Occidental College has completed its largest-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, raising more than $252 million for student scholarships, academic programs, campus modernization, and other high-priority needs.
Occidental College has completed its largest-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, raising more than $252 million for student scholarships, academic programs, campus beautification, and other high-priority needs.
The Oxy Campaign For Good, which launched publicly in 2019, was the College’s first comprehensive campaign in more than 20 years. It comes to a close having far exceeded its initial goal of $225 million, despite challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a remarkable achievement that reflects the generosity, dedication, and vision of the entire Oxy community,” President Harry J. Elam, Jr. said. “With the success of The Oxy Campaign For Good, we are well positioned to fulfill the vision of the Occidental Promise and serve students of the future.”
More than 15,000 alumni, parents, staff, faculty, students, foundations and friends of the College contributed to the Campaign. Donations ranged from small personal gifts to transformative commitments to the endowment, with the impact already felt across all corners of the campus.
Highlights include:
- Sixty-nine new endowed scholarships.
- More than $150 million committed to the College’s endowment, which will provide access to the Occidental experience for generations to come.
- Seven new endowed professorships and department chairs, including in the recently established departments of Black Studies (2018) and Computer Science (2017).
- New immersive student experiences, including the Barack Obama Scholars Program, the Humanities for Just Communities initiative, and the Immigration and Social Justice summer internship.
- A revitalized athletics complex, anchored by the De Mandel Aquatics Center, McKinnon Family Tennis Center and Robinson Family Terrace.
- The Anderson Center for Environmental Sciences, which includes a renovated Moore Lab of Zoology and a renewed portion of the adjacent Bioscience building, providing enhanced interdisciplinary teaching, research and exhibition spaces.
- The transformation of Taylor Pool into Cannon Plaza, a multipurpose outdoor space for the Oxy community.
- A new home and expanded support for Oxy Arts, the College’s community arts center.
- Establishment of the Choi Family Music Production Center, a state-of-the-art recording studio, a control room and a 16-student music computer lab.
- Investments in student wellness, including the new campus-wide student health promotion program.
- $37 million in gifts to the Oxy Fund, which serves the immediate and most urgent needs of the College from financial aid and academics to student life and athletics.
A steering committee co-chaired by Anne Wilson Cannon ’74, William M. Kahane ’70, Gil Kemp P’04, and Ian McKinnon ’89 led the campaign, in coordination with the College’s Institutional Advancement division.
The Oxy community will celebrate the completion of The Oxy Campaign For Good during Homecoming and Family Weekend on October 20-22, 2023.
With the conclusion of the campaign, the College turns its attention to the Occidental Promise integrated strategic plan, which lays out future opportunities and priorities. These include ensuring academic excellence, forging a mutually beneficial relationship with Los Angeles, and renewing community.
“I’m deeply proud to be part of Occidental College and this landmark campaign,” Elam said. “I'm very optimistic as well. The foundations set over these last few years promise a groundbreaking new chapter, made possible by the support of our community.”
