History and Mission
Pitzer College produces engaged, socially responsible citizens of the world through an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary liberal arts education emphasizing social justice, intercultural understanding and environmental sensitivity. The meaningful participation of students, faculty and staff in college governance and academic program design is a Pitzer core value. Our community thrives within the mutually supportive framework of The Claremont Colleges which provide an unsurpassed breadth of academic, athletic and social opportunities. |
Academic Excellence • Diversity • Social Responsibility
• Intercultural Understanding
Founded in 1963, Pitzer College grew out of the Group Plan developed in 1925 by James Blaisdell (Pomona College President) and his assistant Robert Bernard. The College is an active member of a unique educational environment known collectively as The Claremont Colleges. Guided by an “Oxford Model” of higher education, The Claremont Colleges are seven different institutions instead of one large university with several independent schools.
The College, named for founder Russell K. Pitzer (1878-1978), began with a curricular emphasis in the social and behavioral sciences. It was the first independent women’s college created since Bennington in 1932. From its first entering class in 1964, Pitzer offered an alternative liberal arts education focused on a deeper understanding of humankind within a structure that allowed every voice to be heard equally and fully.
By 1968, the College had 550 students and had matured into a highly respected residential college for women. Pitzer became a co-educational college in 1970 with an initial enrollment of 80 men and 618 women. The College first received accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 1965.
Today Pitzer College has approximately 1,000 students and is a fully coeducational liberal arts college with a strong commitment to the values of a residential educational community. It offers majors in all key fields of the liberal arts. Its particular strengths lie in the encouragement of independent interdisciplinary work and the development of a critical approach to the traditional disciplines. The College expects students to take an active part in planning their course of study, bring a spirit of inquiry and adventure to planning that course of study, and to work hard to meet the intellectual goals of a Pitzer education. To guide students and their advisers, the College has six educational objectives: Breadth of Knowledge; Understanding in Depth; Critical Thinking, Formal Analysis, and Effective Expression; Interdisciplinary Perspective; Intercultural Understanding; and Concern with Social Responsibility and the Ethical Implications of Knowledge and Action.
Seven educational institutions now constitute The Claremont Colleges: Pomona College, founded in 1887; Claremont Graduate University, 1925; Scripps College, 1926: Claremont McKenna College, 1946; Harvey Mudd College, 1955; Pitzer College, 1963; and the Keck Graduate Institute for Applied Life Sciences, 1997. Our community thrives within the mutually supportive framework of the Claremont Colleges which provide students with an unsurpassed breadth of academic, athletic, and social opportunities.
Pitzer College currently enrolls approximately 1,000 students in more than 40 fields of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Some of the more popular concentrations include psychology, sociology, Political Studies, Media Studies, Environmental Studies, and art.
Current Pitzer College President:
Laura Skandera Trombley (2002 to present)
Past Pitzer College Presidents:
John W. Atherton, founding president (1963-1970)
Robert H. Atwell, Second President, (1970-1978)
Frank L. Ellsworth, third president (1979-1991)
Marilyn C. Massey, fourth president (1992-2002)
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