Mailchimp recently announced a renewed commitment of $1 million to Clayton State University for the Launchpad leadership academy over the next three years.
The yearlong program, housed inside of the university’s College of Information and Mathematical Sciences department, gives students and faculty real-world training to adapt to technical, social, and business expectations of the current workforce. Since 2018, it has been empowering Clayton State students as they grow their careers and has given them access to the city’s fast-growing tech industry.
“Our company’s purpose is empowering small business underdogs, and we’ve long invested in local, small organizations who’re impacting the world in big ways,” says Sheldon Cummings, Chief Operating Officer at Mailchimp. “Schools like Clayton State have a rich community of diverse, talented students, but might get overlooked at times. With programs like Launchpad, there’s an opportunity to invest in the university, elevate its reputation in the tech landscape, and connect students to better career opportunities upon graduation.”
This year, Intuit joins the Launchpad Academy team; the global technology platform acquired Mailchimp earlier this year. The companies are teaming up to support Atlanta’s diverse business, non-profit, and academic communities with the Intuit-One Atlanta initiative. The goal is to help Atlanta prosper by investing in people and helping them meet the challenges they face.
“A program like Launchpad is a pertinent need for the state of Georgia and for our universities and colleges as a whole,” says Clayton State University interim president, Kerry L. Heyward. “To provide such exemplary opportunities for students is essential for their future success in the workforce and in life. But more importantly, it shows the continued commitment of the University System of Georgia to academic excellence.”
The leadership academy combines curriculum in cloud computing, information security, data infrastructure operations and software quality assurance, matched with experiential opportunities featuring Mailchimp’s team of experts. Since committing to a partnership with Clayton State in 2018, not only has Mailchimp invested financially into Launchpad, but the company has so far hired two full-time employees and eight interns from the program, while others were hired by other prestigious tech companies—such as ADP, Home Depot, Greenlight, General Motors, Inspire Brands, Norfolk Southern, Warner Robins Air Logistics and VMWare.
“Clayton State is excited to team up with Mailchimp again,” says Asia L. Hauter, interim vice president of University Advancement and External Affairs at Clayton State. “We are immensely grateful for their leadership and support in helping students get hands-on experience in the technology space to achieve their career goals. The access to key professors, business leaders and experiential opportunities makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.”
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