$80M Investment in STEM
“Let’s Go Tech!” is not just the rallying cry that echoes within the walls of Clarkson University’s Cheel Arena. It’s an innovative mindset. It’s an experiential learning philosophy. Born from the University’s engineering roots and fostered through its love of hockey, Let’s Go Tech is a mantra that’s quintessentially Clarkson. $80M Investment in STEM.
Motivated by the University’s largest targeted financial commitment from technological entrepreneurs Ken ’71 and Grace Solinsky, Let’s Go Tech takes on a new meaning as the University joins forces to invest $80 million to advance Clarkson engineering and STEM at large.
Producing highly successful engineers has been a Clarkson hallmark for more than 125 years. Students gain the fundamental knowledge and hands-on experience they need to start their STEM careers along with the work ethic, grit and drive that propels their lifelong success.
“In order for innovation to flourish, you have to create an environment where people feel empowered, where they can express ideas and have the freedom to move fast,” says Clarkson Alumnus Ken Solinsky. This is true not only in industry but also in curricular and co-curricular education.
Igniting the STEM Spark
Education should be active and effective – a hands-on experience that puts theory into practice and prepares you for how the world works. There is no better way to acquire the skills and knowledge for your career than through doing.
A close partner with industries across the STEM disciplines, and engineering in particular, Clarkson knows what employers want and need. It’s constantly evolving and expanding its programs to surpass these expectations. As you learn, you will discover how to work within a team. You will also have access to opportunities that allow you to explore your passions while advancing your career trajectory and developing solutions to complex global challenges.
Clarkson provides the equipment, resources and friendly rivalry through which all students – not just engineering majors – can learn, lead and launch their ideas. Clarkson Ignite – a student innovation hub and set of related initiatives – drives innovation in and outside the classroom.
- The Annual President’s Challenge is a campus-wide competition in which students collaborate across disciplines to develop a prototype or concept that demonstrates an innovative solution to a specific, real-world issue. The University also hosts various business plan competitions throughout the year.
- The Cube, the student business accelerator backed by The Shipley Center for Innovation, provides enhanced support to Clarkson’s most motivated entrepreneurs. Teams apply and pitch to secure a spot in this program that offers startup capital for student ventures.
- The Dorf Makerspace is a hub for hands-on, physical creation with state-of-the-art equipment like 3D printers, a vinyl heat press machine, a glass fusing and soldering station, sewing and embroidery machines, laser engravers and more.
The Media Production Center provides resources for producing and editing visual and audio content, including photos, videos, music, podcasts and additional forms of digital media.
Innovation at Full SPEED
One of the most fun and exhilarating ways to put learning into practice is through Clarkson’s Student Projects for Engineering Experience & Design (SPEED) program, which has maximal access to the state-of-the-art Student Prototyping Machine Shop – Clarkson’s one-stop shop for design and fabrication needs.
Every year, hundreds of Clarkson students from all majors join one of 13 SPEED teams to put their skills to the test and engage in endless collaboration. From concept to completion, teams dream, design and build projects, including a concrete canoe, Baja off-road vehicle, clean snowmobile and more. And they do it all on a deadline, racing to compete against other colleges and universities, both regionally and nationally.
Clarkson University’s SPEED teams have proved competitive for decades, holding their own against much bigger universities and budgets. How do they do it? Sometimes, less really is more. They take the idea of hands-on education at its most literal and compete among the best of the best.
Synergistic Support
From the University’s first-year/college transition services to its strong alumni network, Clarkson provides unmatched support.
- The Student Success Center staff and resources help all students thrive and grow at Clarkson and beyond.
- The Parker Career Center understands what motivates you and supports your career aspirations through rigorous career preparation and robust, multifaceted support. In fact, 98% of Clarkson grads found placement in their chosen field within six months of their graduation. That may be because real work experience is all but guaranteed; 100% of Clarkson students have at least one internship, co-op, or professional, research or capstone experience. Class of 2023 four-year degree graduates report starting salaries upward of $100K, with an average starting salary of over $71,700.
- It is no secret why Clarkson University graduates continue to prosper in the job market: A supportive 46,000+ Alumni Network that thrives on hiring similar talent. Hundreds of recruiters from across the country converge on the small upstate New York campus twice yearly to find their next hires.
Clarkson also offers immersive learning-living communities. Nearly all undergraduate students live on the 640-acre wooded and riverfront campus in Potsdam, New York. Students who earn the Solinsky Scholarship can immerse themselves in everything related to engineering and manufacturing through the University’s newest living-learning community that caters to their academic, social and personal needs. In addition to living with those with similar interests, Solinsky Scholars regularly meet with the Dean of the Coulter School of Engineering, receive individualized academic and career mentoring and gain priority access to Clarkson’s Makerspace.
Learning by Doing
Agile, Industry-Relevant Credentials: Clarkson is known for ensuring industry-ready graduates that employers loyally recruit year after year. While classroom studies stress the importance of hands-on learning, Clarkson offers a catalog of micro-credentials/short courses that accelerate personal and professional success. From business to advanced technology, courses cover the knowledge, skills and experience that industry partners consistently list as essential to any candidate who wants to stand out from the crowd and be an important organizational asset from day one.
Research: Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university because of its dynamic teacher-scholar faculty. Through multiple centers funded by private industry, New York state and the federal government, undergraduate and graduate students regularly contribute to solutions toward some of the world’s most pressing issues. Clarkson Honors students get extra time in the lab starting the summer before their first semester on campus.
Learn more about Clarkson’s research centers and labs, a few of which include:
- Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP)
- Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR)
- Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Sciences (CAARES)
- Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST)
- Assisted Intelligent Device Fabrication Facility (AIDFab)
- Astronautics and Robotics Laboratory (ASTRO Lab)
All in On Excellence
What’s the story behind Clarkson’s successful outcomes? Data. These recent statistics only further emphasize Clarkson is engineering.
Clarkson is all in on excellence – are you? Learn how Clarkson can help you accelerate your success while differentiating yourself from other engineering and STEM program graduates. Better yet, see innovation in action by visiting the campus.
Source: $80M Investment in STEM
https://www.techedmagazine.com/category/news-by-industry/stem/