On June 26, 2013, President Hiram E. Chodosh shared a message on his first official day at Claremont McKenna College. In it, he remarked how impressed and excited he was to join a community of “brilliant faculty, charismatic students, visionary trustees, superb staff, and dedicated alumni, parents, and friends.” And then he got to work as CMC’s fifth president—specifically by posing “one central question” that had emerged from the earliest trips, meetings, and conversations following his appointment a few months prior. “How do we build on the College’s stunning success?”
In this CMC Magazine oral history spread across three sections—Creating an Indivisible Learning Community, Developing Future Leaders, and Expanding Student Opportunities—we asked members of the CMC community to reflect on 13 years of responsible leadership and stewardship under President Chodosh. Whether through institutional impact, milestone programs, personal collaborations, or record-breaking support, how did CMC continue to build on its stunning success? And thanks to President Chodosh’s powerful example, how is CMC prepared to boldly build something even stronger in the future?
Interviews by Anne Bergman, Brenda Bolinger, and Thomas Rozwadowski
Oral history compiled by Thomas RozwadowskiPhotos by Anibal Ortiz, Isaiah Tulanda ’20, and courtesy of CMC Archives
