CMC new President is William Dudley from Washington and Lee

[Anonymous]

Any thoughts on the new President starting in 26? Wondered if anybody knew/had experience of him from W&L?

[Anonymous]

Most people probably know, but it could help if the name of the colleges is written out.
CMC = Claremont McKenna College

-Different poster

[Anonymous]

Thank you. Good point.

[Anonymous]

Maybe didn't want to live in VA any longer, applied for jobs on the west coast and landed at cmc?

[Anonymous]

Maybe had to clean up the SAT fake scores the school produced they last few years

[Anonymous]

He has very big shoes to fill. CMC's outgoing President was wonderful.

But I do like this man's bio. Went to Williams, did a fellowship to Cambridge, and MA & PhD in Philosophy from Northwestern. He was Provost at Williams for many years and then President at William & Lee and now he's President at CMC. He's a DMV kid - raised in Arlington, VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe had to clean up the SAT fake scores the school produced they last few years

That was back in 2012. Hiram Chodosh came on as President in 2013 and cleaned that up, the college has made tremendous strides and grown so much under his leadership.

[Anonymous]

Please join us in welcoming William C. Dudley as the sixth president of Claremont McKenna College and successor to President Hiram E. Chodosh, effective July 2026.

A philosopher, scholar, and sitting college president at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, President-elect Dudley impressed CMC’s Presidential Search Committee with his understanding of the College’s foundational mission and culture. His accomplished record of bold strategic thinking within higher education and ability to connect with all members of the CMC community also distinguished him as the unanimous choice.

Search Committee Member Eric Helland P’20, William F. Podlich Professor of Economics and George R. Roberts Fellow, shared that President-elect Dudley's "values are perfectly aligned with our focus on excellence in teaching and in research, on making a CMC education accessible to the students who will most benefit from the experience, and to open dialogue as embodied by the Open Academy.”

Fellow Committee Member Kylee Tevis ’26 added, “As the voice for students, it was important to me that we found a leader who values building relationships with students and whose humanity shows in his interactions. Our conversations with President-elect Dudley and the experiences he shared about teaching and living on campus truly reflected this.”

A Virginia native, President-elect Dudley attended Williams College, graduating magna cum laude with a double major in mathematics and philosophy. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy at Northwestern University, and returned to Williams as a faculty member and provost. President-elect Dudley’s scholarship is rooted in 19th-century German philosophy, and in his current role at Washington and Lee, he has continued to teach, offering an annual seminar on virtue ethics and liberal arts education.

As noted by Ken Valach ’82, CMC’s Board of Trustees Chair who led the Search Committee, President-elect Dudley “will join the CMC community at a time of immense possibility for the College. President Chodosh’s extraordinary leadership has set CMC on a trajectory that shows no sign of slowing, and my fellow Trustees and I remain incredibly grateful to Hiram for his continued dedication and excellence throughout the remainder of this academic year.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe had to clean up the SAT fake scores the school produced they last few years

Just read about that !

[Anonymous]

My ds is applying to CMC RD even though, according to his college counselor, he has no chance because 45% of their admits are athletes and they take a ton of their students ED or ED2. Great school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe didn't want to live in VA any longer, applied for jobs on the west coast and landed at cmc?

Because he prefers wildfires, earthquakes and water shortages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ds is applying to CMC RD even though, according to his college counselor, he has no chance because 45% of their admits are athletes and they take a ton of their students ED or ED2. Great school though.

My DS too - he was really impressed when he toured! Good luck to your son (and mine)!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He has very big shoes to fill. CMC's outgoing President was wonderful.

But I do like this man's bio. Went to Williams, did a fellowship to Cambridge, and MA & PhD in Philosophy from Northwestern. He was Provost at Williams for many years and then President at William & Lee and now he's President at CMC. He's a DMV kid - raised in Arlington, VA.

Washington & Lee

[Anonymous]

I have a current student at W&L and have been impressed with his leadership. He is very personable. It will be a big loss for W&L.

[Anonymous]

There’s also news that allegedly Pomona is in the process if purchasing Claremont Graduate university!