Dear Pitzer Community,
On February 3, 2022, I wrote to you to announce my retirement as president of Pitzer College. I told you what an honor it was to be the 6th president of Pitzer and, with your support, to guide Pitzer for the past six years and leave it strong and ready to face the future.
That was five months ago. Now, I write to say a final goodbye to all of the constituents here at Pitzer and beyond – faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, families, and friends. You are all a part of moving the College from strength to greater strength. I am grateful to you for your devotion to this special institution. It is a devotion to our core values, a devotion to challenging the status quo, and a devotion to always seeking to create a better world.
I leave Pitzer in capable hands under the leadership of Interim President Jill Klein, Trustee Chair Don Gould, and Presidential Search Committee Chair Tom Brock. Together with faculty, students, staff, and our senior leadership, they will lead the College with skill and care while bringing to it a new president who will help raise Pitzer even higher among the outstanding liberal arts colleges in the nation.
As Suzanne and I leave Pitzer and move into retirement, we hold close to our hearts the many wonderful experiences we have shared with you. We thank you. And we send special thanks to those who contributed these last months to the Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative. I look forward to watching what the Initiative will accomplish next, and I am honored that it has been named to mark my service here at Pitzer and my career-long work for racial justice.
Stay well, and continue to thrive.
Warmly and Provida Futuri,
Melvin L. Oliver
President
