More on the Alumni Ath...

I learned what it truly means to be a CMCer this weekend. I learned how generous and welcoming CMCers are, and what a real family network this has been.
—Victoria Din '10

It was the last day of the Alumni Athenaeum in Beaver Creek, and as participants wandered in balancing breakfast plates and cups of coffee, you could feel it—a sense that we'd all just been a part of something new and exciting and energizing—something we couldn't wait to tell others about back home.

Around the room, compliments flowed. "I enjoyed the variety of speakers; it felt like I was in school again," said Nicole Smith '96. "In true CMC spirit," added her husband, CMC Alumni Association President Ryder Todd Smith '96, "we covered a lot of territory."

"This event brought the whole spectrum of the CMC community together: professors, Trustees, faculty—even 5-year-olds and teens. That was the real magic for me," said Rick Voit '78, Alumni Athenaeum 2009 chair. "One of the great things about Claremont McKenna College is the intimacy of the education you receive," added Ath speaker Jeff Klein '75 P'08 P'11. "This brought me back to CMC... It was an intimate event with smart, interesting speakers. We all know you can go to a lot of events without one-on-one contact."

“It was an amazing weekend!” added organizer Carol (Oliver) Hartman ’86. “I think everyone was surprised by how rich the experience was. I can’t wait to do it again in 2010!”

Promoted within the CMC community as a "Thinking Vacation," the College's first ever Alumni Athenaeum last July seemed charmed from the get-go, even if attendance dipped noticeably below target. In the end, participants appreciated the small, "boutique" feel of the event—perhaps already swayed by the intimate nature of CMC's own campus. But pulling up to blue skies and billowy, white clouds above the robust Colorado Rockies was certainly an enchanting way to commence the four-day gathering—assisted in splendor by the sprawling grounds and amenities of a premier vacation destination: the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort, where most of the 50 or so guests roomed.

For the next several days, CMC alumni, faculty, friends of the College, Trustees, parents, staff, and assorted family members would share meals together, sit side by side for presentations by guest speakers, and share stimulating conversation—but not without the sense of fun and adventure that was organic to the setting. Whether breaking for group activities or individual free time, things like marshmallows and campfires, fly-fishing, hiking, nature-gazing, horseback riding, and mountain biking were easily within reach. Some might even add to that bears, deer, and moose, all of which were seen traipsing and nibbling about the grounds at various times of day.

Gathered here for those who missed the opportunity to attend the first Alumni Athenaeum are pictures that help illustrate the depth and breath of its undeniable success.