The search for the successor to Claremont McKenna College President Hiram Chodosh opened up for community input last week. The presidential search committee held four community forums — two for students, one for faculty members and one for staff.
Over 60 students attended the first community forum on Monday, Sept. 8, which was held during an ASCMC Senate meeting.
Kenneth J. Valach CM ’82, chair of the Presidential Search Committee and Board of Trustees, and alumnus Steve Eggert CM ’82 were on the Q&A panel. They were joined by three representatives from the firm Isaacson, Miller, that is assisting with the search.
The panelists said they’ve received a couple hundred applications for the role so far.
The forums were aimed at allowing community input on the Presidential Search Profile, which was published in draft format last month pending feedback from the forums. Search committee members said over 200 hours of work went into the draft, which outlines ideal attributes of CMC’s next president.
Some students asked questions about the probability of the incoming president being a current part of, or at least already familiar with, the CMC community — which committee members stated they could not answer.
“We’re not going to comment on [the] probability of anything,” Valach said.
One student asked how the committee was evaluating candidates in light of recent crackdowns on higher education by the presidential administration, and how they are working to defend CMC against top-down government policy.
“The best predictor is to look at their background and see what they’ve actually been doing,” David Belshaw, a partner at Isaacson, Miller, responded. “It is something we’ve been asking about very directly.”
Academic Affairs Committee Chair Katie Hodge CM ’27 asked the panel whether students would get to meet and interview potential candidates, an opportunity offered last spring during the search for CMC’s new dean of students. The panelists said no, citing the additional confidentiality of a presidential search.
“We have to keep it very tight because a lot of these candidates have important jobs and they don’t want it to get out [that they’re searching],” Valach said.
Belshaw said most presidential searches conducted by Isaacson, Miller are confidential. One reason, he noted, was fundraising — if candidates are attempting to raise donations at their current institutions and word gets out that they’re in the job market, donors may withhold their donations.
“We don’t want to hurt other institutions,” Belshaw said.
Jaime Morgan, a managing associate at Isaacson, Miller, said that while searches usually get a 50 percent response rate — how many candidates respond to a call-out during a search — CMC’s response rate is currently at 65 percent. 30 to 40 percent of the applicants, according to Morgan, have been women.
“ The response has been strong from the right people, who understand CMC or who are getting to understand CMC ”
“The response has been strong from the right people, who understand CMC or who are getting to understand CMC,” she said.
Multiple students emphasized the importance that candidates understand what makes CMC unique, from its emphasis on pre-professional preparation to its “work hard, play hard” mindset. Panelists strongly reaffirmed that sentiment.
“If they don’t get it quick, they’re out,” Belshaw said.
Eggert said the same qualities that he and Valach loved in CMC four decades ago were mirrored by current students in expressing what they hoped for their college’s future.
“What you’re saying is what we experienced from the time we were undergrads ‘til now, and what we hope will be strong when you guys are 40 years out of college,” he said, addressing students.
Concluding the session, representatives from Isaacson, Miller said the conversation with students was particularly enlightening.
“This is the most remarkable group [of students] we’ve seen, both in numbers … and in substance,” Belshaw said. “You’ve really impacted our thinking in how we measure our candidates.”
Caleb Rasor CM ’28 attended the meeting. He said he appreciated the opportunity for students to provide input, and hopes the committee will continue seeking out their perspectives.
“There are over one thousand additional CMC students who didn’t show up to this presidential search committee meeting who I’m certain still have opinions on what they’re looking for from our next president,” he said. “The search committee should continue to look for additional ways to get student input.”
CMC’s Board of Trustees seeks to have a new president in place by July 1, 2026.
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