When asked to explain his decision to run for Senate, Leppert jokingly responded with, “Because I’ve lost all sanity.” All jokes aside, his desire to make a difference at the national level and his dedication to his campaign were made very clear.

“I’m not a lawyer or a career politician, I’m a businessman,” asserted Leppert. “Honestly, I am skeptical and cynical of politicians in Washington. They only made careers for themselves.” Leppert believes his strong experience as a businessman sets him apart from the rest. During his long and illustrious career, Leppert has run five different businesses with operations on five different continents. To learn more about Leppert and his campaign, you can visit his website here.

Photo Credit: Texas Tribune

During the luncheon, Leppert mentioned the importance of commitment, public service, and taking risks. “People that succeed don’t work harder; they work much, much harder,” Leppert explained. He believes that success evolves from fundamental work ethics. In fact, he was audacious enough to state, “Average doesn’t count for much. Exceptional counts for everything.” He underscored his point with a Winston Churchill quote, stating “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”

Above all, he shared how his education at CMC has significantly shaped his worldview and provided him with many opportunities he would not have otherwise had. “If you look back in your life, you realize how important little events are,” Leppert said with great candor, leaving his audience of young alumni to contemplate their own personal experiences at CMC.

Following the luncheon, Leppert attended a student panel discussion with a group of current CMC undergraduates. The discussion was left open to any topic and each student was given the opportunity to ask Leppert their questions. One student asked the former mayor to name a person who he looks up to or admires. While he does seek to embody positive traits he sees in others, Leppert said he did not look up to anyone in particular and sees himself as a unique political candidate. “I am me,” said Leppert.

His advice to students who are considering running for office one day is to specialize in something specific. Whether that something is in business, law, or non-profits, it is important to provide a solid base of experience before running for office, advised Leppert. In addition, he encourages current CMC students to get as much experience as possible while they can. “Get a breadth of experience, work with people who you may not be interested in working with, get exposure to different subjects,” explained Leppert with a big smile on his face. “It will all pay back dividends.”

Let’s start with the Princeton Review. Each year, they rank the top schools in the nation on criteria ranging from the highly anticipated to the rather silly (Reefer Madness?). Without further ado, here are the numbers we’ve all been waiting for:

Claremont McKenna College

Once again, CMC performed admirably in the Princeton Review in numerous areas. Take a look:

• Best Career Services – 6th
• Happiest Students – 12th
• Lots of Beer – 3rd
• Most Politically Active Students – 14th
• Most Accessible Professors – 13th
• School Runs Like Butter – 6th
• Great Financial Aid – 16th
• Best Quality of Life – 6th
• Most Popular Study Abroad Program – 20th

This list represents some good news and some bad news. While CMC has lost ground in some categories, it has also pushed forward in others. Notably, it has risen in the “Lots of Beer” category once again, from 5th last year, 12th the year before, and 20th the year before that, despite the efforts of the administration to soften our beer drinking reputation. This may provoke worry from school officials, who have been working hard to push CMC down on this list, but I would caution them not to overreact. While it is certainly true that Mr. Natty has more than a few friends (perhaps “Enemies with Benefits” is a better term) on campus, the ranking is based almost entirely on the perception of the student body, rather than on any hard evidence. Sadly, officials from the Princeton Review have not been digging through our trash cans and tallying up all of the empty cans they can find. As a result of this particular ranking method, a bizarre situation has arisen in which schools like Penn State and UC Santa Barbara rank lower on the beer drinking list than CMC. This seems dubious at best.

Rather than focus on this one ranking, however, the CMC administration should notice the many other honors on the Princeton Review list. In short, focus on the positive and take everything else with a grain of salt.

5C Roundup

Claremont Mckenna wasn’t the only school that performed strongly in the Princeton Review rankings. Among the highlights:

Harvey Mudd College was ranked among the top three schools in the country, although in some less-than-flattering categories, including “Least Beautiful Campus” However, they also proudly demonstrated their academic dedication, and were first in the entuire country in the “Students Study the Most” category. Your buildings may not be beautiful, Harvey Mudd, but I’d like to see Yale students try to turn one of their dorm quads into a pool with a waterfall. Shine on, beloved Mudders.

Pomona College performed well, scoring 9th in the “Happiest Students” category and “Best Classroom Experience Category.” In addition, they’ve moved up to 16th in the “Dorms Like Palaces” category (*cough Sontag Hall *cough *cough).

Even without a brand new resort-like residence hall (Seriously Sontag Hall? King sized beds? Can I transfer just for one of those?), Scripps scored highest among the 5C’s on the “Dorms Like Palaces” category at 8th nationwide. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been fortunate enough to stroll through the winding maze of climbing Ivy, citrus trees, and dorms capable of putting many French Villas to shame. Only at Scripps College can one stumble across a new secret garden just about every time they try to walk to their dining hall for dinner (which, by the way, earned them the 16th spot for “Best Campus Food).

Pitzer College as well earned a series of rankings which I’m sure will particularly please its student body. My personal favorite: 17th in the “Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove Smoking Vegetarians” category (their words, not mine). They also earned 9th in “Most Liberal Students” as well as “Lots of Race/Class Interaction,” and I would be remiss if I didn’t add their 16th rank in the “Reefer Madness” category.

This is just a small sample of the rankings earned by our fave four neighbors (can we start calling them this, please?). To see the rest of them, check out the Princeton Review website.

In addition to the above rankings, all five Claremont Colleges were included in the “Best Western Colleges” and, with the exception of Pitzer College, the list of the “Top 50 Best Value Colleges of 2011.”

One again, the Princeton Review has brought forth its judgement from on high, providing us with rankings which we use to measure our own level of success as well as that of others. Or maybe not. When examining these numbers, it’s important to remember that the Princeton Review bases its rankings almost entirely on student interviews. They explain it this way:

“The Princeton Review’s 62 college rankings are “top 20” lists entirely based on the company’s survey of students attending the 376 colleges in its book, The Best 376 Colleges. For the rankings lists in the 2012 edition, published August 2012, The Princeton Review surveyed just over 122,000 students at the 376 schools in the book (not at all schools nationwide). On the 80-question survey, students were asked to rate their own schools on various topics and report on their campus experiences at them.”

Perhaps their numbers aren’t the most scientifically precise in the field, but at least now we have an answer to the question “Which school thinks it drinks the most beer?”

Forbes

Forbes Magazine also recently released this year’s college rankings, although their system is far less categorical. Rather, they list what their calculations identify as the top 650 schools in the nation in order. Under this ranking system, the 5C’s received the following placements:

• Claremont McKenna College – 12th
• Pomona College – 23rd
• Scripps College – 41st
• Harvey Mudd College – 44th
• Pitzer College – 130th

It is important to note that the Forbes ranking system is still in its infancy, at a mere three years old, and calculates rankings differently from many other institutions. For example, Forbes places a far greater emphasis on RateMyProfessor.com rankings than do other systems.

So there you have it: another year and another set of rankings. In this glut of statistics and numbers, it is easy to forget that the best college in the country for you will always be the one that satisfies your collegiate needs most. To both newcomers and familiar faces at the Claremont Consortium this year, focus on best fit, rather than best school.

Forum Editor-in-Chief Michael Wilner '11 moderated the discussion with the Council of Presidents for the Claremont Colleges.

The presidents of the five undergraduate institutions of the Claremont Consortium, as well as the CEO of the Consortium, met for the first time in fifty years on February 28. Pitzer College’s president Laura Trombley was unable to attend, but sent a substitute member of Pitzer’s administrative staff in her place. The six school leaders came together to form a discussion panel which discussed a number of current policy issues at the 5C’s, as well as the future of the consortium as a whole.

(Watch a video of the event here.)

Organized by the Forum and the Pomona Student Union, the event took place in the Little Bridges Auditorium on Pomona’s campus, and was moderated by CMC’s Michael Wilner, editor-in-chief of the Forum.

The event was organized into two sections. First, Wilner asked each of the presidents to respond to three preplanned questions, then students in the audience were allowed to ask questions of the panel.

In the first portion, Wilner first asked the Presidents to comment on the nature of competition between the schools, specifically whether or not it limits the schools capabilities to publish research papers as separate entities rather than as one institution. Robert Walton, CEO of the consortium, pointed out that “There are times when [the five schools] are very competitive with each other, … but they are equally as strong in their collaboration. I do think that the competition actually adds a lot of value.”

Presidents Oxtoby (Pomona), Bettison-Varga (Scripps) and Gann (Claremont McKenna) answer questions on social interaction and substance policy.

In response to another question, this time regarding the different alcohol policies of the different schools and how they play off against each other, Claremont McKenna’s President, Pamela Gann, discussed the school’s alcohol policy, which can be described as one of the most liberal of the colleges. She stated, “I do think one of the inevitable roles of college is socialization of students to appropriate uses of alcohol.” Harvey Mudd College’s President Maria Klawe added that “We have really upped the alcohol education” as a means of keeping students safe.”

The candor of the event was exceptional, and each of the Presidents was professional, while at the same time demonstrating some of the same good-natured competitiveness that the students of the 5C’s know and love so well. Mr. Walton summed up the shared attitude of the Presidents best when he offered his closing remark, saying “I’m sure in thirty years, all these great colleges will be better but, right now, this is the number one consortium in the United States, hands down.”

Alumni tell me CMC has prepared me well for the journey, but have I really learned much since the 5th grade?  I have some plans, but I’ve never been more unsure of where I’ll be in five years.

Despite my personal confusion, I think I have a pretty good idea of where Claremont McKenna will be in five years. There are a lot of good “Decade in Review” articles and posts around the web lately, but I say those are written by people like Kevin Burke who can’t see into the future. Here’s what’s going to happen at CMC in the next decade.

2010:

• CMC amends the science GE requirements to allow computer science courses as an alternative option.
• The music video “That’s So North Quad” drops and takes the school by storm (just wait).
• I graduate.

2011:

• The Kravis Center opens.
• In his final act of bravery before graduation, the ASCMC Social Activities Chair will throw the largest CMC party ever in the middle of North Quad. There will be strippers, midgets, fifths, handcuffs, clowns on stilts, clowns on goats, Kanye West, and a 40-foot crane hanging a roasting pig over a spit. Epic. The next morning, a townie tied to a chair, gagged and missing his two front teeth, will wake up in the Appleby laundry room. Nobody will know how he got there. A Claremont McKenna water polo player will find the missing teeth days later at the bottom of the CMS pool. The townie will sue CMC for a few milli. In response and retaliation, the administration will cancel all ASCMC parties for the following three weeks.

2012:

• CMC announces a plan to tear down Ducey Gym and build a new gym in the “pit” across Claremont Boulevard. They have been doing this annually for years, but this time they “mean it.”

2013:

• The company that owns the College Park Apartments tries to found the sixth “Claremont” college, Upland College. The Consortium decides not to admit the school, so the company founds their own consortium — The Upland Colleges.  Holla.  The Upland Colleges will become renowned for their strict alcohol policies, degree in ergonomics, and loose women.

2014:

• An ambitious CMCer will hear about this thing called Claremont Confessions. “Sounds cool,” he says, so he brings it back. This time the site implements an anonymous video and hidden camera feature. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
• Chipotle adds a store to the Claremont village. In-N-Out Burger takes over for Bon Appetit at the Hub.

2015:

• A few weeks ago I said to President Gann, “Tear down whatever buildings you want and rebuild them, but don’t try to tear down North Quad.”  She laughed.  ”That’s what everyone tells me!” she said.  In 2015, she draws up plans to tear down North Quad as part of what she dubs “Ganny-Gann’s Masta Plan.”

2016:

• Facebook groups remain a vehicle to achieving powerful institutional change.  President Gann mysteriously retires following the creation of the Facebook group, “WE LOVE YOU NORTH QUAD – DON’T LEAVE CMC!” The Board of Trustees hires an Economics Professor (finally!), Brock Blomberg, to take her place.  The plans to tear down North Quad are dropped.
• ASCMC gets audited by the Internal Revenue Service. Uh oh. As the ASCMC CFO shreds files associated with line items for “Tropical Lei Expense,” “Cigars for Meetings,” and “Income from Extraordinary Sources,” a CMC alumnus who was appointed head of the IRS in 2015 calls off the audit.

2017:

• Newly appointed Athenaeum Director Ward Elliot reinstates the Madrigals tradition as his first order of business. The wassail will flow once again.

2018:

• Moose Halpern (CMC ’10), running on a campaign of “What up, chief?” is elected the youngest US Senator in California history.
• Scripps goes coed and quickly becomes the most competitive 5C school to get into. Mudders will cry. The Motley will stop serving “feminista” coffee.

2019:

• Henry Kravis bequeaths a large amount of cash money to CMC under the condition that we buy, restructure, and annex Pitzer with it, renaming the school “Claremont McKravis College” (see image).
• CMC will have the largest liberal arts college endowment in the world.

________________

I can’t predict what will happen beyond 2019 — CMC might open a water park in Montclair, the senior class might take over the Children’s School playground, the consortium might kick out Pomona College — only time will tell.  Who knows what’s coming?

The Claremont Political Union was created as a confluence of the Claremont Democrats and Claremont Republicans clubs, and CMC’s two partisan newspapers, the Claremont Port Side, and the Claremont Independent. According to President of the Claremont Democrats, Elaine Maloney (SC ’08), “People might be involved in politics, but might not be allegiant to a party. But this is a good place to start for the same goal.” Mike Whatley (CMC ’11), Vice-President of Operations for the Claremont Republicans, echoed this goal: “It is a good thing to come together, and hold events together in a friendly environment.”

Yet, the debate over the choice of TV channel almost turned the event hostile. A half-dozen Republicans charged the party’s organizers with partisanship because they chose CNN over Fox News. To appease both sides, the CPU decided to switch between channels every 30 minutes. Yet, Mr. Whatley told me that “CNN was better anyway.”

By 6 PM, The Hub was full of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike, and voting in California was still open for another two hours. Sometime after 6 p.m., CNN made a projection—Barack Obama had won Delaware. The crowd of Obama supporters was glowing and cheering. On the other side, the response was more hushed during Republican projections—when John McCain won New York, the crowd remained mostly unmoved with a few scattered claps and boos.

None of the organizations in the CPU endorsed a candidate as a club, and are now focused on future events and funding. They are planning an “unconventional partisan debate” during Alumni Weekend, and are seeking funding as an organization (a consortium within a consortium?), instead of using funds from each member club. This time, club funds bought sets of red, white, and blue balloons and a handy delegate chart that was much easier to follow than that of the Situation Room at CNN.

Breaking from the usual CMC party scene, the clubs did not buy alcohol with their funds. “No one here is looking to get smashed on a Tuesday night,” said Ms. Maloney. Still, a few students improvised with Chardonnay (Obama supporters).

In CMC’s community of political involvement and partisanship, many students loved the bipartisan atmosphere. Molly Doyle (CMC ’09) said, “I’m just so excited to be here. This event would only happen at CMC.”