William C. Dudley Selected as Claremont McKenna College’s Sixth President

William C. Dudley announced as Claremont McKenna's sixth president. Photo credit: The Columns.

Washington and Lee University President William C. Dudley will succeed Hiram Chodosh as Claremont McKenna College’s sixth president, according to a statement from Board of Trustees Chairman Ken Valach on Thursday afternoon. The announcement comes after six months of deliberation by the Presidential Search Committee – a group of trustees, faculty, alumni, and the sitting ASCMC President – tasked with selecting a replacement for the college’s top administrator. 

“I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Trustees, on the unanimous recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee, has voted to appoint the philosopher, scholar, and sitting college president William C. Dudley as the sixth president of Claremont McKenna College and successor to President Hiram E. Chodosh, effective July 2026,” reads the statement.

According to Valach, Dudley brings “all the qualities that [the search committee] seeks: a grounding in our mission, tested presidential experience, and the vision and gusto to move us to a future of excellence.” 

Dudley graduated from Williams College in 1989, and returned as faculty in 1998. There, he taught courses in philosophy before assuming his role as President of Washington & Lee in 2017. During his term, he continued to teach courses in ethics and liberal education.

Dudley also served as Williams College's provost from 2011-2016, where he oversaw admissions, financial aid, college library, IT, and research, among other operations. As provost, Dudley devised and oversaw a multi-year capital campaign that raised more than $750 million for the college.  

“I am honored to be selected as Claremont McKenna’s sixth president. I am inspired by the College’s founding vision that liberal arts education is the best preparation for responsible leadership and impressed by its sustained commitment to academic excellence,” Dudley shared in the statement. “CMC’s mission has never been more important, and I look forward to advancing it in collaboration with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Board of Trustees. Carola and I are excited to move to Claremont and join the community this summer.”

In July, the search committee released the “Presidential Search Profile,” which governed the committee’s candidate evaluations. The 15 page document, produced by Boston-based executive search firm Isaacson, Miller details Claremont McKenna’s institutional health. It broadly tasks the new president with maintaining the college’s strengths and executing future visions the Board of Trustees has already approved, such as the Roberts Campus expansion.

The search profile listed eight “key opportunities and challenges” for the incoming president. Among them were advancing the college’s “distinctiveness” in an increasingly competitive higher education marketplace, maintaining and strengthening the college’s fundraising apparatus, continuing to recruit distinguished faculty and driven students who fit Claremont McKenna’s mission, and promoting viewpoint diversity and constructive dialogue. 

Dudley’s salary will range from $600,000 to $700,000, excluding benefits, such as residency in the “President’s House.” This is a notable decrease from the $1,600,000 in total compensation the college paid President Chodosh in 2024. 

In an email to the Washington and Lee community announcing his departure, Dudley wrote: “W&L means a great deal to me, and it is difficult to contemplate saying goodbye. The prospect stirs up complex emotions. But my primary feeling is gratitude. I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of this exceptional place. I am thankful for my time with you.”

Dudley will assume office after the conclusion of the Spring 2026 semester.