Earlier this month, Claremont McKenna College announced the successful conclusion of The Campaign for Claremont McKenna, which has raised a total of $635.2 million to help build, support and transform the college’s academic environment.

The campaign, which was launched in 2008 with the goal of raising $600 million, raised support for faculty and students, enhancement of the college’s facilities and scholarships through The Fund for CMC. CMC’s new president, Hiram Chodosh, who assumed office on July 1, has vowed that CMC will continue to build on its momentum. 

“Achieving excellence in higher education is incredibly challenging and requires a substantial investment in our students and faculty,” CMC Board of Trustees Chairman Harry T. McMahon said. “This remarkable campaign strengthened a culture of giving in our Claremont McKenna community that will support our commitment to excellence for years to come.”

Pamela Gann, president emerita, trustee professor of legal studies and George R. Roberts Fellow, highlighted the significant, longer-term accomplishments of the campaign.

“CMC’s fundraising success has been translated into splendid, transformative changes on the campus, from the addition of new faculty to new scholarship programs to new co-curricular support for students to new buildings,” she noted.

Alumnus and Trustee Robert Day, founder of the Trust Company of the West, provided a visionary gift of $200 million, one of the largest donations ever received by a liberal arts college, for the Robert Day Scholars Program, a unique undergraduate and graduate finance program that combines a rigorous curriculum with a rich co-curricular component.

The most conspicuous sign of physical improvement at CMC is the college’s new LEED-Gold Kravis Center, designed by world-renowned and award-winning architect Rafael Viñoly. The Kravis Center, a 5-level academic and administrative facility dedicated in 2011, has transformed the west end of campus by creating an iconic entrance. It is named in honor of Trustee Henry Kravis  and Marie-Josée Kravis for their $75 million unrestricted commitment to CMC during the campaign.

George R. Roberts’ unrestricted gift of $50 million helped push the college past its $600 million campaign goal. Announced in December 2012, his gift led the Board of Trustees to designate, in his honor, a state-of-the-art new fitness and athletics facility as the Roberts Pavilion.

One of the main priorities of the campaign was to elevate alumni participation. Trustee A. Steve Crown, working with the college’s development staff, came up with a revolutionary way to encourage alumni to make 4-year pledges to the Annual Fund. For each pledge, Mr. Crown made a matching gift. Over one-third of all alumni have taken the Crown Challenge.

Then, last fall, Mr. Crown and his wife Nancy made a $7.5 million unrestricted gift to CMC, helping propel the campaign past the $610-million mark. The Board of Trustees then designated Claremont Hall, an award-winning Silver LEED-certified student residence hall, as Crown Hall, in recognition of the gift as well as all of the Crowns’ other generous contributions during the campaign.