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Members of the Occidental Class of 2028.
Origin Stories
Before arriving at Occidental, these eight members of the Class of ’28 (and a transfer student from the Class of ’27) discovered their superpowers in the classroom, in their communities, in competition, and in service to their...

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 one digital-only issue (Summer 2024).

ɫƵ President Harry J. Elam, Jr.
On April 8, I delivered my first State of the College speech—what I hope will become an annual event.
Get Me Rewrite!
Alumni memories of honing writing skills, replacing a broken windshield, and hanging with Ming Cho Lee ’53
ɫƵ Athletics, aquatics center
ɫƵ’s facilities reopen for practice, sparking hope and connection among the student-athlete community
Bird Show, Susan Stockdale
New books and music by ɫƵ alumni, faculty, and staff
Vince Cuseo, Occidental Admission
Vince Cuseo has been instrumental to the success of ɫƵ’s admission efforts for the last 22 years—and his commitment to ɫƵ’s mission can’t be measured by test scores
Ming Cho Lee '53
The Tony-winning set designer and legendary Yale professor, who died last fall, dedicated himself to theater and to teaching, Ann Sheffield ’83 recalls
Jean Wyatt
Professor of English Jean Wyatt is retiring after an unprecedented 51 years in the classroom. This tribute is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Professor of Spanish and French Studies Felisa Guillén is retiring after 31 years at ɫƵ. This tribute to her legacy is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Scott Bogue
After 35 years at ɫƵ, Professor of Geology Scott Bogue will retire in September. This tribute to his time at ɫƵ is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Jacalyn Rodriguez
Professor of Psychology and Latino/a Studies Jaclyn Rodríguez ’77 is retiring after 37 years at ɫƵ. This tribute to her career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Professor of Biology Gary Martin is hanging up his flip flops after 41 years at ɫƵ. This tribute to his career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Robert Ellis, ɫƵ
Norman Bridge Distinguished Professor of Spanish & Spanish and French Studies Robert Ellis has retired after 37 years at ɫƵ. This tribute is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Nalsey Tinberg
Professor of Mathematics Nalsey Tinberg is retiring after 41 years at ɫƵ. This tribute to her career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Eric Frank
Professor of Art & Art History Eric Frank is retiring after 35 years at ɫƵ. This tribute to his career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.
Professor of Cognitive Science and Philosophy Saul Traiger is retiring after 36 years at ɫƵ. This tribute to his career is part of the Spring 2021 magazine.

Features

Life After Fire illustration for Occidental magazine, Spring 2025
Life After Fire
The Eaton and Palisades fires in January took their toll on members of the Occidental family, including students, alumni, faculty, and administrators. With a long rebuilding process ahead...
Assistant Professor Janna Ireland
Advanced Projects in Photography
With two exhibits opening simultaneously and a new teaching space at ɫƵ, Assistant Professor Janna Ireland navigates her burgeoning career as she parents two growing boys
Eddie Gorton ’01, Paul “PK” Kim ’98, and David Murphy ’02
Sitting Down With the Stand-ups
Paul “PK” Kim ’98, Eddie Gorton ’01, and David Murphy ’02 trace their comic odysseys from talent shows and laundromats to Thorne Hall and the Laugh Factory
Professor William D. Ward at his desk in the Hall of Letters on Occidental’s Highland Park campus.
Unseen Occidental
From 1898 to 1914, ɫƵ called Highland Park home—and a treasure trove of photos from the 1910s offers a glimpse of campus life before the move to Eagle Rock
Filmmaker Angelina Lee '22
Farm to Film
Combining her interest in sustainability with her prowess behind the camera, Angelina Lee ’22 harvests a new documentary around permaculture

First Word

From the Quad

New tenure-track faculty at ɫƵ, 2024-25.
All Paths Lead to ɫƵ
Hailing from China, India, Mexico, and all over the United States, Occidental’s newest cohort of tenure-track faculty embraces the liberal arts in Los Angeles
Chris Kim, the Choi Family Director of Instrumental Music, conducts the Occidental Symphony in a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.”
The Sounds of Branca
A concert for the ages celebrates the generations-spanning clientele of music attorney John Branca ’72 and the launch of the John Branca Institute for Music
Members of the Pacific Crossings “Dream Team”: From left, Nakatsuka, Gilder Lehrman program coordinator Leah Baer, administrative assistant Thea Wilson ’24, and Hong.
Teachable Moments
Associate Professor Jane Hong and a “dream team” of educators bring 150 years of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history into focus

Mixed Media

Carole MacNeil ’84 with her mom, Eleanor, in 2019.
Mixed Media
New books by Carole MacNeil ’84, Jessica C. Harris ’08, Jessica Keith ’00, Marsha de la O ’74, and the latest documentary short by César Martínez Barba ’17
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

ɫƵ Talk

Administrative Law Judge Brian Gee ’87
Judgment Calls
Separated by 2,700 miles, National Labor Relations Board administrative law judges Brian Gee ’87 and Ira Sandron ’71 find common ground in ɫƵ
As program director of Research Corporation for Science Advance- ment’s RCSA Fellows Initiative, Spain will support postdocs in physics, astronomy, and chemistry as they transition into their faculty careers.
To Chemistry and Beyond
After 28 years in the classroom and mentoring 74 students in her lab at ɫƵ, Professor Eileen Spain pivots to prepare future generations of faculty in the physical sciences

Last Page

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