Skip to main content
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).

Vidiots reopened for business in June 2023 at the former home of the Eagle Theatre,
Eagle Rock and Highland Park have become magnets for new businesses, including the resurrected Eagle Theatre (now home to Vidiots). What’s changed—and what’s still in fashion?
Professor of History Maryanne Horowitz in a 1978 photo.
A professor of the history of ideas, Horowitz has encouraged generations of students to pursue fulfilling careers. She may be saying goodbye to Oxy, but she’s not the retiring type
Professor of Biology Roberta Pollock, photographed in her lab in April 2024.
“Mentoring students and making a difference in their lives has been the highlight of my career,” says Pollock, who played a central role in the College's response to the pandemic
Professor of Biology Beth Braker at Eaton Canyon in Altadena.
Over the years, Braker has taken about 200 students to Costa Rica to do research at La Selva—and her work there isn't done yet
Theater and Performance Studies faculty and staff in April 2024.
As its second century dawns, Oxy’s Theater and Performance Studies Department remixes the curriculum with a blend of theory and practice
Occidental Children's Theater performer Amanda Wagner ’16.
Occidental Children’s Theater has delighted audiences of all ages for 29 seasons—but what’s next after Cinderalice in Wonderland? We went to Jamie Angell for answers
President Elam at the podium on May 19, 2024.
As he prepares to depart from Occidental, President Harry J. Elam, Jr. shares three insights into leadership that he will carry away with him
Author Susan Coll '81, photographed at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
Susan Coll ’81’s latest comic novel, Professor Amy Lyford’s examination of the art and life of Dorothea Tanning, and more
Rebecca Solnit and Paul Holdengraber onstage at an Oxy Live! event at Occidental College
Oxy Live!—the College’s new conversation series featuring a world-class lineup of artists—engages audiences in dialogues about culture and society
Occidental’s women's basketball team after winning the 2024 SCIAC Post­season Tournament championship.
Playing through injuries, fatigue, and in front of opposing crowds, Oxy’s ‘relentless’ women’s hoops team wins its way into the NCAA tourney
Spectators view the OCLAA oral history gallery in the Academic Commons in February 2024.
Realizing a long-standing goal of Occidental’s Latino Alumni Association, two dozen alumni share their stories with students for an oral history project
Max Podemski '06
In his first book, city planner and architecture buff Max Podemski ’06 traces the DNA of urban housing
Sebastian Lechner '24, Patt Morrison, Larry Mantle, Occidental
Patt Morrison ’74 shares a curated collection of books with Special Collections—and 50 years of words and wisdom in conversation with Larry Mantle
Professor of Mathematics Tamás Lengyel
A internationally renowned scholar in the math community, a mathematical constant and a sequence of numbers were named in his honor
Oxy GOLD reception
A new mentorship initiative looks to bridge the gap for young alumni between academic life and the professional world

Features

Gibby Professor of Science Margi Rusmore
Margi Rusmore Reaches the Apex
Oxy'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 Oxy
Professor Peter Dreier at Anderson Field
Peter Dreier Comes Full Circle
After 32 years as a professor at Oxy, 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

Mariah Rutiaga Amaya ’22 outside the Hameetman Career Center.
Vital Signs
Recent Oxy 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
Oxy 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 Oxy alumni explore explore themes of democracy, resilience, and human connection—as well as our fascination with horses, dragons, and ocean life

Oxy 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...

Last Page

Contact Occidental Magazine
Arthur G. Coons Administrative Center


Office of Communications F-36
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles CA 90041-3314