Announcing the Clark Scholars Program: Excellence in Engineering Education

The A. James Clark Scholars Program has been established at Stevens, thanks to a $15 million endowment from the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. It is the largest endowed scholarship gift in university history and will provide financial support and enhanced learning opportunities for exceptional undergraduate students who are underrepresented in the engineering field.

Alice B. and A. James Clark

"We are proud to establish the Clark Scholars Program at Stevens Institute of Technology," said Joe Del Guercio, president and CEO of the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation. "Mr. Clark believed in the power of education and investing in hard working students with a drive to succeed. The Clark Scholars Program helps to eliminate financial barriers so that promising young students can receive the education and training to achieve their full potential and become tomorrow's engineering leaders."

With a focus on students from underrepresented backgrounds, including first generation college students, Clark Scholars will be selected annually based on financial need, academic achievement and community involvement. The program seeks students with leadership skills and a keen interest in the engineering profession.

The inaugural cohort of approximately ten Clark Scholars will enroll at Stevens in fall 2018. The Clark Scholars' core curriculum, which reflects A. James Clark's values in business and in service to his community, includes a rigorous program of engineering study with a minimum of two business or finance courses, participation in community and service-based learning projects, enrichment seminars, mentorship opportunities and events with professionals in the field.

Dr. Jean Zu, dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering & Science, noted that the Clark Scholars Program supports Stevens' mission of providing a multi-disciplinary and hands-on learning experience. "The Clark Scholars Program creates a transformative opportunity for deserving students to receive invaluable practical engineering experience and leadership development at Stevens," Zu said.

The Clark Scholars Program is the Clark Foundation's signature academic initiative, combining engineering, business, leadership and community service. The gift honors the legacy of the late A. James Clark, a noted engineer, philanthropist and president of the Maryland-based Clark Construction Group LLC, one of the nation's leading privately-held construction companies. Through dedication and tenacity, Mr. Clark grew a local construction company into a national success, but he never forgot that his business success began with an engineering scholarship. This has guided the Clark family's longstanding investments in engineering education that continues in his name today. As part of its commitment to build a pipeline of future engineers, the Clark Foundation has partnered with some of the nation's foremost engineering institutions to financially support promising engineering students.

President Farvardin's relationship with Mr. Clark dates back to his tenure as dean of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering. Soon after his appointment as Stevens' seventh president, Mr. Clark established the Nariman Farvardin Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering, a $2 million gift to the Stevens endowment.

"Mr. Clark was an inspiration, a mentor and a friend to me," said President Farvardin, "and I am profoundly honored that this program—a symbol of his legacy—will benefit current and future generations of deserving and talented Stevens engineers. Through the Clark Scholars Program at Stevens, we will create an environment that we hope will produce many more graduates who will make their mark on the world and who possess the rare combination of attributes that Mr. Clark embodied: remarkable leadership skills, unquestionable integrity, business acumen, engineering prowess and a selfless dedication to humanitarianism."

The $15 million endowment from the Clark Foundation puts The Power of Stevens campaign at $133 million, giving the university impressive momentum toward its goal of raising $150 million by the end of 2018. Stay tuned to future editions of The Power of Stevens newsletter for breaking details on this wonderful philanthropic investment.