Leadership Accolades

Highlights

During President Emeritus Chodosh’s tenure, Claremont McKenna College:

• Launched The Open Academy, a nationally recognized program in freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue (Heterodox Academy recipient of Institutional Excellence Award in 2019);
• Developed one of top national programs in broadening access and achieving post-graduate outcomes through The Student Imperative, Kravis Opportunity Fund, Soll Center for Student Opportunity, the CARE Center, and many other programs;
• Integrated a pervasive approach to student leadership development through community, purpose, and play in student life, with a focus on social warmth, mutual trust, teamwork, self-authorship and -efficacy, and recreational and competitive athletics, including several top-ten rankings and 10 national championships in NCAA Division III;
• Created a new, revolutionary approach to undergraduate science education, with a $215M naming gift for the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences, and $170M for its new home, the Robert Day Sciences Center (designed by Bjarke Ingels);
• Doubled the endowment to over $1.3B;
• Doubled the size of campus, from 75 to 152 acres;
• Raised $140M for the development of the central and new eastern sections of campus through (The Roberts Campus), including new malls and mall extensions, new building sites, and a new Sports Bowl (an arcade tunnel, 400-space parking facility, and new fields and stadiums for football, lacrosse, track, softball, baseball, and golf practice);
• Developed a public art program (the Walker Collection), featuring Ellsworth Kelly, Mary Weatherford, Chris Burden, Carol Bove, Damian Ortega, Arlene Shechet, Jeppe Hein, Pae White, Jaume Plensa, Anicka Yi, and Anish Kapoor.
• Completed a record-breaking $1.1B campaign in June 2023, surpassing Williams College’s record by over 50%, with the highest philanthropic participation rate in the country for young alumni, and the second highest level of financial contribution per student ratio in the country for three consecutive years (2021-23); and
• Restructured debt through issuance of a ground-breaking 100-year bond for Claremont McKenna College: $300M @ 3.775%.

Rankings and Recognitions

The following data reflects the depth and reach of these achievements:

• #1 in freedom of expression (FIRE);
• #1 in ideological pluralism (City Journal);
• #2 most politically active student body (Princeton Review);
• #1 friendliest students (Princeton Review);
• #1 in best athletic facilities in NCAA Division III (D3 Direct);
• #2 best-run college (Princeton Review);
• #3 best quality of life (Princeton Review);
• #3 race/class interaction (Princeton Review);
• #4 most active student government (Princeton Review);
• #5 best career services (Princeton Review);
• A+ financial strength (Forbes);
• Best return on value in liberal arts (Forbes, 2022)
• #6 among all universities and colleges in student satisfaction, postgraduate success, and social mobility (Wall Street Journal);
• Invited to ring the New York Stock Exchange bell in August 2023 in recognition of institutional achievements; and
• Robert Day Sciences Center recognized as one of most important designs in 2025 in Los Angeles (1 of 7) and worldwide (1 of 10)

Profiles and Podcasts

• President Hiram Chodosh and Claremont McKenna's Quiet Crusade for Educational Access and Unity, International Business Times, November 2025
• President Hiram Chodosh: Colleges Must Prepare Students for Real Life, NEWSMAX, December 2025
• President Hiram Chodosh: Building Global Leaders in Today’s Global and Political Landscape, Enterprise Broadcast Network, 2026
• CMC Conversations with President Chodosh: Learn to Learn: Leadership, Purpose, and What Comes Next, Claremont McKenna College, April 2026
• CMC Leads: An Oral History of President Chodosh’s Tenure, CMC Magazine, April 2026
• President Hiram Chodosh is Redifining ROI in Higher Education at Claremont McKenna College, California Business Journal, June 2026