Dear Pitzer Community,
Welcome Back!
I hope your winter break was restful and rejuvenating. We welcome you back for the spring semester that promises to reignite our intellectual energies for another round of learning, to engage our commitment to shared governance and to have some fun along the way (go Sagehens)!
This spring semester includes numerous institutional and educational activities, including highly interactive and critically important institutional processes that will affect Pitzer College for years to come:
- February 6-7: Pitzer’s strategic planning consultants, Keeling & Associates, return to campus to discuss the input provided by the campus in the fall semester. There will be multiple opportunities for community discussion and I urge you to participate.
- Pitzer’s Dean of Faculty candidates will be on campus for interviews in February.
- March 25-28: The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission will visit the campus to reaffirm Pitzer College’s accreditation.
Academically, we have many lectures from respected scholars and experts. I hope you will all attend and find them interesting.
- February 5: The Pepper Distinguished Visiting Artists & Scholars Lecture Series presents the Recent Rupture Radio Hour featuring artist Arturo Ernesto Romo and award-winning writer Sesshu Foster.
- February 15: The 2019 John D. Sullivan Memorial Lecture presents The Dreamt Land: Chasing Dust and Water Across California by author and journalist Mark Arax.
- February 16: 2019 Distinguished Scientist Lecture hosts Professor Branwen Williams’ talk, Arctic Climate, as documented by algal rock features.
- February 19: Science fiction author, Ted Chiang, author of The Stories of Your Life, (the basis for the motion picture Arrival) will speak at this academic year’s final MCSI presentation.
- April 9: The Stephen and Sandra Glass Humanities Lecture presents filmmaker, writer and painter Moussa Sene Absa
We are also looking forward to hosting our families, alumni and incoming students this semester:
- February 15-17: Family Weekend
- April 12: Admitted Students Day
- May 3-5: Alumni Weekend
And to culminate the year, we are excited to celebrate our graduating Class of 2019.
- May 18: Pitzer College’s 55th Commencement
Looking forward to joining you at these and the many other events on campus. I wish you all the best for an engaging and fulfilling semester.
Provida Futuri,
Melvin L. Oliver
President
