President
William C. Dudley

William C. Dudley is the sixth president of Claremont McKenna College. A recognized leader in higher education, President Dudley has dedicated his career to increasing student access and affordability, enriching liberal arts curriculum, expanding support for faculty research, and investing in initiatives for civic engagement and environmental stewardship. A Virginia native, President Dudley attended Williams College, graduating magna cum laude with a double major in mathematics and philosophy. His scholarship is rooted in 19th-century German philosophy and he regularly teaches courses on virtue ethics and liberal arts education.

 

President William C. Dudley

William C. Dudley is the sixth president of Claremont McKenna College. A recognized leader in higher education, President Dudley has dedicated his career to increasing student access and affordability, enriching liberal arts curriculum, expanding support for faculty research, and investing in initiatives for civic engagement and environmental stewardship. A Virginia native, President Dudley attended Williams College, graduating magna cum laude with a double major in mathematics and philosophy. His scholarship is rooted in 19th-century German philosophy and he regularly teaches about virtue ethics and liberal arts education.

Liberal arts education of the highest quality has never been more important. I am excited to lead a small college that makes a large difference by preparing students to become responsible leaders in the private sector and the public sphere. I look forward to working with the CMC community to determine our aspirations for the college, and to marshalling the resources that will enable us to build upon our distinctive strengths in the service of our mission.

 

—President Dudley

President William C. Dudley.

Meet President Dudley

Read President Dudley’s biography and learn more about his wife, Dr. Carola Tanna, and family.

Introducing President Dudley

Introducing Dr. Carola Tanna

Inauguration 2026

Please join Claremont McKenna College at the investiture of William C. Dudley as our sixth president on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Inauguration weekend events will take place starting on Friday, November 6, 2026.

The inauguration for the sixth president, William Dudley.
A student checking in at the Soll Center help desk.

The Opportunity Strategy

Core to its founding mission of responsible leadership, CMC has positioned itself as a national leader in higher education through a powerfully integrated approach to leadership development and student opportunity across all sectors of the academic, social, and residential liberal arts experience.

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A busy lab at the Robert Day Sciences Center, with students in lab coats working in groups.

Integrated Sciences

Housed in its newest campus crown jewel, CMC’s Robert Day Sciences Center, the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences prepares future innovators for the challenges of our time by connecting core scientific principles to the social sciences, humanities, and foundational disciplines (policy, ethics, computing).

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Professor Nicholas Buccola leads a Saturday Salon.

The Open Academy

Through core commitments to freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue, CMC students are given the individual and collective tools to listen respectfully, ask incisive questions, and engage with greater curiosity and openness to differences of opinion.

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Zadie Smith, novelist, sits down with students of the Gould Center in Lower Kravis Center before her Athenaeum dinner program.

The Roberts Campus

While retaining the defining characteristics of CMC’s residential and co-curricular experiences, the College’s campus master plan keeps an eye on the future while reimagining how we live, work, and play as a community—starting with the Robert Day Sciences Center and the Sports Bowl’s championship-caliber athletics fields and outdoor spaces.

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Contact

Office of the President
500 E. Ninth Street,
Claremont, CA 91711
Bauer N. 201