Clayton Marsh, who has been deputy dean of the college since 2011, will leave Princeton University to become the founding head of a new independent school in Bentonville, Arkansas, as of January.
The school, which the Walton Family Foundation is funding, is expected initially to offer classes for students in middle school and high school. Marsh will lead all aspects of the school's development from the ground up, including curriculum and infrastructure.
As deputy dean of the college, Marsh holds major responsibilities related to the overall design and content of Princeton’s undergraduate program. He previously served as university counsel for nine years.
As a lecturer in English, Marsh has taught Freshman Seminars on self-invention and imposture in American literature for more than ten years as well as an upper-level seminar on American trials and literature.
Prior to joining the Princeton administration in 2002, Marsh practiced commercial litigation in New York for five years. He began his career as an educator at the Lawrenceville School, where for seven years he taught English, served as a resident housemaster, and coached football and wrestling.
A 1985 graduate of Princeton with a bachelor's degree in English with high honors, Marsh earned a master's degree in English from Stanford University in 1986, a Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University in 1995, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1997.
