September 3, 2013
Dear CMC Community:
Welcome back to school!
It is a wonderful feeling for me to welcome you, as you have been so welcoming to my family over the past several months.
After all of the student internships, faculty research projects, and staff planning and campus renovations, it is exciting to start the fresh cycle of a new school year.
We arrive at the shore of this academic year floating high on the wave of the extraordinary five-year Campaign for Claremont McKenna. The Campaign concluded on June 30 at the incredible high-water mark of $635 million. This accomplishment demonstrated what we can do together—Trustees, alumni, parents, and friends; academic leaders, faculty, staff, and students—when we are aligned in pursuit of a common purpose. We still have much to do, and I am excited to work with all of you to build on this tremendous achievement.
Remarkably, our facilities team completed well over 50 renovation projects this summer, and the collaboration of the Trustees (building and grounds) with our administrative leaders and staff was amazing. In addition to great improvements in The Hub, the ASCMC offices, and the Crocker Reading Room, I was most impressed by the first-phase renovations to Phillips, Beckett, and Berger Halls: new lounges, new bathrooms, new flooring, new wall treatments, new air-conditioning (expected by the end of September), and so much more. We look forward to the completion of the second phase mid-quad renovations to Benson and Marks Halls next summer and breaking ground on the Roberts Pavilion in the spring.
Finally, I hope you will all be able to take full advantage of the opportunities arising from the Inauguration (October 4-5). We chose the theme Liberal Arts in Action, as it captures the special commitment of our rigorous academic pursuits to address real world problems. We are dedicating a day-long program to exploring the art and science of decision-making, with teach-outs, break-out sessions on personal and professional decision-making, and faculty-alumni panels on both the theory of decision-making and the choices we face on major global topics. Please visit the Inauguration website to learn more.
We have much to be grateful for and much to be excited about for the upcoming year and beyond! I am honored to be with you in support of our shared purpose.
Very truly yours, 