Pitzer Awarded $1 Million Grant

Pitzer College has received a $1 million grant from The Fletcher Jones Foundation to expand opportunities for adult learners through the College’s New Resource Student (NRS) program.

The funding will strengthen Pitzer’s efforts to empower students and broaden access to a liberal arts education for nontraditional students age 23 and older. Many demonstrate strong academic promise but face a variety of barriers to pursuing an education, including gaps in financial aid coverage, family responsibilities and full-time jobs, and the rising cost of basic needs.

Established in 1975, Pitzer College’s New Resource Student program was created to expand opportunities for adult learners to earn undergraduate degrees. Over the years, participants have balanced their studies with significant life commitments, bringing unique perspectives and experiences that enrich the classroom and strengthen the campus community.

“The Foundation is proud to support Pitzer’s commitment to educational access,” said Mary J. Spellman, executive director and treasurer of The Fletcher Jones Foundation.

The Fletcher Jones Foundation grant will provide direct support for up to 24 NRS students over the next three years, helping the College meet the full demonstrated financial need of these students along with ensuring that they receive the same comprehensive financial aid support available to first-year and traditional transfer students.  

This grant award comes at a time of significant changes in the world of higher education. Nationally, the number of traditional high school graduates is expected to decline in the coming years, while the population of adults who began their bachelor’s degrees (and never finished) continues to grow. Many of these students are closer to finishing their degrees than they might realize, and some may be able to complete their studies at Pitzer in as little as one year.

"Expanding access to a Pitzer education is central to our strategic vision,” said Pitzer President Strom C. Thacker. “We’re grateful to The Fletcher Jones Foundation for recognizing the importance of this work. Many talented adult learners are eager to complete the degrees they began. Pitzer is proud to create pathways for them to return and finish.”  

Since its creation, the New Resource program has had a truly transformative effect on the lives of its participants, whose lives and responsibilities often don’t line up with a traditional undergraduate experience.

Named for Fletcher Jones, the co-founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of Computer Sciences Corporation, The Fletcher Jones Foundation was established from Jones’s personal estate in 1969. Following his death in 1972, the foundation’s trustees determined that supporting private colleges and universities in California would be its primary philanthropic focus.

Through this investment, The Fletcher Jones Foundation will help Pitzer expand an important means of attaining academic opportunities by ensuring that students, regardless of their ages or their life circumstances, have a chance to experience the liberal arts environment offered at Pitzer.