Centers, Institutes, and Support Services

Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS)
CAPAS seeks to enrich and develop social, intellectual and personal growth in our students by providing Asian American resources as well as a welcoming, supportive environment. The Center serves as an advocate for the Asian and Pacific Islander community and promotes an educational dialogue that embraces the unique experiences of ethnic communities, the cultural fabric of our institution.

Center for California Cultural and Social Issues (CCCSI)
With generous support from the W.M. Keck and the James Irvine foundations, the Center for California Cultural and Social Issues strives to root community-based pedagogy more deeply into the College's curricular and research agendas.  By providing financial, technical and logistical support to develop innovative community-based projects as well as an institutional infrastructure to sustain and evaluate them, the Center is able to engage international, national and local resources in a cooperative network aimed at defining and realizing the goals of various community partners.  Reciprocally, the Center's community partnerships are developing as a resource and a model for similar community-based organizations across the state and nation.

Center for Social Inquiry (CSI)

Center for Intercultural and Language Education (CILE)
Through the study of language and culture and through firsthand experience in communities worldwide, Pitzer College's Center for Intercultural and Language Education is a resource for intellectual discovery, integrating constructive learning with social responsibility. The Center expresses the College's commitment to student-centered education and pedagogical innovation, bringing an important international dimension to the campus and community.

The Claremont International Studies Education Project (CISEP)
The Claremont International Studies Education Project (CISEP) is one of 17 regional centers for the California International Studies Project (CISP), one of  nine California Subject Matter Projects (CMSP). It is a program designed to strengthen student performance through the preparation of teacher leaders whose exemplary classroom instruction will influence the professional practice of fellow teachers. Located at Pitzer College, CISEP is co-sponsored by academic centers at Pitzer College, Scripps College and the Claremont Graduate University.  Drawing from the resources of the Claremont Colleges, the project offers opportunities for multiple and sustained professional development for K-12 teachers in the Ontario/ Montclair School District, with primary attention being given to areas of international studies/history-social science and multicultural education.

Campus Art Galleries
There are two main exhibition galleries on campus. The Nichols Gallery is located in the Broad Center and the Lenzner Family Art Gallery is located in Atherton Hall on the Pitzer College campus. Hours are Tuesday- Friday from 12-5 p.m. and by appointment only on Saturdays. Admission is free to the public. For more information, call (909) 827-3143.

Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center
The mission of the Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center (665 N. Dartmouth Ave; 621-8044) is to assist students in achieving a positive and rewarding academic experience.  This is accomplished by offering support services which complement existing resources at each of the colleges.  Academic, social and cultural events which foster personal growth and multicultural awareness are also provided throughout the academic year.  

European Union Center
The mission of the European Union Center of California is to advance public understanding of European integration and transatlantic relations through education, research, and outreach. The Center is located on the Scripps College campus.

Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology (Costa Rica)
The new Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology will be home to programs in Pitzer’s science, language, and international studies curricula, and provide new opportunities for faculty research and student engagement in an intercultural context. Given the location and offerings of the Finca la Isla del Cielo property, the connections and resources within the surrounding communities, the interests of faculty at the College, and Ms. Firestone’s vision, the Center will feature local and collaborative resource management, a focus on human and tropical ecology, the study of the intersections of reforestation with sustainable agriculture/permaculture practices on the farm, and community-based education including intensive language and culture studies.

OBSA (Office of Black Student Affairs)
Office of Black Student Affairs (139 E. 7th Street; 607-3699) addresses the educational needs of students of African descent. The Office of Black Student Affiars is committed to diversity and all of its programs and services are open to all students of The Claremont Colleges. It sponsors numerous activities, which include the New Students' Retreat, Black History Month programs, leadership training, cross-cultural programs, speaker series, poetry readings, and other programs to enhance students' interpersonal skills.

Pitzer in Ontario
Pitzer in Ontario is a comprehensive semester-long service learning and cultural immersion program with a strong theoretical foundation in the human sciences that is 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 effectively evaluated. The program creates space where residents and community leaders of the diverse communities of Ontario can learn to recognize competing demands facing their communities and collectively implement solutions socially. Through living in Ontario, students have the opportunity to engage firsthand the diversity of voices, perspectives, and agendas that are driving those demands, and to come to a better understanding of the many layers of engaged citizenship.

Writing Center Pitzer College
Located in MeadHall, the Writing Center offers Pitzer students assistance with the paper process. Tutors can help clarify the purpose and structure of a paper, point out weaknesses, and advise on research methods and library resources.