CMC Magazine, Fall 2005

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In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the legal incorporation of the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association, thirteen former presidents of the Association gathered for a dinner and roundtable discussion to share stories about their history and mission. The event was hosted by Dan Baker ’65, and moderated by Kate Shuster, director of debate outreach. Parts of the lively, thoughtful discussion are excerpted here. The entire conversation is archived online at http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/news/cmcmagazine/2005fall/.

MODERATOR How, in your opinion, does the Alumni Association benefit the College, and how has the Association maintained itself as a vibrant organization?

HAMLIN: In my day, we really didn’t have an association. We had a Los Angeles chapter, and the College sponsored dinners three times a year. We were just a small, fraternal group, but we knew we had something good going—and President Benson was a marvelous leader. We got involved, and the friendships developed. I and my vice president, Bob Olshausen [’51], agreed to write a constitution. Then, fortunately, Gene Wolver came along and legalized it all. Today’s Alumni Association is such a unique body because of Gene. He made us a California corporation.

WOLVER: Thornton failed to mention one thing: when I was alumni president, he was the alumni secretary for the College—my aide de camp, without whom I really would not have had any modicum of success as a president. I think the alumni are a family of very passionate people. You’ll find that among alumni, there is a passion for the institution that rivals or exceeds anything I know—a real sense of dedication. The alumni organization, as an incorporated body, was to serve alumni, serve the College, and serve the cause of education thereby. We wanted to have ways and means of getting to know each other and continuing our relationships with the institution. Today, the single biggest source of funds for the institution comes from alumni. The alumni constitute over three quarters of the Board of Trustees. We support the institution and each other, put on programs, and create scholarships. I think we’ve made a significant contribution to our school, and we’ll continue to do so.

HEESEMAN: I think another area where the Alumni Association was very helpful was setting up Reunion, which has led to a tradition that, every five years, a fair number of people from each class come back to the College. Coming back is a very good way for people to renew their connection with their classmates and their tie to the College.

CUTTING: I think that a couple of words stand out: independent and proud. My class, and the classes four years ahead of me and four years behind me, had a fiercely loyal, proud feeling for our college. It was vibrant, with the high expectations of a young school. We knew we were in a place that allowed us to be a fraternity, and yet standards of excellence also were there. And, somehow, that created a fellowship. Every one of us at this table is fiercely proud of Claremont for its excellence and high standards.

MODERATOR What about the College holds alumni together after graduation?

SMITH: It’s the Athenaeum and the food there! Actually, I believe volunteering for a well-run organization, with bright people who are enthusiastic about a certain cause, works well under the CMC banner. That kind of environment creates a collective situation for an individual to grow and learn as well as benefit the College.

DAVIDSON: I think what’s unique about CMC is we have a mission that brings people who are interested in economics and government to the school. That common interest keeps our alumni together. And as the students have become more diverse, the Alumni Association similarly has become more diverse. I think that’s very positive, and keeps the bond that we begin in school and maintain as alumni.

BAINS: We’re looking to make sure that everyone is a part of the Alumni Association, if they just reach out. We don’t charge anything; it’s free! I think that’s the biggest part of it—reaching out to new graduates.

MGRUBLIAN: I really think it starts with the way we admit students. We admit students to CMC because we believe that, at some point in their life, they’re going to be leaders: leaders in business, government, or the professions, or leaders in their communities. So, I think, it’s no surprise that people who are interested in being leaders also are interested in being part of organizations where they can have an impact. In the Alumni Association, you can have an impact on the College. This Association, in large part, is the voice of the alumni on policy issues that come up at the College—and the College listens very carefully. So, I think, when you’re an alumnus looking to get involved, you say: Here’s a group that the College respects so much that they allow four members to sit on the Board of Trustees. That’s more than just planning parties; that’s having an impact on one of the finest institutions of higher education in the country. That’s pretty heady stuff.

MODERATOR What have been some of the biggest changes in the Alumni Association and at the College?

GRANTHAM: We were, at the outset, a very small group, which all started, really, from the L.A. chapter. We’ve since become an international organization and undertaken a series of programs remarkable in their contribution to the Association and to the College.

HEESEMAN: The biggest change, in my mind, is how the reputation of CMC has grown. I think that jump has made a big difference in how people and, quite frankly, alumni look at CMC. It’s much easier to feel very positive about your school when it has that kind of reputation.

BAKER: I was part of the Alumni Association, and an alumnus trustee, during some interesting times—when the College decided to admit women. I also was involved in the changing of the name. I think that the opening of the campus to women and the changing of the name made a huge difference in the quality and the character of the alumni.

GRANTHAM: We were very concerned about changing our school. I also think that Mabs [Mrs. George] Benson put her finger on it when she said: “The alumni really aren’t concerned about admitting women. they don’t want to lose the name.”

HEESEMAN: They didn’t want to lose their identity.

BAKER: Fortunately, McKenna showed up.

HEESEMAN: I think everyone at this table will agree, in hindsight, that changing the name made a lot of sense. It was the right thing for the College to do. I was president of the Alumni Association the year the name was changed. There was a vortex of different views on that issue.

MCHALEY: The alumni body, I believe, supported changing from a men’s college to a coeducational college.

WOLVER: To the credit of the College, the alumni were very much involved, as was pointed out by David.

MGRUBLIAN: Rex was president of the Alumni Association and I was student body president at the time of the name change. I remember, distinctly, President Stark [ Jack Stark ’57] coming to ASCMC and asking us to vote on how we viewed the name change. I think that’s an example of solid governance, and how the College always has been about building consensus. Because the College and the Board always have been interested in building consensus, they’ve empowered students and they’ve empowered the Alumni Association, and it’s benefited both.

BAINS: Another major change the College has gone through is communication. The Internet has allowed us to reach out more to alumni. We send newsletters and reach out internationally via e-mail, and I believe that adds to the College’s prestige.

LONG: I think that one of the major changes has been the fund drive [Alumni Fund]. Whether we like it or not, money does talk, and it is very, very important because we have a lot of students getting scholarships from the Alumni Association. This is very important, I think, to our alumni group, who feel connected to the College, and that they really are doing something for young people who are very talented and of very good integrity. I’ve always felt like that’s one of the greatest things about CMC—the acceptance you receive from the alumni family.

MODERATOR How do you keep track of alumni all over the world, organize them, and maintain their interest in the College?

MCHALEY: Up through the ’40s and the ’50s, we were still very small, and everybody knew everybody. It’s that camaraderie, built when we were small, that kept that the Alumni Association strong. I think another thing that affected it was George [Benson]’s influence in the initial stages. George stood out there and said, “By God, we’re going to support them and make it happen.”

GRANTHAM: He dedicated staff to the organization from the beginning, and that made it possible to communicate and have meetings.

CUTTING: There are about 7,300 people involved, in 19 local alumni chapters. I think one of the big challenges, going forward, is to network. L.A.’s always going to be a big chapter, and San Francisco is always going to be a big chapter—but how do we reach the Chicagoans and the New Yorkers? I think this is a challenge for not only the Alumni Association but those of us who do outreach. As we’re traveling, we’ve got time to stop off in New York, or Chicago, or Denver, and go to these meetings and fly the local flag.

HEESEMAN: I think an important point was made a minute ago: CMC itself supported the effort, having staff people that made a huge effort to get things going. And, let’s face it—to a large extent, how local chapters do is a function of how much support the school gives, because volunteers are volunteers. They have a day job, so to speak.

SMITH: There’s another factor that plays into the connectivity of CMC: our Phone Night, where alumni gather together and call friends across the country. It’s kind of old-fashioned, and it’s a lot of work, but I think it’s been critical. We compete quite well, thank you, against our peer institutions, and I think a lot of that has to do with the esprit de corps of the individuals who are part of the Alumni Association.

DAVIDSON: We target alumni at various phases of life, and design programs that meet their needs. And, as everyone has said, because we’re so small, we can identify each and every one. We have a lot of benefits, and offer all kinds of opportunities for alumni. And I think, yes, we get a lot of staff support, but it’s the volunteers out there who are the army of people who make it happen, and that’s a very special thing.

BAINS: Another important piece is our strategic plan, which we go back to, year after year. We’re looking at all of these issues that have been discussed, and deciding in which ways we can best address them—and as a family, we do that.

BAKER: When we decided to have this dinner, I wanted to see what we were trying to accomplish. I asked for copies of the Alumni Association’s goals and strategic plan. I read them, and I said: These people are really good! Are we benchmarking against anybody?

DAVIDSON: We’re currently engaged, at the request of the Board of Trustees, in a best practices survey: identifying schools throughout the country, seeing what they do, and comparing it to what we do. And, while we haven’t concluded the process, I think we have discovered that CMC is right at the top in many areas. We do really well with very limited resources. We could do phenomenally well with a few more resources!

CUTTING: We have a good relationship with the College. At a lot of colleges the Alumni Association is seen but not heard. I don’t know if your survey found that, but I think there’s a lot closer relationship with the administration.

HEESEMAN: I think that gap is closing. As a couple of people have pointed out, over the years, I think, the leadership of CMC has been very willing to listen to the alumni. On the other hand, I would say, based on my limited experience, other universities and colleges are getting more into this area, so the idea that we are unique is not quite as dramatic now as it was a few years ago. I think, in this area, schools are becoming much more sophisticated in how they deal with their alumni. They’re kind of catching up to us.

WOLVER: We led the way, Rex.

HEESEMAN: Yes, I think in many respects we did, Gene. And, you know, the lesson might be: How do we keep leading the way?

MODERATOR The Alumni Association has a strategic plan, a network, and an unbelievable array of offerings. There are many brilliant and talented students now at the College—the future members of the Alumni Association. What is your advice for the next generation?

HAMLIN: Keep it up!

WOLVER: Classes in literature, philosophy, history, and the humanities have stood the test of time for me. I would advocate that students concentrate on a broad, general education, getting the benefit of the truly talented minds on the faculty. And, also, get to know the Alumni Association and be involved.

MCHALEY: Have a good time at the same time that you’re getting a good education; do your best at both the educational part as well as the fun part.

CUTTING: I’m not qualified to give advice! I would say, take advantage of what the College has to offer. Enjoy, and don’t lose sight of the fun.

HEESEMAN: Consider the dramatic changes that have happened in the world in the last 13 years: what’s going to be the change in the next 13 years? That’s the challenge for everybody in this room. But even more so for people who are in college right now.

MGRUBLIAN: I made my closest and dearest friends in college. Cherish building those relationships.

BAINS: I would say the word “indulge” comes to mind. CMC is a wonderful place; you have to go in, and dig deep, and savor it.

DAVIDSON: I’ve realized what I do, and what I’ve done with most of my life, is attributable to what I learned at CMC. My way of saying “thank you” to the College is by participating in the Alumni Association.

SMITH: You can call it luck, you can call it fortune, but it is precious to have an opportunity to attend CMC. Going there leaves you with an obligation or an opportunity—and that is to be a pathfinder for others to follow.

WOODS: Don’t worry about what you learn. Learn how to learn. All the information I picked up at CMC is now out of date. What isn’t out of date, I forgot! In my own life, I’ve had to reinvent myself four, five, six times, and each time, I could look back to my experience at CMC. I picked up the skills to see that my life was changing and different demands were being placed on me, and I was nimble enough to adjust to that and, sometimes, take advantage of it.

BAKER: I would strongly suggest to students that they be involved in the Alumni Association, because you’ll get more out of it than you put in.

LONG: I would recommend that all of the students there work very hard at learning how to express oneself in written form, and also in speech. Leaders are communicators, leaders are speakers, leaders are writers.

GRANTHAM: Enjoy yourself, in a broad social sense, as well as doing your best in your classes.

MODERATOR Well, I’d like to thank everybody for coming. It’s been a pleasure to moderate this discussion, and I hope to see you at the 75th anniversary!

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