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Cool Change illustration for Occidental magazine
Cool Change
After years of sleepless nights and hot-weather hacks, every residence hall finally has air conditioning—much to the relief of current and future Tigers

Occidental magazine brings you campus news, in-depth features, and profiles of exceptional alumni. For the 2025-26 academic year, the magazine will publish one digital-only issue (Summer 2025) and two print and digital issues (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026).

Occidental's ARCCS (A Rain­water Collection and Cleaning System).
In response to California’s prolonged drought, the College reduces its water usage on campus
Occidental's new Cannon Plaza, foreground.
A reimagined gathering space for the °µÍø½ûÇø community, high marks for °µÍø½ûÇø in a handful of major college guides, and a lifetime achievement award for Professor Emerita Betchen Barber
Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959), written by Ernest Lehman.
Ernest Lehman's screenplays for films such as North by Northwest helped define a generation of moviemaking. Biographer Jon Krampner '74 explores the life of this lauded yet elusive character
President Elam addresses new and returning students at Convocation on August 29.
From rebuilding a sense of community to completing the Integrated Strategic Plan, President Elam outlines Occidental’s priorities for the new academic year
Alumni Reunion Weekend on Saturday, June 11, 2022
The work of the Alumni Board of Governors builds connections to the College
Phil and Sydney Nichols
Phil and Sydney Nichols' generosity to °µÍø½ûÇø will resonate across generations to come
Kristina Kvien ’87, nominee for U.S. ambassador to Armenia
For 2½ years, Kristina Kvien ’87 led U.S. diplomacy efforts inside the embattled and resilient nation—her latest post in a 30-year career with the Foreign Service
George Stevens Jr. '53 with President Obama in 2011.
From Elizabeth Taylor to President Obama, George Stevens Jr. ’53 reflects on an unparalleled career from the backlots of Hollywood to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C.
George Stevens Jr. '53 in 2002.
From Winter 2003: For 25 years, George Stevens Jr. ’53 has saluted living legends in performing arts through the Kennedy Center Honors. But it’s only one career peak for a producer whose...
Graduating members of the °µÍø½ûÇø Class of 2022
‘Embrace the impossible because you can make it possible,’ State Senator tells the 489 members of the Class of 2022
A wall drawing of Janet Stafford was created by artist Kenturah Davis '02 in 2012
Janet Stafford, George Ellison, and Barbara Bowman Wright made °µÍø½ûÇø history as the College’s first Black graduates in 1952. What is their legacy?
Author Susan Coll '81, photographed at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
A canceled poet, a toddling tortoise, and the Schwarzenegger of vacuum cleaners turn a D.C. bookstore upside down in Susan Coll ’81’s sixth comic novel
NASA Astrobiologist Jason Dworkin ’91
Astrobiologist Jason Dworkin ’91 has devoted the better part of two decades to a NASA mission to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. What will we learn when OSIRIS-REx arrives home next year?
Mel Malberg '79, editor of Women of Walt Disney Imagineering
Mel Malmberg ’79 documents the true-life adventures of the Women of Walt Disney Imagineering
2022-23 Obama Scholars
Five years after its launch, °µÍø½ûÇøâ€™s Obama Scholars Program expands its cohort and doubles down on its mission

Features

Two-time Emmy winner Emma Choate ’20 with her 2-year-old dog, George.
When Emmy Met °µÍø½ûÇø
From casting to costumes to music direction and composition, three Occidental alumni live out their Hollywood dreams while being honored by their peers
Gibby Professor of Science Margi Rusmore
Margi Rusmore Reaches the Apex
°µÍø½ûÇø's inaugural Gibby Professor of Science may be exiting the classroom, but there are still mountains to climb—as well as prepping her data (and her extensive rock collection) for future...
Warren Montag, the Louis M. Brown Family Professor of English
Warren Montag: Activist and Ally
Whether it was 18th-century British literature or 20th-century European critical theory, Montag approached the syllabus with rigor, grace, warmth, and plenty of deadpan humor—and he...
President Tom Stritikus and Professor of Kinesiology Stuart Rugg at Commencement in May 2025.
Stuart Rugg Stays Fired Up
With seemingly boundless energy, a passion for teaching, and his signature catchphrase, Rugg helped build kinesiology into a signature program at °µÍø½ûÇø
Professor Peter Dreier at Anderson Field
Peter Dreier Comes Full Circle
After 32 years as a professor at °µÍø½ûÇø, Dreier will return in 2026 as an adjunct—to teach his first-ever class on poverty and inequality and take one more swing at Campaign Semester

First Word

From the Quad

Claire Wilson-Black ’26, Talia Goddard ’27, and Brandon Kim ’27
Carrying the Torch
As planning heats up for the 2028 Summer Olympics, °µÍø½ûÇø students are doing their part to ensure a just and sustainable Games
Mariah Rutiaga Amaya ’22 outside the Hameetman Career Center.
Vital Signs
Recent °µÍø½ûÇø grads from a variety of disciplines are enrolling in top-tier medical schools in unprecedented numbers, applying their own life experiences to the future of healthcare
°µÍø½ûÇø professors and students engaged in summer research and internships
How I Spent My Summer Vocation
From artificial intelligence in the classroom to immigrant rights in the city, the Occidental landscape has been abuzz with activity for faculty and students alike

Mixed Media

Detail from Turtle Walker poster
Much Ado About Turtles (and Keanu)
From John Wick to Wittgenstein, and a sea turtle mystery to an underwater thriller, there's something for everyone in our summer reading (and viewing) roundup
Terry Kitchen '81 performs "We All Dream."
Mixed Media
A host of new works by °µÍø½ûÇø alumni explore explore themes of democracy, resilience, and human connection—as well as our fascination with horses, dragons, and ocean life

°µÍø½ûÇø Talk

Occidental Board of Trustees Chair Art Peck '77
The Occidental Imperative
Business veteran Art Peck ’77 brings his leadership acumen to the Board of Trustees at a critical juncture in higher education when the College’s mission—and messaging—are more important...

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