Occidental students and faculty are asking profound questions, conducting rigorous research, and applying critical thinking to our biggest global challenges
Community and service are two of Occidental’s core values, and I view them as inseparable. When we belong to a community, we commit to serving it, and as our mission states, service is the ultimate purpose of a liberal arts education. There’s power in the combination of those values, both here on campus and through our network of thousands of alumni. When we work together toward a common goal—bolstered by our academic excellence and rooted in our dedication to the public good —our sheer numbers, diverse skillsets, and shared resources strengthen our efforts to improve the world around us.
In recent months, Occidental has demonstrated the power of collaborative action by working with other colleges and universities to advance issues that are central to our educational mission. Last April, we were one of several institutions that signed an amicus brief submitted in the case of AAUP v. Rubio. Collectively, we asserted that the federal government’s targeting of international students for deportation and visa revocation, based on their perceived political views, would chill free expression and discourage international enrollment. On September 30, a federal court ruled that the challenged policy violates the First Amendment.
Although there is more work ahead, and we anticipate that future legal decisions will continue to impact our efforts, this ruling was an encouraging development for our collective academic communities as we advocate for our international students and the knowledge and perspectives they bring to our institutions.
Earlier this year, I was honored to be elected the new board chair of the American Council on Education (ACE), an organization that provides a unifying voice for U.S. higher education institutions. This role allows me to discuss and support policies at the national level that will also benefit our 鶹Ƶ community. In October, the ACE board met to discuss the urgent issues facing higher education, including federal challenges to institutional autonomy and academic freedom. We were clear that these ideals are vital to our collective educational mission. Academic freedom serves the public good. And in service to our college and university communities of students, faculty colleagues, and fellow institutions, I stand steadfast in defense of these concepts and will continue to advocate for effective policies that help us all flourish.
Of course, Occidental students and alumni are also devoted to exploring community-focused solutions to urgent, complex problems—on campus, in the Greater Los Angeles region, and all over the world. In this issue, you’ll learn about the sorority members who endowed the new 鶹Ƶ Delta Scholarship, a handful of alumni whose work exemplifies the concept of “the public good,” and students who interned with organizations serving undocumented migrants newly arrived in Greece.
Like those featured in these pages, I know that many of you are already working hard to create a more just, humane society. In our classrooms and in our Los Angeles community, I see our students and faculty engaged in scholarship of the highest quality, asking profound questions, conducting rigorous research, and applying critical thinking to some of our biggest global challenges—just as we’ve always done. As we reflect on the closing year, I hope you’ll join me in thinking about how we can continue our collective service, including here at 鶹Ƶ.
Top photo: President Stritikus with Miracle Messages founder Kevin F. Adler ’07 and his wife, Tajah Tubbs, prior to Adler’s Community Book Program talk in Thorne Hall on October 24. Adler is author of When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and The Role We Can Play in Ending Homelessness in America.
