The founder of the European Union, Jean Monnet, is known to have once said that every new idea is a bad one until it has an institution.
To take Monnet’s comment one step further, we may observe that every institution is a bad one until it has good people.
Claremont McKenna represents a powerful idea: a classical liberal arts education that integrates real-world experience can lift society. Claremont McKenna also signifies a singular accomplishment in institutional development: 69 years is a blink in the history of higher education, and we have emerged in a position of thought- and action-leadership. Most of all, Claremont McKenna is our community, our people.
Class of 2015 student Commencement speaker Clancy Tripp put it best: “We are not CMC, CMC is us.” CMC is you, and the current issue of CMC Magazine celebrates our great people.
The cover story profiles the inspiring Professor Jack Pitney for shedding light on the many challenges and struggles ahead in his crucial, brilliant new book, The Politics of Autism.
We extol faculty like Emily Wiley, who was awarded a spectacular science grant and is leading her students into exciting new genetic landscapes.
We celebrate our exemplary Model United Nations team, who masterfully won both the U.S. and world championships this year.
We salute our many volunteers who converged on campus in October for our second annual ImpactCMC weekend.
We champion Peter Thum’s ’90 brilliant repurposing of illegal African weapons into works of beauty.
And we celebrate the generous gifts of world-class, inspiring sculptures from Linnea and George Roberts ’66 P’93 to enhance and enrich our physical campus.
Idea. Institution. Community. We build our value, grow our identity, earn our reputation every day, and we thank each of you for your special role in our community.
Very best,
Hiram