Clark Scholars Program Network Launches Alum Network
With a goal to support the professional development and personal growth of A. James Clark Scholars Program alums, the Clark Scholars Program Network (CSPN) will launch the Clark Scholars Alum Network (CSAN) in Fall 2025, establishing a community for more than 400 alums of the Clark Scholars Program and the approximately 110 scholars who graduate from the program each year. An online and in-person community, CSAN is aimed at providing Clark Scholars with what CSPN Assistant Program Director Brandon D. Brown called “a softer landing once they’ve made that walk across the graduation stage.” CSAN’s components will work to support the needs of alums and current scholars so they can build community as they move forward as leading engineers. A searchable online graduate database—“like a personal LinkedIn for Clark Scholars,” said Brown—will build a stronger community of alums across all 11 institutions. Webinars featuring industry experts and professional or personal development opportunities, such as programming on budgeting or home ownership, will serve to increase community ties and social capital.
“We are working with a primarily first-generation college student population,” noted Brown. “We understand that there are going to be some aspects to the ‘adulting’ piece that are going to be critical to ensuring alums feel equipped for career and personal life after college.” In-person opportunities through CSAN may include mentorship opportunities, professional and social meet-and-greets, and community service projects for scholars and alums—a central tenet of the Clark Scholars Program experience. A new-graduate welcome kit adorned with a quote from A. James Clark ’50 and containing a few useful Clark Scholar Program-branded items will serve as a signpost at the transition from student to alum.
In gauging alum and student needs, Brown has noted a real desire to sustain existing relationships, build new ones, and increase online and in-person “touchpoints” for Clark Scholars. What will set CSAN apart? “We’re not asking for money—no membership dues or fees,” he said. “But the investment of time, service, expertise, and experience will provide this growing alumni base with a unique opportunity to learn and grow through their involvement.”
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