At the Kravis Leadership Institute board meeting last April in New York City, five students reflected on their personal and professional development at CMC. The students explained that, while in high school, they thought of leadership only as a position of authority. Here at CMC, they were learning how to lead without relying on a title, align their values with those of others, and develop deeper social connections to bring people together. They learned to coach, manage conflict, adapt to special circumstances, and get stuff done. In sum, this was a master class.
Seeing our students dedicate themselves to the development of responsible leadership at such a consequential moment in both their lives and our country is inspiring. As I stated in my welcome back message this past August, responsible leadership “starts with the mutual respect and trust we earn every day. Trust that grows from the shared commitment and courage to ask good questions, the care for one another and openness to seek different perspectives, and the drive and creativity to expand opportunities and solve problems together. We infuse every pore, every fiber, every square inch of CMC with these values.”
The many stories in this issue of our magazine slice open a modest view of that tremendous infusion.
Dedicated programmatic investments have produced powerful results. Our Open Academy and its intimate salons on the critical issues of our time; the Athenaeum; the Dean of Students Office and CARE Center programs on constructive dialogue; the launch of the revolutionary Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences and the construction of the iconic Robert Day Sciences Center; our sustained outcomes from expanding opportunities through scholarships, the Kravis Opportunity Fund, and the Soll Center for Student Opportunity; the Top Ten success of CMS Athletics; the collaborations of our institutes, centers, and labs on advanced research and project-based learning, including the Civitas Sessions, led by the Kravis Lab for Civic Leadership. In recognition of our CMC commitments, and under David Day’s leadership at the Kravis Leadership Institute, this past summer CMC was named among the 25 inaugural recipients of the Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose.
All these institutional accomplishments are matched by the strong individual commitments and inspiring words of our ASCMC President Ava Kopp ’25, our four newest Woolley Athenaeum Fellows—Melanie Kallah ’25, Enya Kamadolli ’26, Katherine Schwab ’26, and Jacob Smagula ’26—our outstanding alumni, including Gary Birkenbeuel ’80, Paige Costello ’12, and Antoine Grant ’07, who currently serves as President of our Alumni Association, and so many others highlighted in the Class Notes.
Each programmatic investment, each individual contribution here both honors and advances the legacy of our very own President Emeritus Jack Stark ’57 GP ‘11, who, along with his incomparable co-pilot Jil, celebrated a milestone 90th birthday in September during ImpactCMC Weekend.
Enjoy reading all about it, and savor your individual contributions to our singular CMC mission.
Very best,
