William "Bill" Clark '90

B.A., Business Administration, University of Mount Union
M.B.A., Morgan State University

Interested in business at a young age, William “Bill” Clark ’90 first heard of Mount Union and its business program through a college fair in his native Baltimore, Maryland. Once Dr. Hugh Jae told him about the internship opportunities that would be possible, he was sold on making the trip to Alliance.

When he got to campus, Clark gained classroom knowledge that provided a foundation for his future endeavors.

“Like with a lot of undergrads, gaining an awareness for the ins-and-outs of the business world was very helpful from the start through the course foundations,” Clark said.

Clark was supplementing his career preparation with unique extracurricular experiences. He was part of a group of students who worked to bring the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity out of dormancy, and he describes the resulting reactivation as one of his favorite memories, creating a lifetime bond while on campus.

Getting career training where he least expected it, Clark also credits aspects of his current success to his time as president of the Black Student Union (BSU). He currently manages a staff of more than 20 people as director of government-wide acquisition policy and believes his time at the helm of BSU has helped inform his current leadership style.

“Now that I look back, there are things we accomplished in BSU that showed having leadership experience was not only important for my first job coming out of college, but also in my work today,” Clark said.

Upon graduating with a degree in business administration, Clark’s initial job in asset management was not what he saw for his future. Thus, in wanting to stay in business, he decided to apply to the management trainee program within the federal government.

That program has led to a 20-plus year career in the government, with Clark working his way up to senior executive, a position he has held for the past five years. The day-to-day responsibilities of his office include the important task of working with the Department of Defense and NASA in maintaining the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which governs the more than $500 billion that federal agencies spend on products and services.

“The most rewarding part of my job is interacting with the public and making everything as clear and efficient as possible, knowing that there are a lot of regulations that people have to follow,” Clark said.

Clark’s advice to prospective students is to visit a campus to make sure the feeling and fit are right for the needs of each individual. For Mount Union students seeking business careers, his more important note was to be prepared.

“It is important for people to have as much experience as possible, even if it is not specifically job experience,” Clark said. “Employers are looking for proactive people with diverse backgrounds, and Mount Union provides that.”

Quinnlan Crowe '20

B.A., International Business and Economics, Human Resource Management, French; University of Mount Union

Quinnlan Crowe ’20 had been coming to Mount Union for years from her hometown of New Springfield, Ohio to compete in Junior Olympic volleyball. Her athletic prowess was noted by Fred Brickner, assistant track and field coach, and Crowe was then recruited to be a thrower on the track and field team.

Not entirely sure what her college experience would look like during her senior year of high school, she became enamored with the idea of attending Mount during an overnight visit.

“I instantly fell in love with the beautiful landscape, the welcoming team, and the ‘at home’ feeling I was experiencing,” Crowe said.

Although she still remains a top-10 finisher in shot put, discus, and javelin, Crowe’s level of activity in the classroom might be of a higher volume than on the field. The triple major in international business and economics, human resource management, and French also had the opportunity to study abroad in Pau, France in 2018.

“During my time abroad, I was able to travel to six different countries where I was constantly put out of my comfort zone,” Crowe said. “It was amazing to see how different people can live their lives.”

Crowe, whose favorite quote is, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” has dived in head-first to activities both on and off campus to have a wide array of experiences upon graduating in May. She is a University Studies Abroad Consortium ambassador, career development assistant, and Society for Human Resource Management vice president, to name a few.

Regardless of her diverse collection of majors and co-curricular experiences, the Integrative Core has also provided her with opportunities to learn outside of her major, which she believes is essential for presenting the best version of oneself to a future employer.

“Mount Union has given me the courses that I need to succeed in human resources and international business, in addition to supporting and helping me through my entire study abroad experience, which has given me the fire to want to work abroad,” Crowe said.

As a result, Crowe’s ultimate goal is to be a global human resource manager for an international company and she is well on her way to, in her words, “…get out of the United States bubble and continue traveling and exploring the planet.”