Pitzer College

Pitzer College

Pitzer College Logo
Motto	Provida Futuri ("Mindful of the Future")
Type	Private
Established	1963
President	Laura Skandera Trombley
Academic staff	116 (approx)
Undergraduates	950 (approx)
Postgraduates	0
Location	Claremont , CA , USA
Campus	Suburban, 35 acres (0.14 km²)
Endowment	US $100+ million (approx)
Mascot	Cecil Sagehen

Pitzer College is a private residential liberal arts college located in Claremont, California, a college town approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. Pitzer College is one of seven institutions of higher learning known as The Claremont Colleges and coordinated through the Claremont University Consortium. The school has a curricular emphasis on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, international programs, and Media Studies.^[1]

As one of the Claremont Colleges, consortium resources (libraries, dining halls, etc.) are shared and students from Pitzer College are encouraged to take classes at the other four Claremont Colleges as well as at Pitzer. Likewise, students from the other Claremont Colleges are permitted to take classes at Pitzer. Together the Claremont Colleges provide the resources and opportunities of a larger university while enabling the specialization and intimacy afforded by the individual colleges.

Pitzer was founded in 1963 as a women's teaching college by Russell K. Pitzer (1878-1978), a California citrus magnate, philanthropist, and Pomona College alumnus. In April 1963, poet and visionary John W. Atherton was hired as Pitzer's first president, and over the next seventeen months he recruited students, faculty, and trustees and constructed Scott and Sanborn Halls just in time for the fall 1964 semester. During the College's first year, students and faculty created the curriculum and the school's system of governance. The College graduated its first class of students in 1967 and became co-educational three years later.^[2] That first academic term began with ten professors and 153 students from sixteen states and five countries.

Pitzer College Presidents

• John W. Atherton, founding president (1963-1970)
• Robert H. Atwell, second President, (1970-1978)
• Frank L. Ellsworth, third president and life trustee (1979-1991)
• Marilyn C. Massey, fourth president (1992-2002)
• Laura Skandera Trombley, current president (2002-present)

Pitzer’s campus is located in Claremont, California, covering an area of approximately 35 acres. The campus is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of LA/Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles can be accessed via Metrolink, with the station located approximately eight blocks south west of campus. Access to campus is also provided via Interstate 10 and Interstate 210. The campus includes 16 buildings, including 5 residence halls. The Pitzer College campus occupies the north east corner of the Claremont Colleges' property.^[3]

Currently, Foothill Boulevard/Historic Route 66 and Harvey Mudd College border the campus to the north, Claremont Boulevard to the east, Ninth Street to the south, and North Mills Avenue to the west. Possible future campus expansion into the Claremont University Consortium East Campus Property would extend the eastern boundary of campus towards Monte Vista Boulevard. At present, the campus is split approximately in half by Pitzer Road. Harvey Mudd College is adjacent to Pitzer’s north, Scripps to the west, and Claremont McKenna to the south.^[4]

Contemporary architecture characterizes the majority of Pitzer's buildings, several of which were designed by Gwathmey-Siegel following major donations from Eli Broad, a member emeritus and former chair of the Pitzer College Board of Trustees.^[5] A notable exception is the Grove House, a California Bungalow built in 1902 for a local citrus grower during the height of the Arts and Crafts movement. The building, a popular campus hangout, was moved to Pitzer in 1977 under the direction of professor emeritus Barry Sanders. The John R. Rodman Arboretum is part of the campus, and most landscaping follows principles of xeriscaping. Several varieties of citrus and other fruit are grown throughout campus and a community garden and dedicated grove are located north of Mead Hall.

The campus lies less than five miles (8 km) south of the San Gabriel Mountains, on top of the alluvial fans that come from nearby San Antonio Canyon. The campus is relatively flat, with a 4% uphill grade from southwest to northeast. Mount Baldy is 15 miles (24 km) north of the College and is visible from the campus. The Mount Baldy Ski Lifts is a popular spot for students to ski in the winter. On clear days, the Chino Hills are visible to the south and San Bernardino Mountains to the east.

Located directly north west of the main campus, the Bernard Field Station[1] is an 86 acre nature preserve consisting of coastal sage scrub.

"The Outback" refers to the undeveloped natural area of campus bordered by Foothill Boulevard to the north, Claremont Boulevard to the east, Atherton and Sanborn Halls to the south, and Harvey Mudd College to the west. The area is characterized by plant communities that once covered most of the surrounding region, coastal sage scrub and chaparral. There are many different areas situated throughout the Outback including: a small gully in the northeast corner, a stone bench/rock couch situated near the southern edge, as well as a small stone seat further north, there is an unfinished stone pyramid, the all-encompassing tree is near the center.

Pitzer owns and operates a 145-acre (0.59 km²) field station on secondary growth rainforest, the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology[2]. The facility is located approximately two kilometers east of Playa Dominical, Costa Rica.^[6] The property borders the Hacienda Barú[3] nature reserve. The Center is home to programs in Pitzer's science, language, and international studies curricula.^[7]

The U.S.News and World Report 2008 Edition ranks Pitzer College as the 49th best national liberal arts college overall, and Pitzer College is the youngest school represented in the top 50. Among liberal arts colleges, Pitzer College ranked as the 5th most diverse top-tier private coed national liberal arts college, 25th in students studying abroad, and 35th in academic reputation.^[8]

In the most recent data reported by the National Science Foundation, Pitzer College ranked 8th in the number of alumni who pursued a Ph.D. in psychology, 29th in the number of alumni who pursued a Ph.D. in anthropology, and 38th in the number of alumni who pursued a Ph.D. in sociology, compared with 153 other private colleges and universities.^[9]

The Princeton Review has named Pitzer College as one of 81 schools to be included in its publication, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Schools with Great Community Involvement and Pitzer College was selected by The Carnegie Foundation for their new elective Community Engagement Classification in 2007.^[10]

Pitzer College has also been listed as the Seventh Most Politically Liberal College by a survey conducted by MSN Encarta and Princeton Review.

Pitzer College is featured in the first edition (2005) of Students' Guide to Colleges: The Definitive Guide to America's Top 100.

Pitzer College enrolls approximately 950 students, making its enrollment third ranking within the five Claremont Colleges (Claremont McKenna and Pomona have larger student bodies, while Harvey Mudd and Scripps are smaller). Pitzer College ranks 25th nationwide among all Baccalaureate Colleges for percentage of its students who study abroad, and Pitzer has the highest rate of study abroad among the Claremont Colleges.^[11] Students of color constitute over 30%^[12] of the total student body and Pitzer enrolls the largest number of international students of any school within the consortium.^[13]

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The Pitzer College community is especially known for its involvement outside of the classroom. Recently the campus was named to the first-ever President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This distinction recognizes students, faculty, and staff for helping to build a culture of service and civic engagement in our nation.

At the Campus Compact 20/20 Visioning Summit on October 17, 2006, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced that Pitzer College is one of 28 campuses in California to be distinguished for community service and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.^[14]

Pitzer College received Mother Jones Magazine 2006 Campus Activism for Thinking Outside of the Box. This was partially due to the Pitzer College Student Senate's implementation of a policy of not reimbursing student organizations for purchases made at Wal Mart Stores.^[15]

Pitzer College students including current Speaker of the California State Assembly Fabian Nunez ‘97 were instrumental in founding the Pomona Day Labor Center[4]. Through the Center for California Cultural and Social Issues (CCCSI) dozens of Pitzer students volunteer each semester with programs at Camp Afflerbaugh and California Youth Authority Chino.

Kohoutek Music and Arts Festival: or Kohoutek, began in 1974 and is multi-day music and arts festival held each spring on the Pitzer campus, usually during the month of April. The event, which is free and open to all Claremont Colleges community members, is named after Comet Kohoutek, discovered by Czech astronomer Lubos Kohoutek. Each year, the festival is thrown by a new group of students. Kohoutek is located outside on the Pitzer Mounds.^[16] Past groups that have headlined Kohoutek include: O.A.R, Blackalicious, The Roots, Tea Leaf Green, Breakestra, Zolar X, Lyrics Born, Akron/Family, Zion I and Toubab Krewe. The festival generally includes a number of non-music components including off-campus and student vendors, fire performances, a farmers market, and other activities.^[17]

Dining With Democracy: is a student-run speaker series that brings politicians and community activists to campus. All speeches are open to the Claremont College community. Following the speech a private dinner is held with the speaker and randomly selected students, faculty, and staff. Past speaker participants include: Christopher Hitchens, Chalmers Johnson, the Honorable Kimba Wood, John Hueston, Mike Bonanno of The Yes Men, Ralph Nader, Don Beck, Brian Swimme, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.^[18]

Groove at The Grove: generally refers to those concerts or other performances held on Thursday nights at the Grove House, but the term may be used at other times as well.^[19] The event represents Pitzer's most consistent contribution to the weeknight arts and music scene at the Claremont Colleges. Acts set-up on the front steps of the Grove House with the audience standing immediately in front of the structure. Numerous student and professional groups have performed at the event, including We Are Scientists.^[20]

Hammocks on The Mounds: refers to the hanging of hammocks on the Pitzer Mounds, the uneven grassy area located directly north of McConnell Center. The hammocks are generally donated by students and/or alumni, or purchased by the student government. The College declared November 2nd through 9th 1998 Pitzer College Hammock Week, stating that community members are encouraged to "bring a hammock to the mounds, string it up and just hang around" with a member of the Student Senate noting "Hopefully, this is a tradition in the making."^[21]

Halloween in the Halls is annual community outreach held inside select College residence halls. Occurring during a single evening/night on or near Halloween, the event draw hundreds of local elementary school students to trick-or-treat between students' rooms. in the Pitzer College dorms. There is often a decoration competition between participating hallways, and prizes are awarded to those halls that receive top placement.^[22]

Orientation Adventure: or OA is the College's pre-Welcome Week program for incoming First-Year, Transfer, and New Resource students. The optional student-led program offers multi-day thematic trips throughout California. Over the program's history themes have included, among others, backpacking, sustainability, coastal biking, grassroots movements, surfing, and Los Angeles arts & music. Trips generally vary in length from three to six days and destinations of past trips have included: Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Chávez National Center, San Gabriel River Trail, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Onofre, community gardens, and San Diego.^[23]

Murals provide unique visual atmosphere to Pitzer college. Murals are painted by students, staff, and guests artists on the interiors and exteriors of campus buildings and along the pillars that line the Mounds. Diverse themes include portraits, politics, literature, and purely whimsical imagery. ^[24]

"BobFest": or "The Bob Marley Festival", or "One Good Thing Festival" began in 2003 as a fall concert event. "BobFest" occurs during the first weekend in November and features Reggae, Dancehall, Afrobeat, and World music. The festival runs over the course of a single day and features 5-9 live, professional bands, free food and beverages. The event has been hosted by California reggae personallity Junor Francis each year since its inception.

The majority of Pitzer students live on campus in one of 5 residence halls: Atherton Hall, Holden Hall, Mead Hall, Pitzer Hall, Sanborn Hall. Each hall is equipped with laundry rooms, common rooms for meetings or social gatherings, study rooms, full kitchens and has a full time in-residence Hall Director. All Pitzer residence halls, balconies included, are non-smoking.

Atherton Hall is a four story building adjacent to the Gold Student Center. Atherton accommodates 62 students. Rooms are double occupancy with two rooms sharing an adjoining vanity, bathroom and shower. Common areas include a living room, six study rooms, and laundry facilities. The basement level of Atherton Hall is home to the mailroom, a music practice room, art studio with classroom and gallery space, and the Writing Center.

Pitzer Hall is a four story building southeast of the Gold Student Center that houses 78 students. Rooms are double occupancy, with two rooms sharing an adjoining vanity, bathroom and shower. Common areas include a living room, eight study rooms, and laundry facilities. The basement level of Pitzer Hall houses the Admissions Office.

Sanborn Hall is a two-part three story building east of the Gold Student Center. Sanborn houses 178 students. Rooms are double occupancy with two rooms sharing an adjoining vanity, bathroom and shower. Common areas include a living room, nine study rooms, laundry facilities and a kitchen.^[25]

Holden Hall is a two story building housing 180 students in four wings. Rooms are double occupancy, with two rooms sharing an adjoining bathroom and shower. Common areas include a living room, television lounge, two study rooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities.

Mead Hall is a three story, six-tower complex which houses 225 students. Suites share a common living room with four people on each side for a total of eight people in a suite. Common areas include a community kitchen, laundry facilities and a television lounge. Mead is home to Career Services, Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS), The Rabbit Hole (substance abuse education and outreach program), and the Marquis Library. This hall offers a Substance Free Tower and a Community Involvement Tower that exemplifies one of the College’s educational objectives; awareness of the social and ethical implications of action. Residence life in the Involvement Tower is generally self-governed within the parameters of Pitzer’s residential life policies, subject to amendment by Pitzer College Student Senate. Students are required to attend Tower meetings and participate in Pitzer’s community or the community at large.

File:Interhueman mural.jpg

Pitzer is currently engaged in a multi-million dollar Residential Life Project to significantly expand the facilities of the College.

The Residential Life Project is expected to be completed in three phases over the next 10 to 15 years. Phase One, which included East Sanborn, North Sanborn, Pitzer, and Atherton Halls, was completed and occupied during September 2007.

Robert Redford and Ed Begley, Jr. were the keynote speakers at the dedication ceremony of the New Dorms Complex. The New Dorms received LEED GOLD Certification by the United States Green Building Council in 2008. The College's Green Bike Program is an integral part of the Residential Life Project, and helped secure certain points needed for eventual GOLD Certification.^[26]

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the national standard for sustainable buildings created by the U.S. Green Building Council. With the completion of the third phase of the Residential Life Project, Pitzer College is expected to become the first college in the nation to have all Gold LEED certified residence halls.^[27]

There are more than 150 student clubs and organizations available to join within the Claremont College consortium.

Notable amongst these is the Green Bike Program, known as "the GBP", a student run bicycle cooperative that maintains a full service shop, as well as fleet of 100 recovered and reused bicycles that are given out free of charge each semester for student use. The GBP works to provide an alternative mode of transportation to combat the predominate and destructive car culture in Southern California, as well as to reduce consumption and consumerism while increasing the practical use of recycled and reused materials. As the only organization of it's kind in the area, save for the sister-GBP at Pomona College, the GBP maintains a strong DIY ethic, and has in recent years become a social hub for both student and community thought and activism.

As a member of The Claremont College Consortium, Pitzer students have access to nearly all facilities available to students enrolled at the other colleges (e.g. the Athenaeum at Claremont McKenna College, Malott Commons at Scripps College, Jay's Place/former 'mudhole' of Harvey Mudd College, and the Rose Hills Theater at Pomona College), in addition to all facilities administered by the Claremont College Consortium.

Much of student life revolves around the five colleges, or "5C's." Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Scripps College and Harvey Mudd College all interact socially, but also share dining halls, libraries, and other facilities spread throughout the adjoining campuses. All five colleges are part of the Claremont University Consortium.

Any student attending Pitzer can enroll in classes at the other four colleges, and can complete an off-campus major in the event that the concentration is not offered at Pitzer. This is the general academic policy at all five schools, and is meant to give students the resources of a larger university while still maintaining the qualities of a small, liberal-arts college.

Over the years, a rivalry has formed between the opposing sports teams CMS (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps) and PP (Pomona-Pitzer).

In 2004 Pitzer decided to join the SAT-Optional Movement and make the SAT optional for all applicants. Pitzer was the first college on the West Coast to make such a move against standardized testing.

Pitzer received roughly 4,000 applications for the class entering during August 2008, a 7% increase from the previous year. During the last five years the number of applications has grown by 65% (2,425 in 2003 to 4,000 in 2008). For 2008, Pitzer offered admission to 899 individuals or 22% of the applicant pool, (33% male and 67% female) the lowest admit rate in the college’s history.

While Pitzer aims to enroll a class of 225 First-Year student each fall, the yield rate for the class of 2011 was higher than expected and 243 students (59% female, 41% male) enrolled. 49% of the incoming class comes from within California and an additional 29 states are five foreign countries are represented within the class of 2011. After California, the most represented states are: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, Washington, Texas, and Oregon.^[28]

• Average High School GPA: 3.72

Pitzer College does not require any applicant to submit standardized test scores. For those students who elected to submit information:

• Average SAT Verbal: 636
• Average SAT Math: 616

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Pitzer College currently offers an alternative curriculum spanning 40 majors and 20 minors, the requirements of which are determined by a field group rather than a department. All Pitzer students have the opportunity to design their own major working in consultation with faculty advisors and the Curriculum Committee. The curriculum is noted for its interdisciplinarity.^[29] Pitzer is a member of the Project Pericles organization.^[30]

The College expects students to take an active part in planning that course of study, and has few distribution requirements. To guide students and their advisors, the College has six educational objectives:^[31]

• Breadth of Knowledge
• Understanding in Depth
• Critical Thinking, Formal Analysis and Effective Expression
• Interdisciplinary Perspective
• Intercultural Understanding
• Concern with Social Responsibility and the Ethical Implications of Knowledge and Action

During Fall 2007 Pitzer became the first college in the United States to offer a course about YouTube, titled "Learning from YouTube."[5] The course has been the subject of local and national attention. Alexandra Juhasz, a professor of Media Studies is the course instructor.^[32]

Pitzer students and alumni received 18 Fulbright Scholarships during 2006-2007, making it among the top producers of Fulbright grant recipients. ^[33] Pitzer alumni have received other nationally recognized awards and during the five most recent academic years students and graduates were awarded:

• fifty-two Fulbright Scholarships
• one Rhodes Scholarship
• four Watson Fellowships
• four Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
• two Princeton-in-Asia Fellowships ^[34]
• two Freeman Foundation Asia Fellowships
• one Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellowship
• one Morris K. Udall Foundation Native American Fellowship
• one Robert S. McNamara Fellowship
• four Coro Fellowships
• four Kemper Foundation Scholarships
• two American Sociological Association Minority Fellowships
• two Teaching Assistantship Fellows from the French government (selected by the Institute of International Education)
• several recipients of the University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellowship
• one Rudolph Polk Memorial Award in Music

^[35]

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Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College, and Scripps College share a science program known as Joint Science, located in the Keck Science Center. The Joint Science Department, in line with the liberal arts philosophy of the three colleges, encourages undergraduate collaboration on many major faculty research projects. Science majors are required to complete a comprehensive research project, reflecting their breadth of knowledge and personal interests within the field.

Pitzer College shares an athletic program with Pomona College named the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. The athletic program is a member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), NCAA Division III.^[36]

• A combined bachelors/medical degree program in conjunction with the Western University of Health Sciences. Upon completion of the seven-year program, students will receive the title Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.). Although not required, many students enrolled in the program choose to major in Human Biology while at Pitzer. [6]
• A joint bachelors/masters program with Claremont Graduate University in Community Education, Economics, Information Science, Mathematics, Psychology, or Public Policy.
• A dual degree Engineering program with Columbia University.[7]

Off-Campus study is an important aspect of a Pitzer education and the college offers a large selection of domestic and international programs administered through Pitzer's Study Abroad office. In addition to those programs offered by Pitzer students are able to apply to pre-approved programs administered through other schools, e.g. the School for International Training.

• Pitzer operates programs and maintains full time staff and dedicated facilities in Botswana, China, Costa Rica Ecuador, India, Italy, Japan, and Nepal, and offers over 40 additional international programs through partner institutions.^[37]
• Pitzer is one of the few colleges in the nation to administer a domestic study abroad program, Pitzer in Ontario, which encourages civic engagement and critical academic discourse regarding the status of disenfranchised recent immigrant communities
• Through a grant from the Mellon Foundation, Pitzer also offers international exchange programs with:
  • University of Adelaide (Australia),
  • McGill University (Canada),
  • University of Bristol (England),
  • University of Birmingham (England),
  • Universitat Koblenz-Landau (Germany),
  • University of Erfurt (Germany),
  • Autonomous University of the Yucatan (Mexico),
  • University of KwaZulu Natal (South Africa),
  • Payap University (Thailand), and
  • Middle East Technical University (Turkey).

Offered with Spelman College, Morehouse College, Colby College, and Haverford College. Additional domestic exchanges are available through the Consortium For Innovative Environments in Learning [8] partner institutions: Alverno College, Berea College, The Evergreen State College, Fairhaven College, Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, Hampshire College, New College of Florida, Daemen College, Prescott College and Joseph Smith College.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, full tuition, room, and board cost $46,124 per student.^[38] Over fifty percent of Pitzer students receive financial assistance in loans, work study, scholarships, and/or institutional grants.^[39] Pitzer utilizes the Federal FAFSA and the CSS Profile to determine financial need. Pitzer's Admissions Office states a commitment to building a student body that "reflects a wide range of economic, ethnic, racial and geographic representation."^[40]

Government and politics

• Mablean Ephriam '71, former Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and host of television's Divorce Court
• Hunter Lovins '72, President and Founder of Natural Capitalism, Inc. and named “Hero of the Planet” by Time Magazine in 2000
• Debra Wong Yang '81, former United States Attorney for Central District of California ^[41]
• Fabian Nunez '97, Speaker of the California State Assembly
• Kevin de León '03, Member of the California State Assembly, 45th District

Media and entertainment

• Anne Archer '68, actress
• Amy Gerstler '78, poet and essayist, winner of the National Book Critics Circle award for poetry
• David Bloom (1963-2003) '85, anchor, NBC News ^[42]
• Jenniphr Goodman '84, independent filmmaker, co-writer and producer of The Tao of Steve
• John Darnielle '95, musician and member of The Mountain Goats
• John Landgraf '84, President and General Manager, FX Networks
• Jonah Matranga '91 singer/songwriter and ex-frontman of Far, New End Original and Gratitude
• Matt Nathanson '95, singer/songwriter
• Max Brooks '94, author and Emmy Award winning writer, Saturday Night Live
• Michael Simpson (producer) '86, Grammy award winning producer and composer, and one half of the Dust Brothers ^[43]
• Tom Freund Singer/songwriter.

• Alfred Bloom, Psychology - Current president of Swarthmore College
• Tom Hayden, visiting professor of Sociology - Served in the California State Assembly (1982-1992) and the State Senate (1992-2000); Founder of Students for a Democratic Society (1962)
• Dana Ward, Political Studies - Founder of the Anarchy Archives, Executive Director of the International Society of Political Psychology (1998-2004)
• Judith Grabiner, Mathematics - Mathematical Association of America's Debora and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching.^[44]

• Pitzer College Official Site
• Kohoutek Music and Arts Festival
• Sagehen Sports Official site
• Pitzer College YouTube Channel
• The Claremont Colleges Official Site
• Western University of Health Sciences Official Site

34°06′17″N 117°42′18″W / 34.10484°N 117.70503°W / 34.10484; -117.70503