Mar 03, 2005 - Claremont, Calif. -

Text of announcement by President Jon Strauss

March 4, 2005

Colleagues:

I have very good news.

Last year, a friend of the college who wishes to remain anonymous offered to provide $1 million to help establish a Chair in Effective Teaching if we would raise another $1 million for this purpose. Three of our trustees stepped up with gifts totaling some $500,000 and the Board has agreed to designate another $500,000 from the recent bequest in honor of John D. Hackstaff.

In consultation with the donors, the Faculty Executive Committee, and the Department Chairs, Dean Helliwell and I have agreed that this chair should be named in honor of Joseph B. Platt, our founding president and a living embodiment of the best in effective teaching. Moreover, this chair will be awarded for a five-year term to a member of our faculty who has demonstrated both personal effectiveness in teaching and a passion to promote effective teaching in others. It was the unanimous agreement of all consulted that the most logical first holder of this prestigious chair should be Ran Libeskind-Hadas, Professor of Computer Science.

Please join us in congratulating Joe and Ran for these very well deserved honors.