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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).

Isabel Wilkerson speaks at Occidental College's 2023 Commencement.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Isabel Wilkerson addresses the Class of 2023 at Occidental's 141st Commencement ceremony
Meko Winbush '03, winning director of Project Greenlight
Winning Project Greenlight and making her first feature film has opened doors for Meko Winbush ’03. In return, she endured eight months in front of the camera
A performance of Fetch Clay, Make Man featuring four Black actors onstage
Exploring the unlikely friendship between two Black cultural icons—Muhammad Ali and Stepin Fetchit—professor and playwright Will Power’s Fetch Clay, Make Man packs a punch with L.A...
Adam Schoenberg
Associate Professor of Music Adam Schoenberg found inspiration from ‘L.A.’s coolest cat’—and his latest composition may have helped save his own life
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

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

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