Clare Norton is no stranger to higher education: A graduate of Baruch College and the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, she has worked for over a decade at some of New York City's preeminent centers of learning. In her roles, Norton contributed to increasing diversity, growing enrollment, and improving graduation rates at CUNY and, more recently, at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
She joined Columbia Business School earlier this year as senior associate dean of enrollment management, having previously served as senior associate dean for enrollment management at Columbia's Mailman School, where she oversaw all activities related to recruitment, admissions, and financial aid.
We recently sat down with Norton to chat about her background and new role at CBS.
CBS: Tell us about your professional background.
Clare Norton: After starting my professional career on Wall Street working for Citigroup, I moved to work in higher education, starting at Hunter College, where I ran a program to give New York City's public high school students access to rigorous coursework and experience on college campuses. Next, I ended up working in the central administration for CUNY, where I was eventually the chief enrollment officer for the university system.
CUNY is a fascinating institution that really has a deep impact on the lives of New Yorkers. It's one of the institutions with the greatest success in lifting low-income students into the middle class. When you're seeing those kinds of outcomes, you know you're doing important work!
Later, the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia reached out to me and asked me to join their team. Although I was doing amazing work at CUNY, I knew that improving the health outcomes of students related to improving their academic successes, and I was intrigued by the opportunity to do that upstream work, so I joined. And, of course, a school of public health was a very interesting and important place to be during a global pandemic, as we worked to positively influence the health outcomes of New Yorkers and folks globally. Next came an unmissable opportunity at Columbia Business School — another opportunity to help educate folks with a focus on social responsibility and changing our world globally for the better. And, of course, there's a visionary dean here, too, and an amazing, brand-new campus.
CBS: What are your priorities in your new role?
Norton: To set effective priorities, I need to first listen and to observe. That said, I want to ensure that the process of joining the CBS community — applying, committing, enrolling — is student-centered and inclusive. CBS students, faculty, and alumni can really change the face of business and the world, so it's important that the work we do in enrollment is bringing in the right people and supporting them to become part of this amazing community. We have an opportunity — a responsibility, I think — to ensure that there's a diversity of ideas and experiences reflected in our classes, so our collective community has the skills and passion to respond to the challenges of tomorrow.
CBS: What first attracted you to this role?
Norton: There's important work being done here. We're seeing an economic revolution for many reasons: the proliferation of information, the Technology we are stepping into, and the societal needs that exist. It feels very exciting to be able to say you're helping to ensure that the very best folks will come to the very best place to learn how to be the leaders that we need in business and beyond. And CBS has remarkable alumni who can help us inspire a diverse group of future students to take advantage of all CBS has to offer.
CBS: Did you have a mentor? Was there someone who really inspired you?
Norton: Yes, I've had a lot of amazing mentors. I've never had a boss I didn't keep in touch with and get feedback from. But I also think, honestly, that in many ways I learned a ton at my family dinner table growing up. My parents were great about discussing what had happened in their workdays and current events. They talked about the challenges they faced each day and how they were addressing those challenges, so I would say I learned a lot about life and work from them as well.
CBS: What's the best piece of advice you received?
Norton: It's hard to pick just one “best” piece of advice. But recently I heard an inspiring piece of advice that was given to the CBS community at the 100/50 celebration earlier this semester. When Robert Reffkin '03, founder and CEO of Compass, spoke, he talked about responding to a challenging moment by asking yourself, “What's good about this?”and then looking for that good. It really resonated with me. There is always an opportunity to learn, pivot, and innovate, even in moments when you're very challenged or when you haven't been your most successful.
CBS: What's something you're looking forward to in 2023?
Norton: I'm really looking forward to attending my first CBS Follies. I have heard all about the shows and watched some YouTube videos, but I am sure it will be even better in person. I'm really excited for that opportunity — to join the community for that event. I think our students are innovators and creatives in many, many ways. And Follies is a great way to show that off.
CBS: What's your favorite thing about Columbia University?
Norton: People at Columbia are deeply invested in the success of their colleagues and students in a way that I didn't anticipate when I first joined the Columbia community. World-renowned faculty doing the most important work in their discipline are happy to stop in the hallway and answer your questions. My experience has actually been that Columbia is a tremendously warm place where people see those around them — regardless of their role or level of education — as colleagues in accomplishing the work they care about so passionately. They really open themselves up to others. I find all this remarkable and energizing. It's a great place to be, because you get the sense that you can be your best and you can help others be their best. That's what I've really loved about working at Columbia.
CBS: What's one surprising fact about you?
Norton: I'm a big sports fan, and maybe my best-ever sports story is that I was a ball girl for the 1994 World Cup final, which was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Los Angeles, between Brazil and Italy. My father was in charge of security for the whole tournament. The final went to penalties, and I sat on the field with the Italian players as they took their shots. Sadly, they didn't win the game, and Brazil took the title. But it was an amazing sports experience. And we got to meet Pele, which was mind-blowing.