Hiram E. Chodosh will conclude his time as President of Claremont McKenna College at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, his thirteenth as president.
In a personal announcement to the CMC community on Friday, President Chodosh said that “the timing feels right.” He cited “many trajectory-altering accomplishments over the past several years, cascading now and well into the future” that put the College in a “powerful” position “for new leadership to take CMC to the next level.”
The position of the College “could not be stronger,” he said.
In his note, President Chodosh also described how he cherishes “every second. From the most difficult to the most inspiring,” and how he has learned and grown “from every single one” that make Claremont home and “brings us together as a community.”
“President Chodosh has forever changed the impact of Claremont McKenna College,” said Ken Valach ’82, Chair of the CMC Board of Trustees. “He has served as an incredible leader, ambassador, and advocate for our founding mission: to prepare students for thoughtful and productive lives and responsible leadership in business, government, and the professions. Additionally, he led us decisively through the very challenging years of the pandemic, and has worked tirelessly and passionately to keep CMC strong. Thanks to him and his collaborative work with so many of us at the College, we have an even brighter future ahead of us.”
President Chodosh became CMC’s fifth president in 2013. Under his leadership, CMC has excelled across several important domains, including increases in financial aid support, expanded experiential and advanced research programs, strong post-graduate outcomes, and the financial strength of the institution. From The Student Imperative to the broader Opportunity Strategy, several foundational programs have produced these successful results, including the Soll Center for Student Opportunity, the Sponsored Internships and Experiences Program, the Scholar Communities, the Kravis Opportunity Fund, and the Romero Success Coaches, among many others.
During President Chodosh’s tenure, CMC has been recognized nationally for its commitments to freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue through The Open Academy. In addition, he has reinforced the high quality of an integrated student life and rigorous academic experience, including a top-ten NCAA Division III student-athletics program that has produced eight national championships since 2016.
In June 2023, President Chodosh led the completion of a record-breaking, nearly $1.1 billion Campaign for CMC: Responsible Leadership, surpassing the previous high mark of $707 million for liberal arts colleges. As part of its campaign and with an eye on the future of higher education, CMC launched a $400 million project to build scientific and quantitative student fluency in the form of a revolutionary undergraduate program—the new Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences (KDIS). The home for the integrated sciences program, the $170 million Robert Day Sciences Center (RDSC), will anchor the eastern part of campus upon completion this summer.
In addition to an innumerable list of achievements—from the Murty-Sunak Quantitative and Computing Lab; the CARE Center; the Public Art Program; new labs in policy, humanities, and civic leadership; multiple Model UN world championships; and student recognition for Rhodes, Fulbrights, Trumans, and many other special fellowships—CMC has also doubled its campus footprint and advanced the implementation of its master plan. The new Roberts Campus expansion, which includes a state-of-the-art, championship-caliber Sports Bowl for CMS Athletics, will set up the College for its future residential and co-curricular needs by reimagining how we live, work, and play as a community.
And President Chodosh’s work is not finished. As he shared in his message, in addition to sharing stories and reflecting back on “what we’ve achieved,” CMC will “work hard to accelerate the momentum of an exciting future that is already here.”
President Chodosh, a native of Hillside, New Jersey, received his B.A. with high honors and earned the Dutcher Prize in history from Wesleyan University in 1985. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1990. An expert in comparative and international law, President Chodosh has worked on major legal reform projects in more than a dozen countries. His career in higher education began as a professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, leading to his role as Dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah.
Upon joining CMC, President Chodosh and his wife, Priya Junnar—who directed the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum for more than a decade—have become indelible members of the community, along with their beloved labradoodle (and unofficial CMC mascot), Theo.
In what he called his next chapter, President Chodosh intends to write, teach, and pursue a series of projects responsive to “national and global challenges” in education, law, and civic leadership in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. With Priya and Theo, he also committed the family’s “unshakeable, lifelong support and love to CMC” and to each member of the community.
Board Chair Valach said information on the Presidential Search Process for the sixth president of Claremont McKenna College will be forthcoming to the community later in the spring.