Pose with CAU President George French Jr. (Left)
By: Adell Henderson
While Clark Atlanta University students, alumni and community enjoyed being back on campus for it’s first whole in-person homecoming experience in two years, PUMA North America made the celebration much sweeter by presenting the school with a $1 million check which will be used to help accelerate the path for HBCU students pursuing careers in the sports apparel industry.
“One of the top objectives of these partnerships is to ensure that we were able to give these students access to roles within our industry and make sure we were able to hire them,” explains Michelle Marshall, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at PUMA.
“Just based on that criteria and that objective, we knew that Clark Atlanta was the ideal partner because of their fashion merchandizing school, and because of their school of business, which is a very well respected business school.”
This first-of-its-kind partnership will provide scholarships for over the next 5 years. helping students gain awareness and prepare them for roles within the sports apparel industry. Students will experience the world of design/merchandising and be exposed to roles in information technology, marketing, and supply chain management through customized curriculum, career prep, research projects, and internships.
“Well, I think I think another dimension to the Clark partnership is also the location here in Atlanta,” adds Adam Petrick, Chief Brand Officer at PUMA.
“We are anticipating that there are going to be a lot of other activation opportunities for us to partner with things that are happening here on the campus, but I think also in the wider city of Atlanta, for us to be able to have an impact on students that are here. Student life in this city is very important to us as a as a brand that wants to tap into culture.”
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