Athenaeum Information for Faculty

Registration:

Faculty, along with one additional guest, may attend unlimited Athenaeum speaker events, including meals, free of charge.

Speaker events typically open for registration on a rolling basis every week over the course of the semester. Generally, the CMC community receives an email prompt for sign-ups on Thursdays at noon. Please keep in mind that some events fill up quickly and registration is required for all events. Follow the links in the email and click "Sign Up" to sign up for open events. If there is no sign-up button showing for an event, the registration is closed either because the event is full or the reservation window has passed. Please contact the Athenaeum at athenaeum@cmc.edu if you wish to be placed on a waitlist.

Unless otherwise noted, lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. with speaker presentations beginning at 12:15 p.m. Evening programs typically involve a reception at 5:30 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m., and presentations begin at 6:45 p.m. No reservations are required to attend the talk only at 12:15 p.m. (lunch talks) and 6:45 p.m. (dinner talks). Seating for the talk itself is on a first-come basis.

Cancellation Policy:

If you need to cancel your registration, please let us know as soon as possible so that we may accommodate another individual in your place. We have a generous cancellation policy: you may cancel meal reservations by 9 a.m. the morning of the event (though we would love to know earlier). Keep in mind that you can always come to the presentation part of the program (no meal commitment) without a meal reservation.

Program Format and Athenaeum Fellows

The typical Athenaeum evening program in Eggert Dining Room includes a short reception, followed by a dinner where the speaker is seated at the head table with students only, including two Athenaeum Fellows, who are selected annually to host, introduce, and moderate discussion with the featured speaker. After dinner, the speaker delivers a presentation lasting approximately 45 minutes, followed by a Q & A. Priority is given to students in attendance during the question-and-answer session following every presentation. The evening concludes by 8 pm. 

Please note that the Athenaeum Fellows do not host or introduce the speaker for events at lunchtime or in the smaller dining rooms. Faculty sponsors of speakers outside of the evening program in Eggert must make their own arrangements for introductions and moderation.

Want your whole class to attend an Athenaeum talk?

Faculty often invite/require students enrolled in their classes to attend an Athenaeum talk. If you anticipate that your whole class will attend a talk, please alert the Athenaeum directly at athenaeum@cmc.edu. We will then “save” spots for the students. All CMC students must still register for the event through the registration portal when the event opens for registration. Non-CMC students will be added manually. Students need not sign up if they are coming for the talk only.

Want extra time with a speaker, including a class visit or an informal meeting with students or faculty?

With adequate notice, it is often possible to request that a speaker visit a class or meet with students or faculty. Please contact the Athenaeum director priya.junnar@cmc.edu to coordinate.

Suggest a Speaker

The Athenaeum relies on suggestions from the community, especially from the faculty, to populate and diversify the Athenaeum schedule. For evening spots in Eggert Dining Room, the Athenaeum typically books speakers at least one semester in advance. The smaller dining rooms and lunch slots in Eggert offer more flexibility and availability for accommodating additional speakers over the course of the semester. Speakers must be scheduled at least three weeks before the talk date. To suggest a speaker, please complete the online speaker suggestion form.

Take your class out for a meal, on the Ath, at the Ath:

Faculty may book one meal function at no cost per class, per semester. This could be a lunch, dinner, or tea-time reception. Attendees may include enrolled students, the faculty member, and a guest speaker, if applicable. For larger classes, this can be broken into two free functions. Reservations must be requested through the online reservation form and will be processed in the order received. Typically, these events are held in Parents or Freeberg dining rooms, which accommodate 48 and 32 persons respectively. 

For more information, please see the comprehensive guidelines for the Athenaeum.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact athenaeum@cmc.edu or priya.junnar@cmc.edu.

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Claremont McKenna College
385 E. Eighth Street
Claremont, CA 91711

Contact

Phone: (909) 621-8244 
Fax: (909) 621-8579 
Email: