Before starting class in Broad Center this afternoon, Senate Secretary Buddy Bennett and I noticed that there was no candy in the upstairs candy bowl. At 6:30 pm I sent the following email to the President's office:
President Trombley,
Many of my readers and Pitzer students on all sides of the recent constitutional debate have commented on the lack of candy in the upstairs bowl in Broad Center. Are there currently plans to replenish the candy or is this an effect of the recession?
Thank you,
Amy Jasper
Pitzer College 2010
President Trombley responded at 7:47 pm:
Dear Amy,
No worries. I ran to the market and bought candy, topped off the fish tank, and spruced up the lobby. All are welcome to visit the president's office.
All Best,
Laura Trombley
I have not yet been to Broad Center to verify President Trombley's claims but I am delighted at the response.
Around the time Senate stuff really hit the fan, I frankly stopped being useful to readers because I prioritized my personal involvement in Senate dealings over reporting those dealings. But Winter Break is providing an opportunity to backtrack and piece together the chain of events.
My interpretation is this:
In the wake of the proposal of the new Constitution, debates among many students in many different fora were getting intense. What put those debates on hold was an email sent to Student Senators by Dean Marchant, which asserted that Student Senate wasn't following its own guidelines in the makeup of its representatives.
His reasoning was that because those representatives interact with larger College Governance structures, they have to be put in place through the methods prescribed in the Student Senate Constitution.
In other words, students were appointed by the Executive Board to fill positions that must be elected and Senate has to correct that.
Senate Chair Brian Orser appeared to freak out about that, and attempted to call a College Council meeting. Because he didn't go through the proper channels, and because he wanted to hold it late on a Friday night, nobody took it seriously.
He then postponed his call for the meeting until Thursday, December 10th. Nobody took that seriously, either. No one cancelled the meeting, but to my knowledge nobody showed up to it.
The primary sources are in chronological order below (I've highlighted the most essential parts of each document):
December 2, 2009: Dean of Students Jim Marchant sends the following email:
Dear Members of Student Senate:
Normally I prefer to initiate communication about important issues in-person with individuals or groups directly involved. However, given my experiences thus far this semester and due to time constraints, I find myself in the position of having to communicate this message to you, the larger Senate body, in writing without prior discussion.
As you know, one of the most distinctive and special characteristics of Pitzer is its governance system and the critical role that students play in it. We are one of the very few institutions of higher education in the world that include, in fact welcome and value, students in the decision-making process at all levels. My colleagues and I have heard consistently from students over the years that they appreciate the opportunity to be involved in College governance in such a meaningful way. Lately however, we have been approached by many students who have questions and concerns about the role of students in governance at Pitzer. As such, I am writing to you with the intent of clarifying and hopefully resolving some of the issues that have been raised.
I understand you are planning to hold elections to fill the vacant positions for Judicial Council, Environmental Senator, and Off-Campus Representative. It is good to know that you are going forward with this, especially since none of the five Judicial Council positions are currently occupied. However, I believe it is important to recognize that according to the Student Senate Constitution (attached) there are actually many more elected positions that need to be filled at this time. It is in best interest of Student Senate and all Pitzer students to fill these positions in accordance with the Senate Constitution.
Below is a copy of the results from last spring’s elections as reported by the Secretary of Student Senate in April. In addition to the Executive Board positions and the Sports Representative, I noticed that this election confirmed the approval of the amended Senate Constitution. Furthermore, I believe the Senior Class Representative was selected in a subsequent election and several appointed positions were filled. This fall there was an election for the First-Year Class Representative, but not for any of the other vacant positions to my knowledge. In the meantime, there appear to be many instances of students being appointed to standing committees of the College this semester instead of being elected as required by the Student Senate Constitution.
A list of the College’s standing committees with the number of appointed and elected student positions for each according the current Student Senate Constitution is below. According to my calculations, in addition to the positions you are already planning to hold elections for (which includes the 5 vacant Judicial Council positions), there are 9 others that need to be filled via elections: one each on APC, Diversity, and External Studies, two on Campus Life, and all four Aesthetics Committee positions. Since these committees apparently have the total number of allotted student representatives assigned to them at this time, a determination needs to be made as to which appointed students need to step down because they are currently occupying positions that require an elected student representative. For example: 5 students have been appointed to the Campus Life Committee; 2 will need to step down and be filled with 2 elected student representatives.
Committee Appointed Elected
Academic Planning
2
1
Academic Standards
3
0
Appts., Promotion and Tenure
2 (Jr. and Sr.)
0
Budgetary Implementation
1 (Vice Chair)
0
Campus Life Committee
3
2
Curriculum Committee
2
0
Diversity Committee
2
1
External Studies Committee
2
1
Faculty Executive Committee
2 (Jr. and Sr.)
0
Campus Aesthetics Committee
0
4
Please know that this is not a commentary about the suitability of the students currently serving on these committees. Rather, this is notification that many student positions on College standing committees have not been filled in compliance with the Student Senate Constitution.
Also, contrary to what my colleagues and I have heard and read in more than one venue recently, my office never agreed to the appointments that were made to the Judicial Council earlier this semester. Below is an excerpt from an email that I sent to the Student Senate Chair on September 23, 2009. This email was copied to Associate Dean of Students Chris Freeberg.
On another matter, I appreciate you and Paul providing a list of students that were appointed to the Judicial Council by Student Senate. As I mentioned when we met, I needed to check the most recent version of the Student Senate Constitution to verify that students could be appointed. I have since reviewed the Constitution and it states that all 5 student Judicial Council members are elected. I’m sure you already have it, but I have attached a copy of what I understand to be the current Constitution. Please let me know if you have a different understanding of this. Also, at this time we do not have any judicial cases pending, but it will be important to fill these positions soon.
No response to this email was ever received. Again, to my knowledge, no elections have been held to fill these positions or the many other elected student positions (other than the First-Year Class Representative), despite the fact that the current Student Senate Constitution states that elections must be held within the first 3 weeks of the fall semester.
It is the responsibility of Senate to ensure that the current policies and procedures that address student participation in College governance (i.e. the Senate Constitution) are followed. If they are not, then students are denied the unique opportunity to participate in Pitzer’s governance system in meaningful ways. Basically, non-compliance with the Senate Constitution undermines the voice of all students at all levels of governance of the College and brings into question the decision-making authority and legitimacy of Student Senate.
Finally, it is important to know that a new or amended Senate Constitution cannot be decided upon until there is compliance with the current one. As it stands now, since Senate is currently out of compliance with the Constitution, the decisions made by the current Senate body carry no authority in the College’s governance system.
I believe this issue can be addressed soon by holding elections for all of the elected positions as required by the Senate Constitution. As always, my office is willing to provide assistance as needed.
Sincerely,
Jim Marchant
Dean of Students
Vice President for Student Affairs
December 2, 2009: Senate Chair Brian Orser attempts to call a College Council meeting for Friday December 4 at 9:15 pm.
Pitzer College Community:
I am writing in response to a recent incident, which has raised an urgent question for Student Senate. Pursuant to Article II, Section 2.4 of the Bylaws of Faculty and Student Governance, I am formally calling an emergency meeting of College Council. As per Section 2.4, this meeting will take place no less than 48 hours from the time at which this email is sent (approximately 9:15 pm, Friday the 4th of December). I am sympathetic with the multiple demands on the time of our students and faculty; I would prefer to hold this meeting earlier, on Thursday or Friday. However, the 48 hour restriction would need to be waived for us to do so. Under no condition should this meeting be held after this Sunday.
This meeting, Friday December 4th at 9:15pm, will be held for the entire community to discuss an urgent issue of Student Government at Pitzer College. The only item on the agenda, as of now, will be a discussion of the membership and legitimacy of the current Student Senate.
Respectfully Submitted,
Brian Orser
December 3, 2009: President Laura Trombley politely rejects Brian's unilateral authority to call a Council meeting.
Dear Pitzer Community,
An email was sent last night by Brian Orser, President of Student Senate, calling for a College Council to take place on Friday evening at 9:15 pm. In order for a College Council to be called, the following steps must be taken pursuant to sections 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, and 2.7 of the Bylaws of Faculty, Staff, and Student Governance:
-The College Council meeting shall convene at the call of the President, the Dean of Faculty, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty, the President of Student Senate, or the Convener of the Staff Council Representatives.
-All members of the faculty and Student Voting Members shall be expected to attend such meetings.
-College Council meetings shall be held as needed but no less than once per semester. One week's notice of a meeting shall normally be given and in no case may a College Council meeting be called on less than 48 hours notice.
-The (College Council) Agenda shall normally be prepared by the Dean of Faculty in consultation with the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty, the President of Student Senate, the Convener of the Staff CouncilRepresentatives, and the President.
-The Agenda will normally be published at least 48 hours in advance of the College Council meeting.
-College Council can only be held if there is a Quorum: While classes are in session, a quorum shall consist of no fewer than one half of the voting members of the College Council meeting, providing that this includes no fewer than one-half of the voting members of the faculty not on leave. While classes are not in session, a quorum shall consist of no fewer than one-half of the voting members of the faculty not on leave. (Voting members of College Council for fall 2009 are 64 faculty, 21 students, and 15 staff; 64 faculty are all voting faculty minus the Dean, 21 students are 1/3 of the voting faculty, and 15 staff are all Staff Council Representatives.)
-The President shall preside at College Council meetings. In the absence of the President, the Dean of Faculty shall preside. In the absence of both the President and the Dean of Faculty, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty shall preside.
On Monday of this week the incoming Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty, the Associate Dean of Faculty representing the Dean, the President of Student Senate, the Convener of the Staff Council Representatives, the President, and the Secretary of College Council met in person in the President’s office and agreed that because there was no pressing business, College Council would not be held this week Thursday, December 3 at 4:15 pm (a time traditionally held so staff are not asked to attend outside of normal work hours). The President of Student Senate did not consult with these individuals before calling for College Council via email. As well, he did not consult with the three individuals able to chair College Council (the President, the Dean of Faculty or the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty). If the President of Student Senate would like to call a College Council for next week Thursday, December 10, President Trombley would be happy to contact the Dean of Faculty, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty, the Convener of the Staff Council Representatives and the President of Student Senate to meet and discuss.
Sincerely,
Laura Trombley, President
Alan Jones, Dean of Faculty
Ethel Jorge, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Faculty
Angel Jauregui, Convener of the Staff Council Representatives
December 4, 2009: Brian Orser moves his call for a College Council meeting to December 10, 2009.
Pitzer College community:
On Wednesday night, in response to an email sent by the Dean of Students to the Student Senators, and as per Article II, Section 2.4 of the Bylaws of Faculty and Student Governance, I called a College Council meeting to be held at the soonest possible time. Because of the dramatic implications for Student Governance and the urgency of the situation, I determined that the community must immediately discuss the assertions made by the Dean of Students in his email.
However, in the time since I called the College Council meeting, I have communicated with dozens of faculty and administrative staff members, and have determined that in spite of the gravity of the situation it will be difficult to attain a College Council quorum this weekend.
For this reason, I am postponing the College Council meeting until next week. Because the urgency of the situation will be less after this Sunday's Student Senate meeting, I believe we can afford to wait until the traditional time reserved for college governance. I am rescheduling this College Council meeting for Thursday, Dec 10th, at 4:15pm in the Founder's Room.
Respectfully,
Brian Orser
December 5, 2009: FEC Chair Ethel Jorge rejects call for College Council meeting.
Dear Brian,
In response to the request of the Student Senate Executive Committee, the FEC has determined that the issue brought before it was primarily one that concerned the students and that it was not appropriate or respectful to intervene because that would change the dynamics of the process.
Second, FEC's understanding of Jim Marchant's memo was that it did not invalidate decisions the Senate had made to date and did not refuse to recognize the Senate as a legitimate body to conduct elections.
FEC's considered advice is that the Senate hold elections as soon as possible in order to be in compliance with their constitution passed last spring.
The go-to analytic framework of everyday conversations at Pitzer is that of Pitzer's "core values". The core values come up during discussions of Student Senate, the Master Plan, Residence Life, study abroad-- literally every aspect of Pitzer College life that I can think of.
Take this Pitzer.edu web article about a recent recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award [blogger's emphasis supplied throughout]:
From the moment he stepped foot on Pitzer College’s campus, Thomas Brock ’83 felt a strong connection to the people and the place. He recognized that his own commitment to social responsibility and intercultural understanding aligned perfectly with the College’s values and through his subsequent endeavors has devoted himself to affecting positive change in communities across the country. ...
“Many Pitzer graduates have gone on to do amazing and inspiring things with their lives, and I feel fortunate simply to be counted among that group,” Brock said. “I am especially honored because Pitzer’s values align so closely with my own. []If my own life reflects some of these values in such a way that others have taken note, I am glad for that and hope for that.”
A discrepancy came to my attention via Twitter, when a high school student applying to Pitzer got a little freaked out when it appeared that Pitzer's core values had changed-- after she submitted her application supplement. At first I thought that seemed really silly. But a closer inspection of different pieces of Pitzer literature reveals that YES- there are vastly different perceptions of what we as an institution actually stand for:
Searching "values" on pitzer.edu lists a page entitled "Community Values", but clicking the link leads you to a 404 (Page Not Found) message.
A web article in the Orange Grove Alumni Community section of Pitzer.edu lists
Applicants to Pitzer see the following text on the required application supplement:
Pitzer College was founded in 1963, the same year Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, which had a fundamental impact upon our nation and the world. Reflecting on Pitzer's core values (intercultural understanding, social responsibility, interdisciplinary emphasis and student autonomy), what is your dream for your time at Pitzer and how will that influence you to make a positive impact?
A web article written by my friend Sol Estin '10 about his experience with the Pitzer Model United Nations team concludes with the following:
Students interested in Model UN apply in the fall, a process requiring both a written application and an interview. Students should take advantage of this unique prospect for enhancing one’s educational and social experience while at Pitzer. It is an experience that provides both academic stimulation and a deepening of cross-cultural, cross-national awareness, two Pitzer core values of vital importance.
b) Provost (President): To serve on the Budgetary Implementation Committee and the Trustee Budget Committee, advocating for budgetary decisions which are in accordance with Pitzer's Core Values of Social Responsibility, Community, and Action, and which meet the needs of the student body[.]
A look into the Student Handbook clears some of it up:
page 1: "Intercultural and interdisciplinary learning are highly valued at Pitzer."
page 4: "Pitzer’s curriculum emphasizes intercultural understanding, social responsibility and interdisciplinary learning."
page 6: "Pitzer College stands for academic excellence, social leadership and intercultural understanding."
Also on page 6, under "Mission Statement": "The meaningful participation of students, faculty and staff in college governance and academic program design is a Pitzer core value."
That is the only time the phrase "core value" appears in the entire Student Handbook.
To summarize, a handy table with different listed values from each source:
So. What to make of all this?
I'm conflicted. One part of me is happy that students are really engaging with the values and explaining them in our own words, and incorporating them into the greater narratives of our experiences. I think it's awesome that Sol expressed a Pitzer value in terms that directly applied to his experience on the Model United Nations team. I think it's awesome that the same ideas that appeal to us now were important to Pitzer students 25 years ago.
But another part of me wants to clean up the mess and get all of these variations in line with one another. We talk about the values SO much that it is important to know exactly what we're all talking about, and that we all have a common reference point.
OPR just published its Winter slide show, starring Cecil the Sagehen in yet another revival of his importance to Pitzer College. Since we're either looking for something to distract us from studying, or already at home bored to death, take a minute to check it out. A preview:
If you want someone to read something don’t cut it off. This was the first time I had ever seen a site promote news but then cut the title off half way. I can see only displaying a certain number of words in the description but never in the title. The title should be the one line description of the article that pulls the reader in to investigate further. You cannot get your point across half way through a sentence.
So how did our own Pitzer.edu stack up against the new and improved CMC site?
When DeNardis reviewed our site in early August, Pitzer.edu scored a B-. Not stellar, but the site has steadily improved since then, and those "Under Construction" notices that annoyed the reviewer so much have disappeared. See the individuals scores and those from a small sample of other liberal arts colleges below:
Every fall I speak with you about the state of Pitzer College, a summary of the prior year at the institution.
During 2008-2009 there was enormous upheaval due to the global economic crisis and recession. This was my seventh year at the College, and we experienced record enrollments, record retention, and, unfortunately, record endowment losses.
Budget and Endowment Return
While there had been warning signs since the winter of 2008 when the nation’s largest job cut in five years took place, by summer of 2008, the financial markets had increasingly become a topic for discussion and it was clear that a dramatic shift in the economy was underway. After consulting with our treasurer Yuet Lee, in October I asked the members of the president’s cabinet to reduce their budgets by 5% in order to achieve a permanent overall budget reduction of 5% for the 2009-10 year. We were the first college in the consortium to make such an adjustment to their institutional budget. The members of the cabinet recognized the seriousness of the situation and worked positively and collaboratively to achieve this budget reallocation. Thanks to the exhaustive efforts of Yuet and Lori Yoshino and in consultation with the College’s Budget Implementation Committee (BIC), the Trustee Budget Committee and the Board, a budget plan was approved in May 2009. The end result leaves the College well positioned to emerge from this recession with its academic program strong, workforce intact, financial aid preserved, and the corpus of the endowment protected.
Highlights include the following:
Pitzer ended the year with a $2.9 million surplus to use in 2009-2010 to offset the loss of $4.7 million of endowment spending; this leaves the College with the challenge of finding $1.8 million within its existing operating budget while still balancing the 2009-2010 budget without endowment spending. Tuition increased 3.9%, the lowest increase in nine years and well below the national projection for private colleges of 4.2%; the five-year tactical plan priorities have been completed at 100% or greater; non-compensation costs have been reduced to protect the workforce.
There were no faculty or staff layoffs, with modest salary increases for faculty (.75%) and staff (1%). The increase in faculty salaries anticipates that assistant and associate professors will remain positioned within AAUP’s 95th percentile, and full professors within 95% of the 95th percentile. Staff salary increases also maintain our position within our wage and salary program. Pitzer’s staff are represented by 62% women and 50% persons of color with 64% women and 36% persons of color at the administrative level. Pitzer’s end-of-the-year results were at variance with other colleges in the consortium where there were significant layoffs and voluntary early retirements for exempt and nonexempt staff.
For 2008-2009, tuition and fees covered approximately 81% of the actual cost of education per student at Pitzer. However, for 2009-2010 tuition and fees will cover approximately 90% because endowment spending has been eliminated and there has been a decrease in our short-term investment earnings.
The recessionary market and the decrease in new construction starts worked to the College’s advantage when it came to negotiating the conclusion of our residence life project with Bayley Construction. Because we had signed a guaranteed maximum contract and withheld our final payment until the final cost could be settled, Bayley agreed to negotiate in good faith. The end result was that the project negotiation was completed with the outcome decidedly favorable for the College. The goal from the outset was to keep the total cost for the residence life and learning project under $30 million. In the end the total project cost was $29,897,360, and Bayley generously agreed to make a contribution to Pitzer for $1,175,000.
While the financial condition of the College has certainly strengthened over the past seven years, this was a very disappointing year for our investment return. As of June 30, 2009, preliminary year to date returns were -23%. The national average was -27%. Our three-year average return is -4% and our five-year average return is 2% (placing us 8th in Claremont). As of June 30, total endowment investments were $77,400,000 (down from a high of $108 million). Despite this decrease and in these difficult times Pitzer was pleased to see an affirmation of our success by external rating agencies Fitch and Moodys. Moodys has reaffirmed our A3 rating, but has moved us from a stable outlook to positive. Fitch’s rating is a straight A, which is approximately equal to a Moodys A2 rating. Both ratings are due in large part to our strong recent trends in financial results, recruitment and enrollment.
Advancement
Obviously fundraising in the midst of a recession has its challenges. In the 2008-2009 year, private consumption fell dramatically, home values plunged, financial portfolios were decimated and unemployment was on the rise. Thanks to the constant efforts of Vice President Dennis Trotter and his dedicated staff, the total amount raised as of June 30, 2009 was nearly $7,000,000. Pitzer also won the senior gift competition for the fourth year in a row with a 100% giving rate with a total of $14,600 raised. Faculty and staff participation was 89%, with a total of $29,778. Over the last seven years, total contributions to the Annual Fund have increased by 23%. Parent participation rates to the Annual Fund have increased from 20% to 31%.
Alumni Reunion Weekend was successful this year with record attendance. The total number who attended was 205, a 20% increase from last year. Colleges approximately Pitzer’s size have reported reunion attendance decreases due to the economy so the increase was a welcome sign. The reunion was held in conjunction with Claremont McKenna College and the Sunday morning two-college breakfast was well attended. The majority of our alumni elected to stay in our new green residence halls.
Dean of Faculty and Dean of Students
The Office of the Dean of Faculty [Alan Jones] had a busy year. Over the past seven years, the College has seen a generation of faculty retire and the faculty-student ratio reduced. In the period since 2001-02 through the end of the current academic year 2009-10, Pitzer will have hired twenty-five new tenure track faculty. Six of these hires represent new lines at the College and nineteen of these hires represent replacement of existing lines. For the academic year 2009-10, Pitzer has seventy-two faculty members (sixty-six tenure track faculty and six Joint Sciences faculty). New faculty hired in the last nine years represent 35% of the current Pitzer faculty (including Joint Science). As of fall 2009, 46% of our faculty is female and 34% are people of color. To the best of our knowledge, Pitzer College has the most diverse faculty of any liberal arts college in the country. In the 2008-09 academic year we successfully undertook five tenure track searches.
In 2008-2009, 72% of Pitzer’s Class of 2009 studied abroad, as compared to just under 2% nationally. Students attended forty-one programs in twenty-seven countries, studying fifteen languages. Of these 150 students, ninety attended semester-long Pitzer programs, eleven attended non-Pitzer programs and forty-nine attended exchange programs with 126 international students attending Pitzer during the academic year. An additional twenty-eight students attended Pitzer summer programs in Costa Rica and Japan and six students participated in international summer research programs. In 2008-09, to date fourteen Fulbright Fellowships have been awarded, continuing Pitzer’s seven year national record per capita among all colleges and universities.
For 2008-2009 a record number of Pitzer students (138) joined our sports teams, making up 33% of the Sagehen’s varsity athletes. Sagehen sports highlights this year include the baseball team being ranked number one in the country in April and in early May, winning their fourth consecutive SCIAC championship. Women’s water polo finished the season by winning its fifth Collegiate III Championship. For the second year they are ranked number one in division III. The women’s cross country team placed second at the NCAA Division III West Region, and the men’s team was named the All-Academic Team by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The women’s track and field team finished fourth in SCIAC Championships. The women’s tennis team finished fourth in NCAA Division III Team National Championship. A record 460 Pitzer students participated in intramural athletics this year, from soccer and softball to dodge ball and foosball.
The new student orientation in August organized by the Office of Student Affairs was the most successful to date. The Pitzer Parents Association did a magnificent job of welcoming new families to the Pitzer community and the parent luncheon established a new record with over 400 parents in attendance. Thanks to a generous gift in support of the pre-orientation backpacking trips from a friend of the College, for the summer of 2009 the pre-orientation program was doubled with twelve programs offered for the class of 2013. The College can now accommodate all incoming first-year students wanting to participate in trips next year. The opportunity to socialize with their peers before the start of orientation and to start forming friendships is believed to be a positive factor in our recent success with increased retention. This year in response to requests by students and their parents, Career Services increased their visibility and attendance at campus-wide events, including Family Weekend, and senior students reported increased satisfaction in the senior survey with the results.
Admissions
Families are very happy to be joining Pitzer College, particularly in view of the fact that our Vice President for Admission Arnaldo Rodriguez brought in another record class of Pitzer students. Pitzer received a record 4,081 applications and offered admission to only 20%, making Pitzer the ninth most selective liberal arts college in the United States. The first-year class consists of 250 students from 220 different high schools throughout the country. Women constitute 62% of the first year class, the same as last year. Fifty-five percent of the entering class is from outside California. The major geographic areas represented, in order, are New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Illinois, Colorado and New Jersey.
One-third of the class graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA or higher—the average GPA was 3.9. Over 45% of the incoming class was in the top 10% of their high school class. Eleven percent of the class is the first in their family to attend college. The class is among the most ethnically diverse ever enrolled at Pitzer College—30% are from under-represented groups. Pitzer is ranked fifth in student racial diversity by the 2010 US News and World Report.
Forty-one percent of the entering class receives financial aid, and Pitzer is committed to meeting 100% of every student’s demonstrated financial need. Twelve percent of the class receives Cal Grants. The average financial aid package at Pitzer is $36,500. Pitzer College has also successfully reduced the average amount of indebtedness of its students. Over the past five years, the average cumulative debt after four years of study decreased 24%, from nearly $22,000 to $16,000. Maintaining this decrease is imperative for our future success in recruiting potential students.
The College continues to experience a general, positive trend in student retention. For 2008-2009, fall to spring retention was maintained at 98% for the second year in a row. First to second year students retained at 92%. Also for 2008-2009 there was a marked increase in retention from second to third year students, 81% to 86%, the highest third-year retention rate in Pitzer’s history. Our four-year graduation rate increased from 74% to 75%, our five-year graduation rate stayed at 78%, and our six-year graduation rate had a sizeable increase from 70% to 80%. At this time, our four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates are the highest in the College’s history.
The College enjoyed positive reviews in the various ranking publications and for the second year we are ranked forty-ninth overall in the nation among liberal arts colleges in the 2009 U.S.News & World Report America’s Best Colleges rankings. Pitzer has been recognized as the third best liberal arts college in the new “Up-and-Coming Schools” category (the only West Coast College in the top ten) and our study abroad programs have been named, for the first time, one of U.S. News’ “Programs to Look For.” Pitzer was named one of the nation’s best colleges and number one in the category of Race/Class Interaction in the 2009 edition of The Princeton Review’s The Best 368 Colleges, and the College was also ranked 104th in the nation out of 569 colleges and universities in Forbes.com’s America’s Best Colleges. Finally, Pitzer was named to the first-ever President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This distinction recognizes students, faculty and staff for helping to build a culture of service and civic engagement in the United States.
Public Relations
This year we welcomed Kira Poplowski as our new Vice President for Marketing and Public Relations. In the fall, she formed an ad-hoc Visual Identity Committee, consisting of two faculty, two staff, two students, and two alums, and led them to consensus on a new Pitzer look and feel, and just three months into her tenure she worked with in-house graphic designers to produce the 2008 “Report of Excellence,” which won a CASE award for design. Most recently she launched a redesigned, reorganized College website, done in collaboration with a committee of faculty, staff and students, Office of PR staff, and multiple campus stakeholders.
Facilities
The summer is always devoted to capital projects and the summers of 2008 and 2009 were busy ones with the College creating footprints for the future. In July the original Sanborn Hall was razed (nearly 90% of the building was recycled), leaving nearly two acres that will serve as a site for a commencement plaza (slated for completion this spring), a basketball court and volleyball court, and eventually a new Joint Science building. Modular units will be moved onto the old Sanborn parking lot in the spring of 2010 to temporarily serve the needs of Joint Science until funding by the three colleges is secured for a new building. Also completed was a redesigned entrance for the west side of the McConnell dining hall and the bathrooms on the ground floor of that building were renovated. Also in 2008 the covered walkway on the west side of the Pellissier Mall (The Mounds) was torn down in anticipation of Avery Auditorium renovation, currently underway.
The auditorium renovation is on budget and on time and is currently scheduled to be completed February 2010. To take the place of the walkway columns that students enjoyed painting, new concrete benches are being installed along the pathway for student art. For the past two summers, dozens of bike racks have been installed in response to our new policy of no longer allowing first-year students to have cars their first year on campus. Pitzer was the first of the Claremont Colleges to establish this precedent and this year Harvey Mudd and Claremont McKenna are joining us. The class of 2013 was recruited with the understanding that they would not be allowed to have cars their first or second years at the College. We have expanded zip cars on campus to accommodate student travel needs.
Finally
This was the first time in my professional life that I was granted a sabbatical. The three months were rewarding and refreshing, and I would like to express my appreciation to the College for this opportunity. I am pleased to report that my fifth book was accepted by Knopf to be published in March 2010: Mark Twain’s Other Woman: The Hidden Story of His Final Years and this fall I am co-teaching a seminar with my colleague in history, Professor Stuart McConnell, titled “The Great Depression.”
As always, it remains a professional and personal pleasure to be part of Pitzer College."
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings assigns an 'A' rating to the approximately $63.8 million of California Educational Facilities Authority (CEFA) revenue bonds (Pitzer College), series 2009. The bonds are expected to sell via negotiation on or about Oct. 21, 2009, and will finance certain capital improvement projects; refund the outstanding CEFA revenue bonds (Pitzer College), series 1999A and CEFA variable rate demand revenue bonds (Pitzer College), series 2005B; and pay various costs of issuance. At the same time, Fitch assigns an 'A' rating to CEFA's revenue bonds (Pitzer College), series 2005A bonds. All revenue bonds are on parity and represent an unsecured general obligation of Pitzer College (Pitzer). The Rating Outlook for all bonds is Stable.
The 'A' rating reflects Pitzer's strong operating margins; satisfactory balance sheet liquidity; and solid student demand as evidenced by increasingly selective admissions and increased matriculation rates. Major credit concerns include a high, though manageable, pro forma debt burden; a dependence on student-generated revenues, typical of similarly-rated private colleges and universities; and future debt issuance plans, which Fitch notes are flexible and still tentative.
Operating margins have been historically strong with positive double-digit performance since fiscal 2005, inclusive of the full payout from the endowment spending policy. Financial flexibility is further evidenced by Pitzer's available funds cushion at the end of 2008, which covered 2008 operating expenses (the most recent audited year available) by greater than 2.1 times (x), and total debt by nearly 2x. On a pro forma basis (inclusive of the series 2009 bonds), the cushion declines to 1.1x. Due to market turbulence during the last fiscal year, the 2009 cushion ratios (based on unaudited results) weakened slightly, but remain satisfactory at 1.5x expenses and 0.8x pro-forma debt. Fitch notes that exposure to alternative investments is minimal (<15%), limiting the college's liquidity risks. Improved student demand metrics also support the rating, with the acceptance rate dropping to a very selective 20% for the fall 2009 class, and the matriculation rate increasing to 30%.
Pitzer's debt burden will be high following issuance of the series 2009 bonds, with MADS of nearly $5.4 million representing almost 11% of fiscal 2008 unrestricted operating revenues. The college has plans for additional capital improvements over the next five years, and while a portion of those improvements may be debt-supported, financing plans have not been determined. Pitzer does not face any immediate capacity pressures so those plans could be revised or delayed based on future economic conditions and available financial resources. Finally, the college is heavily-dependent on student-generated revenues, which provided just over 80% of fiscal 2008 unrestricted operating revenues. This is typical for private colleges and universities at this rating level, and indicates the importance of careful enrollment management on the part of the college.
Pitzer College, founded in 1963, is an independent, undergraduate, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. The college is part of the Claremont Colleges (TCC), a group of seven affiliated, but independently managed, institutions of higher educations (five undergraduate colleges, one graduate university, and one graduate institute) that collaborate on various academic and administrative initiatives. Enrollment reached nearly 1,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduates during fiscal 2009 (year ended June 30). Future growth will be minimal as Pitzer is limited by the size of its campus (currently 34 acres), and its academic and physical infrastructure capacity.
A couple days ago, I walked into McConnell to have dinner with a friend of mine. I put in my grill order for chicken tenders, and received them about 35 minutes later. It had me pretty frustrated, and it ruined my dinner experience. After eating my three tenders I angrily got a comment card, filled it out, and submitted it.
Why am I blogging about this?
Because, I realized, there are no comment cards for Pitzer College.
There are no mechanisms (that I'm aware of) that allow students to complain, or ask for changes or improvements, besides contacting a Dean. Often, students are referred to their own Student Senators, but often Senators are no better equipped to push these complaints through the administration than the average student.
What do YOU think? Should there be comment cards posted in every faculty and administrative office?
Should there be an anonymous email tip line where anyone could give a constructive suggestion or submit a complaint about staff incompetence?
Should course evaluations be posted online so faculty would be held accountable for the quality of their teaching?
How can we make Pitzer better?
Chime in with a comment: what would work better? What complaints do you have about Pitzer's people?
It started with a bang- literally a bang, as Treasurer Chris Wohlers hit a gong to indicate that our 'moment of silence' suggested by Chair Brian Orser had ended. (Seriously, scared the fuck out of me. Jesus.)
Those expecting the Vanguard to do something commie, crazy, hippie, or otherwise radical, would be disappointed. The meeting wasn't horrible, nor was it fantastic: the Exec Board made some typical mistakes, did some things quite well, and made some new errors. But overall, the meeting proceeded as Senate meetings usually do: it was boring, inefficient, and overlong.
Topics discussed:
The effects of the new Bernard Cafeon the campus, students, faculty, and staff of the College. Jim Marchant put all concerns to rest and made me thank my lucky stars that some of our administrators really are good and competent people.
Funding the Reggae Festival, which inadvertently missed the big pro forma budget sessions last year and consequently has no money. Nothing was decided but the discussion will continue next week. General support for the event was apparent.
Retroactively funding Dean Pospisil's community art project. In some later post I'll elaborate on why I was against this funding, as part of a greater question of what we should spend our money on and what our standards should be.
Forming an ad hoc committee that would attempt to improve the relationship between the College and the city of Claremont, a main goal of which would be to better negotiate permits, or forgo permits, that unfairly restrict Pitzer parties and events.
Good stuff:
The atmosphere, aside from the gonging, was indeed fairly relaxed and collaborative.
The discussion remained respectful at all times, from all sides.
The recommendations of the budgetary subcommittee showed that the members took their job seriously, and were innovative in making their proposals.
The Exec Board began the meeting informally, then officially started it, which is a good way to ease into parliamentary procedure without having to formalize introductions and mission statements.
Secretary Buddy Bennett offered some admirable goals of improving voter turnout and the quality of election management.
Not-good stuff:
Robert's Rules were botched. A lot. Oy.
The agenda was sent out only about an hour before the meeting started.
None of the budget/agenda items were printed or projected so everyone could see them.
The recommendations from the budgetary committee were not distributed ahead of time.
The announcement for club treasurer training sessions was distributed less than 24 hours before the first session.
No distinction was made between Senators and student-citizens (like me).
There seemed to be no introduction or welcome geared toward first-year students, who were consequently confused about their roles, positions, voting abilities, and basically how this all works.
The overarching criticism I had of this meeting has to do with the management of the meeting itself. It seems that the Exec Board views management and following procedure as harmful to discussion, collaboration, and innovation.
I disagree.
I think the best discussions happen when everyone knows the rules and discussion topics ahead of time, has a chance to do their homework, can prepare their arguments, can prepare questions, understands how Senate functions, understands what Senate does, understands their own power and role, and is able to see the same materials at the same time. Without these fundamentals, there will be no good discussions.
For an Exec Board that wants increased transparency in the College endowment, it's hypocritical and sloppy that Treasurer Chris Wohlers was unable or unwilling to supply the remaining Senate budget. For an Exec Board that wants better communication channels, it's crazy that they wouldn't make new senators' positions clear, or update the student government website, or send out an email explaining what they're about.
This is all very frustrating to me, and, I suspect, to students with their own agendas, who want their lives to be made easier/better or to be left alone.
I hope the Vanguard starts living up to its name, because at the moment it seems they are playing catch-up.
...
Readers, please also note that I am still trying to negotiate the intersection between 'journalist', 'student', and 'senator'. I do want these posts to be objective, but I'm also a student in this college who is affected by what Senate does, and I'm also a former senator with a fair bit of knowledge and experience. So if I veer too far in any direction, or go completely off course, LET ME KNOW.
How does Pitzer's websitecompare to those of other colleges and universities out there? Let's ask an expert:
A few weeks ago I requested that Nick DeNardis of "EDU Checkup" review Pitzer's site, and he published his video review today! DeNardis has reviewed more than 100 higher education websites on EDUcheckup.com, starting with a "ten- second test" and going through site aesthetics, usability, and coding. In my opinion he assigns his scores a little arbitrarily, based more on gut feelings than placing sites on a standardized spectrum, but I think the reviews themselves are valuable.
Episode #104:
DeNardis assigned the following scores to Pitzer.edu: "Visual" - 90; "Information" - 82; and "Code" - 70, for a total of (244/300) = 81% = B-.
Review notes:
The site's home page is "well-laid out-they get right to the point... they have a really really simple homepage"
Beginning each home page News item with "Pitzer" makes them all bleed together
The Claremont address in the footer links directly to Google Maps
The big middle header image on the home page loads too slowly, and has to reload every time
Most field groups have external websites
The difference between field groups and majors is confusing (to me, too)
To find out about actual academic programs, you have to download the course catalog pdf and find the program internally
None of the other Claremont College sites are reviewed by EDUcheckup, but here are some comparable college sites and scores:
*I included this just because one of my mentees is from Bloomington.
Why is this important?
First, because Pitzer's website has become increasingly significant for every facet of the school's operation. For students looking to apply; for incoming students to get informed about what they can expect and what they need to bring; for current students looking to contact professors, log on to their email, find out about academic requirements, search for information about student services. Even professors use the website: my advisor Dana Ward's personal site and anarchy archive site represents 20% of all pitzer.edu's traffic. Consequently, it is important that we have a site with accurate and up-to-date content.
Second, because last spring Pitzer's College Council passed a rule requiring Pitzer faculty to post online book lists and syllabi for their courses before the start of classes. A passing look at the faculty directory shows that most Pitzer faculty don't do this.
Will Pitzer get its act together in following what I'm calling the "Sullivan Rule"? Let's make this happen!
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