Board of Trustees Message

A Message from the Board of Trustees

Dear Pitzer Community,

This has been an incredibly difficult time for the country, and for us. The world will grapple with the long shadow of 2020 for years to come. We have confronted a new virus and centuries-old racism. We have seen the basic tenets of democracy attacked, economic foundations undermined and fires and floods fueled by the climate crisis. It has been a time of reckoning.

We have had to alter our plans time and again, and finally were required to deliver online education in the fall. As I write this, we don’t know whether the conditions imposed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and the pandemic itself, make a spring reopening feasible. This places a huge burden on students, faculty and staff alike, while temporarily depriving us all of the fullest Pitzer experience.

Yet, in the face of a global pandemic, our community has shown great grace, courage and kindness. The faculty have invested tremendous effort to adapt to a new and challenging form of teaching. The students must deal with difficult work in unusual circumstances. Campus leaders have spent days and nights planning—and replanning—amidst ever-evolving conditions and guidelines. And alumni, families and friends of the College have offered solidarity and financial support. Throughout, our community has done its best to protect Pitzer’s wellbeing, and the College has sought to serve those who have entrusted their education and livelihoods to this special place.

We are also a community that reverberated with outrage and pain when George Floyd was killed by those sworn to serve and protect. In the wake of Floyd’s death, and in recognition of the violence that has taken so many Black lives before and since, President Oliver launched the Racial Justice Initiative. “I have spent my professional life trying to understand the sources of that violence,” President Oliver wrote at the time, as he committed the College to addressing systemic racism in the nation and Pitzer’s own shortcomings in its efforts to create a truly inclusive campus.

The Pitzer community also brought its signature blend of academics and activism to bear on November’s election. In virtual classrooms, Zoom forums and email inboxes, people pored over issues and rallied to promote civic engagement. With the election behind us and the transition in DC setting the stage for our new president, our work must and does go on. The world needs Pitzer now more than ever.

Pitzer’s character and convictions, so clearly on display these past months, drew me to the school more than a decade ago. I didn’t have any connection to Pitzer when a colleague introduced me to this incredible community. Still, I was quickly captivated by its innovative approach to education, its ethos and inimitable Pitzer personality and the involvement of its students, alumni, faculty and the entire Pitzer family in the world at large. I passionately believe that as a trustee and as a supporter, I am not only contributing to a college but to a better world.

For your response in these challenging times, my fellow trustees and I thank you. We are so grateful for the Pitzer community and promise to stand with you and stay true to the College’s pledge to be forever mindful of the future.

Provida Futuri,

Harold A. Brown Chair, Board of Trustees Bridget Baker ’82 Angela Glover Blackwell GP’21 Thomas Brock ’83 Harold A. Brown Steven Chang ’83, P’23 Stephen Davis P’23 Mark Eggert P’18 Tyrus Emory ’08 Robert Fairbairn Louise Ann “Luzann” Fernandez Julie Flapan ’90 Ruett Stephen Foster ’81 Wendy Glenn ’75 David H. Good P’20 Donald P. Gould Jonathan P. Graham ’82 Gina Hoagland P’21 Jill Klein P’15 David Levin ’90 Charles Mangum P’19 Melvin L. Oliver, PhD Kenneth R. Pitzer Craig Ponzio P’22 Douglas Price ’80 & P’20 Robert Redford Jon Reingold P’18 Alissa Okuneff Roston ’78 & P’06 Noah “Josh” Schlesinger ’04 William D. Sheinberg ’83 & P’12 Michele Siqueiros ’95 Shahan Soghikian ’80 Kevin Stein P’20 Louise Beaudette Thornton ’68 Tracy M. Tindle ’82 Gulnar Vaswani P’21 Michael R. Weinholtz P’17 Cathy Siegel Weiss

Emeriti Trustees

Hirschel B. Abelson P’92 Robert H. Atwell Eli Broad P’78 William G. Brunger P’01 Susan G. Dolgen P’97 Patricia G. Hecker P’76 Deborah Bach Kallick ’78 Robin Kramer ’75 Marilyn Chapin Massey, PhD Arnold Palmer Murray Pepper, PhD Edith L. Piness, PhD Russell M. Pitzer, PhD Susan S. Pritzker P’93 Richard J. Riordan Margot Levin Schiff P’90, P’95 Deborah Deutsch Smith, PhD ’68 Lisa Specht Eugene P. Stein Laura Skandera Trombley, PhD