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“What were your expectations and preconceptions of �鶹ԭ�� before you came here?” This is one of the 21 questions that �鶹ԭ�� seniors have been asked since 1968 when the �鶹ԭ�� History Project began interviewing students nearing graduation. For 50 years, student responses have been surprisingly consistent, along the lines of: “I thought there would be a lot of freedom at �鶹ԭ�� and that it wouldn’t be your traditional college or your traditional college education.”

The documents in the �鶹ԭ�� Archives, which picks up where the �鶹ԭ�� History Project left off, make it clear that faculty, staff, and trustees have had a similar—and steadfast—impression of the College: in addition to being an exceptional college that’s part of a consortium of highly respected educational institutions, �鶹ԭ�� is more progressive, experimental, hippie, disruptive, unruly, rebellious and unconventional than other colleges in Claremont and around the country. How do these perceptions emerge?

In an attempt to answer this question, the �鶹ԭ�� Archives mounted The Radical Roots of �鶹ԭ��, an exhibition that explores the principles, attitudes, and aspirations underlying these ideas about the College. Part One explores the development of �鶹ԭ��’s institutional and educational character. The remaining parts will delve into the roots of �鶹ԭ��’s Core Values:  Environmental Sustainability, Social Responsibility, Intercultural Understanding, Interdisciplinary Learning, and Student Engagement.