September 26, 2025, will forever mark a distinct trajectory-altering moment—a “Quantum Moment,” to quote President Hiram Chodosh—in Claremont McKenna College’s historic timeline: Life and learning before the Robert Day Sciences Center. Life and learning after the Robert Day Sciences Center.
On a day bursting with anticipation and emotion, accomplishment and pride, community and connection, one common thread could be found in almost every reflection on the enormity of the official dedication of CMC’s iconic new integrated sciences building. Gratitude.
By filling the grand space with heartfelt moments of awe and appreciation, the dedication and ribbon cutting in front of the packed, newly christened Chodosh Social Stairs took students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests on a sprawling journey powered by an entire community of leadership.
Section photos by Anibal Ortiz, Isaiah Tulanda '20, Shay Studios, and Tom Zasadzinski
”These are your stairs to ascend.
This is your laboratory.
This is your studio.
This is your Agora, your forum for exchange.
This is your atrium to keep your eye on the sky.
This is your mall to pursue the Northern star.
This is your magnetic spot.
Now it is up to you to make the most of this Quantum Moment.
Cherish it.
Honor the hope we place in you.
Fulfill the belief we have in you.
Become the future we all want to see in the world.”
—President Hiram Chodosh
“This is a place where computation, the sciences, humanities, and social sciences converge, preparing students to tackle complex, real-world challenges with insight and purpose. The design ethos itself—its lightness and its openness—echoes our academic objectives: to imagine new possibilities of collaboration, to break down silos, and to allow ideas to cross boundaries as freely as the people who work here."
—Heather Antecol P’29
Vice President for Academic Affairs and
Dean of the Faculty and James G. Boswell Professor of Economics
Leading the Way
During a luncheon for CMC’s Board of Trustees and invited guests, College leadership paid tribute to the building’s namesake, Robert Day ’65 P’12, his family, and the W.M. Keck Foundation. “Robert would be so proud of this building,” said Board of Trustees Chair Ken Valach ’82 while offering the family an official resolution from the Board. Likewise, President Hiram Chodosh saluted Day for seeing “the future in front of us when no one else could,” for his unwavering belief in what Day called “the Claremont magic.” “He would be so grateful to each and every one of you here,” President Chodosh said of CMC’s longest-serving Trustee who passed away in 2023. “You have exceeded the expectations of a man whose aspirations knew no bounds.”
Not alone in his efforts, President Chodosh also hanked Day’s “CMC brothers,” George Roberts ’66 P’93 and Henry Kravis ’67, who both made significant contributions—Roberts to spur data science integration in 2018 and Kravis to his namesake department of integrated sciences in 2022—that helped propel the College’s ambitious vision. Valach and President Chodosh further singled out David Mgrublian ’82 P’11, who preceded Valach as Board Chair, for his belief and determination while working every angle of the Robert Day Sciences Center creation process. “No one has put more into a project the way David did with this building,” Valach said.
In a surprise moment at the end of the luncheon, President Chodosh and his wife, Priya Junnar, were honored with the unveiling of the new Chodosh Social Stairs inside the Robert Day Sciences Center. Valach emphasized how they were the perfect pair to serve as the namesake of the RDSC's signature spot for connection, collaboration, and inspiration. After all, the Presidential couple has become synonymous with welcoming everyone to campus with warm smiles and open hearts. As part of the touching tribute, the pair received a standing ovation from above and below the stairs as a banner was unfurled to reveal the Chodosh name, which will be etched in the finished concrete near the top level, visible for future generations.
