Welcome to Occidental College’s 2025-26 Annual Report 

Occidental continues to earn national recognition while expanding access to a world class liberal arts education. This past academic year saw invaluable investments in the academic and student experience, including major construction projects to modernize our historic campus. Thanks in large part to the generosity of our donor community, these advancements ensure the College remains competitive and committed to providing a world class education. We invite you to explore some of the high points of an incredible year. 

Bold Moves. Bright Future: A Message From President Stritikus

Occidental College President Tom Stritikus

What an exciting time to be a Tiger! As I enter my third year as president, I am energized by the momentum across campus and by the opportunity to lead Los Angeles’s only liberal arts college into its next chapter. Rooted in tradition and shaped by the possibilities of our city, Oxy is delivering a bold, future-focused education that prepares students to lead, serve, and make a meaningful difference in the world.

Thanks to generous donors like you and strategic investments from the board, we’re advancing several major capital projects: a $35 million investment to modernize our STEM facilities, a $5 million transformation of Booth Hall to create the John Branca Institute of Music, and a state-of-the-art screening room for our Media Arts and Culture program. 

Our faculty serve as exceptional researchers, scholars, and mentors, who continually expand the ways our students understand and engage with the world, including through new minors in data science and Southwest Asia & North Africa Studies launching this fall. That learning extends beyond the classroom and across Los Angeles, where students gain experience through a new internship program with the L.A. Phil, service projects at nonprofits across the city, and field research in the region’s natural areas. 

To help shape the next chapter of Oxy's academic life, I am delighted to welcome Angie Bos, our new Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of the College. She will help advance Oxy’s strengths in student success, post-graduate outcomes, and academic innovation.

At the heart of this work are our students, among the nation’s most talented, curious, and socially committed young people. When they graduate, they join a network of alumni living lives of meaning and leadership, prepared to think across differences, ask better questions and engage the world with empathy and tenacity. 

We are liberal arts at its best: rigorous, interdisciplinary, and deeply connected to the world. I am inspired by what is next for Occidental College. 

Io Triumphe!

Tom Stritikus

Explore the Occidental College 2025-26 Annual Report 

SENIOR REFLECTIONS   HIGH MARKS   LEVELING UP   

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS   FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Senior Reflections

Reflections from the Class of 2026

Occidental celebrated the Class of 2026 at the 144th Commencement ceremony on May 17. As the seniors prepared to graduate, students reflected on the highlights of their journey and shared their heartfelt thanks with the donor community for their support.

Watch Video

Excelling in the Classroom and Beyond 

74%
Acceptance rate to medical and dental schools compared with the national acceptance rate of 45%
21
Consecutive years as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars
6
Consecutive years named a Top Music Business School by Billboard
1
SCIAC Championship in Men’s Soccer

Leveling Up Across Campus

Investments in the student experience and major construction projects are modernizing campus and keeping Oxy competitive.

On April 27, 2026, the Occidental College Board of Trustees approved the use of reserved funds to begin the Norris Hall of Chemistry Renovations. The renovation will modernize our facilities to support cutting-edge discovery and provide meaningful experiences in the lab—an invaluable asset for all Oxy students and a significant advantage for those who go on to pursue advanced degrees and careers in the sciences. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2027.  Learn more.

Occidental College is investing in the next century of music excellence with a transformative renovation of Booth Hall to create state-of-the-art facilities where music students and faculty will learn, practice and perform. Read how the renovation, new partnerships and expanded course offerings are positioning the Music Department for its second century. 

The recently opened Biology Imaging & Computation Center brings together high-performance imaging computers and state-of-the-art photographic microscopes, creating a powerful hub for discovery. Thanks to the generous support of our lead donors—The Fletcher Jones Foundation, Susan C. Hahn ’65 and Ronald R. Hahn ’66, Thanh N. Mougeot and Robert F. Mougeot ’65, and an anonymous donor—students and faculty now have access to equipment that is typically only available at larger, research-focused universities.

This year saw an outpouring of support for the student-athlete experience. Occidental celebrated a bequest of more than $9 million from the estate of Larry Layne ’71, which will support the College’s academic mission, athletic department and revitalize the rugby program. A $1 million from Doug Odell ’75 will give Oxy track and field a competitive boost. On the seventh annual Day For Oxy, 1,469 donors contributed a total of $535,000 for the student-athlete experience. In June, the department was recognized with the NCAA/MOAA Award for Opportunities and Impact the as the leader in Division III.

The start of the academic year welcomed new and returning students with air conditioning in every residence hall.

Innovative Academics

Explore Academic Highlights

L-R: Associate professors Alaa Abdelfattah (economics), Tiffany Wheatland-Disu (Black studies), Madeline Wander ’08 (urban and environmental policy), Joel Walsh (computer science), Margaret Gaida (history), and Kai Yui Samuel Chan (politics).
16 Faculty, 16 Stories

Fifteen new tenure-track faculty and a veteran kinesiology professor discuss their favorite classes, their passion for teaching, and what brought them to Oxy.

Faculty and students work in the Bioscience 106 space, home to Occidental's new LUMEN Imaging and Analysis Center.
Lessons in Biology

Oxy’s biology program blends exploration and experimentation, empowering students to uncover and explain life’s diverse ecosystems.
From left, fall 2025 U.N. interns Erica Greenberg, Ruby Gower, Tejas Varma, Arden Courtney Collins, and Chloe Peyton.
Oxy at the UN: 40 Years at the Table

A signature Occidental program places students inside the United Nations—and gives them a real role in its work.
Angie Bos headshot in a pink jacket
Angie Bos Named Dean of the College

Following a comprehensive national search, Angie Bos, dean and professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, has been named Occidental College’s new vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.
A historical building next to a river in Indonesia
Occidental's 2026 Fulbright Awards and Gilman Scholarships

Two prestigious U.S. Department of State programs are opening doors for Occidental students to conduct research, pursue graduate study, teach English, and gain international experience around the world.
Derek Shearer photographed in March 2026
Derek Shearer Endowed Presidential Professor of Practice

Thanks to a gift from former Occidental trustee Ian McKinnon ’89 and his wife, Sonnet, this appointment will support leaders in diverse fields who embody Shearer’s teaching interests and honors his 45 years of distinguished service to the College.
Zachary Lipsett ’27 spent the summer as a program assistant at The Ford

Summer in the City

A new donor-funded summer internship program with the LA Phil provides a backstage pass to new career opportunities to 10 Oxy students. Interns had the chance to explore a range of areas, including marketing and social media, philanthropy, orchestra management, and production. 

Meet the cohort
Illustration for Occidental's Center for Community-Based Learning

Weaving Community Into Curriculum

For 25 years, Occidental’s Center for Community-Based Learning has worked with faculty across the academic spectrum, becoming part of the institutional fabric.

Read about the CCBL

Scaling New Heights Together

Occidental closed the fiscal year, ending on June 30, 2026, with the endowment at an all-time high of $835 million*. 

Contributing to that growth, the Oxy community of donors raised more than $36 million, the highest fiscal-year fundraising performance in recent years. More than $17.3 million in new dollars were designated toward our endowment and nearly $5.8 million toward the Oxy Fund, which underwrites 4% of the College’s operating budget.

The endowment, the Oxy Fund and expendable scholarships gifts fund more than 25% of the financial aid budget, which supports 82% of our students. Building the endowment and expanding donor impact is crucial to our commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated student need. We are deeply grateful to our community of donors—every gift contributes to meaningful support of the talented students we serve. 

 

*Pending final audit. 

4,667
Donors in the 2025-26 fiscal year
$36M+
Raised from our community of donors
961
First-time donors
$7.2M
To support internships, research, and study abroad
$5.9M
To support current and endowed scholarships
$5.6M
To support the student-athlete experience
2,828
Alumni donors
947
Parent donors
808
Alumni and parent volunteers
15
Regional chapters

 

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Contact the President’s Office
Arthur G. Coons Administrative Center, 3rd Floor

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. M-F 
Call or email to schedule an appointment

Phone: (323) 259-2691
president@oxy.edu