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Nate Edwards-Roseney ’26 leads lessons in ninth-grade wellness classes at Southbridge High School as part of the MAAX (Maximizing Adolescent Academic eXcellence) social development curriculum.

Community centered

An education rooted in real places, real people, and making meaningful change.

Nate Edwards-Roseney ’26 leads lessons in ninth-grade wellness classes at Southbridge High School as part of the MAAX (Maximizing Adolescent Academic eXcellence) social development curriculum.

The Clark Experience is designed around engagement with community. Through mentored research, community-focused courses, internships, and applied projects, you’ll connect rigorous academic study with hands-on experiences that address challenges in the real world.

Educational pathways

Clark’s Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and Southbridge Public Schools collaborated on an initiative to create a sensory immersion room where distressed students can decompress, calm themselves, and learn how to manage their behavior.
Clark’s Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise and Southbridge Public Schools collaborated on an initiative to create a sensory immersion room where distressed students can decompress, calm themselves, and learn how to manage their behavior.
Donald Spratt, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, hosts classes and summer internships for Worcester area students a summer internship in his lab to spark an interest in STEM learning and careers.
Don Spratt, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is actively engaged in STEM outreach, hosting classes and summer internships for Worcester-area students that offer hands-on laboratory experiences designed to inspire interest in STEM learning and future careers.
Professor Julio D’Arcy welcomes Worcester middle and high schoolers and their teachers to labs in the Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry to help make chemistry more accessible.
Chemistry professor Julio D’Arcy and his students welcomes Worcester middle and high schoolers and their teachers to labs in the Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry to help make chemistry more accessible.
Geography Professor Karen Frey and her students use virtual reality technology to help area middle school students learn about polar science research.
Geography Professor Karen Frey and her students use virtual reality technology to help area middle school children learn about polar science research.
Hundreds of K–12 students engage annually with Clark through STEM and humanities outreach.
Hundreds of K–12 students engage annually with Clark through STEM and humanities outreach.
~200

Worcester Public School teachers are Clark MAT graduates

165

Scholarships awarded to Worcester students from 2000 to 2022.

60

Clark MAT graduates currently teaching in Main South schools.

Explore majors and programs where community-engaged learning is part of the academic experience.

Chemistry
Geography
Visual and performing arts
Mosakowski Institute

Food security

Students serve meals at the Mustard Seed
Students working at the Mustard Seed food pantry and soup kitchen learn what it takes to fund, run, and organize a nonprofit.
Students work at a local garden to learn about sustainable food production.
Clark partners with the Community Harvest Project, a local farm in Grafton that provides fresh produce to families that experience food insecurity.

Every Monday, Clark University Hillel students deliver fresh food in partnership with Woo Fridge, an organization that operates free, public refrigerators throughout the city, inviting neighbors to take what they need and share what they can.

Discover initiatives that integrate learning with local partnerships and real-world experience.

Collaborative for Community Engagement

A student in the Master of Public Administration program volunteers at the Worcester Senior Center.
Students in the 4+1 Master of Public Administration program spent 12 weeks volunteering at organizations like the Worcester Senior Center for the Seminar in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management.

4 + 1

An advanced degree within reach

The 4+1 Accelerated Master’s provides an opportunity to earn a master’s degree.

Earn a 100% tuition scholarship for a fifth year and enter the workforce with an advanced degree.

How it works

Urban sustainability

A singular honor: members of the Nipmuc community join geography professor John Rogan to plant a Nipmuc garden at the Hadwen Arboretum — the only place they cultivate beyond their ancestral land in Grafton. 

Under their guidance, students planted carefully selected varieties near the community garden.

This urban microforest—known as a Miyawaki forest was planted on 6,500 square feet to combat the urban heat island effect.

This Miyawaki microforest is part of Worcester’s strategy to reduce urban heat islands, developed through collaboration among the city, the state, and Clark—with students playing a central role in research and monitoring.

Students plant a tree as part of the Hero Program
Students in Clark’s Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) Program work side-by-side with faculty to study human–environment relationships across Massachusetts.
A tree being planted on Woodland Avenue
Clark invested $50K to plant trees that will help shade Main South.
Students volunteer at a farm that grows fresh product for local communities
Students in the School of Climate, Environment, and Science explore sustainable methods of food production.

Explore academic pathways that combine coursework, applied learning, and professional development.

Climate, Environment and Society
HERO Program
Biology

Clark University has received the Carnegie Foundation elective classification for Community Engagement.

badge for Carnegie Foundation Classification for Community Engagement

Sustainable livelihoods

Students lead workshops for entrepreneurs in the community.
Students in the School of Business work with prospective and current business owners.

Small Business Accelerator

Work alongside local business owners in the Idea Lab on Franklin Street. Through the student-run Clark Consulting Group, you’ll help entrepreneurs plan, launch, and grow their enterprises in Worcester and beyond.

Empower new Americans

Through our partnership with the African Community Education Center, you’ll gain research expertise as you help members of the African and Haitian immigrant community navigate economic and cultural challenges.

Solve business problems

Work directly with Worcester small business owners on hands-on problem-solving. This Problems of Practice course transforms you into a consultant using entrepreneurial tools to drive real solutions.

Learn how students are connecting their studies to communities and careers.

School of business
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
A student presents original research at ClarkFest, a showcase of student research.

The Clark Experience

See how community-engaged learning is integrated into the education and career preparation.

How learning happens

Be a force for change.

Come study at a small research university with a strong liberal arts core.

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Still curious? Request more information.

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Ways to give