CMC In The News

As the National Collegiate Athletic Association schools and conferences voted to adopt a new constitution, Hiram Chodosh was interviewed by Law360. Chodosh—representing the joint Division III athletics teams from Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd and Scripps Colleges—voiced opposition to the new constitution.

“How can we restore amateur athletics through effective rules that, one, limit the corrosive effects of money and simultaneously distribute revenue from lucrative commercial activity in principled, equitable, inclusive ways?" he said. "Instead of taking this on directly, we seem to be playing a weak form of defense. The process and the substance here are disappointing."

Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in a CBS Los Angeles story about Gov. Newsom’s plan for universal healthcare, which he said would be paid for through the state’s general fund, and the Democrats’ proposal in the state legislature that would require a major tax increase. “This proposal could allow for a very large tax increase, and in recent elections, California voters have not been entirely positive about tax increases,” he said. “Even though they are overwhelmingly Democratic, that doesn't mean they are going to be progressive up and down the line.”

The Claremont Colleges were included in a Los Angeles Times story about California colleges extending remote instruction amid the Omicron surge. President Hiram E. Chodosh’s message to the community announcing online instruction for the first two weeks of the spring semester was quoted.

Prof. Minxin Pei published an editorial in the Taipei Times about U.S.-China relations. “In the unfolding new ‘cold war’ between the U.S. and China, the U.S.’s strategic priorities have flipped,” he wrote. “Today, U.S. security strategy is dominated by the China threat, and East Asia has replaced Europe as the principal theater of the world’s defining geopolitical contest.” Pei’s editorial explored the security consequences of this shift.

Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted by The Press Enterprise about how Southern California Republican lawmakers have voted on matters tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. With polls showing most GOP voters believe the election was stolen, “Republican politicians buck this sentiment at their own peril, even if they know better,” Pitney said.

In an op-ed published in the East African Business Week News, Prof. Minxin Pei writes that the United States strategic priorities have flipped and East Asia is replacing Europe as the greatest threat to the U.S. security strategy.

At a high school competition in Seoul, Korea for students interested in data science, Prof. Jeho Park, who is director of the Murty Sunak Quantitative and Computing Lab at CMC, led a four-week course on big data analysis. In an interview with Korea JoongAng Daily, Park said, “Some of the students took on issues that graduate students would take on, and tried to visualize data on issues very relevant to our lives. We are in an age and time when students from a young age should be exposed to reading and understanding data, and I hope that this program was a step in the right direction for many participants.”

In an article published in Mint, Prof. Minxin Pei writes of the legacy of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. He writes that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), may shape the future of Asia’s geopolitical landscape.

Sarah Chen ’22 and Prof. Manfred Keil shared 21 “good news” items from 2021 in an article they co-wrote for the San Bernardino Sun. Chen, who was recently named a Rhodes Scholar, is a forecast analyst with CMC’s Lowe Institute of Political Economy. Keil is the Associate Director of the Lowe Institute and leads the Inland Empire economic forecast research team.

In a commentary published in Real Clear Politics, Prof. Andrew Busch discussed the history of budget reconciliation use and misuse, starting with the establishment and evolution of the Budget and Impoundment Control Act from 1974.

The Daily Beast interviewed Prof. Jack Pitney about the expectations that President Joe Biden would rescue America like a superhero. “We expected Biden to return us to normality and it hasn’t happened. It’s not necessarily his fault, but people aren’t grading on a curve,” he said.

In an op-ed published in the Salt Lake Tribune, Religious Studies Prof. Cristina Rosetti writes of the distrust that fundamentalist groups have for government and medical authorities, resulting in many refusing COVID-19 vaccinations and searching for alternative remedies. These groups “still view the government with suspicion. Many continue polygamy, and fear of being reported to law enforcement keeps them from accessing resources like health care.”

The Associated Press published the announcement of a transformative lead gift from the W.M. Keck Foundation to support an iconic new facility to house the CMC’s new integrated sciences program. The program will prepare students for leadership within a modern global economy and create expansive, collaborative, and innovative learning opportunities.

The facility will be named the Robert Day Sciences Center, honoring CMC alumnus, fifty-year trustee, and W.M. Keck Foundation Chair and Chief Executive Officer Robert Day ’65 P’12.

“Students of today must learn how to solve the complex problems of tomorrow,” Day said. “This new center will provide a powerful platform for innovation in pursuit of CMC’s leadership mission to seize the opportunities of scientific discovery and responsibly put them to work in the economy and our democracy.”

Yahoo Finance and Market Watch also published the announcement.

Prof. Michael Fortner and Sarah Simionas ’23 co-authored an opinion essay for Divided We Fall, “The Bipartisanship of Police Reform and Public Safety.” “The criminal justice dilemma we face is not the people or their preferences but our politics. The will is there for long-term, structural solutions to urban violence,” they wrote.

In a commentary, “Will 2022 Midterms Be the Next Great Crisis Backlash?” for Real Clear Politics, Prof. Andrew Busch wrote, “At least twice in U.S. history, big political shakeups occurred in midterm elections that served as endpoints to periods of crisis, privation, and extraordinary government expansion and regimentation.”