CMC is committed to supporting the Class of 2020 during this unprecedented time. In response to the uncertainty and ongoing impact of COVID-19, CMC has created the Impact Program (the “Program”).
Funded by an anonymous donor and other sources, the Program provides grant awards for eligible graduating Class of 2020 CMC seniors to advance their educational and professional development through internship, research or community-based projects intended to further their individual professional and career development goals. All May, June, August and December 2020 graduates are eligible to apply. Following the design of an approved project proposal, participants will execute a project, of up to one year, which connects their education, experience, and co-curricular development with their professional ambitions. The Program will begin on June 1, 2020 and conclude no later than June 18, 2021.
The Program will be administered in four phases, funding three, six, nine and full-year projects.
Phase One will be offered in Summer 2020. It may encompass a complete 3-month project or represent the first phase for longer projects. It also includes a self-curated, skills-based seminar series. Participants pursuing six month projects will complete the first two phases, with participants pursuing nine and twelve month projects completing three or all four phases, respectively. For projects that continue beyond Phase One (more than 3 months), phases will act as funding gates, ensuring key benchmarks and thresholds are met for program continuation and additional funding. All phases of the Program include one on one career coaching.
Ideally, participants will enter phase one with an identified concept of their project, but will have the first three weeks to design their project and obtain approval. Proposals will document, in detail, the nature of the project, core experience being pursued, and connection to their educational, professional and career development plans. Additionally, proposals must outline key benchmarks and deliverables, including a final reflection paper. We anticipate funding a variety of proposals, spanning all career-related interests. The Impact Program award is contingent upon obtaining committee approval and confirmation of submitted project proposal.
All participants are eligible for up to a $5000 grant per grant period. For participants with demonstrated financial need, due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, limited funding is available to support costs incurred in pursuit of the project. Program funding is limited and not guaranteed for projects longer than 3-months or graduates who apply to the Program after the April 24, 2020 deadline.
CMC Class of 2020 graduates who experience postponed commitments, withdrawn offers or other unexpected changes in the job market within the first year after graduation are also welcome to apply for the Program in any phase.
Purpose of the Program:
The Program offers grant awards for eligible graduating CMC seniors to pursue purposefully designed internship, research, or community-based projects that align with and grow their individual educational, professional and career development goals, skills and capabilities.
All grants under the Program are made at the discretion of CMC, and CMC shall have exclusive authority to determine the eligibility for and amount of any grant (including any portion of a grant designed to reimburse a participant’s expenses). No applicant has a right to a grant.
Eligible Participants:
All CMC Class of 2020 students who graduate in May, June, August or December 2020 are eligible to apply for the Program. There will be a subsequent application period for December graduates.
Application Period and Process:
The application period for phase one opened April 16, 2020 and closed on April 24, 2020 (the “Initial Deadline”). Priority is given to those who applied by the Initial Deadline. Funding is limited for all projects of 6-month duration or longer, as well as any project proposal submitted after the Initial Deadline. Subsequent application windows for August and December graduates, as well as May and June graduates who experience broken plans or changed circumstances, are anticipated as follows:
- August 3-10, 2020
- November 29-December 6, 2020
Phase Four is only open to participants who completed Phase Three or are completing a year-long project.
The Program begins with a review of the information collected from the preliminary application and introductory interview. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to fulfilling all Program requirements and should provide an explanation of how the Program will advance the applicant’s educational, professional and career development goals, skills and capabilities. After receiving a preliminary acceptance notification (expected to be in mid-May), participants will be required to work with the assigned CMC Career Coach to develop their project proposal.
Duration of Program:
The Program runs from June 1, 2020 through June 18, 2021. The Program will be split into four phases as follows:
- Phase One: June 1, 2020 through August 28, 2020
- Phase Two: September 1, 2020 through December 11, 2020
- Phase Three: January 11, 2021 through March 26, 2021
- Phase Four: April 5, 2021 through June 18, 2021
Participants initially accepted into Phase One of the Program will be considered for future phases based on the duration of their project and their satisfactory completion of prior phases of the Program.
Program Components:
The Program will be centered on a hands-on learning experience (either an internship, community project, or research project) to develop the participant’s individual educational, professional and career development goals. In addition to the experiential project, participants will have the opportunity to self-curated skills-based seminar series, and access to individual career coaching.
Experiential Project:
To fulfill the experiential component of the Program, the participant may take part in either an approved internship (paid or unpaid), community service project, or research project (or a combination of such projects) that furthers the individual’s educational, professional and career development goals, skills and capabilities. There must be a clear connection between the proposed activity and the participant’s career goals. The following are some examples of the types of experiences that would be acceptable to fulfill the Program requirements:
- Internship – participants may pursue an internship with an organization that offers a substantive, meaningful experience that is relevant to the participant’s chosen career or profession. Confirmation of the internship is required before any grant payment will be paid under the Program and a point of contact must be identified to provide feedback on the participant’s performance. Internships can be paid or unpaid.
- Research – participants may pursue a robust research project that will broaden the participant’s skills or knowledge in his or her chosen field or profession. All research must have a faculty/ instructor advisor, outlined plan and final deliverable. Stipends are also available to support faculty in their oversight.
- Community Project – participants may pursue a self-designed community-focused project that will enhance the participant’s skills or knowledge in his or her chosen career or profession. All projects must be approved and include an outlined plan and final deliverable. Projects must be overseen by a program advisor and/or a CMC alum working in the field.
For participants in Phase One of the Program, the participant will have until June 21, 2020 to identify the participant’s chosen experiential project and to present a proposal to the Project Review Committee. The proposal deadlines for subsequent phases will be timely communicated to participants prior to the start of the applicable phase. The participant’s proposal must document, in detail, (1) the nature of the project (including whether the participant will be receiving payment, and the amount of any such payment), (2) core experience being pursued, (3) overall goal of the project, including the connection to the participant’s educational, professional and career development goals, (4) desired duration of the project, and (5) the project’s advisor or supervisor.
The participant will work with his or her CMC Career Coach to set clear benchmarks and deliverables for the project, including a reflection paper, to document the participant’s development of skills and capabilities that are relevant to the participant’s chosen career path. Benchmarks will be different for each project and may include (1) regular journal entries, (2) examples of skills-based seminar applications to the project, (3) reflection papers, and (4) feedback from career coach or fellowship advisor. All proposals must also include a final deliverable(s). Deliverable(s) will be customized to each project and connect the project to the participant’s educational, career and professional goals. Expected examples of reflection papers include:
- An Economics major researches and drafts a paper on the financial implications of emergency relief provided to small businesses, which illuminates the participant’s interest in pursuing a career in economic policy.
- A participant writes about how his or her internship at an online learning non-profit expanded his or her understanding of the psychological responses to virtual learning, building upon theories the participant learned as a Psychology major. This experience confirmed that the participant wants to pursue a career in educational technology.
- A student of any major is interested in starting his own organization. The participant organizes a six-month job shadow or interviewing experience with two start-ups, a venture capital firm, and a shared workspace. The student writes a paper summarizing his experience and connecting his observations with his future plans for his own business.
Skills-Based Seminars:
All participants in phase one of the Program will be required to complete at least 80 hours of online seminar courses (i.e. the equivalent of eight seminar courses). Two of the seminars will consist of core curriculum, which apply to every field, with the other six seminars as electives, chosen by the participant in conversation with their career counselor. With prior approval, participants may complete the 80-hour skills requirement through seminars outside of the Program. The seminars will be delivered asynchronous so that participants from any global location can participate in the program and will include assessments.
Career Counseling:
All participants in all phases of the Program will be required to meet regularly (telephonically or electronically) with an assigned CMC Career Coach to support the participant’s post-graduate career transition.
Grant Amount:
Participants receive a $5,000 award per phase, divided into two installments. For participants with demonstrated financial need, due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, limited funding is available to support costs incurred in pursuit of the project. Examples include travel, technology and housing away from home. Funds for housing are not available for participants living at home. The participant may be asked to provide proof of actual expenses incurred and additional grants will be awarded at CMC’s sole discretion, based on financial need and connection to the participant’s project.
For the initial phase, grants will be funded in the following manner:
- $2500 upon approved proposal and acceptance into the Program as a Fellow (no later than July 1, 2020)
- $2500 upon substantial completion of the 3-month project, or August benchmarks outlined in the approved proposal for six, nine and full-year projects
For all subsequent stages, grants will be funded in the following manner:
- $2500 within the first week of the phase;
- $2500 upon successful completion of the 3-month project, or outlined benchmarks in the approved proposal for six, nine and full-year projects
Grant amounts may be fully taxable to the participant and participants are advised to consult with their own individual tax advisors to determine the tax implications of accepting any grant under the Program.
Please direct any questions on the Impact Program to one of the following staff members:
- Nyree Gray, Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Civil Rights Officer: nyree.gray@cmc.edu
- Beth Milev ‘05, Director, Robert Day Scholars Program and Scholar Communities: beth.milev@cmc.edu
- Kevin Arnold, Consultant: kevin.arnold@cmc.edu