Sustainability activities at Occidental College.
Changing the Climate
Emboldened by a proactive student body, Oxy doubles down on its commitment to a more sustainable campus

Occidental magazine brings you campus news, in-depth features, and profiles of exceptional alumni. For the 2024-25 academic year, the magazine will publish two print and digital issues (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025) and two digital-only issues (Summer 2024 and Winter 2025).

Members of Occidental's Fifty Year Club at Reunion Weekend in June 2023
As the academic year begins, the Occidental Alumni Board of Governors is gearing up for a busy fall season.
A view of the AGC administration building
The Occidental College Board of Trustees welcomed six new members to its ranks in July. Trustees are elected to four-year terms and can serve up to 12 consecutive years following their...
Occidental College President Harry J. Elam, Jr.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decisions on race-conscious admission practices, Occidental is committed to adhering to the cornerstones of its historic mission
Keegan McChesney '16 and David Wigglesworth '50 M'53
Separated by 66 years but drawn together by an Oxy bumper sticker, David Wigglesworth ’50 M’53 and Keegan McChesney ’16 became fast friends a decade ago. Keegan remembers his oldest friend...
Occidental College Professor of Chemistry Frank Lambert
Fifty-seven years after an ill-fated grade placed his academic dreams in jeopardy, Dr. Elliott Oppenheim ’69 recalls the counsel of his mentor, Professor of Chemistry Frank Lambert
18 Young Scientists to Watch
Occidental’s labs are the launching pads for countless careers in the sciences—and here are 18 graduates of the last 20 years, nominated by their former faculty mentors, doing exemplary work...
Illumination Chief Marketing Officer Sam Bergen '04
Following the record-shattering box office launch of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination Chief Marketing Officer Sam Bergen ’04 recounts his journey from Campus Road to Rainbow Road
Professor Linda Besemer, working with a straight edge on a lift at their studio in 2022.
Retiring from teaching—but not from painting—following their Guggenheim sabbatical year, Besemer says of their time at the College, "Occidental gave me a life where I could thrive"
Occidental College Professor Nina Gelbart
Occidental's longest currently active faculty member reflects on her 48 years at the College, selecting the subjects of her books, and her plans for retirement
Professor of French and Spanish Studies Emeritus Arthur Saint-Aubin
From writing about a 19th-century French novelist to 20th-century rock 'n' roll pioneers, the newly emeritus professor of Spanish and French studies juggles multiple projects as he prepares...
Professor Bhavna Shamasunder and her research team
Guided by rigorous research and a moral compass, Associate Professor Bhavna Shamasunder exposes the environmental injustices affecting the health of Angelenos
Richard Carlson '60, author of Mekong Medicine
U.S. Army Medical Corps veteran Richard Carlson ’60 on his Vietnam memoir, Mekong Medicine , and more
 Tye Hernandez ’23 (track and field), an economics/politics double major from Brea.
Ten standout student-athletes from Occidental’s Class of 2023 discuss the challenges and rewards of sticking with their sport through the pandemic
The 2023-24 Barack Obama Scholars at Occidental College.
Meet the eight sophomores and juniors selected for Occidental's premier leadership training program
Occidental's solar array reflects a colorful sunset in 2014.
Ten years after its installation, Occidental’s solar array produces 12 percent of the College’s energy usage

Features

Actor Loren Lester ’83 in Times Square
Broadway Baby
In the third act of a career that spans stage, screen, and television, actor Loren Lester ’83 realizes a lifelong dream of performing on the Great White Way
The Occidental Gospel Choir in 1975.
Precious Memories
Founded by students in 1971, the Occidental Gospel Choir made music for a quarter-century—and a reunion of former members celebrates its nearly forgotten legacy
Sam Rubin '82 and Stacie Roshon '08
The Morning Showman
Sam Rubin ’82 became a fixture of the entertainment journalism landscape over his 33 years with KTLA—and his unexpected death in May resonated well beyond Hollywood's red carpets
Theater and Performance Studies faculty and staff in April 2024.
Resetting the Stage
As its second century dawns, Oxy’s Theater and Performance Studies Department remixes the curriculum with a blend of theory and practice
Hats Off to Patt!
Patt Morrison ’74 shares a curated collection of books with Special Collections—and 50 years of words and wisdom in conversation with Larry Mantle

First Word

From the Quad

Tylor Lee '26 interned with Healthcare in Action, which provides healthcare and social services to unhoused people.
Summer in the City
A 10-week summer internship program pairs 28 Oxy students with 20 community partners to contribute to the work of advancing social justice in Los Angeles
Occidental’s women's basketball team after winning the 2024 SCIAC Post­season Tournament championship.
Bringing the Heat
Playing through injuries, fatigue, and in front of opposing crowds, Oxy’s ‘relentless’ women’s hoops team wins its way into the NCAA tourney
Coach Rod Lafaurie and members of the 2023 men's soccer team
Kicking and Dreaming
From its first SCIAC championship to a berth in the Sweet 16, Oxy men’s soccer soared to new heights this season. But Coach Rod Lafaurie and his players are hungry for more

Mixed Media

Author Susan Coll '81, photographed at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
Mixed Media
Susan Coll ’81’s latest comic novel, Professor Amy Lyford’s examination of the art and life of Dorothea Tanning, and more

Oxy Talk

Suke Takayuki Kubota in an undated photo.
Oxy’s Samurai Grandmaster
Soke Takayuki Kubota (1934-2024) became a martial arts legend, developing his own karate style and amassing a worldwide following. And for more than 40 years, he taught his methods to the...
Spectators view the OCLAA oral history gallery in the Academic Commons in February 2024.
Voices of OCLAA
Realizing a long-standing goal of Occidental’s Latino Alumni Association, two dozen alumni share their stories with students for an oral history project

Last Page

Journalist Max Chun '19 in the offices of Lookout Santa Cruz.
Local Heroes
When disaster struck his native Santa Cruz last year, reporter Max Chun ’19 and a small team of journalists sprang into action for their community—and pocketed a Pulitzer Prize for their work
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