|
A member of the Claremont Colleges, Claremont McKenna College is a small, highly selective, private coeducational, liberal arts college enrolling about 1100 students with a curricular emphasis on government, economics, and public policy. CMC is located in Claremont, California, 35 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles.
History and reputation Claremont McKenna College was founded in 1946 as Claremont Men's College. The school became coeducational in 1976 and was renamed after Donald McKenna, a founding trustee, in 1981. Despite its young age, CMC is consistently ranked as one of the country's top liberal arts colleges- U.S. News and World Report placed it 12th in the nation * while The Washington Monthly ranked it 7th. It should be noted that CMC is both the youngest and smallest college in U.S News and World Report's top 20 schools. Admission to the college is highly selective, with only 21% of applicants being admitted in 2006. Especially well respected are CMC's economics and government departments. According to quality-adjusted publications, CMC has the top-ranked economics department among liberal arts colleges. * The Princeton Review lists Claremont McKenna among the nation's top twenty colleges for the "Best Quality of Life," "Happiest Students," and "Most Politically Active Students." CMC students continue to distinguish themselves after graduation. One in eight graduates currently holds a position in top management. Claremont McKenna College was ranked second among liberal arts colleges for yield on Fulbright applications by the Chronicle of Higher Education. It is also a nominator (one of only 67 US colleges and universities) for the Luce Scholars Program. Dorms Claremont McKenna's dorms are divided into 3 regions: North Quad, Mid Quad, and South Quad. In addition, the Student Apartments sit on the East edge of campus, and are occupied primarily by seniors. North Quad is comprised of Appleby, Boswell, Green, and Wohlford dormitories and are the campus' first dorms. In the north quad dorms, every room opens to the outdoors instead of opening to an interior hallway. North quad rooms are all doubles grouped into suites of four rooms that share a bathroom. North Quad is the center of the social scene at CMC and at the greater 5C community. CMC's Mid Quad is home to Beckett, Benson, Berger, Marks, and Phillips Halls, which feature long interior corridors, double and single rooms, large shared-bathroom facilities, and all-dorm lounge areas. Commencement is held in Badgley Gardens, the green space just south of Beckett Hall. Construction on a new dorm in Badgley Gardens is scheduled to begin in summer 2007, pending blueprint approval from the Board of Trustees. The tallest buildings in Claremont are in the last residential area - South Quad. Better known as "The Towers," Auen, Fawcett, and Stark Halls, make up South Quad. Each tower has seven floors with approximately twelve students per floor. Each floor has a common area and a large shared bathroom, and there is an all-dorm lounge area on the ground floor. Stark Hall, the newest of the South Quad dorms, is substance-free, meaning that no alcohol or drugs are allowed. All dorm rooms are attended to by housekeeping staff every other week. Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum The Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum hosts more than one hundred dinner and lecture events with distinguished speakers each year, serving as the College's central intellectual and social hub. Students enjoy getting to know their professors at wine and cheese receptions and formal dinners preceding lectures by eminent visitors such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Attorney General Janet Reno, filmmaker Spike Lee, environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak, and Paul Rusesabagina (the man portrayed in Hotel Rwanda). The Athenaeum also serves daily afternoon tea in its library, featuring chocolate-covered strawberries and pastries. Afternoon tea, like all Athenaeum meals and events, is free to students, faculty, and staff. Traditions Several of Claremont McKenna College's traditions are water-related: General education requirements Although its specialty is public policy and economics, Claremont McKenna College does hold to the idea of a liberal education by requiring student to add breadth to their knowledge through the completion of course in natural and social sciences, humanities, and foreign language. First Year Requirements Literature 10 - Composition and Literary Analysis Unless waived for a transfer student, every student must take in their first year at the college. This introductory literature class covers all the major literary genres and is designed to improve each students critical thinking and writing skills. The specific works studied and course format varies depending on professor. There are plans in the Literature department to eventually phase out this class as a requirement and for the first year in 2006, students with an appropriate AP score in English may substitute any literature course for their Literature 10 requirement. Civilization 10 - Questions of Civilization Question of Civilization was designed provide a unifying experience of Claremont McKenna students while fostering the exploration of universal thoughts and ideas. Directed by Prof. Robert J. Valenza, each year a core set of text is chosen for all section of Civilization 10, with each professor free and challenged to add his/her own insights or works to the course. Although not common in all sections, Prof. Valenza encourages the Civ faculty to provide interaction through discussion. Many students, though far from most, find this one of their most cherished CMC experiences. Nevertheless, the course is not without its critics. Some students have complained that the course attempts to do too much and ends up teaching nothing. The course is designed to be a combination of literature, philosophy, and religious studies, though it too often ends up as none of the above. The class has been called, by both students and professors, "pointless". Majors The academic strength of Claremont McKenna College lies in the social sciences, particularly Economics, Accounting, Government, and Psychology. It is also known for its version of the Oxford-style Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major. Claremont McKenna is especially known for its social and natural science programs, with over two-thirds of alumni attending graduate schools within five years of graduation. Business, law, and medical school top the list though CMC grads go on to all types of graduate programs. For a complete list of CMC's majors, visit the CMC catalog at the Office of Registrar's Website. Sequences Claremont McKenna College does not offer traditional minors. Instead, CMC offers a group of sequences, which are minor-like groups of courses on a particular interdisciplinary theme. CMC's sequences include Research institutes CMC sponsors 11 different on-campus research institutes and centers. They seek to produce new research and publications while involving undergraduate students in rigorous academic work. Many are named in honor of the college's donors. Controversies Like all colleges, CMC is not without controversy. For example: Presidents Notable Faculty Alumni Dropouts and/or Transfers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| |