Investing in Students and Their Experiences

Emeriti Professors Ann Stromberg and Rudi Volti have made a generous $200,000 gift to establish an endowment that will expand access to Pitzer College’s longstanding summer health program in Costa Rica, helping more students gain an invaluable learning experience.

Their gift establishes the Stromberg Volti Fund, which will provide financial support to some Claremont Colleges students participating in the six-week summer program. Now in its 28th year, the program was created through a partnership with the Institute for Central American Development Studies (ICADS) in Costa Rica and offers students an immersive experience to understand health, healthcare, and social equity from a global perspective.

First envisioned for science students who wanted a study abroad experience without stepping away from their majors for a full semester, the program was designed to provide the full immersive experience that other students experience in semester-long programs, including home stays, intensive language study, and community-based learning (all students engage in internships in health or education). Stromberg, an emerita professor of sociology who joined Pitzer in 1973, proposed the idea to College leadership and was encouraged to move forward.

“One thing I’ve always appreciated about Pitzer is that when I’ve had an idea for an initiative, the College has generally said yes,” Stromberg said. “It’s always been willing to test a new idea if it seems worthwhile.”

The program has also appealed to students in Pitzer’s New Resources program, which supports older, non-traditional undergraduates who may not be able to spend extended time away from their families or other responsibilities. The six-week format allows students to gain meaningful international experience without a longer commitment.

Financial aid is available to Pitzer students for summer study abroad, but it can be limited and requires students to use a half-semester of their 8 total semesters (at the other Claremont Colleges, summer aid is not available or is limited). Some students who need to earn money during the summer may be unable to forego six weeks of paid summer employment in order to participate in the program. The Stromberg Volti Fund addresses these barriers by offering dedicated support to program participants with financial need across the 5Cs.

“Studying abroad is such a rich opportunity to gain new perspectives,” Stromberg said. “Rudi and I don’t want students to miss out on meaningful experiences because of cost. We hope this fund gives students a little more flexibility so they can fully engage.”

The Costa Rica program is open to students across disciplines, provided they have at least a year of college-level Spanish. While many participants are interested in social work, education, or healthcare, students from a wide range of majors—including all the social sciences, pre-law, media studies, and even dance—have taken part.

As a medical sociologist, Stromberg has long been committed to helping students examine determinants of health, public health, and healthcare systems through a comparative lens. In Costa Rica, students study a national model that views healthcare as a right while emphasizing shared responsibility or solidarity.

“Students see a system where almost everyone has access to care and understands their role in supporting it,” Stromberg said. “That sense that ‘we’re all in this together’ is a powerful lesson—one that students carry with them long after they return.”

Volti, also a longtime member of Pitzer’s sociology faculty who joined the College in 1969, frequently visited Costa Rica while Stromberg was involved in the program and witnessed its impact firsthand. Together, they designed the fund with flexibility in mind. While its primary focus is the Costa Rica summer health program, the endowment may also support other study abroad opportunities if no participants in the program are seeking assistance in a given year.

“We so hope that, over the years, many students will benefit from our support, and that others might consider contributing to this fund,” she said. “It’s very special to be able to invest in our students and the College. And it’s definitely a lot more fun to do this now—while we’re alive—so that we can see students benefitting from an awesome Pitzer Study Abroad experience.”

_{Above photo: Professor Emerita Ann Stromberg (far right) with a cohort of summer program students and Institute for Central American Development Studies staff in 2023.}