CMC raises nearly $1.1 billion, shattering fund-raising record for liberal arts colleges

Claremont McKenna College announced today that it raised nearly $1.1 billion in its Campaign for CMC: Responsible Leadership, breaking a fund-raising record among all liberal arts colleges and far exceeding its goal of $800 million. The most successful fund-raising endeavor in its 75-year-plus history, Claremont McKenna is the first liberal arts college to pass $1 billion in a campaign, raising $1,076,075,164.

“This result is a testament to the commitment of our CMC community,” said David G. Mgrublian ’82 P’11, Chair of the Claremont McKenna College Board of Trustees. “The magnitude of the gifts redefine what is possible for CMC as it pursues its singular mission to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions.”

The Campaign for Responsible Leadership, which concluded June 30, 2023, inspired exceptional generosity from more than 12,000 donors – and over 65 percent of the alumni base – coming together to make history for the College. Claremont McKenna ranked second among all private schools rated by Moody’s in 2022 with its three-year average gift raised per student of $109,604. Through gifts of all sizes – from the median donor gift of $220, to the 89 supporters who gifted $1 million or more, to the foundational gifts by alumni Robert A. Day ’65 P’12, Henry R. Kravis ’67, and George R. Roberts ’66 P’93 – the Claremont McKenna community contributed in ways that were personally significant, with many proudly representing their class years and honoring classmates, making the effort’s outcome especially meaningful.

“This campaign embodies Claremont McKenna College’s answers to the extraordinary challenges of our time,” said CMC President Hiram E. Chodosh. “Honoring our singular mission means preparing our students for roles of civic leadership, through The Open Academy as a response to political polarization and societal divisions that threaten our democracy. Expanding student opportunities means producing some of the highest returns on value for any institution in higher education. Building a revolutionary undergraduate science program means preparing future generations of students to lead at and through the intersections of science, AI, business, policy, and ethics. This campaign writes (and underwrites) Claremont McKenna’s response to our current and future world of affairs.”

The campaign’s impact is already shaping students’ experiences through the following investments:

Honoring our Leadership Mission

• Created 23 named professorships and chairs in support of new and existing faculty roles.
• Doubled the campus footprint with the Roberts Campus, which will provide space for academic, administrative, and student-life buildings, student housing, athletic facilities, and recreational areas.
• Hosted more than 700 thought leaders at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum.
• Expanded nationally recognized Open Academy programming in support of the College’s commitments to freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue.
• Enhanced resources for (CMS) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics, seven national championships, Top 10 finishes in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, and SCIAC All-Sports Standings trophies.

Preparing Leaders Through Integrated Sciences

• Launched the new Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences (KDIS), which will host up to 25 interdisciplinary faculty members, transcending traditional academic boundaries, leveraging computation as a powerful vehicle for discovery and systemic solutions, and organizing science education around grand challenges facing the world:
  • Health (Genomics, Systems Biology, and Health)
  • Brain (Brain, Learning, and Decision)
  • Planet (Climate, Energy, and the Environment)
• Commenced construction of the 140,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Robert Day Sciences Center designed by world-renowned architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group to house the new KDIS program.

Expanding Student Opportunities

• Secured nearly $300 million to expand student opportunities.
• Increased gift-funded financial aid resources by 46 percent.
• Established 72 new endowed scholarship funds.
• Increased the number of Pell Grant-eligible students from 10 percent to 18 percent.
• Provided additional support for the #4 Princeton Review-ranked Soll Center for Student Opportunity, which offers students individualized career coaching and connects them to a range of resources as part of the CMC Career Readiness Effect.
• Established the Kravis Opportunity Fund, through a gift from Trustee Henry R. Kravis ’67 and the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, to provide students with financial need guaranteed funding for their first summer internship, among other means of support, with an overall goal of ensuring that the full breadth of a Claremont McKenna education is within reach for every student.
• Supported career placement for recent graduates, with 97% having defined plans within six months of graduation.
• Recognized by Forbes/DegreeChoices as #2 in America for value and earning potential in liberal arts colleges, 2022. Saw an increase in the median starting salary for graduates reach $87,000.

“Thanks to our supportive, committed community, we are expanding our campus and providing opportunities for our students that will benefit them for decades to come,” said Michelle Chamberlain, Vice President, Advancement & Student Opportunities and Dean, Robert Day Scholars Program. “This collective accomplishment will truly shape and change the lives of our students and we are very grateful to our Claremont McKenna College community.”