Claremont McKenna has been designated a Changemaker Campus by Ashoka U for being a leader in social innovation in higher education. CMC is the 30th campus to join the Changemaker Campus Consortium.
"We're so excited to have Claremont McKenna College join us as the 30th Changemaker Campus,” said Michele Leaman, Director of the Changemaker Campus Initiative. “We've had the pleasure of watching the evolution of social innovation education at CMC over the past few years. At CMC, we see a dedication to social innovation across the entire institution, both inside and outside of the classroom, from student projects all the way to President Chodosh's inspirational leadership. This sort of deeply embedded, cross-campus energy around social innovation is exactly what we look for in a Changemaker Campus.”
The Changemaker Campus designation reinforces CMC’s singular mission to educate its students for “thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership.” CMC has integrated classical liberal arts and real world experience through a series of leadership, social innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement experiences. The Kravis Leadership Institute, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Center for Community Engagement create opportunities for students to learn how to create positive change.
“We are dedicated to the development of creative, empathic young men and women who have the courage to act and lead,” stated President Hiram Chodosh. “We see this designation as an opportunity both to learn from the Ashoka U community and in turn to lead by example, as our students learn how to draw on the tools of social innovation to solve complex, pressing problems.”
Instrumental to CMC’s designation was the student-led initiative, impACT (Inspiration, Mission, Passion, ACTION), which aims to foster a community of changemakers, and to enhance the mission of CMC to produce socially responsible leaders. Erin Krampetz, co-founder of Ashoka U and director of community partnerships, cited the “robust student involvement in shaping social innovation on campus” and the “key role that students play in actively shaping the narrative around social change at Claremont McKenna” as distinctive factors in CMC’s designation.
CMC completed an extensive selection process for the designation, including a 360 scan self-assessment, a site visit by Ashoka U leaders, and a formal selection panel presentation. Through this process, CMC has harnessed the infrastructural, student, faculty, and staff resources committed towards the advancement of social innovation and community engagement.
The Changemaker Campus consortium is a dynamic, global network of 30 leading colleges and universities, including Brown and Duke, who commit to advancing social innovation at their campus and beyond. From admissions and the curriculum, to career services and alumni engagement, these campuses set the bar for the global network of over 150 colleges and universities.
Launched in 2008, Ashoka U offers the Changemaker Campus designation to leading institutions in social innovation education. These institutions share the vision for higher education to become the next global driver of social change by transforming the educational experience into a world-changing experience.
Ashoka U is an initiative of Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs. Building on Ashoka’s vision for a world where Everyone is a Changemaker, Ashoka U takes an institutional change approach to impact the education of millions of students. Ashoka U collaborates with colleges and universities to break down barriers to institutional change and foster a campus-wide culture of social innovation.