Academic Institutions
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is an institution unto itself - an individual college that fosters a close relationship between faculty members and students who actively engage each other in the learning process. But CMC also is part of a larger community - The Claremont Colleges - a planned community of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate institutions, each with its own student body, curricular focus, and personality, all located together in Claremont. The seven institutions support and strengthen each other to become more than the sum of their parts. In essence, students at The Claremont Colleges enjoy the best of both worlds: the close, individualized academic nurturing of a small college and the resources of a major university. Because of their close proximity, the Colleges not only share athletic facilities and extra-curricular activities, but also offer joint academic programs and cross-registration in courses. The Claremont Colleges are now nationally and internationally renowned for academic excellence.
Currently the consortium has over 8,000 students and a combined faculty and staff of over 2,500. More than 2,500 courses are available to students in Claremont. The other members of The Claremont Colleges, in order of their founding, are:
Pomona College
Founded in 1887 as a college “of the New England type,” Pomona College is the oldest of The Claremont Colleges and has received a national reputation for excellence in private education. Pomona offers a traditional liberal arts program with majors in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The curriculum aims to prepare students for lives of personal fulfillment and social responsibility in a global context. Pomona has an enrollment in Claremont of approximately 1,550 men and women.
Claremont Graduate University
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU), with an enrollment of approximately 2,100 graduate students, awards master’s and doctoral degrees in 31 professional and academic disciplines through nine academic schools and one independent department. Founded in 1925 as the Claremont Graduate School, it originally housed the graduate-level courses of the consortium; it became the Claremont Graduate University in 1997. Currently CGU prepares a diverse group of outstanding individuals to assume leadership roles in the worldwide community through innovative research, superb teaching, and practical experience.
Scripps College
Scripps College, founded in 1926, is one of the country’s leading women’s colleges. With an on-campus enrollment of approximately 1000, the college emphasizes a challenging core curriculum based on interdisciplinary studies in the humanities, combined with rigorous training in other disciplines. From its founding, Scripps College has been one of the few institutions in the West dedicated to educating women for professional careers as well as personal growth. Scripps offers concentrations in the arts, language and literature, philosophy and religion, science, and social studies.
Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College, founded in 1957 as a coeducational institution of engineering, science, and mathematics, currently has approximately 750 students. The college aims to graduate engineers and scientists sensitive to the impact of their work on society, and the curriculum places strong emphasis on the humanities and social sciences. Majors are available in engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. The college has produced one of the highest percentages of PhDs compared to colleges across the country.
Pitzer College
Founded in 1963, Pitzer College provides undergraduate liberal arts and science education and is regarded as one of America’s most inventive colleges. Its approximately 1,100 students pursue majors across the full liberal arts and sciences spectrum in a manner that promotes intellectual discovery and individual growth through interdisciplinary and intercultural learning, and socially responsible engagement in the wider society.
Keck Graduate Institute
The Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences (KGI), the seventh and newest member of The Claremont Colleges, is the first American graduate school dedicated exclusively to developing applications for emerging discoveries in the life sciences and educating leaders for the biosciences industry. Innovative doctoral programs in applied life sciences, computational biology, and systems biology are also available.
The Claremont Colleges Services
The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS), formerly known as the Claremont University Consortium (CUC), was founded in 1925 as Claremont College. It is a service company that is a national leader in providing academic, student, and business services to meet the needs of the students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges. Its services and programs enrich the distinctive character and vitality of this mid-sized university cluster of small academic institutions. TCCS administers the joint services and facilities of The Claremont Colleges in coordination with the presidents of the colleges. TCCS also holds land, and plans for the founding of new educational institutions. TCCS aspires to be the standard for collaboration in higher education.
Academic support services provided by TCCS include The Claremont Colleges Library, the Bernard Field Station, and the Huntley bookstore. Student services include the Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center, the Black Student Affairs Office, the Interfaith Office of the Chaplains, Campus Safety, and Student Health and Counseling Services. Some of the business services provided by TCCS are Central Mail, Claremont Card Center, Benefits Administration, and Financial Services. As a member of The Claremont Colleges, CMC shares the use of these many facilities and services. TCCS and intercollegiate programs include:
Library System
Most notable of the shared resources of The Claremont Colleges is the Claremont Colleges Library. The Library partners with The Claremont Colleges in learning, teaching, and research. Library resources are available to all members of The Claremont Colleges academic community. Librarians and staff provide assistance with locating and using both traditional and electronic information sources. The Library offers reference assistance via email, instant messaging and in person. One of the major activities of the Library is teaching students how to find, evaluate and effectively use information. Research instruction for classes and other groups, as well as individual appointments for instruction and research assistance, may be scheduled by faculty or students. Classes in Honnold/Mudd Library are held in either the Keck Learning Room or Keck 2, the Library’s hand-on classrooms.
Honnold/Mudd Library provides a variety of study and collaboration spaces, including group study rooms, a media viewing room, a presentation practice room, and a café. Library computers, a wireless network, and laptops that may be checked out allow students and faculty to use online information resources throughout the building.
Most of the books CMC students and faculty need are centrally located in Honnold/Mudd Library, which houses arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences collections. A few collections, including approximately 300,000 volumes of print journals, are housed at the TCCS Records Center, located nearby in Upland. The Library’s access to a large collection of electronic resources provides a wide variety of bibliographic, full-text, and multimedia information. Through the World Wide Web, it is possible to search Blais, the online catalog, and over 500 databases, including Lexis-Nexis Academic and ISI Web of Science, as well as specialized resources such as the ACM Digital Library, Congressional Quarterly Library and Grove’s Dictionary of Art Online. Digital collections such as Early English Books Online and North American Women’s Letters & Diaries make available online thousands of primary source materials. Most of these resources are accessible via the Internet to students, faculty and staff of The Claremont Colleges in their dorms, labs, offices and homes, as well as in the Library.
The Claremont Colleges Digital Library (CCDL) and Scholarship@Claremont (S@C) comprise the Library’s Center for Digital Initiatives. The CCDL provides access to historical and visual resources collections created both by and for The Claremont Colleges community. Scholarship@Claremont provides access to scholarship produced by faculty, students, staff, and affiliated scholars who are members of The Claremont Colleges community. Open access journals, links to faculty publications, and undergraduate and graduate theses are among the resources available via S@C.
The Library’s holdings include more than 1 million print volumes and close to 400,000 electronic books. The Library also has extensive holdings of electronic journals, magazines, and newspapers; currently we provide electronic access to articles in over 70,000 journals. Honnold/Mudd Library is a depository for United States government publications, with a collection of historic documents dating back to the late 1700s and many recent publications in electronic formats. The government publications collection also has extensive holdings issued by the State of California, the United Nations, other international agencies, and Great Britain. The Library has a large collection of microforms, including long runs of newspapers, early printed books from England and the United States, and anthropological source materials in the Human Relations Area Files. The Asian Studies Collection in Honnold/Mudd has a collection of materials in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages. Among the Library’s special collections are the Oxford Collection, comprising books about the university and the city of Oxford, and the Renaissance Collection, which focuses on the life and work of Angelo Poliziano, both available from Special Collections in Honnold/Mudd Library.
The Library offers Interlibrary Loan service and maintains partnerships which provide access to books, articles and other materials not held in our collections. These partnerships include LINK+ and the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago. Affiliated libraries in Claremont include Denison Library at Scripps College; the library of the Claremont School of Theology which has strong collections in biblical studies, theology and Church history; and the library of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden which maintains a large botanical and horticultural collection.
Bookstore
Huntley Bookstore provides essential services to students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges. Established as the bookstore for The Claremont Colleges in 1969, Huntley Bookstore is the source for all course textbooks and academic materials used at the Colleges. Huntley also carries many academic trade and reference titles, new releases, Best Sellers, academic study aids, school and office supplies, clothing and gift items, as well as snacks and soft drinks and other sundries. Huntley Bookstore provides both Apple and PC computer hardware and software at academic discounted prices, and carries computer supplies and peripherals.
Huntley also has copyright clearance, course pack production (a special order services for items not found in the bookstore), textbook reservations, and mail order services. The website of the store includes a Faculty Resource Center and an on-line textbook purchasing feature. The bookstore also offers a selection of rental textbooks each semester. Huntley Bookstore is located in the heart of The Claremont Colleges at 175 East Eighth Street, on the corner of Dartmouth Avenue. The store is open year round and is open to the public.
Biological Field Station
The Robert J. Bernard Biological Field Station of The Claremont Colleges, an intercollegiate resource managed by Pomona College, is an outdoor field station located on the grounds of The Claremont Colleges. The station provides facilities and ecological communities for teaching and research opportunities in the biological, environmental, and other sciences to students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges. The facilities of the station are also made available to members of the community, and to faculty from other academic institutions, with approval of appropriate educational uses.
Student Health and Counseling Services
TCCS offers a range of wellness services to students at the Robert E. Tranquada Student Services Center, located at 757 College Way. The Tranquada Student Services Center houses Health Education Outreach, Student Health Services, and Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services.
Health Education Outreach
Health Education Outreach is dedicated to empowering students to make intentional healthy lifestyle choices. We strive to create a supportive environment that nourishes all dimensions of personal health and well-being for students of The Claremont Colleges. At HEO, we provide relevant and appropriate health and wellness support and resources to help students plan an active role in achieving, protecting, and sustaining their health and wellness. HEO operates on a risk reduction platform, and we encourage all students to utilize our preventative services, talk with a Health Educator, and get up to date information on the most current health and wellness information.
Student Health Services
The Student Health Service is open when the colleges are in session. Staffed by two full-time physicians and a team of nurse practitioners and registered nurses, services are provided on weekdays and some evening hours. Appointments are free, but there is a charge for walk-ins. Students are also charged for medication, x-rays, and lab tests. After-hours emergency care is available at nearby Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, San Antonio Community Hospital, and Montclair Hospital. If a student needs specialized treatment, consultation can be arranged with specialists in all fields. Outside consultation, hospitalization, and surgery are arranged by the health services staff but not financed by the College; payment for these services is the individual student’s responsibility.
Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services
Students from The Claremont Colleges have access to confidential mental health services through Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services. Services are available when classes are in session and include short-term therapy, group counseling, crisis intervention, and psychiatric consultations. All enrolled students are eligible to receive services at no charge. The staff also conducts workshops and presentations on a variety of topics, including stress management, self-esteem, problems with self-control, interpersonal relationships, gender and diversity issues, etc. Students and faculty may request workshops.
Religious Opportunities
The Interfaith Office of the Chaplains guides and nurtures students in the explorations, observances, and questions of religious and spiritual life. The Chaplains assist students in making contact with members of their own community of belief, and coordinate and oversee a wide variety of worship services, activities, programs, interfaith events, and pastoral counseling.
Among the faiths participating at McAlister are the Buddhist, Catholic, Christian Science, Hindu, Jewish, Latter-Day Saints, Muslim, PAGAN, Protestant, Unitarian, Zen, and other communities. Social justice and service learning programs are organized by the Chaplains’ Community Service and Activities Coordinator.
The McAlister Center for Religious Activities, located adjacent to Honnold/Mudd Library, includes a chapel, fireside lounge, library, and the Chaplains’ offices.
Services for Underrepresented Students
Office of Black Student Affairs
The Office of Black Student Affairs supports and enhances the entire well-being of undergraduate and graduate students of African descent earning degrees at The Claremont Colleges. We collaborate with faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni to ensure a comprehensive consideration and creation of services that compliment students’ stellar education with culturally significant scholarship, programming, and events. Since OBSA honors our communities’ collective and individual diversity, we explore a breadth of black life and culture in a wide range of opportunities. In addition to providing academic services and career advising, we offer individual and small group consulting and mentorship that advances academic, professional, and personal excellence. Professional development and leadership training also stand as a centerpiece of Black Student Affairs’ mission. Along with providing assistance and opportunities to students while earning degrees, we aim to support the realization of students’ highest aspirations.
Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center
The Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center (CLSA) is an educational support service that enhances the student experience through academic, social, and cultural programs. CLSA offers services and activities that celebrate the history, heritage, and culture of Chicanos and Latinos. CLSA seeks to build community through on-going activities and events designed to bring students together on a five-college basis. The programming provided by CLSA is designed to enrich student cultural identity, promote social awareness, and develop leadership in the college community. Specifically, the new student retreat, Latino heritage month, Día de la Familia, monthly lunches, study breaks, movie series, guest lectures, and César Chávez Commemoration Program help students to network and form bonds of friendship and support. Every new student is mentored through the CLSA sponsor program.
International Place
International Place (I-Place), located on the CMC campus and supervised by CMC, is an intercollegiate center that sponsors social activities, educational and cross-cultural programs, and other programs of interest to both international and U.S. students. I-Place sponsors an annual International Banquet in the fall semester, as well as a popular International Festival in the spring. All international students are welcome to use the services offered by I-Place, including an arrival assistance program for new students.
Asian American Resource Center
The Asian American Resource Center (AARC) of Pomona College provides support services for Asian American students and the general college community through educational programs, cultural events, and a library. Scripps and Pitzer College also offer Asian American resource programs.
Queer Resource Center
The Queer Resource Center (QRC), a 7-college student organization also located on the Pomona campus, offers support, advocacy, and social opportunities for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students.
Other Educational Resources
Other affiliated educational resources in the community are the Claremont School of Theology and the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
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