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{{Short description|Private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California}}
{{Infobox University |
{{Infobox university
name=Occidental College|
image=]| | name = Occidental College
| native_name =
motto= ''Occidens Proximus Orienti'' - The West is nearest the East|
| image = Occidental College Seal.svg
established=]|
| image_upright = .6
type=]|president=]|
| caption = Seal of Occidental College
city=]|
| latin_name =
state=]|
| motto = ''Occidens Proximus Orienti'' (])
country=]|
| mottoeng = The West is nearest the East
undergrad=1,839|
| established = {{start date and age|April 20, 1887}}
postgrad_label = |
postgrad = | | closed =
| type = ] ]
faculty= 145|
| religious_affiliation = Non-sectarian (historically ])
mascot= Tiger|
| endowment = $575.8 million (2021)<ref>As of February 19, 2022. {{cite report |url=https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/research/2021-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Values--REVISED-February-18-2022.ashx?la=en&hash=FA57411CC4244B7D49C25377165FEC42FFBDEB56|title=U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY20 to FY21 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers and ] |date=February 19, 2022 |access-date=February 20, 2022}}</ref>
endowment = $269,900,000 (2004)|
| chancellor =
campus=]|
| president = Tom Stritikus
colors= Orange and Black |
| provost =
website=|
| faculty = 183
}}]
| administrative_staff =
]
| students = 1,930 (fall 2019)<ref name="nces.ed.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Occidental+College&s=all&id=120254|title = College Navigator - Occidental College}}</ref>
| undergrad = 1,930 (fall 2019)<ref name="nces.ed.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Occidental+College&s=all&id=120254|title = College Navigator - Occidental College}}</ref>
| postgrad =
| doctoral =
| other =
| city = ]
| country = U.S.
| campus = Urban, {{convert|120|acre|ha}}
| former_names =
| free_label =
| free =
|athletics_affiliations = ] ] – ]
| colors = {{color box|#FF6600}}{{color box|black}} Orange and black
|sports_nickname = ]
| mascot = ]
| website = {{url|www.oxy.edu}}
| logo = Occidental College logo.svg
| footnotes =
| coordinates = {{coord|34.1271|-118.2109|type:edu|display=inline,title}}
| academic_affiliations = {{ubl|]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naicu.edu/member_center/members.asp |title=NAICU - Membership |website=Naicu.edu |access-date=2017-07-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109231238/http://www.naicu.edu/member_center/members.asp |archive-date=2015-11-09 }}</ref>|]|]|]|]}}
}}


'''Occidental College''' (informally '''Oxy''') is a ] ] in ]. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the ], it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast of the United States.
'''Occidental College''', located in ], is a small coeducational ].

Occidental's current {{cvt|120|acre|adj=on}} campus is located in ], Los Angeles, and was designed by architect ]. Due to its proximity to ] and its architecture, the campus is frequently used as a filming location for film and television productions. Occidental is a founding member of the ] and its 20 varsity sports teams compete in ]. The college's curriculum emphasizes diversity, global literacy, and civic engagement.

Notable alumni include President ], a ] member, several members of the ], CEOs of notable companies, 10 ], and recipients of the ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hicks |first=Bob |title=Corey Brunish, beyond Broadway {{!}} Oregon ArtsWatch |url=https://www.orartswatch.org/corey-brunish-beyond-broadway/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-08-15 |title=Bullish Over Broadway |url=https://www.oxy.edu/magazine/issues/summer-2014/bullish-over-broadway |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.oxy.edu |language=en}}</ref>


==History== ==History==
===Early history===
Occidental was founded in ] by a group of ] and became independent of the church in ]. Although initially located in ], the College moved to ] in ]. The current campus, Oxy's third location, was occupied in ] after the Highland Park campus was outgrown. The ] campus covers over 120 acres (0.5 km²), much of it undeveloped land on a hill known on campus as "Mt. Fiji."
]
Occidental College was founded on April 20, 1887, by a group of ] clergy, missionaries, and laymen, including ], ], and ]. The cornerstone of the school's first building was laid in September 1887 in the ] now ] neighborhood of Los Angeles.<ref name = latimes87>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-20-vw-1118-story.html | title=Occidental College: A Lively Center of Learning Turns 100 | work = ] | date=20 April 1987 | access-date=March 29, 2015 | last=Murphy |first=William S. }}</ref> The college's first term began a year later with 27 male and 13 female students, and tuition of $50 a year.<ref name = rolle>{{cite news | title = Occidental College: A Centennial History | year = 1986 | last= Rolle |first=Andrew}}</ref>


In 1896, the Boyle Heights building was destroyed by fire. The college temporarily relocated to the old ] campus on Hill Street before a new site was selected in ] in 1898.<ref name = latimes87/> 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).<ref name = kcet>{{cite web | url = http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/columns/history/occidental-college-the-campus-and-the-community.html | title = Occidental College in Highland Park: The Campus and the Community | publisher = KCET Los Angeles | date = April 18, 2012 | access-date = March 30, 2015 | last= Lin |first=Jan}}</ref> The Highland Park site was also bisected by the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad,<ref name = kcet/> and was the site of two presidential visits, first by ] in 1909 and subsequently by ] in 1911.<ref name = kcet/>
==Selectivity and Reputation==

In U.S. News and World Report's of American liberal arts colleges, Occidental is tied for 41st with ] (Ky), ] (SC), and ] (NY).
In 1909, the ] Board of Trustees suggested a merger between Pomona and Occidental, but the proposal came to nothing.<ref>{{cite news | title = Pomona Trustees Meet | work = ] | date = 26 May 1909}}</ref> The following year, the college severed formal ties with the Presbyterian Church and became a non-sectarian, non-denominational institution.<ref name = latimes87/><ref>{{cite news | title = New Charter for College | work = ] | date = 15 April 1910}}</ref> The small size of the {{Convert|15|acre|adj=on}} campus and the disruption caused by frequent freight trains pushed the college's trustees to find a new location.<ref name = kcet/>

===1900s===
]
<!-- Deleted image removed: ] at Occidental in October 1911]] -->

In 1912, the school began construction of a new campus located in Los Angeles' ] neighborhood. The Eagle Rock campus was designed by noted California architect ], also known as the planner of the ] (Caltech) campus and as designer of the ] and the ]. That same year, Occidental President ] announced the trustees' decision to convert Occidental College into an all-men's institution. The plans were met with widespread backlash from students and faculty who protested the change. The community outcry garnered national headlines and the board later dropped the proposal.<ref>{{cite news | title = Ask Trustees to Reverse | work = ] | date = 11 April 1912}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Tells Students Way of Change | work = ] | date = 1 May 1912}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vs3-12.historypin.appspot.com/attach/uid31471/map/#!/geo:34.105168,-118.202036/zoom:15/dialog:87139/tab:details/ | title = Oxy remains co-ed | publisher = Occidental College Archives | access-date = 30 March 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402050022/http://www.vs3-12.historypin.appspot.com/attach/uid31471/map#!/geo:34.105168,-118.202036/zoom:15/dialog:87139/tab:details/ | archive-date = 2015-04-02 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Two weeks after ] 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.<ref>{{cite news | title = Honored Name for Athletic Field | work = ] | date = 24 February 1916}}</ref> 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.<ref name = rolle/>

]

Under Occidental President ], 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).<ref>{{cite news | title = Myron Hunt at Occidental College | publisher = Tailwater Press | date = 2012 | last= Winter |first=Robert}}</ref> The Delta of California chapter of ] was established at Occidental in 1926, at a time when the only other chapters in California were at ], ], and ].<ref name = rolle/>
English novelist ], who had spoken at Occidental's convocation ceremony in the then-new Thorne Hall in 1938, lampooned President Remsen Bird as Dr. Herbert Mulge of Tarzana College in his 1939 novel, '']''. Huxley was never again invited back to campus.<ref>{{cite book | title = Huxley in Hollywood | location= New York | publisher=Harper & Row | date = 1989 | last = Dunaway |first=David King |isbn=9780385415910}}</ref>

During ], many students left Occidental to fight in the war. In July 1943, the U.S. Navy established a Navy ]<ref name="occidentalv-12">{{cite web |url=http://alumni.oxy.edu/s/956/index.aspx?pgid=410&gid=1 |title=Occidental College - Oxy Trivia |access-date=September 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519135727/http://alumni.oxy.edu/s/956/index.aspx?pgid=410&gid=1 |archive-date=May 19, 2012 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://callimachus.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p4004coll1 | title = Occidental College Japanese American Relocation | publisher = Occidental College Library Digital Archives | access-date = 30 March 2015}}</ref>

After having its first ], Clarence Spaulding, named in 1908, Oxy seniors John Paden and Aaron Segal were awarded Rhodes Scholarships in 1958, the only time Occidental has produced two Rhodes Scholars in a single year.<ref>{{cite news | title = Two Rhodes Scholars Named at Occidental | work = ] | date = 21 December 1958}}</ref> Paden and Segal were among the ten Occidental students who participated in Crossroads Africa that year, a forerunner to the ] that later became a national program.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://operationcrossroadsafrica.org/index.php#div=1202 | title = What is Operation Crossroads Africa? | publisher = Operation Crossroads Africa | access-date = 30 March 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402190138/http://operationcrossroadsafrica.org/index.php#div | archive-date = 2015-04-02 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

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 ] 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://goarticles.com/article/Occidental-College-and-Its-Relationship-to-Eagle-Rock-and-Highland-Park-CA/9672790/ | title = Occidental College and Its Relationship to Eagle Rock and Highland Park, CA | publisher = Go Articles | date = November 9, 2014 | access-date = March 30, 2015 | last= Fender |first=Nicholas}}</ref> Occidental launched one of the country's first ] 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Upward Bound / About Us |url=https://www.oxy.edu/about-oxy/community-engagement/upward-bound/about-us |website=Occidental College |publisher=Occidental College |access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref>

Also in 1969, the school opened its first two co-ed ], and two more followed a year later. In 1988, ], formerly Chancellor of the ],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Amy|date=1988-04-02|title=Slaughter to Quit U-MD. Post|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/04/02/slaughter-to-quit-u-md-post/590a8dcf-6283-492d-bd0d-401d1091732a/|access-date=2020-07-14|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> became Occidental's first black president.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography of Dr. John B. Slaughter, Director of the NSF from December 1980 - October 1982|url=https://www.nsf.gov/about/history/bios/jbslaughter.jsp|access-date=2020-07-14|website=National Science Foundation}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.oxy.edu/our-story/mission | title = Mission | publisher = Occidental College | access-date = 30 March 2015}}</ref> 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.<ref name=wallace>{{cite journal| title=Occidental College's Noble Experiment in Diversity| first=Amy |last=Wallace| date=Spring 1996| journal=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education| publisher=The JBHE Foundation | volume=11| issue=11 | pages=114–117| doi=10.2307/2963331 | jstor=2963331 }}</ref>

]
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."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-15-gl-6363-story.html | title = Occidental Removes Cross From Chapel | work = ] | date = November 15, 1990 | access-date = March 30, 2015 | last= Grange |first=Lori}}</ref>

===2000s===
In July 2006, ] became Occidental's first female president. She left her position in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Brief History of Occidental College |url=http://www.oxy.edu/x3684.xml | access-date = August 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819041020/http://www.oxy.edu/x3684.xml | archive-date=August 19, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ] served as interim president. In July 2009, ] became Occidental's 15th president, and the first native ] president.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://patch.com/california/eaglerock/an-interview-with-occidental-college-president-jonathan-veitch | title = An Interview With Occidental College President Jonathan Veitch | publisher = Eagle Rock Patch | date = February 15, 2011 | access-date = March 30, 2015 | last= Tokita |first=Mary}}</ref>

The college received national scrutiny in 2014 when the ] ] "for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment."<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Department of Education Releases List of Higher Education Institutions with Open Title IX Sexual Violence Investigations|url=http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-list-higher-education-institutions-open-title-i|website=U.S. Department of Education|access-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> In response to student and faculty outcry the college adopted a new interim sexual misconduct policy, hired a former assistant district attorney as a full-time, independent ] coordinator, and added a new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week telephone hotline. The school also created a permanent Sexual Misconduct Advisory Board made up of students, faculty, and staff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://occidentalweekly.com/news/2014/01/26/ruth-jones-named-new-title-ix-coordinator/ |title=Ruth Jones named new Title IX coordinator |publisher=The Occidental Weekly |access-date=2014-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904050220/http://occidentalweekly.com/news/2014/01/26/ruth-jones-named-new-title-ix-coordinator/ |archive-date=2014-09-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxy.edu/sexual-assault-resources-support |title=Sexual Assault Resources & Support &#124; Occidental College &#124; The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles |publisher=Oxy.edu |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/magazine/summer-2013/changing-culture |title=Changing the Culture &#124; Occidental College &#124; The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles |date=16 July 2013 |publisher=Oxy.edu |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref> Two years later, the investigation was concluded with the Office of Civil Rights finding that "the preponderance of the evidence does not support a conclusion that the College violated Title IX, except with respect to the issue of promptness in several cases during the 2012-13 school years."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/more/09132264-a.pdf |title=Occidental College |website=2.ed.gov |access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref>

President ] attended Occidental for two years prior to transferring to ]. In 2015, "]" 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.latimes.com/la-xpm-2012-may-30-la-pn-birthers-claim-obama-applied-to-college-as-a-foreigner-20120529-story.html | title = 'Birthers' claim Obama applied to college as a foreigner | work = ] | date = 30 May 2012 | access-date = 30 March 2015 | last= Abcarian |first=Robin}}</ref>

In July 2020, Harry J. Elam, Jr., formerly vice provost for undergraduate education and Drama professor at ], became Occidental's 16th president.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Watanabe|first=Teresa|date=2020-02-11|title=New Occidental College president hailed for diversity efforts|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-11/new-occidental-college-president-hailed-for-diversity-efforts|access-date=2020-07-14|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2023, it was announced that he will retire in 2024 for health-related reasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-22 |title=My Health and the Year Ahead |url=https://www.oxy.edu/about-oxy/college-leadership/presidents-office/community-messages/my-health-and-year-ahead |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=www.oxy.edu |language=en}}</ref> On March 26, 2024, it was announced that ], late of ], will become Occidental's president effective July 1.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tom Stritikus Named 17th President of Occidental College |url=
https://www.oxy.edu/news/tom-stritikus-named-17th-president-occidental-college |publisher=Occidental College |date=March 26, 2024 |access-date=March 26, 2024}}</ref>


==Campus== ==Campus==
]
Architect ], who also designed the ], designed Oxy's original buildings in a Mediterranean style, with covered walkways and tile roofs. Currently, there are 11 on campus residence halls with one more hall under construction. The three original buildings of the 1914 campus still stand today, although seismic concerns have limited them to classrooms and academic offices. Most of the rest of the buildings match the original style with a few exceptions. Indeed, the Arthur G. Coons Administration Building has been dubbed "the Chrysler Showroom" by campus wags--a reference to its boxy glass lobby. The most notable aberration, however, is Stearns Hall, which has been described as "Barbie meets ]" for its angular, post-modern style and its shrunken scale (it is supposedly built at 90% of scale, an idea supported by the feeling of ] often encountered there). Occidental's newest building, the Hameetman Science Center was built in 2003 to provide new research facilities for Occidental's geology, physics and environmental science departments. A new residence hall (name is still unknown), scheduled to open in the fall of 2007, is under construction.
Architect ] created the original campus master plan for Occidental's ] campus in 1911. He structured the campus in a ], with covered walkways and tile roofs. The campus landscape was designed and developed by ] in the late 1930s. All of the 19 buildings designed by Hunt remain in use today.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://occidentalweekly.com/features/2014/03/25/hunting-for-occidentals-past-a-history-of-architecture-and-landscaping-on-campus/ | title = Hunting for Occidental's Past: A History of Architecture and Landscaping on Campus | publisher = The Occidental Weekly | date = 25 March 2014 | access-date = 30 March 2015 | last1 = Landon |first1=Olivia | last2 = Selassie |first2=Manna | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150402005240/http://occidentalweekly.com/features/2014/03/25/hunting-for-occidentals-past-a-history-of-architecture-and-landscaping-on-campus/ | archive-date = April 2, 2015 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=mcguire>{{cite book| title=Beatrix Jones Farrand (1872–1959) – Fifty Years of American Landscape Architecture| last1=McGuire| first1=Diane Kostial| last2=Fern| first2=Lois| date=1 January 1982| publisher=Dumbarton Oaks}}</ref>
Occidental College's address is


The campus is noted for the outdoor Remsen Bird Amphitheater, where between 1960 and 1996 plays and musicals were performed in the summer.<ref name="Alfresco">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-21-ca-61979-story.html |title=Alfresco Has Landed Again in Eagle Rock |first=Shirley |last=Don |work=] |date=June 21, 1998 |access-date=July 3, 2020 }}</ref> Financial cutbacks caused the theater department to end the summer festival programs.<ref name="Alfresco"/> Since 1996 the Occidental Children's Theater has performed there each summer.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://patch.com/california/eaglerock/ev--occidental-childrens-theater-trumpelstilskin |title=Occidental Children's Theater: 'Trumpelstiltskin' |first=Rhea |last=Borja |work=] |date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=July 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/news/occidental-childrens-theater-runs-through-august-24 |title=Occidental Children's Theater Runs Through August 24 |website=Occidental College |first=Jim |last=Tranquada |date=July 10, 2019 |access-date=July 3, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Alfresco"/>
1600 Campus Road


Occidental College was ranked as the sixth "Most Beautiful" campus by '']'' in 2012.<ref name=":0">{{cite web | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/09/most-beautiful-schools-newsweek-college-prowler_n_1757909.html | title = Most Beautiful Schools Ranked By Newsweek, College Prowler On Student, Campus Attractiveness | website = ] | date = August 9, 2012 | access-date = March 30, 2015 | last= Creamer |first=Alyssa}}</ref> The campus is home to a 1-megawatt ground-mounted ], which is the largest hillside array on an American college campus and the largest of its kind in Los Angeles.<ref name="patch13">{{cite news | url = http://patch.com/california/eaglerock/occidental-college-solar-array-nears-completion | title = Occidental College Solar Array Nears Completion | publisher = Eagle Rock Patch | date = January 10, 2013 | last= Singh |first=Ajay | newspaper = Eagle Rock, Ca Patch | access-date = March 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.theeastsiderla.com/2013/01/occidental-college-prepares-to-plug-in-to-solar-power/ | title = Occidental College prepares to plug in to solar power | publisher = The Eastsider | date = 7 January 2013 | access-date = 30 March 2015 | last= Rees |first=Brenda}}</ref> The 4,886-panel installation was completed in Spring 2013 and inaugurated on the school's 126-year anniversary.<ref name="patch13" />
Los Angeles, CA 90041


==Sports== ==Academics==
The College is a member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (]) and NCAA Division III. All intercollegiate athletic sports play as the Tigers. Occidental also has a number of club sports teams including Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee and Rugby. Recently, the football, men's basketball, and women's water polo teams have competed in the Division III playoffs in their respective sports.


There are 40 majors offered on campus (and nine minor-only programs, including Public Health, Linguistics, and Classical Studies)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Academics|url=https://www.oxy.edu/academics|access-date=November 7, 2021|website=Occidental College|date=21 September 2018}}</ref> and a 9:1 ]. The average class size is 18 students and most students take four classes per semester.<ref name=Numbers>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/apply/admission-facts |publisher=Occidental College |title=Admission Facts |access-date=June 12, 2018}}</ref> the most popular majors, based on 2021 graduates, were Econometrics & Quantitative Economics (46), Psychology (38), Biology/Biological Sciences (37), Political Science & Government (34), Environmental Studies (31), International Relations and Affairs (31).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Occidental&s=all&id=120254#programs |website=nces.ed.gov |title=Occidental College |publisher=U.S. Dept of Education |access-date=February 15, 2023}}</ref>


=== Rankings ===
{{Infobox US university ranking
| Forbes = 102
| THE_WSJ = 95
| USNWR_LA = 35
| Wamo_LA = 46
}}


Since 1908, Occidental has graduated ten ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxy.edu/x2363.xml|archive-date=April 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413005346/http://www.oxy.edu/x2363.xml|title=List of National Award Winners|publisher=oxy.edu|url-status=dead}}</ref> In '']'' 2023 rankings of American liberal arts colleges, Occidental was tied for 35th overall, 26th in "Top Performers in Social Mobility," 68th for "Best Value," and tied at 112th for "Economics."<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/occidental-college-1249/overall-rankings |title=Occidental College Rankings |year=2023|magazine=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=September 18, 2023}}</ref> The 2017 edition of the ''Fiske Guide to Colleges'' gave Occidental four-star ratings (out of five) in academics and quality of life. ]'s ''The Best 381 Colleges'' 2017 Edition gave Occidental ratings of 91 (out of 100) in academics and quality of life and 95 in financial aid. In '']''{{'}} 2019 ranking of America's Top Colleges, Occidental ranks 102nd out of 650 liberal arts colleges, universities and service academies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges|title=America's Top Colleges 2019|work=Forbes |access-date=September 8, 2019}}</ref> '']'' "Best College Values 2019" rankings places Occidental 58th among 149 liberal arts colleges.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-best-college-values-college-finder/school/7921/occidental-college/ |title=Occidental College Ranking |publisher=Kiplinger |date=July 2019 |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref>
==Trivia==
]
The campus has been used for various television and movie shots:
*The Gilman Fountain, located at the entrace to the college, is seen as part of Vulcan in '']''.
*In '']'', the campus was called "California University."
*Oxy has also appeared in the films ''],'' ''],'' '']'', '']'' and '']''. Thorne Hall appeared in the film '']''


=== Admissions ===
Several Occidental professors have received awards in recent years and some have held positions in government and the private sector:
<blockquote>'''''Fall Admission Statistics'''''</blockquote>
*Larry Caldwell, Professor of Politics, has served in the Office of Soviet Analysis at the ], as Director of European Studies at the ] in ], and as Research Associate at the ] in London
{| class="wikitable"
*Jane Jacquette, Bobby Orr Professor in the Liberal Arts, played an active role in the planning for the United Nations Decade for Women meeting in ] during her term at the ] in Washington D.C., and served as President of the Association for Women in Development and Latin American Studies Association
!
*Martha Ronk, Price Professor of English Literature, is a 2005 ] Literary Award winner in poetry.
!2022<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/assets/IRAP/cds_2018-2019_for_publication_revised_after_us_news.xlsx|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2018-19}}</ref>
*Derek Shearer, Stuart Chevalier Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs, was U.S. ] to ] from 1994 to 1997 and was formerly an aide to ].
!2018<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/assets/IRAP/cds_2017-2018.xlsx|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2017-18}}</ref>
*Bob Sipchen, Adjunct Professor of English Writing, teaches ] classes at Oxy. He is currently an editor at the ], as well as a novelist. In 2002, he and colleague ] were awarded the ].
!2017<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/imported/assets/IRAP/2016-2017_revised.pdf|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2016/2017|website=oxy.edu}}</ref>
*John Hirsch, Adjunct Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs, was the former U. S. ] to ] and Vice President of the ].
!2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/imported//assets/2015-2016.pdf|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2015/2016|website=oxy.edu}}</ref>
!2015<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/imported//assets/2014-2015.pdf|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2014/2015|website=oxy.edu}}</ref>
!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
|}
] deemed Occidental's admissions "more selective," with the class of 2020 acceptance rate being 37.3%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/imported/assets/IRAP/2016-2017_revised.pdf|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2016/2017|website=oxy.edu}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxy.edu/sites/default/files/imported/assets/IRAP/2016-2017_revised.pdf|title=Occidental College Common Data Set 2016/2017|website=oxy.edu}}</ref> Of those admitted to the class of 2020, 50% identified as persons of color, and 13% of those admitted were international students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://alumni.oxy.edu/s/956/16/interior.aspx?sid=956&gid=1&pgid=2929|title=The Class of 2020: By the Numbers|website=oxy.edu}}</ref>


In 2023, it was announced by President Harry Elam that Occidental eliminated ] to the children of alumni in admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-27 |title=Obama's first college is latest to end legacy admissions |url=https://apnews.com/article/legacy-admissions-affirmative-action-obama-0bae32bcd509634d1fe96693a3186dee |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>
==Notable Oxy Alumni==

*] (Actor; did not graduate)
==Student life==
*] (Influential philanthropist for fundamentalist Christian causes)
]
*] (Former AFL football player and five-time Super Bowl NFL official)
At the beginning of every school year, freshmen participate in ], a formal ceremony welcoming new students to the college in which the faculty wear their full academic regalia and students don robes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxy.edu/events/convocation-0 |title=Convocation &#124; Occidental College &#124; The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles |website=Oxy.edu |date=2012-08-29 |access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxy.edu/our-story/traditions/gallery/oxy-traditions |title=Oxy Traditions &#124; Occidental College &#124; The Liberal Arts College in Los Angeles |publisher=Oxy.edu |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref>
*] (PGA Tour Member)

*] (Former Washington Post Managing Editor, Pulitzer Prize winner)
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 ]), Food Justice house, and several communities that support and uplift the experiences of students of color and LGBTQIA students.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Occidental College|title=Residence Halls|date=21 September 2018|url=http://www.oxy.edu/residential-education-housing-services/residence-halls}}</ref>
*] (Prominent Geologist and National Medal of Science Winner)

*] (Actor)
===Media===
*] (Former President and CEO of the American Red Cross)
The campus newspaper is ''The Occidental'', an independent, student-run publication. It has been published continuously since 1893.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://occidentalweekly.com/about/|title=About|work=Occidental Weekly|access-date=27 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329205835/http://occidentalweekly.com/about/|archive-date=2013-03-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*] (Actor)

*] (Writer, labor organizer, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee)
KOXY is a student-run campus ], in operation in the 1960s and 1970s, and again since 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://koxyradio.com/about|title=About|work=KOXY website|access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref> It originally operated on the frequency 104.7 in and around campus from 1968 to 2009, but switched to only being available by webstream in 2009. KOXY sponsors several on-campus events.
*] (Actor and director)

*] (Actor)
In 2010, students launched a TV station called CatAList;<ref>{{cite journal |last= Anderson|first= Dick |date= Summer 2013|title= Taking Home Oscar|journal= Occidental Magazine|publisher= Occidental College }}</ref> The station produces 20–30 minutes of student-run content weekly.
*] (Poet)

*] (Athlete and politician)
===Greek life===
*] (Musician)
Occidental College's Greek Council consists of roughly eight members, both sororites and fraternities.
*] (Politician)

*] (Football coach)
==Athletics==
*] (Television personality)
{{Main|Occidental Tigers}}
*] (U.S. Senator; transferred to ] after sophomore year)
]
*] (Filmmaker; did not graduate)
Occidental is one of the five schools that founded the ] (SCIAC) in 1915 and is currently a member of the SCIAC and ]. 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.<ref name="Occidental College Athletics">{{cite news
*] (Astronomer)
|title = Occidental College Athletics
*] (Actor)
|url = http://www.oxy.edu/Athletics.xml
*] (Actor; did not graduate)
|access-date = August 2, 2007
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070804021514/http://www.oxy.edu/Athletics.xml
|archive-date = August 4, 2007
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

During the 2006–2007 athletic season, the Tigers ], ] and ] teams were ] champions. In 2014, diver Jessica Robson set the ] records for both 1m and 3m diving.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.thesciac.org/sports/wswimdive/2013-14/releases/20140303lf748p|title=SCIAC Is Proud To Announce Women's Swimming and Diving All-Conference|date=2014-03-03|website=SCIAC|access-date=2016-03-10}}</ref> The school's Blackshirts ] team was also league champion for the first time in five years. In 2011, Jeremy Castro ('99) and Patrick Guthrie ('86) steered the squad to a NSCRO final, falling to ] 36–27 in ], ]. In addition the college has a dance team that also performs at every home football and basketball game.<ref name="Occidental College Athletics"/>

Occidental athletics date back to 1894, when the college helped organize the first intercollegiate athletic competition in Southern California.<ref>Rolle, Andrew (1986) Occidental College: A Centennial History, p. 14</ref> 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 ] '43, and pole vault silver medalist ] '57.

Occidental has long-standing football rivalries with ] and ]; the Tigers have played both the Sagehens and the Poets over 100 times. In 1982, the Occidental College football team had the rare opportunity for national prominence when, due to the ], their game with ] was broadcast on national television. In 2017, Occidental cancelled the remainder of its football season due to lack of healthy players, as few as 30 in some cases. The team forfeited two games and was outscored in the other three 170–19. The Tigers played nine games in 2019, finishing with a 1–8 record. It was the final season for the Tigers football team. The school dropped football in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://footballscoop.com/news/d-iii-program-has-decided-to-drop-football/|title = D-III program has decided to drop football| date=14 October 2020 }}</ref>

In 2011, Occidental College lost a basketball game to ] with a score of 46 to 45 giving the ] their first conference win in 26 years and putting an end to their 310-game losing streak.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/ncb/columns/story?id=6153222 |title=The Caltech Beavers men's basketball team finally solves equation |website=] |date=February 24, 2011 |access-date=July 15, 2017}}</ref>

In 2019, the Occidental Men's Basketball Team reached the SCIAC championship game, ultimately losing to Pomona Pitzer in the Tournament Championship game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=WHARTON |first=DAVID |date=2019-02-28 |title=As the likes of USC and UCLA have struggled, tiny Pomona-Pitzer has big basketball dreams |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-pomona-pitzer-ncaa-basketball-20190227-story.html |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Famous Occidental College Tigers include NFL coach ], former American Football League Most Valuable Player and politician ], former NFL player ], 2011 U.S. Senior Open Champion ], CFL Quarterback ] (]) and CFL player ] (]).

== Notable people ==
{{main|List of Occidental College people}}<gallery mode="nolines" class="center">
File:President Barack Obama.jpg|], 44th ], ] laureate (''transferred'')
File:Eric Garcetti LA 2024 (25282198229).jpg|], 42nd ] (''Professor'')
File:Jack Kemp official portrait.jpg|], 9th ] and NFL player
File:RobertHFinch.jpg|], 38th ]
File:Terry Gilliam (32703418337) CROPPED.jpg|], ]-winning filmmaker and former member of ]
File:Ben Affleck by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg|], actor and ]-winning filmmaker (''did not graduate'')
File:Luke Wilson (2016).jpg|], actor (''did not graduate'')
</gallery>Notable graduates of Occidental College include filmmaker ], football player and politician ], pioneering African-American physicist and inventor ], former ] and ] head coach ], co-inventor of the hard disk drive ], psychopharmacologist and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine ], federal judge ], academic, film executive and novelist ], historian and chancellor of the California State University system ], former Lieutenant Governor of California ], adventurer and writer ], poet ], librarian and writer ], entertainment journalist ], ]-winning actress ], civil rights activist ], television director ], voice actress and internet personality ], entertainment executive ], political scientist ], journalist and current dean of ] ], actor and writer ], veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering ], former CEO of Warner Music Group ], President of Catholic University of America ], Ambassador to Armenia and former ] to Ukraine during the ] ], Dartmouth Professor ], and civil rights activist and initiator of "]" ].

Notable alumni who did not graduate from Occidental include the ] ], former First Lady of Colorado ], ]–winning actor and filmmaker ], actor ], actor ], filmmaker and actor ], producer ], and actress ].

Notable faculty members include the American urban policy analyst ], former ] ], former ] and ] contributor Caroline Heldman, chemist ], art historian and author ], and the 2005 PEN American Center Literary Award winner in poetry ].

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Los Angeles}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==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

* {{Cite journal |first=Stuart |last=Silverstein |date=March 16, 2005 |title=Fired Campus Radio 'Shock Jock' Sues College |newspaper= ] |page=4 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-16-me-occy16-story.html|access-date=March 30, 2013 }}
* {{Cite journal |first=Conor L. |last=Sanchez |date=March 3, 2006 |title= College 101: Working For Your Social Life|journal= ] |page=D3 |url= http://santa-fe.vlex.com/vid/college-101-working-your-social-life-80345869|access-date=March 30, 2013 }}
* {{Cite journal |first= Alex |last=Dobuzinskis|date=October 20, 2007 |title=Ex-'Shock Jock' Settles Suit|newspaper= ] |page=N6 |url= http://thefire.org/article/8512.html|access-date=March 30, 2013 }}


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category}}
* -- official website
*
* -- student-run radio station

*
{{Colleges and universities in Los Angeles County}}
*
{{Los Angeles Eastside}}
{{Annapolis Group}}
{{CLAC}}
{{Oberlin Group}}
{{Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference navbox}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Template:SCIAC}}


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Latest revision as of 03:20, 24 December 2024

Private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California
Occidental College
Seal of Occidental College
MottoOccidens Proximus Orienti (Latin)
Motto in EnglishThe West is nearest the East
TypePrivate liberal arts college
EstablishedApril 20, 1887; 137 years ago (April 20, 1887)
Religious affiliationNon-sectarian (historically Presbyterian)
Academic affiliations
Endowment$575.8 million (2021)
PresidentTom Stritikus
Academic staff183
Students1,930 (fall 2019)
Undergraduates1,930 (fall 2019)
LocationLos Angeles, California, U.S.
34°07′38″N 118°12′39″W / 34.1271°N 118.2109°W / 34.1271; -118.2109
CampusUrban, 120 acres (49 ha)
Colors   Orange and black
NicknameTigers
Sporting affiliationsNCAA Division IIISCIAC
MascotOswald the Tiger
Websitewww.oxy.edu

Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast of the United States.

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 Barack Obama, a Cabinet member, several members of the United States Congress, CEOs of notable companies, 10 Rhodes Scholars, and recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Tony Award and Emmy Award.

History

Early history

Pershing Square campus, ca. 1896

Occidental College was founded on April 20, 1887, by a group of Presbyterian clergy, missionaries, and laymen, including James George Bell, Lyman Stewart, and Thomas Bard. The cornerstone of the school's first building was laid in September 1887 in the Boyle Heights now East Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Angeles. The college's first term began a year later with 27 male and 13 female students, and tuition of $50 a year.

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. 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). The Highland Park site was also bisected by the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad, and was the site of two presidential visits, first by William Howard Taft in 1909 and subsequently by Theodore Roosevelt in 1911.

In 1909, the Pomona College Board of Trustees suggested a merger between Pomona and Occidental, but the proposal came to nothing. The following year, the college severed formal ties with the Presbyterian Church and became a non-sectarian, non-denominational institution. 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.

1900s

Highland Park campus, 1904

In 1912, the school began construction of a new campus located in Los Angeles' Eagle Rock neighborhood. The Eagle Rock campus was designed by noted California architect Myron Hunt, also known as the planner of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) campus and as designer of the Huntington Library and Art Gallery and the Rose Bowl. That same year, Occidental President John Willis Baer announced the trustees' decision to convert Occidental College into an all-men's institution. The plans were met with widespread backlash from students and faculty who protested the change. The community outcry garnered national headlines and the board later dropped the proposal.

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. 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.

Occidental College in the 1920s

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). 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.

English novelist Aldous Huxley, who had spoken at Occidental's convocation ceremony in the then-new Thorne Hall in 1938, lampooned President Remsen Bird as Dr. Herbert Mulge of Tarzana College in his 1939 novel, After Many a Summer Dies the Swan. Huxley was never again invited back to campus.

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 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.

After having its first Rhodes Scholar, Clarence Spaulding, named in 1908, Oxy seniors John Paden and Aaron Segal were awarded Rhodes Scholarships in 1958, the only time Occidental has produced two Rhodes Scholars in a single year. Paden and Segal were among the ten Occidental students who participated in Crossroads Africa that year, a forerunner to the Peace Corps that later became a national program.

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. 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.

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, became Occidental's first black president. 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. 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.

Herrick Interfaith Center, built 1964, with Water Forms II in the foreground.

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."

2000s

In July 2006, Susan Westerberg Prager became Occidental's first female president. She left her position in 2007. Robert Skotheim served as interim president. In July 2009, Jonathan Veitch became Occidental's 15th president, and the first native Angeleno president.

The college received national scrutiny in 2014 when the U.S. Department of Education named Occidental College as one of 55 higher education institutions under investigation "for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment." In response to student and faculty outcry the college adopted a new interim sexual misconduct policy, hired a former assistant district attorney as a full-time, independent Title IX coordinator, and added a new 24-hour, 7-days-a-week telephone hotline. The school also created a permanent Sexual Misconduct Advisory Board made up of students, faculty, and staff. Two years later, the investigation was concluded with the Office of Civil Rights finding that "the preponderance of the evidence does not support a conclusion that the College violated Title IX, except with respect to the issue of promptness in several cases during the 2012-13 school years."

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.

In July 2020, Harry J. Elam, Jr., formerly vice provost for undergraduate education and Drama professor at Stanford University, became Occidental's 16th president. In August 2023, it was announced that he will retire in 2024 for health-related reasons. On March 26, 2024, it was announced that Tom Stritikus, late of Fort Lewis College, will become Occidental's president effective July 1.

Campus

Thorne Hall

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.

The campus is noted for the outdoor Remsen Bird Amphitheater, where between 1960 and 1996 plays and musicals were performed in the summer. Financial cutbacks caused the theater department to end the summer festival programs. Since 1996 the Occidental Children's Theater has performed there each summer.

Occidental College was ranked as the sixth "Most Beautiful" campus by Newsweek in 2012. The campus is home to a 1-megawatt ground-mounted solar array, which is the largest hillside array on an American college campus and the largest of its kind in Los Angeles. The 4,886-panel installation was completed in Spring 2013 and inaugurated on the school's 126-year anniversary.

Academics

There are 40 majors offered on campus (and nine minor-only programs, including Public Health, Linguistics, and Classical Studies) and a 9:1 student–faculty ratio. The average class size is 18 students and most students take four classes per semester. the most popular majors, based on 2021 graduates, were Econometrics & Quantitative Economics (46), Psychology (38), Biology/Biological Sciences (37), Political Science & Government (34), Environmental Studies (31), International Relations and Affairs (31).

Rankings

Academic rankings
Liberal arts
U.S. News & World Report35
Washington Monthly46
National
Forbes102
WSJ/College Pulse95

Since 1908, Occidental has graduated ten Rhodes Scholars. In U.S. News & World Report's 2023 rankings of American liberal arts colleges, Occidental was tied for 35th overall, 26th in "Top Performers in Social Mobility," 68th for "Best Value," and tied at 112th for "Economics." The 2017 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges gave Occidental four-star ratings (out of five) in academics and quality of life. Princeton Review's The Best 381 Colleges 2017 Edition gave Occidental ratings of 91 (out of 100) in academics and quality of life and 95 in financial aid. In Forbes' 2019 ranking of America's Top Colleges, Occidental ranks 102nd out of 650 liberal arts colleges, universities and service academies. Kiplinger's "Best College Values 2019" rankings places Occidental 58th among 149 liberal arts colleges.

Admissions

Fall Admission Statistics

2022 2018 2017 2016 2015 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%. 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. Of those admitted to the class of 2020, 50% identified as persons of color, and 13% of those admitted were international students.

In 2023, it was announced by President Harry Elam that Occidental eliminated legacy preferences to the children of alumni in admissions.

Student life

Samuelson is more commonly known as "the cooler" where students and faculty may go enjoy a meal or a quick snack.

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. 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.

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.

Media

The campus newspaper is The Occidental, an independent, student-run publication. It has been published continuously since 1893.

KOXY is a student-run campus radio station, in operation in the 1960s and 1970s, and again since 2000. It originally operated on the frequency 104.7 in and around campus from 1968 to 2009, but switched to only being available by webstream in 2009. KOXY sponsors several on-campus events.

In 2010, students launched a TV station called CatAList; 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

Main article: Occidental Tigers
Johnson Student Center and Freeman College Union

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.

During the 2006–2007 athletic season, the Tigers cross country, American football and basketball teams were Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions. In 2014, diver Jessica Robson set the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference records for both 1m and 3m diving. The school's Blackshirts Rugby union team was also league champion for the first time in five years. In 2011, Jeremy Castro ('99) and Patrick Guthrie ('86) steered the squad to a NSCRO final, falling to Longwood University 36–27 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition the college has a dance team that also performs at every home football and basketball game.

Occidental athletics date back to 1894, when the college helped organize the first intercollegiate athletic competition in Southern California. 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 Pomona College and Whittier College; the Tigers have played both the Sagehens and the Poets over 100 times. In 1982, the Occidental College football team had the rare opportunity for national prominence when, due to the 1982 National Football League strike, their game with San Diego was broadcast on national television. In 2017, Occidental cancelled the remainder of its football season due to lack of healthy players, as few as 30 in some cases. The team forfeited two games and was outscored in the other three 170–19. The Tigers played nine games in 2019, finishing with a 1–8 record. It was the final season for the Tigers football team. The school dropped football in 2020.

In 2011, Occidental College lost a basketball game to Caltech with a score of 46 to 45 giving the Caltech Beavers their first conference win in 26 years and putting an end to their 310-game losing streak.

In 2019, the Occidental Men's Basketball Team reached the SCIAC championship game, ultimately losing to Pomona Pitzer in the Tournament Championship game.

Famous Occidental College Tigers include NFL coach Jim E. Mora, former American Football League Most Valuable Player and politician Jack Kemp, former NFL player Vance Mueller, 2011 U.S. Senior Open Champion Olin Browne, CFL Quarterback Bryan James Scott (Edmonton Football Team) and CFL player Justin Goltz (Winnipeg Blue Bombers).

Notable people

Main article: List of Occidental College people

Notable graduates of Occidental College include filmmaker Terry Gilliam, football player and politician Jack Kemp, pioneering African-American physicist and inventor George Edward Alcorn Jr., former New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim E. Mora, co-inventor of the hard disk drive William Goddard, psychopharmacologist and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Roland Griffiths, federal judge Jacqueline Nguyen, academic, film executive and novelist August Coppola, historian and chancellor of the California State University system Glenn Dumke, former Lieutenant Governor of California Robert Finch, adventurer and writer Homer Lea, poet Robinson Jeffers, librarian and writer Lawrence Clark Powell, entertainment journalist Sam Rubin, Tony Award-winning actress Joanna Gleason, civil rights activist Ernesto Galarza, television director Jesus Salvador Trevino, voice actress and internet personality Ashly Burch, entertainment executive John Branca, political scientist Eqbal Ahmad, journalist and current dean of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Steve Coll, actor and writer George Nader, veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering Joe Rohde, former CEO of Warner Music Group Stephen Cooper, President of Catholic University of America Peter Kilpatrick, Ambassador to Armenia and former chargé d'affaires to Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Kristina Kvien, Dartmouth Professor Steve Swayne, and civil rights activist and initiator of "We Shall Overcome" Guy Carawan.

Notable alumni who did not graduate from Occidental include the 44th U.S. President Barack Obama, former First Lady of Colorado Dottie Lamm, Academy Award–winning actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck, actor Luke Wilson, actor Nicholas Braun, filmmaker and actor Cooper Raiff, producer Todd Garner, and actress Emily Osment.

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.

See also

Portal:

References

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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

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