President Stritikus on the power of community partners and shared purpose in preparing Oxy students to lead impactful lives beyond campus
In my daily interactions with students at Occidental—whether in class, at an event on campus, or walking across the Quad—I am continually reminded of the value of a liberal arts education. Despite the ongoing challenges facing higher education, an urban liberal arts college such as ours is a powerful model. It equips students with the skills, perspective, and adaptability needed to lead lives of purpose and make a meaningful impact in the world.
I see this manifest in the work we do every day at Oxy. This spring, we launched the Hollywood Bowl-ƹƵ Internship Program, an exciting new partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic that will offer Oxy students an exclusive opportunity to intern at three iconic L.A. venues: the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and The Ford.
As Jamila Chambers, executive director of the Hameetman Career Center, puts it, “This partnership is a powerful reflection of the Occidental Promise—where Oxy’s liberal arts education comes to life beyond the classroom, empowering students to integrate critical thinking, creativity, and real-world application at the highest level within the dynamic landscape of L.A.”
Community support plays a crucial role in making opportunities like this possible. Every time I speak with alumni, I’m struck by how deeply they care about the next generation of Tigers and the experiences at Oxy that shaped their own lives. Their generosity helps ensure that our students can pursue opportunities from the field to the lab and everywhere in between.
Join me this year, on April 21, as we celebrate our seventh annual Day For Oxy by honoring our founding year and rallying 1,887 donors to invest in our students and their futures. Every contribution helps fuel the Oxy experience and strengthens the opportunities we can provide.
As the semester comes to a close, I look forward to senior comps and Commencement, two of my favorite traditions of the academic year. Watching our students share the culmination of their work and then cross the stage to begin the next chapter of their lives is a powerful reminder of why this work matters. It captures the very best of our students: their curiosity, dedication, and the promise of what comes next.
Together, we can continue to build a future worthy of that promise.
