News Briefs
FIRST IN THE WORLD: For the first time ever, Claremont McKenna’s Model UN Team won their size division in the Harvard World Model United Nations conference in Seoul, South Korea. This followed their winning of the national competition in Boston in February.
YOUTUBING CMC: CMC has a new and improved YouTube channel. Check out student-created videos, what’s happening on campus, student and faculty profiles and CMC programs and departments— all in one place. To see what’s going on, visit: youtube.com/user/ClaremontMcKenna1
GOING TO URSINUS: Brock Blomberg P’13 P’16, who has served as dean of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance since 2010, has assumed the presidency of Ursinus College, a 146-year-old liberal arts institution located in Pennsylvania. Interim V.P. of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Nick Warner announced Blomberg’s departure in a May message to the CMC community. As RDS dean and as Peter Barker Professor of Economics and George R. Roberts Fellow, Blomberg introduced bold interdisciplinary approaches in the classroom and as part of the college’s PPE program. “Brock’s departure doesn’t mean goodbye,” Warner’s message notes, referring to Blomberg’s two sons (one an alumnus, the other a current student) and his daughter, who will attend CMC in the fall. “We will all have chances to see him again, and to learn about his experiences in bringing the energy and vitality he’s displayed at CMC to Ursinus, which is so fortunate to have him.”
CRUNCHING NUMBERS: RDS Scholars volunteered their time in February to teach financial literacy skills to nearly 50 students from Banning High School at the Junior Achievement Finance Park in Los Angeles. RDS Scholars walked the Banning students through a budgeting process and taught them how to live within their means.
NEW DIRECTOR: First Lady Priya Junnar Chodosh has been selected to become the Director of the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, effective this summer. She served as interim director during a nationwide search for a new director and was chosen as permanent replacement for Bonnie Snortum by a search committee including faculty, staff, and students. A community announcement was made late in the spring by Jeff Huang, Vice President for Student Affairs, Admission and Financial Aid.
A FINE BALANCE: Life can be overwhelming, but it’s important to have work-family balance. In this first installment of the “It’s Possible…” series, presented by the Berger Institute for Work, Family and Children, Vanessa Liu ’17, Reid Dickerson ’18 and Andrew Levihn- Coon ’15 discuss how they achieve balance. See the video on CMC’s YouTube channel.
BRIDGING THE IMMIGRATION DIVIDE: A distinguished panel of experts met at The Brookings Institution, March 26 in Washington D.C. for a Dreier Roundtable discussion on “Bridging the Immigration Divide: Forging a Bi-Partisan Policy on Visas for STEM Graduates.” Following a conference in November at CMC inaugurating the partnership between the College and Brookings, the event marked the launch of the Dreier Roundtable in the nation’s capital.
INNOVATING ASIAN STUDIES: CMC has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation on behalf of the five colleges to support a new project called EnviroLab Asia. This exploration grant will create an innovative architecture at the colleges for studying intersections between Asian Studies, Asian Languages, and Environmental Analysis.
BOSTON BOUND: Lily Geismer, assistant professor of history, has won a fellowship for next year at the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard University. The award is one of the most competitive and prestigious fellowships in the field of American history.
Student News
TOP SCHOLARSHIPS: To date, some 22 students from CMC have received grant awards this year from some of the world’s leading institutions. Among the top awards held by CMCers and announced in the spring are the Boren Scholarship, Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs, Gilman Scholarship, Critical Language Scholarship, Fulbright Scholarship, George J. Mitchell Scholarship, Luce Scholarship, Napier Fellow, Truman Scholarship, and Princeton in Africa. This year’s success continues CMC’s enviable track record for highly competitive scholarships and fellowships that provide programs and stipends to support students conducting research and study all over the world.
MAKING THEIR PITCH: Robert Day School MA Finance students took part in the second annual RDS Pitch Day in February. As students prepare to jump into the job market, the event gives them the chance to practice their presentation skills in front of seasoned executives.
TOP TWO ON CRIME: Francesca Hidalgo-Wohlleben '17 and Jessica Jin'16, both Rose Institute of State and Local Government research assistants, took 1st and 2nd place, respectively, for presentations on second- and third-strike laws and prison populations at the Association for Criminal Justice Research Conference "Criminal Justice in a Community Perspective" held in March in Sacramento.
STATING THE CASE: The Robert Day School held its 7th Annual Case Competition this spring for student teams collaborating on business ethics and leadership. Competitors presented case analyses of the set topic, “Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.: End of Incentives,” to a panel of judges consisting of faculty members and business practitioners. The team of Alec Koh (CMC ’16), Jenny Smith (SCR ’16), Nina Kamath (CMC ’16), and Nikhil Kanade (CMC ’16) won the competition and shared a $5,000 prize.
Alumni News
LUCE SCHOLARS: Laura Shunk ’07 and Lanier Zimmer ’09 were named to the prestigious roles of Luce Scholars for 2015-16. Shunk, who is a food critic for The Village Voice, and Zimmer, who has worked to expand educational opportunities for underprivileged youths, will spend time studying in Asia.
BAY MOVERS: Nate Gross, M.D. ’06 and Gavin Teo ’03 were named among the 40 most influential young professionals who are driving the Bay Area in the “40 Under 40 Class of 2015” list published recently by The San Francisco Business Times.
SHUT UP AND DANCE: Songwriter Ryan McMahon ’08 recently co-wrote a hit song with the band Walk The Moon. As of publication of this issue, the song “Shut Up and Dance” had hit #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
PIONEERING GENEROSITY: Inside Philanthropy recently lauded George R. Roberts ’66 P’93 for his experience and sophistication as a philanthropist. Roberts, who is a CMC Trustee and co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), is considered a pioneer funder of social enterprise.
DRONE’S-EYE-VIEW: Progress continues on the construction of Roberts Pavilion (photo courtesy of Bryce Raygour, son of CMS Women’s Soccer Coach Keri Sanchez).