For Immediate Release

Contact:	
		Director of Public Relations
		(909) 621-8219
		nina_mason@pitzer.edu



Pitzer Ranks Among Nation's Best Liberal-Arts Colleges

Claremont, Calif. -- Oct. 30, 2001 -- National college guides and magazines continue to rank 
Pitzer College among the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S.

The 2002 Princeton Review, which annually rates "The Best 331 Colleges," gave Pitzer the nod 
on "top 20" lists for "Professors Bring Material to Life" (12), "Professors Make Themselves 
Accessible" (18), "Students From Different Backgrounds Interact" (13), "Most Politically 
Active" (18) and "Happy Students" (18), among other categories.  The Review reports that 
Pitzer students "say the 'challenging and stimulating' academic experience provides 'the perfect 
place for thinkers and people who want to learn for their own enrichment."

Pitzer's penchant for political activism was noted by another national magazine this year. Mother 
Jones, which compiles an annual list of "Top 10 Activist Campuses," awarded Pitzer the No. 2 
slot this year.  Pitzer's activists earned the mention for protests last March over plans to build on 
a biological field station. To compile its rankings, Mother Jones asks for nominations from 
national groups like Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity and Act Up.

In the 2002 edition of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges," Pitzer is 
ranked 55th among 218 national liberal-arts colleges.  Criteria the magazine uses for the 
rankings include academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, 
graduation rate and alumni-giving rate.

"The Fiske Guide to Colleges," produced by former New York Times education editor Edward 
Fiske, asserts that at Pitzer "intellectual exploration and fierce individualism are as plentiful as the 
random bursts of colorful murals that dot the interior and exterior of the main campus wall.  
Founded in the '60s, this small school has changed with the times but continues its tradition of 
progressive thought and open social attitude."