Founded by the first CMC students in 1948, the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association was incorporated formally in 1956 by the College’s earliest alumni. All alumni are members of the CMC Alumni Association. The governing Board collaborates with College leadership and sponsors activities that provide valuable opportunities to become more familiar with CMC’s educational mission; support the institution and its students; and engage with administrators, faculty, students, and alumni. The Board also provides an ideal forum for sharing experiences, volunteer opportunities, alumni accomplishments, and general fellowship with one another. The Board supports many volunteer opportunities and efforts, including Class Agents, Class Notes, Reunion Committees and Programming, Chapters, and assisting the Soll Center for Student Opportunity. One does not need to be on the Board to volunteer.

• Communications: Assist the Association and the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement with Communication strategy, including social media, website, and the CMC Magazine. Class Liaisons and Class Notes are coordinated through this committee.
• Off-Campus Engagement: Chapters and regional programming are at the center of the Association’s activities, and the College prioritizes engaging our community members across the globe. This committee supports the work of our chapters through regional and virtual programming.
• On-Campus Engagement: Support the great work of our on-campus programming and on-campus partners, including Alumni and Reunion Weekends, ImpactCMC Volunteer Weekend, and student engagement through the Soll Center for Student Opportunity and other in-person opportunities.
• Philanthropic Engagement: Co-managed by the Office of Annual Giving and Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, this committee functions as the Association’s primary fundraising committee. The main mission of the committee is to assist the College in its efforts to raise the vital funds that bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of a CMC education. Engage your peers and ask for their support, and reach out to offer thanks to donors.

For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact Evan Rutter ’06.

Recruit for CMC! Work with the Office of Admission by attending college fairs in your area and interviewing prospective applicants. Each year, thousands of students inquire about a CMC education, and who better to talk with them than CMC alumni? Your efforts to recruit and help are vital, and allow us to select and yield the best applicants to CMC. For more information, please contact Edna Elnar Wicker.

Students are always eager to connect with CMC alumni to discuss careers, employment, and internships. The Soll Center for Student Opportunity aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and resources to find meaningful opportunities for personal and professional growth—both while at CMC and after graduation. They strive to do this through individual coaching, customized programming, networking, and expanding opportunities for experiential learning. Get involved by:

• Posting a Job or Internship for Students and Alumni: Find CMC students and alumni to work for your organization! CMC is a member of the 7-C College Recruiting Program, which allows you to post a position and pull from our talented applicant pool. To post a job, you have two options: (1) You can either post the job on Handshake as an employer or (2) you can fill out the brief Alumni & Family Job and Internship Posting Form. You can also use this form if you would like to let CMCers know about opportunities at another organization you are affiliated with. Please note that we are able to offer Summer Internships and Experiences funding to CMC students who apply by March 1, so unpaid and low-paid internship opportunities are also welcome!
• Recruiting (both on and off-campus)
  
  • On-Campus Interviews: Set up times to interview and learn more about why students are interested in your organization or career field.
  • Information Sessions: We offer employers the opportunity to come to our office and speak with students. Help them discover new career options and build a professional relationship.
  • Coffee Chats: Get to know students in small groups. Meet with 2-3 students at a time and discuss your company, role, and recruiting process. Career Services can handle all of the scheduling logistics for this event.
  • Attend a Meet-Up or Panel Discussion: We have a number of events over the course of the year in which you can network and engage with students who are interested in employment opportunities.

For additional information on any of these programs and to schedule a date for your visit, please contact Charlene Kile.

• Share your Career Insights – Experts-in-Residence: Career Services invites our CMC parents to share their expertise and experiences in a particular interest cluster with our students. We seek experts at two levels: generalists and specialists.
  • Generalists talk with students who are new to an industry and are looking for some basic tenets, or a primer, that will help them further investigate the industry. The best information comes from industry professionals who can provide a fuller picture of different lines of work, major players, and current resources. Conversations may include information about first jobs, good and bad decisions, favorite elements, who and what prepared you the most for your profession, and what you know now that you wish you knew then!
  • Specialists talk with students who have narrowed their interests and know the basics about the industry. These questions tend to focus on answers to interview questions, how to differentiate between company cultures, and other information specific to a particular role. If you are interested in participating in our Experts-in-Residence Program, please complete the following survey, and a career coach will provide your contact information to relevant students. On average, our Experts receive 1-3 emails per month.
• Conduct a Mock Interview: Mock interviewing is an invaluable opportunity for students to practice their interview skills and receive honest feedback on their interview performance. Typically conducted via phone or Skype, students learn how to answer challenging questions, develop interview strategies, improve their communication skills, and reduce their stress before an actual job interview. We are looking for alumni who can offer all types of interview experience, including screening interviews, behavioral interviews, case interviews, and technical interviews. If you are interested in participating as a Mock Interviewer, please complete the following survey, and a career coach will be in contact with further details.
• Host a CMC Student at Your Organization/Job Shadowing: A job shadow experience entails hosting one or more CMC students, in your office, for a partial or full day of shadowing. We are seeking parents who would be willing to host students for a 4-8 hour office visit over winter and summer breaks. The goal is to provide CMC students with more information about career options and to personally experience a day in the life in various professions.
• Networking Treks: Each year, we organize student-networking trips to cities such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles (and surrounding Orange County), New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Each trip has a specific industry focus. If would like to host a visit, please reach out to Ursula Diamond.

Have an idea for regional programming? Looking to join your city or region’s leadership team to plan dynamic activities for the CMC community? Connecting off campus is just as important as connecting on campus. CMC has 19 regional chapters for local engagement, and the College is always in need of hosts for programs, and volunteers to welcome new students and recent graduates to their communities. Alumni enjoy meeting fellow alumni from their area and engaging with faculty, staff, and students when they come to town. Network with members of the CMC community in your region and learn about ways to support each other and the College. For more information, please contact Jenna Gough. To search and connect with regional chapters, please visit: https://online.cmc.edu/volunteer-opportunities#Chapters.

Class Liaisons act as helpful intermediaries between the Alumni Association, the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, the College, and each class. In addition to disseminating useful College-related information to their fellow alumni, Class Liaisons also help the alumni community stay connected to each other and to CMC by collecting newsworthy information from their classmates for publication in CMC Magazine’s Class Notes section. The Class Liaison community enjoys networking with different class years, early access to the latest College news, and a great excuse to keep up with old friends. Email alumni@cmc.edu for more information, contact Rebecca Pelén, or submit a Class Note by connecting with your class liaison.