Clark's commitment to community service permeates the classrooms and extends beyond campus and the city of Worcester. Each year Clark students are awarded fellowships and grants, which allow them to apply their classroom and research experience to local issues as well as the greater global community.
Consider Evan Wilson '06 for example. A commitment to activism and community development inspired by government professor Beverly Grier and IDCE professor David Bell resulted in a seven-month stay for Wilson in Windhoeck, Namibia. Wilson was there first as a participant in Clark's study-abroad program at Augsburg College's Center for Global Education, and then this summer as an Anton Fellow volunteering with the Child Hope Initiative Project (CHIP).
CHIP helps children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, as well as people with HIV/AIDS. Wilson helped CHIP organize and structure its newly formed Youth Group/School Readiness Program, assisted with grant and report writing, and worked with vulnerable youth who needed help with school placement and connecting with productive activities. He also conducted research about educational development in Namibia for his senior honors thesis. Read more about Wilson.
Additionally, Clark is home to a variety of research institutes that contribute important scholarly work that can change the world's political and social landscape. Fro example, the George Perkins Marsh Institute conducts research on the human dimensions of global environmental change. Its Center for Risk and Security conducts in-depth studies of homeland security issues such as terrorism, disaster management, and law and human rights. And the Jacob Hiatt center for Urban Education, a partnership between Clark and the Worcester Public Schools, researches innovative ways to address the challenges and possibilities of contemporary urban education.
Investigate further and you'll find many more examples of Clark students, faculty and alumni whose work makes a difference in the lives of others.