Pitzer College

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Pitzer College is a small, private liberal arts college located in Claremont, California. Pitzer College is the fifth of seven institutions of higher learning known as The Claremont Colleges and coordinated through the Claremont University Consortium.

[edit] History

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.

That first academic term began with ten professors and 153 students from sixteen states and five countries. In the words of President Atherton:

[edit] Demography

Pitzer College has the third largest enrollment within the Claremont Colleges, with a student body of about 950. Diversity is emphasized at Pitzer: U.S. News and World Report 2007 Edition named Pitzer the fifth most diverse private, secular, co-ed, liberal arts college. Students of color constitute over 30% of the total student body, and student minority groups are very active on campus.

Pitzer College was selected by The Carnegie Foundation for their new elective Community Engagement Classification in 2007. [1]

The Princeton Review has named Pitzer as one of 81 schools to be included in its special publication, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Schools with Great Community Involvement. Pitzer's student body consistently accrues high marks in terms of race/class interaction, political action, and social progressiveness.

During the 2006-2007 academic year, tuition, room, and board cost $43,708 per student.[2] Pitzer College commits to providing students with enough financial aid to cover 100% of their estimated Financial Need[3], but is not need-blind. Over fifty percent of Pitzer students receive financial assistance in loans, work study, scholarships, and/or institutional grants.[4] 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."[5]

Based on research indicating the SAT negatively impacts applicants of limited financial and social resources, Pitzer decided in 2004 to join the SAT optional movement and make the SAT optional for all admission applicants. Spurred on by student and faculty support, Pitzer was the first college on the west coast to make such a move against standardized testing. In the absence of standardized scores, additional weight is given to an applicant's other criteria (e.g. GPA, letters of recommendation, essays, etc.).

[edit] Residential life

The vast majority of Pitzer students live on campus, with Pitzer residence halls enjoying several distinctions from other Claremont College dorms. Most importantly, there are no communal bathrooms or showers at Pitzer College. The on-campus student to bathroom ratio is 4:1. Since there are currently only three residence halls, each Pitzer College dormitory houses more students than most others at the Claremont Colleges. Every hall is equipped with laundry rooms, common rooms for meetings or social gatherings, study rooms, and full kitchens.

Pitzer's three residence halls are Mead, Holden, and Sanborn. Holden and Sanborn halls are identical: two floors with four different wings (A, B, C, and D for Sanborn and J, K, L, and M for Holden). Floors are distinguished by the number proceeding the wing designation (e.g. A2: Sanborn Hall, A Wing, 2nd Floor). The vast majority of Sanborn and Holdern rooms are double-occupancy, forming four-person "suites" by way of a shared bathroom. Single rooms in Sanborn and Holden are typically reserved for resident assistants (RAs), Residential Life staff, and students who require special accommodations.

The Grove House

Mead Hall is the largest residence hall on campus, and is reserved for second-, third- and fourth-year students. Mead comprises six three-story towers connected by catwalks on every floor. The six towers are W, X, LX (aka. "Little X"), Y, LY (aka. "Little Y"), and Z. Each tower sports suites distinct from those located in Holden or Sanborn. Mead suites typically accommodate eight occupants who reside in one of four single-occupancy rooms, or share one of two double-occupancy rooms with a roommate. A common living room and (in most cases) a small patio or balcony partition the suite into two smaller, more manageable living spaces. One full bathroom is available to the occupants of the one double, and two singles, at either partition of the suite — two bathrooms total in the suite. Suites in Z tower include a small kitchenette in each living room. LX and LY Towers also include half-suites which accommodate only four occupants. These half-suites are composed of one double-occupancy room and two single-occupancy rooms, a living room, bathroom, and a patio or balcony.

First-years are assigned to Sanborn Hall and several wings of Holden Hall. In order to facilitate the transition to college life, all first-years are assigned to a mentor group of about twelve to fifteen mentees based on a common Freshman Seminar (chosen by the students).

Socially, Mead Hall, with its older population of residents, is regarded as the campus's "party hall." Mead is often lively on weekends although the administration has made a concerted effort in recent years to decrease unapproved parties. Holden is considered by some to be a hybrid between Mead and Sanborn, having some freshmen and some upper classmen. One Resident Assistant assigned to every wing in Holden and Sanborn, and every tower of Mead. In conjunction with each hall's live-in director, the RAs are responsible for the physical and mental health of all of their residents.

For students interested in a unique residential experience, the school recognizes several themed halls.

• M2's "HUSH", which stands for Holden Ultimate Study Hall, advertizes 24 hour quiet hours, although some residents claim that this policy is not strictly enforced.
• LX is a substance-free hall- Residents must sign a contract promising not to use drugs or alcohol before they are granted residency. Sanborn is also considered a substance free dormitory by default since most residents do not meet the legal drinking age (21) in the United States.
• LY's "Involvement Tower" is a self-governing tower which bases resident selection on social involvement and actively encourages social and civic involvement on campus.
• Other themed halls, past and present: PreMed/Science Hall, Game Hall, and the Food Co-Op.

The Grove House and the Gold Student Center are popular student hangouts at Pitzer. 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, and the Rose Hills Theater at Pomona College), in addition to all facilities administered by the Claremont College Consortium. Pitzer students, faculty, and staff may use all of Pomona College's athletic facilities throughout the academic year.

[edit] Construction, and Expansion

Pitzer is currently engaged in a multi-million dollar Residential Life Project to significantly improve and expand the facilities of the College.[6] Due to a steady increase in student enrollment and aging residence halls, construction of new residence halls has become the hallmark of the Project. The new resident halls will replace existing dorms to increase residential capacity from 76% to 93% of the student body. Sanborn Hall, the all-freshman dorm, will be destroyed after the Spring 2007 semester. The new halls are expected to be completed by Fall 2007. PItzer aims to be Gold LEED certified by the end of the building process. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the national standard for sustainable buildings created by the US Green Building Council. Pitzer College is pursuing the highest level of green certification practical for the Residential Life Project, and a preliminary review of likely LEED points suggests that the College will be able to earn a Gold rating from the US Green Building Council. Progress on the construction of the new dormitories can be seen on Pitzer's real-time webcam. [7]

[edit] Academics

Pitzer describes its academic approach as linking "intellectual inquiry with interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility and community connectivity." Pitzer prides itself upon being the most "flexible" of the Claremont Colleges, most notably in its policy for allowing self-designed majors and limited and broadly defined general education requirements.[8]

The U.S. News and World Report 2007 Edition ranks Pitzer in the top tier of liberal arts colleges, 51st overall. Among liberal arts colleges, Pitzer ranked 5th most diverse, 25th in students studying abroad, and 35th in academic reputation. Pitzer students and alumni achieve national recognition, becoming highly regarded public figures: award-winning producers, writers, scientists, professors, activists, and government officials.

In terms of academics, Pitzer is, at present, the national leader in student recipients of Fulbright Fellowships for a school its size (enrollment <1,000) — 18 in 2006, nearly doubling their previous year's record, 10.[9] Beside Fulbrights, Pitzer alumni have received other numerous, nationally recognized awards. In the past five years Pitzer students and graduates were awarded:

• one Rhodes Scholarship
• three Watson Fellowships
• four Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
• two Freeman Foundation Asia Fellowships
• one Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellowship
• one Morris K. Udall Foundation Native American Fellowship
• one Robert S. McNamara Fellowship
• three Coro Fellowships
• two Kemper Foundation Scholarships
• two American Sociological Association Minority Fellowships
• one Teaching Assistantship Fellow 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

According to the school's web site, 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. As the College has become progressively more well-known and respected, student applications have increased. In terms of selectivity, Pitzer College grants admission to less than 39% of the student applicant pool (now, less than 37% for the incoming class of 2010).

Pitzer currently offers 40 majors and 20 minors, the requirements of which are determined by a field group rather than a department. Majors not offered at Pitzer, but offered at one of the other colleges, may be adopted by Pitzer students pending approval of the appropriate college committees. [10]

Pitzer's Academic Quad

Pitzer has five primary guidelines for graduation. These guidelines were developed in lieu of the rigid General Education (GE) requirements seen at most schools. Their flexibility is meant to allow students, in conjunction with their faculty advisors, to develop a curriculum that satisfies the student's own intellectual curiosity without compromising the basic expectations of a college graduate.

These guidelines are:

1. Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Exploration
   • Each student must take three classes which address a particular topic of interest. The classes must represent at least two disciplines and more than one cultural perspective.
2. Social Responsibility and the Ethical Implications of Knowledge and Action
   • Credit Options include participation in certain External Studies programs or completion of a class with a community service component.
   • Non-credit options include 45 hours of community service in a single semester or participation in certain school programs such as school governance, resident assistants, volunteering at the Ecology Center, or writing for Pitzer's literary magazine The OtherSide.
3. Breadth of Knowledge
   • Two courses in the humanities and fine arts
   • Two courses in the social and behavioral sciences
   • One course in the natural sciences
   • One course in mathematics/formal reasoning
4. Written Expression
   • The completion of a first-year seminar fulfills this requirement.
   • Alternately, transfer students may take a writing intensive course to fulfill this requirement.
5. Completion of a Major

Pitzer is also one of the schools featured in the first edition (2005) of Students' Guide to Colleges: The Definitive Guide to America's Top 100. The publication took note many of the school's most recent academic achievements.

[edit] Special programs

W.H. Keck Joint Science Center

Pitzer, 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 team is a member of the SCIAC Conference Division III. The girls water polo team is among top in the nation.

The College also offers a variety of accelerated programs for advanced students. Among them:

• 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. [11]
• 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.[12]
• A series of domestic and international study abroad programs administered through Pitzer's External Studies office. (Note: students are eligible to apply to a number of pre-approved programs administered through other schools, e.g. the School for International Training; a petition to study abroad with a program which has not been approved by the College must be submitted to the External Studies office for review)
  • Pitzer coordinates programs in Botswana, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Italy, Japan, and Nepal. [13] Pitzer is also 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 disenfrancised recent immigrant communities
  • Through a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, Pitzer also offers international exchange programs with:
    • The 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).
  • Domestic exchanges are possible with Spelman College, Morehouse College, Colby College, and Haverford College. Additional domestic exchanges are available through the Consortium For Innovative Environments in Learning (CIEL) 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.

[edit] Notable alumni

Academia

• Setha M. Low '69, professor of Environmental Psychology at CUNY Graduate Center
• Gladys Frakel '72, associate professor of psychology in psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Ann Majchrzak '76, professor of Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Southern California
• Gary Kates '79, professor of History, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College at Pomona College
• Char Miller, '75, professor of American Environmental, Social and Cultural History and Director of Urban Studies at Trinity University
• Thomas T. Perls '82, author and professor of Geriatrics at Boston University
• Stuart Goldstein '86, medical director of the Renal Dialysis Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital and associate professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine

Business

• Susan Feniger '76, business owner restaurateur and host of the Food Network's Two Hot Tamales
• Shahan Soghikian '80, partner at J.P. Morgan San Francisco
• Kathleen Dahlgren '85, founder of Meaning Master and adjuct professor of Linguistics, University of California Los Angeles

Government and politics

• Mablean Ephriam '71, former Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and host of television's Divorce Court
• Emily Stevens '71 Los Angeles Superior Court Judges
• Hunter Lovins '72, President and Founder of Natural Capitalism, Inc. and named “Hero of the Planet” by Time Magazine in 2000
• Yvonne Sanchez ’78, Los Angeles Superior Court Judges
• Debra Wong Yang '81, United States Attorney for Central District of California
• Fabian Nunez '97, Speaker of the California State Assembly

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
• Jana Sue Memel '75, two-time Academy Award-winning documentarian, "Lieberman in Love" and "Partners"
• Jennifer Winston '96, Emmy Award-winning documentarian for CBS Special "9/11"
• Jenniphr Goodman '84, independent filmmaker, co-writer and producer of The Tao of Steve, a film that won critical acclaim at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival
• Jessica Hurley '92, Emmy Award winner for Best Documentary, "A Dose of Reality", and Golden Mike Award winner for Best Documentary as producer, writer and host of "Life Lessons, Truths and Consequences"
• 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
• Mary Beth Garber '68, president of the Southern California Broadcasters Association and winner of the 2000 Genii Award for Excellence in Radio
• Matt Nathanson '95, singer/songwriter
• Matthew Baer '86, movie producer, City by the Sea, Jack Frost and The Replacement Killers
• Max Brooks '94, author and Emmy Award winning writer, Saturday Night Live
• Michael Simpson (producer) '86, producer, composer, and one half of the Dust Brothers.
• Rene Blanco Fiction writer, author of Pleasure on the Run
• Zachary Miller '09, winner of the 2006 Jeep: Free Your Thoughts Film Contest[14]

[edit] Notable professors (past and present)

• Alfred Bloom - Current president of Swarthmore College
• Nigel Boyle - Political Studies and Comparative Politics; Fulbright Advisor
• Brian Burkhart - Noted Professor of Environmental Studies
• Terrell Carver - Political Philosophy; Author of several scholarly works on Marxism
• Jose Calderon, Sr.
• Emily Chao
• Mike Davis
• Carmen Fought - Linguistics [15]
• Stephen Glass
• Judy Grabiner - Winner of national teaching award from Mathematical Association of America; noted historian of mathematics
• Tom Hayden - Political Studies; Served in the California State Assembly (1982-1992) and the State Senate (1992-2000); Founder of Students for a Democratic Society (1962)
• Laud Humphreys
• Brian Keeley
• Leah Light
• Ming-Yuen Ma
• Lucian Marquis
• Stuart McConnell
• Sheryl Miller
• Victoria Mudd - Academy Award- winning documentarian [16]
• Peter Nardi
• Ronald Rubin
• Barry Sanders - History of Ideas; recently awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar Grant to investigate the "Edea of the Commons" in Greece
• Richard Tsujimoto
• Andre Wakefield
• Dana Ward
• Linus Yamane
• Phil Zuckerman

[edit] Emeriti Faculty

• Robert Albert
• James Bogen
• Lew Ellenhorn
• Allen Greenberger
• Jackie Levering-Sullivan
• Agnes Moreland Jackson
• Ronald Macaulay
• Margaret Mathies
• Robert Pinnell
• Ellin Ringler Henderson
• Barry Sanders
• Albert Schwartz
• Harry Senn
• Susan Seymour
• Helia Sheldon
• Ann Stromberg
• Werner Warmbrunn
• Michael Woodcock
• Dorothea Yale

[edit] Points of interest

• John R. Rodman Arboretum
• California Center for Cultural and Social Issues
• Grove House
• The Mounds
• Nichols Art Gallery

[edit] External links

• Pitzer College Official Site
• Residential Life Project
• Pitzer College History and Mission
• Pomona-Pitzer Athletics
• Anarchy Archives
• Claremont Colleges Official Site
• Claremont Graduate University Official Site
• Western University of Health Sciences Official Site

• KSPC 88.7 FM, the Claremont Colleges' community radio station