professors.   

Staff are excused from work, however, essential employees should report to campus unless otherwise advised by their supervisor.    

The Music Department’s Professional Performance Series has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 5 p.m. in Jansen Music Hall. 

Hours of Operation   

The Dining Hall will be open for Lunch from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Café 1843 will operate the convenience store from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., with hot food items available from 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and 5-8 p.m.
The library will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  
The Kehl Center will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Practices are canceled except for teams with competition the next day.   

Winter Safety Information 

With wind chills reaching as low as -40, frostbite can occur within 10 minutes. During the winter weather advisory, stay indoors whenever possible. Be sure to keep your cellphone charged and have access to blankets, water, and other necessities.  

If you must go out, dress in layers: wear fabrics that retain heat, use insulation layers to trap air, and choose outer layers that are wind and water-resistant. Stay dry and avoid excessive sweating to maintain body heat. 

Stay indoors, stay warm, and stay safe, Clarkies! 

Clarke University 

Heritage Tree Tour

Welcome to the Clarke University Heritage Tree Tour!

In 2018, Clarke Professor of Philosophy Norm Freund and his student interns researched the founding of our school. They learned the history of the class trees planted on our campus and created this Heritage Tour of Clarke University. If you would like to walk this tour on our campus, use the map and key to the right and listen to the audio files in the blue box to your lower right. Since the project was completed in the Summer of 2018, the video and audio will not contain anything beyond that time.

If you are unable to make it to campus to walk the tour for yourself, feel free to watch the videos below with the inspirational narration from Norm. Happy listening!

Downloadable Tree Tour Map
2018 Campus Map-memorial trees

History of Tree Planting

Noble Beginnings

Core Values Tested in Fire

Living Legacy

Gathering Spaces

Leave the future to God, I have no fear as long as you are working unitedly.

Mary Frances Clarke, Clarke University Foundress

Terence Donaghoe Hall

North Campus

Catherine Byrne Hall

Eliza Kelly Hall

Cornerstone, Replacement Buildings, and Back Campus

West Campus Residence Hall

Phoenix Rising - The Great Clarke Fire

A few years after the fire that destroyed one-third of our campus on May 17, 1984, the local Dubuque newspaper interviewed Clarke faculty and staff. This is the fire as told by those who witnessed it and the days after. All rights go to the Telegraph Herald.