Dear Pitzer Community,
We’re at mid-semester now, and I want to let you know about some of the recent events on campus that have helped strengthen the Pitzer campus community. The Board of Trustees meeting occurred recently under the leadership of the new Chair of the Board, Harold Brown, and with the participation of three new Pitzer trustees, Timothy Campos ’10, Mark Eggert P’18 and Angela Glover Blackwell GP’21. Fellows and Friends of the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability welcomed trustees to a preview of the soon-to-be-opened space on North Campus. Conservancy Director Brinda Sarathy, Dean of Faculty Nigel Boyle and I have been working with our peers at HMC to ensure the respectful implementation of the Conservancy’s master plan to preserve and protect the precious land and species at the Bernard Field Station (BFS) and the Conservancy.
Along with all of the ongoing campus events – including Pitzer Preview Day tomorrow when we open the campus to interested prospective students and their families – I want to update you on some of the work on which I have been focused over the past several weeks.
The College currently has two senior leadership position searches underway – Vice President for Advancement and Chief of Staff. The Vice President for Advancement search has been productive, and I expect candidate interviews to occur before winter break. The Chief of Staff position produced an impressive candidate pool and the Pitzer Search Advisory Committee and I will be conducting candidate interviews within the next two weeks. Full campus visits will follow. I extend special thanks to the search advisory committees for their commitment to excellence in both of these significant efforts.
On a personal note, my heartfelt thanks to all of our Pitzer community for the support you have shown Suzanne and me during this time. Your emails and cards mean so much to both of us. While I have not yet had the opportunity to respond to each of you individually, please know that your good wishes are deeply appreciated. I am responding very well to treatment, I continue to stay fully engaged, and I look forward to returning to the campus after the winter break.
Sincerely,
Melvin L. Oliver
President
