Pitzer College

Pitzer College
Motto Provida Futuri
Motto in English
 Mindful of the Future
Type Private liberal arts college
Established 1963
Endowment $180 million (2022)
Budget $95 million
President Strom C. Thacker
Academic staff
 116
Undergraduates 1,067 (Fall 2015)
Location
Claremont, California
,
California
,
United States

34°6′14″N 117°42′20″W
Campus Suburban, 35 acres (14 ha)
Colors Orange and White
   
Mascot Cecil the Sagehen
Website www.pitzer.edu

Pitzer College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. One of the Claremont Colleges, the college has a curricular emphasis on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, international programs, and media studies. Pitzer is known for its social justice culture and experimental pedagogical approach.

History

Pitzer was founded in 1963 as a women's college by Russell K. Pitzer (1878–1978), a California citrus magnate, philanthropist, and Pomona College alumnus. In April 1963, John W. Atherton, the dean of faculty and a professor of English at Claremont Men's College (now Claremont McKenna College) 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 1965 and became co-educational in the fall of 1970. The first academic term in the fall of 1964 began with eleven professors and 153 students from sixteen states and five countries. Pitzer's sixth president, Melvin L. Oliver, is the first African American to lead any of the five Claremont Colleges.

Presidents

Campus

The Rodman Arboretum surrounds the Grove House at Pitzer College.
The Rodman Arboretum surrounds the Grove House at Pitzer College.

Pitzer's campus is in Claremont, California, covering an area of approximately 35 acres (14 ha). The campus is located approximately 10 mi (16 km) west of LA/Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles can be accessed via Metrolink. Access to campus is also provided via Interstate 10 and Interstate 210. The campus comprises sixteen buildings, including five residence halls. West and East Halls earned Platinum LEED certification when they opened 2012.

The Pitzer College campus occupies the northeast corner of the Claremont Colleges property, which contains seven institutions of higher education coordinated through the Claremont University Consortium. The Claremont Colleges comprise Pomona College (founded in 1887), Claremont Graduate University (1925), Scripps College (1926), Claremont McKenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955), Pitzer College (1963), and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences (1997). 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.

Brant Clock Tower

Contemporary architecture characterizes the majority of Pitzer's buildings, several of which were designed by Gwathmey-Siegel following major donations from Eli Broad, a board member emeritus and former chair of the Pitzer College Board of Trustees. 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 purchased for $1.00 and moved to Pitzer in 1977 under the direction of Professor emeritus Barry Sanders. The Grove House is home to a cafe, the Women's Center, the Hinshaw Gallery and the EcoCenter.

Most landscaping on the campus follows principles of xeriscaping. Several varieties of citrus and other fruit are grown throughout campus and an organic community garden, dedicated grove and chicken coop are located north of Mead Hall. The 10-acre John R. Rodman Arboretum, founded in 1984 in an attempt to save surviving native chaparral vegetation from demolition, is part of the campus. It contains 16 themed gardens with drought-tolerant, native landscaping.

The campus also includes auditoriums, sports courts, and science buildings.

Located directly northwest of the main campus, the Robert J. Bernard Biological Field Station, a resource of The Claremont Colleges, is an 86-acre (35 ha) nature preserve consisting of coastal sage scrub.

The Outback Preserve, located in the northeast section of campus, occupies just over three acres of the John Rodman Arboretum. The Preserve is home to one of the rarest ecosystems in the world: Alluvial Sage Scrub. Undergoing ecological restoration as part of the Outback Restoration Project, the Preserve is a living-learning laboratory. The project seeks to restore the Outback Preserve to a more intact alluvial sage scrub ecosystem, removing invasive plants and ensuring the success of native species. Each semester there are a small number of courses utilizing the Outback Preserve. Courses are open to all students at The Claremont Colleges.

The Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology
Pitzer owns and operates a 145-acre (59 ha) field station on secondary growth rainforest, the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology. The facility is located approximately two kilometers east of Playa Dominical, Costa Rica. The property borders the Hacienda Barú nature reserve. The Center is home to programs in Pitzer's science, language and international studies curricula.

Rankings

Academic rankings
Liberal arts colleges
U.S. News & World Report 39
Washington Monthly 130
National
Forbes 54
THE / WSJ 77

The U.S. News & World Report College and University rankings 2022-2023 edition ranks Pitzer College at the 33rd best national liberal arts college overall, and tied for 108th in "Top Performers on Social Mobility" out of 216 evaluated liberal arts colleges. In 2015, Pitzer was recognized nationally as the 8th most selective liberal arts college; 20th most selective among all college and universities; 44th in best freshmen retention rate; and 55th for highest proportion of classes with fewer than 20 students.

In Forbes' 2019 college rankings, Pitzer was named 54th best among the 650 top-ranked colleges, universities and service academies in the U.S. In addition, Pitzer was named the 44th best private college, the 22nd best liberal arts college, and the 11th best college in the West.

Academics

As a member of The Claremont College Consortium, Pitzer students have access to nearly all facilities available to students enrolled at the other colleges, in addition to all facilities administered by the Claremont College Consortium. Any student attending Pitzer can enroll in classes at the other four colleges, and can complete an off-campus major if the major is not offered by Pitzer.

Pitzer offers 41 majors and 22 minors, many of them cross-disciplinary, and each student is assigned a faculty advisor upon their arrival on campus. The College expects students to take an active part in planning their course of study and has few distribution requirements. The most popular majors, based on 2021 graduates. were:

  • Research and Experimental Psychology (22)
  • Environmental Science (20)
  • Organizational Behavior Studies (18)
  • Political Science and Government, General (18)
  • Economics (17)

The student/faculty ratio is 10:1, and 100% of Pitzer's tenure-track faculty hold a Ph.D. or the terminal degree in their field.

The college operates 58 study abroad programs, including 41 international exchanges and 6 domestic exchanges. Pitzer College also operates its own study abroad programs in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Italy, Nepal, Tanzania/South Africa/Zimbabwe, and Vietnam.

Pitzer has ranked as a top producer of Fulbright US Student Program awardees for 13 consecutive years thus far and is one of the nine baccalaureate institutes who have been top producers of Fulbright US students every year for at least the past decade. From 2010 to 2015, The Chronicle of Higher Education listed Pitzer first in Fulbright Fellowships among all undergraduate institutions nationwide. In 11 of the 12 years from 2003 until 2015, Pitzer alumni received more Fulbright Fellowships per capita than alumni from any other college or university in the nation.

Admission

Enrolled Fall Freshman Statistics
  2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Applicants 4,415 4,358 3,753 4,142 4,149
Admits 605 581 608 569 559
Admit rate 13.7% 13.3% 16.2% 13.7% 13.5%
Enrolled 276 273 262 268 267
Yield rate 45.6% 47.0% 43.1% 47.1% 47.8%
SAT range 1350–1460 1340–1490 1310–1490 1300–1450 1250–1440
ACT range 30–33 30–33 29–32 29–32 29–32

Nearly two decades after becoming the first college on the West Coast to adopt an SAT-optional admission policy, Pitzer College switched to a test-free admission policy for at least three years, beginning with the admission cycle for fall 2022. Admission to Pitzer College is rated as "most selective" by U.S. News & World Report, for the Class of 2027, Pitzer College accepted 15.9% of applicants (enrolling fall 2023) with an average high school GPA of 4.07. Of the 32% of enrolled freshmen submitting SAT scores, the middle 50% range was 1370–1460 for the composite score, 668–730 for evidence-based reading and writing, and 680–750 for math, while of the 28% of enrolled freshmen submitting ACT results, the middle 50% range for the composite score was 30–33.

Student body

Pitzer College enrolls approximately 1000 students, making it the third largest of the five undergraduate 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. Students of color constitute over 49.6% of the total student body and Pitzer enrolls 10% international students, the third largest among the Claremont Consortium behind Pomona College (12%) and Claremont Mckenna College (16%).

Community involvement

Pitzer students protest the firing of three dining hall workers for supporting union organizing.

The Pitzer College community is known for its involvement outside of the classroom. Its students, faculty, and staff donate over 100,000 hours to community service annually. The College has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll seven times.

Much of Pitzer's community engagement occurs in the Community Engagement Center (CEC). The CEC runs the Pitzer in Ontario Program, a comprehensive semester-long service learning and cultural immersion program with a strong theoretical foundation in the human sciences informed by the best practices in the field of experiential education. The program integrates extensive internship experiences in city, private or non-profit organizations with interdisciplinary coursework that provides the theoretical framework from which social and urban issues can be evaluated.

At the Campus Compact 20/20 Visioning Summit on October 17, 2006, the Corporation for National and Community Service recognized Pitzer as one of 28 California campuses distinguished for community service and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Pitzer College received Mother Jones Magazine 2006 Campus Activism for Thinking Outside of the Box.

Pitzer College students including former Speaker of the California State Assembly Fabian Nunez '97 helped in founding the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center. Through the Community Engagement Center, dozens of Pitzer students volunteer each semester with programs at Camp Afflerbaugh and California Youth Authority Chino.

Events and traditions

Kohoutek Music and Arts Festival began in 1974 and is a student-run multi-day outdoor music and arts festival held each spring on the Pitzer campus. The event, which is free and open to all Claremont Colleges community members, is named after Comet Kohoutek, discovered by Czech astronomer Lubos Kohoutek. 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. Last year's headliners were Matt & Kim, Blu, and Mr. Lif and featured a performance by special guests Mandrill. The festival generally includes a number of non-music components including off-campus and student vendors, fire performances, a farmers market, and other activities.

Orientation Adventure or OA is the College's pre-Welcome Week program for incoming First-Year, Transfer, and New Resource students.

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. Diverse themes include portraits, politics, literature, and purely whimsical imagery.

Snackie Snack occurs weekly, and is a free late-night snack served by the Pitzer Activities (PAct) Programming Board. During exam periods, Snackie Snack is served by the president and members of the cabinet.

"Reggae Fest" began in 2003 as a fall concert event. Sometimes referred to as "BobFest", the event 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 personality Junor Francis each year since its inception. In 2016, the Pitzer College Student Senate suspended funding for the event amid concerns that it was culturally appropriative and disrespectful toward Jamaican culture.

Student life

Club and intramural sports

Pitzer students also participate in the Claremont Colleges club sports programs that compete nationally.

Gold Student Health and Wellness Center

Originally opened in 1995, the Gold Student Health and Wellness Center was completely renovated and reopened in 2014. It is a hub of campus life activity for the entire Pitzer community. The Center is home to the College's gym, a yoga studio, a Pilates studio, and the student-run Shakedown Café. There is also incorporated club meeting space, multipurpose programming space, and the offices of some Student Affairs staff.

Residential Life Project

The Residential Life Project is expected to be completed in three phases over the next 10 to 15 years. Phase I, which included Sanborn, Pitzer, and Atherton Halls, was completed and inaugurated in September 2007 and received LEED Gold recognition from the United States Green Building Council in 2008. Robert Redford and Ed Begley, Jr. were the keynote speakers at the dedication ceremony of the Residential Life Project. The College broke ground on Phase II, which incorporates four new residence halls, a demonstration kitchen, an archive, a board room and program/faculty offices, in December 2010. It was completed in 2012 and earned LEED platinum certification.

When Pitzer's Residential Life Project is complete, the College expects to become the first college in the nation to have all Gold or Platinum LEED certified residence halls.

Student clubs and organizations

Pitzer has more than 50 student clubs and organizations on campus, in addition to over 200 others within the Claremont Colleges consortium.

Athletics

Main article: Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens
Varsity teams
Women's Men's
Basketball Baseball
Cross country Basketball
Golf Cross country
Lacrosse Football
Soccer Golf
Softball Soccer
Swimming and
diving		 Swimming and
diving
Tennis Tennis
Track and field Track and field
Volleyball Water polo
Water polo
Pomona-Pitzer football game on Merritt Field
A Pomona-Pitzer football game

Pitzer's varsity athletics teams compete jointly with Pomona College (another consortium member) as the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. The 11 women's and 10 men's teams participate in NCAA Division III in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Pomona-Pitzer's mascot is Cecil the Sagehen, a greater sage-grouse, and its colors are blue and orange. Its main rival is the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags and Athenas (CMS), the other sports combination of the Claremont Colleges. The Sagehens ranked 21st out of 323 competing Division III schools and 2nd among SCIAC schools in the 2022‍–‍2023 Division III NACDA Directors' Cup, which ranks athletics programs and awards points relative to their finish in NCAA championships.

Club and intramural sports are also offered in various areas, such as dodgeball, flag football, and surfing. The physical education department offers a variety of activity classes each semester, such as karate, playground games, geocaching, and social dance.

Athletics history

Pitzer College began competing with Pomona College in 1970, when it was seven years old. The interim arrangement became permanent two years later.

Cost and financial aid

For the 2015-16 academic year, tuition is $48,400, a double room is $8,770, the 16-per-week meal plan is $6,440. About thirty-seven percent of Pitzer students receive financial assistance in loans, work study, scholarships, and/or institutional grants. Pitzer utilizes the Federal FAFSA and the CSS Profile to determine financial need, and Pitzer has stated a commitment to meeting 100% of every student's demonstrated financial need. The average financial aid package at Pitzer is $40,250. Since 2004, the College has significantly reduced the average amount of indebtedness of its students to $19,422, well below the national average of more than $35,000.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Pitzer College people

Notable faculty

See also