The Forum (newspaper)
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We have confirmed campus rumors that former Republican presidential primary candidate Mitt Romney will be one of CMC’s upcoming Res Publica Society speakers. According to an Athenaeum insider, Romney will come to campus and speak at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum next semester. The former governor of Massachusetts, Romney is known for his highly successful business career and is widely considered the Republican front runner in the 2012 Presidential election. Earlier today, we published a post hinting that author Michael Pollan might be an Ath speaker and have since learned that though the Ath would be happy to host the author, but no plans have been made. We hope, though, that you enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little bit about the unusual world of culinary ethics.
As for Romney's designation as a Res Publica speaker, these guests often address a general audience at the Athenaeum and then sometimes also address a smaller group of select students, faculty, alumni, and friends of the College at a separate event. According to the CMC website, “the Res Publica Society is a dedicated group of leaders of the CMC community who make an annual contribution of $1,500 to $3,499. These leadership gifts allow CMC to offer students Alumni Fund Scholarships, athletic travel, engaging Athenaeum speakers, exceptional visiting faculty, and a wide range of other co-curricular opportunities.”
Romney's Athenaeum appearance makes sense as part of series of events with Claremont-based organizations, as he is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at Claremont Institute’s California Public Policy Conference in Newport Beach on Dec. 5, 2009 to discuss state and local government policies and their future impact. The Claremont Institute, while independent of the Claremont Colleges, hosts a number of faculty members from the CMC government on its board. This connection to CMC could well yield other fruitful interactions with Romney for the College.
Given Romney’s economic background, his opinions on the financial crisis would be especially invaluable to CMCers with economic-driven aspirations, but would also likely attract members of CMC's vibrant political community.