Claremont McKenna College

Explore Opportunities to Serve the CMC Community

As CMC alumni, parents, and families, you are the greatest ambassadors of our unique liberal arts mission—the foundation for robust student support through community outreach, recruitment, career development, special programs, and philanthropy. Each individual contribution is invaluable and makes a tremendous difference in the lives and experiences of our students. Whether it’s volunteering for a committee; engaging through vital programs in Admission, the Soll Center for Student Opportunity, Institutes and Centers; or making generous financial contributions for scholarships, summer internships and experiences, and academic research; CMC is proud to have one of the most active, committed, and supportive communities in the country.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Learn about how you can get involved with your fellow alumni, current students, and CMC Community.

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Big red CMC letters on campus.

Become a Volunteer

Please select your volunteer interest below to learn about opportunities to engage with CMC!

Complete Alumni Volunteer Form

CMC Alumni Association

As CMC alumni, parents, and families, you are the greatest ambassadors of our unique liberal arts mission—the foundation for robust student support through community outreach, recruitment, career development, special programs, and philanthropy. Each individual contribution is invaluable and makes a tremendous difference in the lives and experiences of our students. Whether it’s volunteering for a committee; engaging through vital programs in Admission, the Soll Center for Student Opportunity, Institutes and Centers; or making generous financial contributions for scholarships, summer internships and experiences, and academic research; CMC is proud to have one of the most active, committed, and supportive communities in the country.

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.

Work with the Office of Admission to recruit prospective applicants.

Alumni Interviewer Program

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, is vital, and allows us to select and yield the best applicants to CMC. If you are interested in serving as an Alumni Interviewer, please reach out to the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement at alumni@cmc.edu or fill out the online form at the top and bottom of this page.

Alumni & Parent Engagement

Career Support

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:

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!

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 XXX.

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.

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.

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. If you are interested in learning more, please complete the following survey, and our program coordinator will be in touch with more details.

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.

Regional Chapter Leaders

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. If you are interested in serving as a Regional Chapter Leader, please reach out to the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement at alumni@cmc.edu or fill out the online form at the top and bottom of this page.

ALUMNI & PARENT ENGAGEMENT

CMC CHAPTERS

Alumni having a discussion during an event.

Class Agents

The CMC Alumni Association founded the Alumni Fund is in need of volunteers to help with peer-to-peer fundraising outreach. Class Agents support the Alumni Fund and inspire their classmates to do the same. If you have a passion for helping CMC students and you want to have a meaningful impact on their success, visit the Annual Giving Volunteers site to learn more about how you can help or fill out the online form at the top and bottom of this page.

Annual Giving Volunteers

Alumni gathered at the Massoud.

Class Liaison

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, or to submit a Class Note by connecting with your class liaison.

Find my Class Liaison

CMS Athletics Friends Group

Friends of CMS sport groups are intended to connect (and reconnect) alumni, parents, and friends from each of the 21 teams with each other and the athletics program. The goal is to assist in providing the best possible experiences for Athena and Stag student-athletes during their collegiate careers, while continuing the strong connections developed by our alumni during their years on campus. Friends of CMS volunteers for each sport assist in four key areas: event hosting/organization, communication, networking and mentorship, and program support.

Networking and Mentorship: Connect current Athena and Stag student-athletes with alumni and parents for informational interviews, networking events, internships or jobs.

Volunteer Outreach, Communication and Program Support: Help us reach a wider audience through your network and share info about team news, alumni events, and fundraising priorities.

Events Hosting/Organizing: Team up with CMS to host a Stag or Athena team meal when they are traveling out of state, or help organize an alumni game, team reunion, or pre/post-game event.

For more information, please contact Chris Watts, athletics advancement officer, or fill out the form at the top or bottom of this page.

Three students tabling for the Lowe Institute during the Engagement Fair.

Research Institutes & Centers

Do you have expertise that you can share with one of CMC’s eleven research institutes and centers? Looking to support the high-level academic work of our faculty and students? Consider joining one of the many Boards that help shape the path of our research program. If you are interested in serving for a research institute, contact Associate Director of Development, Institute Advancement College Advancement, Carter Stripp or fill out the form at the top and bottom of this page.

View Research Institutes & Centers

Gathering of alumni weekend.

Reunion Committee

Every five years your class is honored at Alumni Weekend. The weekend, and each successful class gathering, would not be possible without the work of reunion committee members. Each class aims to recruit a team of 10 volunteers to plan programming and encourage classmates to attend. It is a great way to connect with classmates and ensure a successful weekend. If you would like to join your committee and the Alumni Weekend planning process, contact the Office of Alumni Engagement or fill out the form at the top and bottom of this page.

Five-Year Reunion

Volunteer Opportunity Staff Contacts

Alumni Association Board - Evan Rutter '06

Alumni Interviewers - Edna Elnar Wicker

Career Support - Ursula Diamond

Regional Chapters - Cambria Teter-Kolter

Class Agents - Evan Rutter '06

Class Liaisons - Rebecca Pelén

CMS Athletics - Chris Watts

Parent Network Board and Committees - Jeannie Scalmanini

Research Institutes - Carter Stripp

Reunion Committees - Nika Clark

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Big red CMC letters on campus.

Become a Volunteer

Please select your volunteer interest below to learn about opportunities to engage with CMC!

Complete Alumni Volunteer Form