Guide to Student Life 2002-2003

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President’s Letter

Office of the President

September 2002

Welcome to Claremont McKenna College

The purpose of this College is to prepare men and women to join the ranks of educated persons who are prepared to pursue lives of significant engagement and responsibility in the world. Liberal arts colleges provide a superb environment to succeed in achieving this purpose. Faculty who teach here are dedicated to the liberal arts mission of putting teaching first, but basing their teaching on a commitment to research and scholarship. I urge you to pursue your studies with intellectual curiosity and a commitment to thinking deeply about serious matters. If you do so, you will meet the faculty on their own terms and your education will be stimulating and your own personal growth genuinely meaningful.

Your classmates are among the most talented students studying at any college or university in the United States. You have a responsibility and opportunity to learn from one another in a liberal arts college whose focus is on small classes, residential life, a vibrant athletics program, and frequent interactions among students who know one another well. This environment provides you a rare associative opportunity for developing friendships, gaining self understanding, and learning a great deal about human nature.

CMC has developed a unique and vibrant community over the years. You will gain a very great deal from the strong sense of esprit that imbues this special place. Take from it and give much back to it, and leave behind an even more astonishing community for the students who come behind you.

Sincerely,

Pamela B. Gann
President