Occidental College
Division III – SCIAC | |
Mascot | Oswald the Tiger |
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Website | www |
Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a
Occidental's current 120-acre (49 ha) campus is located in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, and was designed by architect Myron Hunt. Due to its proximity to Hollywood and its architecture, the campus is frequently used as a filming location for film and television productions. Occidental is a founding member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and its 20 varsity sports teams compete in NCAA Division III. The college's curriculum emphasizes diversity, global literacy, and civic engagement.
Notable alumni include President
History
Early history
Occidental College was founded on April 20, 1887, by a group of
In 1896, the Boyle Heights building was destroyed by fire. The college temporarily relocated to the old St. Vincent's College campus on Hill Street before a new site was selected in Highland Park in 1898.[4] Eventually, the college erected three main buildings: the Academy Building, the Stimson Library, and the Hall of Arts and Letters (the Hall still stands today, converted to apartments).[6] The Highland Park site was also bisected by the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad,[6] and was the site of two presidential visits, first by William Howard Taft in 1909 and subsequently by Theodore Roosevelt in 1911.[6]
In 1909, the Pomona College Board of Trustees suggested a merger between Pomona and Occidental, but the proposal came to nothing.[7] The following year, the college severed formal ties with the Presbyterian Church and became a non-sectarian, non-denominational institution.[4][8] The small size of the 15-acre (6.1 ha) campus and the disruption caused by frequent freight trains pushed the college's trustees to find a new location.[6]
1900s
In 1912, the school began construction of a new campus located in Los Angeles'
Two weeks after Booker T. Washington came to visit Occidental, on March 27, 1914, Swan, Fowler, and Johnson Halls were dedicated at its new Eagle Rock campus. Patterson Field, today one of the oldest collegiate sports stadiums in Los Angeles, was opened in 1916.[12] In April 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I, the college formed a Students Army Training Corps to aid the war effort.[5]
Under Occidental President Remsen Bird, the school opened a series of new Hunt-designed buildings, including Clapp Library (1924), Hillside Theatre and a women's dormitory (Orr Hall) in 1925, Alumni Gymnasium (1926), the Freeman Student Union (1928) and a music and speech building (1929).[13] The Delta of California chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established at Occidental in 1926, at a time when the only other chapters in California were at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Pomona.[5]
English novelist
During World War II, many students left Occidental to fight in the war. In July 1943, the U.S. Navy established a Navy V-12[15] officer training program on campus that produced hundreds of graduates before it was disbanded in 1945 at the end of the war. Occidental President Remsen Bird worked behind the scenes to help Oxy students of Japanese descent continue their education despite mandatory evacuation orders; his letters are included in the Japanese American Relocation Collection in Clapp Library.[16]
After having its first
In 1969, 42 students were suspended for peacefully protesting military recruiting on campus. One year later, faculty voted to suspend classes in the wake of the Kent State shootings and America's invasion of Cambodia. Subsequently, Oxy students wrote 7,000 letters to Washington D.C., protesting U.S. involvement in the war in Southeast Asia.[19] Occidental launched one of the country's first Upward Bound programs in 1966, aimed at increasing the number of low-income, underrepresented high school students who become the first in their family to go to college.[20]
Also in 1969, the school opened its first two co-ed dormitories, and two more followed a year later. In 1988, John Brooks Slaughter, formerly Chancellor of the University of Maryland,[21] became Occidental's first black president.[22] Building on faculty and student advocacy and a series of grants the college had received previously to increase the diversity of the Occidental student body, Slaughter led the process of creating a new mission statement that is still used today.[23] Also, Slaughter led the college's community outreach expansion with the creation of the Center for Volunteerism and Community Service, the predecessor for the current Center for Community Based Learning.[24]
In November 1990, the college rededicated the campus' main chapel as the Herrick Memorial Chapel and Interfaith Center. The school also took down the crosses in the chapel in an attempt to "broaden Occidental's appeal among non-Christian students."[25]
2000s
In July 2006,
The college received national scrutiny in 2014 when the
President Barack Obama attended Occidental for two years prior to transferring to Columbia University. In 2015, "birthers" falsely claimed that Obama's Occidental College transcript revealed he received financial aid as a foreign student from Indonesia after the resurgence of a fake news story from 2009.[33]
In July 2020, Harry J. Elam, Jr., formerly vice provost for undergraduate education and Drama professor at Stanford University, became Occidental's 16th president.[34] In August 2023, it was announced that he will retire in 2024 for health-related reasons.[35] On March 26, 2024, it was announced that Tom Stritikus, late of Fort Lewis College, will become Occidental's president effective July 1.[36]
Campus
Architect Myron Hunt created the original campus master plan for Occidental's Eagle Rock campus in 1911. He structured the campus in a Mediterranean style, with covered walkways and tile roofs. The campus landscape was designed and developed by Beatrix Farrand in the late 1930s. All of the 19 buildings designed by Hunt remain in use today.[37][38]
The campus is noted for the outdoor Remsen Bird Amphitheater, where between 1960 and 1996 plays and musicals were performed in the summer.[39] Financial cutbacks caused the theater department to end the summer festival programs.[39] Since 1996 the Occidental Children's Theater has performed there each summer.[40][41][39]
Occidental College was ranked as the sixth "Most Beautiful" campus by
Academics
There are 40 majors offered on campus (and nine minor-only programs, including Public Health, Linguistics, and Classical Studies)
Rankings
Forbes[50] | 102 | |
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WSJ / College Pulse[51] | 95 |
Since 1908, Occidental has graduated ten
Admissions
Fall Admission Statistics
2022[56] | 2018[57] | 2017[58] | 2016[59] | 2015[60] | 2014 | 2013 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Applicants | 6,305 | 7,281 | 6,775 | 6,409 | 5,911 | 6,071 | 6,072 | |
Admits | 2,395 | 2,716 | 2,831 | 2,936 | 2,652 | 2,552 | 2,574 | |
Admit Rate | 39% | 37.3% | 41.7% | 45.8% | 44.8% | 42.0% | 42.3% | |
Enrolled | 535 | 566 | 502 | 517 | 546 | 548 | 530 |
U.S. News deemed Occidental's admissions "more selective," with the class of 2020 acceptance rate being 37.3%.[61] Of those admitted submitting such data, 52% were in the top 10% of their high school class. The SAT 25th - 75th percentile scores were 1810–2120.[62] Of those admitted to the class of 2020, 50% identified as persons of color, and 13% of those admitted were international students.[63]
In 2023, it was announced by President Harry Elam that Occidental eliminated legacy preferences to the children of alumni in admissions.[64]
Student life
At the beginning of every school year, freshmen participate in convocation, a formal ceremony welcoming new students to the college in which the faculty wear their full academic regalia and students don robes.[65] Founders Day is celebrated annually at the school on April 20, the day in 1887 when Occidental's incorporation papers were officially signed by the California Secretary of State.[66]
There are also themed-living communities which consist of the Multicultural Hall in Pauley (open to all years), all-women housing (Berkus House, named after alumnus Dave Berkus), Food Justice house, and several communities that support and uplift the experiences of students of color and LGBTQIA students.[67]
Media
The campus newspaper is The Occidental, an independent, student-run publication. It has been published continuously since 1893.[68]
KOXY is a student-run campus
In 2010, students launched a TV station called CatAList;[70] The station produces 20–30 minutes of student-run content weekly.
Greek life
Occidental College's Greek Council consists of roughly eight members, both sororites and fraternities.
Athletics
Occidental is one of the five schools that founded the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 1915 and is currently a member of the SCIAC and NCAA Division III. Occidental features 21 varsity sports teams and a program of club sports and intramural competition. Approximately 25 percent of the student body participates in a varsity sports program.[71]
During the 2006–2007 athletic season, the Tigers
Occidental athletics date back to 1894, when the college helped organize the first intercollegiate athletic competition in Southern California.[73] Since then, Oxy has produced more than a dozen Olympians, world-record holders, and national champions, including 1935 national girls' tennis champion Pat Henry Yeomans '38, two-time diving gold medalist Sammy Lee '43, and pole vault silver medalist Bob Gutowski '57.
Occidental has long-standing football rivalries with
In 2011, Occidental College lost a basketball game to
In 2019, the Occidental Men's Basketball Team reached the SCIAC championship game, ultimately losing to Pomona Pitzer in the Tournament Championship game.[76]
Famous Occidental College Tigers include NFL coach
Notable people
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Eric Garcetti, 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles (Professor)
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Jack Kemp, 9th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and NFL player
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Robert Finch, 38th Lieutenant Governor of California
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Ben Affleck, actor and Academy Award-winning filmmaker (did not graduate)
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Luke Wilson, actor (did not graduate)
Notable graduates of Occidental College include filmmaker
Notable alumni who did not graduate from Occidental include the
Notable faculty members include the American urban policy analyst Peter Dreier, former U.S. Ambassador to Finland Derek Shearer, former CNN and Fox News contributor Caroline Heldman, chemist Frank L. Lambert, art historian and author Amy Lyford, and the 2005 PEN American Center Literary Award winner in poetry Martha Ronk.
Film and television at Occidental
Occidental's campus, architecture, and proximity to Hollywood have made it a desired location for a number of film and television productions.[77]
See also
References
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- ^ As of February 19, 2022. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY21 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ a b "College Navigator - Occidental College".
- ^ a b c Murphy, William S. (20 April 1987). "Occidental College: A Lively Center of Learning Turns 100". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ a b c Rolle, Andrew (1986). "Occidental College: A Centennial History".
- ^ a b c d Lin, Jan (April 18, 2012). "Occidental College in Highland Park: The Campus and the Community". KCET Los Angeles. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Pomona Trustees Meet". Los Angeles Times. 26 May 1909.
- ^ "New Charter for College". Los Angeles Times. 15 April 1910.
- ^ "Ask Trustees to Reverse". Los Angeles Times. 11 April 1912.
- ^ "Tells Students Way of Change". Los Angeles Times. 1 May 1912.
- ^ "Oxy remains co-ed". Occidental College Archives. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Honored Name for Athletic Field". Los Angeles Times. 24 February 1916.
- ^ Winter, Robert (2012). "Myron Hunt at Occidental College". Tailwater Press.
- ISBN 9780385415910.
- ^ "Occidental College - Oxy Trivia". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Occidental College Japanese American Relocation". Occidental College Library Digital Archives. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Two Rhodes Scholars Named at Occidental". Los Angeles Times. 21 December 1958.
- ^ "What is Operation Crossroads Africa?". Operation Crossroads Africa. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Fender, Nicholas (November 9, 2014). "Occidental College and Its Relationship to Eagle Rock and Highland Park, CA". Go Articles. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Upward Bound / About Us". Occidental College. Occidental College. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
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- ^ "Biography of Dr. John B. Slaughter, Director of the NSF from December 1980 - October 1982". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ "Mission". Occidental College. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
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- ^ Grange, Lori (November 15, 1990). "Occidental Removes Cross From Chapel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "A Brief History of Occidental College". Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
- ^ Tokita, Mary (February 15, 2011). "An Interview With Occidental College President Jonathan Veitch". Eagle Rock Patch. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Department of Education Releases List of Higher Education Institutions with Open Title IX Sexual Violence Investigations". U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Ruth Jones named new Title IX coordinator". The Occidental Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Sexual Assault Resources & Support | Occidental College | The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles". Oxy.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Changing the Culture | Occidental College | The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles". Oxy.edu. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Occidental College" (PDF). 2.ed.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
- ^ Abcarian, Robin (30 May 2012). "'Birthers' claim Obama applied to college as a foreigner". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ Watanabe, Teresa (2020-02-11). "New Occidental College president hailed for diversity efforts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ "My Health and the Year Ahead". www.oxy.edu. 2023-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ^ "Tom Stritikus Named 17th President of Occidental College". Occidental College. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ Landon, Olivia; Selassie, Manna (25 March 2014). "Hunting for Occidental's Past: A History of Architecture and Landscaping on Campus". The Occidental Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ McGuire, Diane Kostial; Fern, Lois (1 January 1982). Beatrix Jones Farrand (1872–1959) – Fifty Years of American Landscape Architecture. Dumbarton Oaks.
- ^ a b c Don, Shirley (June 21, 1998). "Alfresco Has Landed Again in Eagle Rock". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- Patch. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ Tranquada, Jim (July 10, 2019). "Occidental Children's Theater Runs Through August 24". Occidental College. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
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- ^ a b Singh, Ajay (January 10, 2013). "Occidental College Solar Array Nears Completion". Eagle Rock, Ca Patch. Eagle Rock Patch. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Rees, Brenda (7 January 2013). "Occidental College prepares to plug in to solar power". The Eastsider. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Academics". Occidental College. 21 September 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
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- ^ "Occidental College". nces.ed.gov. U.S. Dept of Education. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
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- ^ "2023 Liberal Arts Rankings". Washington Monthly. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
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- ^ "Occidental College Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ "America's Top Colleges 2019". Forbes. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "Occidental College Ranking". Kiplinger. July 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2018-19".
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2017-18".
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2016/2017" (PDF). oxy.edu.
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2015/2016" (PDF). oxy.edu.
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2014/2015" (PDF). oxy.edu.
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2016/2017" (PDF). oxy.edu.
- ^ "Occidental College Common Data Set 2016/2017" (PDF). oxy.edu.
- ^ "The Class of 2020: By the Numbers". oxy.edu.
- ^ "Obama's first college is latest to end legacy admissions". AP News. 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ "Convocation | Occidental College | The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles". Oxy.edu. 2012-08-29. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
- ^ "Oxy Traditions | Occidental College | The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles". Oxy.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ "Residence Halls". Occidental College. 21 September 2018.
- ^ "About". Occidental Weekly. Archived from the original on 2013-03-29. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ "About". KOXY website. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ^ Anderson, Dick (Summer 2013). "Taking Home Oscar". Occidental Magazine. Occidental College.
- ^ a b "Occidental College Athletics". Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
- ^ "SCIAC Is Proud To Announce Women's Swimming and Diving All-Conference". SCIAC. 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Rolle, Andrew (1986) Occidental College: A Centennial History, p. 14
- ^ "D-III program has decided to drop football". 14 October 2020.
- ^ "The Caltech Beavers men's basketball team finally solves equation". ESPN. February 24, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ WHARTON, DAVID (2019-02-28). "As the likes of USC and UCLA have struggled, tiny Pomona-Pitzer has big basketball dreams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ "As A Movie Location". Occidental College. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
Further reading
- Cleland, Robert Glass. The History of Occidental College, 1887-1937 (Los Angeles: the Ward Ritchie Press, 1937).
- Rolle, Andrew F. Occidental College: A Centennial History, 1887-1987 (1986), a major scholarly history
- Silverstein, Stuart (March 16, 2005). "Fired Campus Radio 'Shock Jock' Sues College". Los Angeles Times: 4. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- Sanchez, Conor L. (March 3, 2006). "College 101: Working For Your Social Life". Santa Fe New Mexican: D3. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- Dobuzinskis, Alex (October 20, 2007). "Ex-'Shock Jock' Settles Suit". Los Angeles Daily News: N6. Retrieved March 30, 2013.