Brian Davidson CM ’08 will continue as Claremont McKenna College’s (CMC) acting director of the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, informally called the Ath, following long-time director Priya Junnar’s decision to step down at the beginning of this semester.
Heather Antecol, dean of the faculty at CMC, made the announcement in an email sent Jan. 16. The email noted Junnar’s accomplishments during her time as director of the Ath and thanked her and Davidson for their service.
Davidson assumed the role of acting director of the Ath in July 2023, when Junnar announced her leave of absence for the fall semester. This announcement came several hours after CMC President Hiram Chodosh, who is married to Junnar, shared his plans to take a sabbatical and return in January 2024.
In addition to being a CMC alumnus, Davidson was previously a part of the Athenaeum Advisory Committee and served as one of the Buzz Woolley Athenaeum Fellows, a group of students who suggest ideas for and help coordinate the Ath’s programming.
The director is responsible for organizing the Ath’s weekly schedule, which features talks from public figures such as scholars, artists and innovators and includes a lunch or dinner program for 7C community members.
The Ath is described as “a distinctive feature of social and cultural life at CMC” on the College’s website, providing students with an opportunity to ask questions after each presentation or dine with the speaker at the head table. Since she began her position in 2014, Junnar has hosted numerous notable speakers, including Tom Steyer and Cornel West in 2023.
During her time as director, Junnar brought greater engagement from the wider consortium to the Ath. Former Athenaeum Fellow Rukmini Banerjee CM ’24 described Junnar’s ability to create community within the space.
“I think a big part of her impact was just making it so welcoming,” Banerjee said. “She knew every single Ath regular.”
Davidson echoed the importance of maintaining this welcoming nature throughout the entire community. While CMC students have priority registration for the Ath, students from any of the 5Cs can also sign up and attend.
“One of the Ath’s focuses has always been on increasing attendance and visibility,” Davidson said. “We want everybody to come.”
Current Athenaeum Fellow Angie Zhao CM ’25 commented on Davidson’s investment in the Ath.
“He is always asking us questions about ‘Oh, what do you think can be better?’ ‘What should we do about this?’ ‘How do we promote certain events or increase attendance?’” Zhao said.
According to Banerjee, the Ath encourages students to critically engage with consequential and topical issues. This aim is evident in this week’s speakers, who will discuss topics such as India’s economy in its evolving democracy and the media landscape of the political right in America.
“We are in a dangerous era with academic suppression,” said Banerjee. “I hope the Athenaeum is an institution that does not succumb to that.”
Davidson emphasized the importance of having thought-provoking speakers that he asserts will “complement the CMC curriculum and supplement it with things that we don’t even offer.”
This academic year, the Ath has also hosted a concert series, featuring musical artists from different genres. In December, the Ath honored late professor Ward Elliot by uniting students and faculty through music.
Zhao hopes to see the Ath utilized for more festive, non-academic purposes.
“[We need] more reasons for people to come together to celebrate our curiosity in each others’ cultures and backgrounds,” Zhao said. “Hosting these types of events in this space holds a different meaning.”
Davidson emphasized the importance of student participation in Ath events.
“I want to reinvigorate the notion among students that the Ath is something that you do and should do,” Davidson said.
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