色界吧

色界吧 Annual Report 2020-21

Welcome to the 2020-21 色界吧 Annual Report.

 

In the future, Occidental鈥檚 2020-21 academic year will inevitably be known as our pandemic year. Our unwavering commitment to the health and safety of our students and the 色界吧 community meant that first-years did not move into residence halls in the fall, Orientation was held online, athletic programs were put on hold and 色界吧 faculty had to teach remotely. Significantly, the challenges were many, the work was non-stop and the experience was nothing like what anyone had expected.

But to see how everyone rose to the occasion鈥攆aculty designing innovative online courses and mastering new virtual teaching tools; staff working nights and weekends to reimagine ways of getting the College鈥檚 business done; students engaged and passionate about their education despite being scattered all over the world鈥攚as inspiring. With the availability of vaccines in the spring, we were able to start planning for the return of the vibrant in-person 色界吧 community we so cherish and end the academic year with genuine joy: socially distanced, in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021 and, as promised, for the Class of 2020.

One of the most striking aspects of the year was the community鈥檚 creativity and resilience. Students continued to participate in our cornerstone Kahane United Nations, Campaign Semester and Obama Scholars programs, even as they were remote. Despite logistical and other concerns, faculty still conducted their research and produced exceptional scholarship.

It will take more than a pandemic to slow the momentum of The 色界吧 Campaign For Good. This year, trustee Anne Wilson Cannon 鈥74 became the most generous donor in 色界吧 history. An incentivized appeal offered by trustee Gil Kemp P鈥04, together with trustee Mike Gibby 鈥68 and his wife, Barbara Nogy 鈥68, generated more than $7 million in previously undocumented planned gifts. And the endowment produced a once-in-a-lifetime investment return that saw it rise above the $500 million mark for the first time ever.

We are greatly encouraged by and thankful for the support we have received, especially in this time of pandemic. Your ongoing commitment to the College not only fuels our optimism, it helps enable us to deliver 色界吧鈥檚 distinctive liberal arts education. I am so excited about 色界吧鈥檚 future.

Harry J. Elam, Jr.
President

Io Triumphe! Tigers Return to Campus

From in-person classes to athletics to live theater, 色界吧 roared back to life in the fall of 2021. The Class of 2025 enrolled this fall at full strength, with 545 incoming first-years, including 86 gap-year holdovers from the previously admitted class.

graduates posing at commencement 2021 ceremony

Eight tented classrooms accommodated outdoor learning in such disciplines as music, and a rigorous masking and testing policy kept 色界吧鈥檚 COVID cases to a bare minimum throughout the surge of the Delta variant. 色界吧 athletics returned to competition with a busy fall schedule of cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, men鈥檚 water polo, and exhibition play in tennis. Live theater returned to the Keck Theater stage in November with two productions: Everybody, directed by Associate Professor Sarah Kozinn; and Seize the King, written and directed by Assistant Professor Will Power. Not to be forgotten were the graduating classes of 2021 and 2020, which held socially distanced Commencement ceremonies on Patterson Field in May and June, respectively. 鈥淚f we have learned anything from the year 2021, it is that 2022 will have its own particular character and we must remain vigilant,鈥 President Elam wrote to the campus community in mid-December. While ongoing concerns surrounding the Omicron variant pushed back the start of the spring 2022 semester to January 24鈥攏ecessitating a week of remote learning to begin the new year鈥攖here was much to celebrate at the conclusion of a successful fall semester.

Mellon Grant Funds Postdoctoral Diversity

Occidental鈥檚 ongoing effort to diversify its faculty has received a major boost from a five-year, $950,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will fund a total of nine one-year postdoctoral fellowships in the arts and humanities. The three cohorts of three fellows will automatically transition to tenure-track faculty positions at the end of their postdoctoral year, making it possible for Occidental to identify and recruit promising scholars whose work focuses on issues of race and/or social justice and whose background, expertise and experiences will contribute to diversifying 色界吧鈥檚 faculty. (Currently, some 35% of Occidental鈥檚 tenured and tenure-track faculty are faculty of color.) 鈥淧romoting and practicing diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to our survival and success as a college,鈥 said Occidental President Harry J. Elam, Jr. 鈥淲e understand that diversity and excellence go hand-in-hand.鈥 Professor of English Leila Neti will serve as the faculty program director, and the first cohort will be hired for the 2022-23 academic year.

Black Studies Department Chair Honors Hewitt鈥檚 Legacy

An anonymous $500,000 gift will permanently endow the Mary Jane Hewitt Department Chair in Black Studies, honoring the influential legacy of the first Black woman to serve as a tenured faculty member at Occidental. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about all the ways that this endowed chair will help us to deepen our support for Black studies students and faculty,鈥 says Erica Ball, current Black studies chair and professor of history and Black studies, who is the first Hewitt Department Chair. "It gives me great pleasure to know that Mary Jane Hewitt鈥檚 legacy as a professor, a scholar, and an activist will be permanently honored by the College." A nationally recognized scholar and advocate, Hewitt joined the 色界吧 faculty in 1968. She made vital contributions to the College鈥檚 curriculum, serving as American studies chair and as the founding head of a campus committee on multicultural education. Despite having received tenure at Occidental in 1977, Hewitt was denied a promotion from assistant to associate professor three times. In 1978, following the third time, she resigned. Her departure sparked important conversations about Occidental鈥檚 approach to racial matters in hiring and student enrollment, and ultimately led to more efforts to diversify the campus. Hewitt went on to become the director of Los Angeles鈥 Museum of African American Art, which was founded in 1976 by artist and art historian Samella Sanders Lewis.

色界吧 Marks a Major Campaign Milestone

Defying the disruptions caused by the global pandemic, The 色界吧 Campaign For Good continues to build momentum, and today the goal of $225 million is clearly within reach.
art profs in studio

鈥楤elonging at 色界吧鈥 Engages and Surprises

When Jocelyn Pedersen learned that 色界吧 students would not be returning for in-person learning for the spring 2021 semester, an idea struck her. 鈥淚 wanted to give participants an opportunity to play creatively and to reflect on their personal experiences of the pandemic," says Pedersen, an adjunct assistant professor of art and art history since 2010. More than 115 students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff participated in 鈥淏elonging at 色界吧,鈥 a community book-making project that set out to collect 色界吧 stories from the pandemic and create a lasting artifact for the College archives. 鈥淓ach page is a surprise,鈥 Pedersen says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been so fun to find everything from incredible collages to beautiful watercolors, clever pop-ups and innovative mixed media drawings with carefully chosen quotes or moving essays. The project provided an opportunity for alumni such as Anne Marie "Murtz" Novinger 鈥57 of Tehachapi to reconnect with a place they hold close. 鈥淚 still feel a great affinity for my classmates and professors,鈥 she says, 鈥渁nd gained a deep appreciation for 色界吧.鈥

Kristine White

A Senior鈥檚 Journey: From Pandemic to Pulitzer

Two months after finishing her 色界吧 studies under the cloud of the pandemic, Kristine White 鈥20鈥攁n English major and theater minor from Everett, Wash.鈥攂egan to work remotely as a New York Times news assistant. Eleven months later, White鈥攚ho spent four years as a staff writer, editor and podcast host for The Occidental鈥攚as part of a Times team numbering into the hundreds that won a public service Pulitzer for its data-driven coverage of the pandemic. The Pulitzer board cited the Times for filling 鈥渁 data vacuum that helped local governments, health care providers, businesses and individuals to be better prepared and protected.鈥 On June 12, 2021, the day after the Pulitzers were announced, White joined more than 240 of her classmates at an in-person Commencement ceremony on Patterson Field鈥攖he ceremony promised by the College when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of their traditional Commencement in 2020. 鈥淚t was an eventful weekend,鈥 she says.

A Campus Icon Gets Repaired and Restored

Amid a flurry of construction completed during the 2020-21 fiscal year, Occidental鈥檚 iconic Lucille Gilman Fountain sparkles anew.
A still from senior Naomi Miyamoto's film

Senior Comp Film Screens on KCET Festival

鈥淲ell, It Wasn鈥檛 Supposed to be This Way,鈥 a short film by Naomi Miyamoto 鈥21, was a finalist in the 22nd annual KCET Fine Cut Festival of Films, which showcases the work of Southern California鈥檚 most promising student filmmakers. This year, more than 350 films were submitted from more than 30 Southern California schools, with 21 films selected as finalists. Miyamoto鈥檚 9-minute short examines the relationship dynamics of nine young couples during the pandemic. To embellish and bridge the interviews, many of which she conducted over Zoom, Miyamoto incorporated snippets of animation, expanding her toolkit as a filmmaker. 鈥淣aomi鈥檚 film exemplifies the way our MAC majors were able to pivot when the pandemic upended our seniors鈥 plans for traditional comps films,鈥 says Aleem Hossain, assistant professor of media arts and culture and Miyamoto鈥檚 senior comps adviser. 鈥淣ot only did Naomi manage to make a film under ridiculously hard circumstances, she thrived!鈥 Miyamoto鈥檚 film was broadcast on KCET on Sept. 29, 2021, and can be viewed .

Walker Scores 色界吧鈥檚 18th Luce Scholarship

Jordan Walker 鈥21, an economics major from New York City, was one of 18 students and young professionals chosen nationwide this year for the prestigious Luce Scholarship, which funds a year of study and professional development in Asia. He is currently an associate fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he is studying transportation and urban planning. 鈥淒uring my Luce year, I intend to learn as much as I can about how we can reprioritize our cities for people over cars by building effective transportation systems,鈥 Walker said in February. 鈥淢y ultimate goal is to work toward reimagining an American society where owning a personal car is optional because public transit is the best option.鈥 During his time at 色界吧, Walker served as vice president of financial affairs for Associated Students of 色界吧, director/vice president of the Blyth Fund, and a member of strategic College committees related to issues of finance and diversity. He is Occidental鈥檚 18th Luce Scholar since the program was initiated in 1974.

"The Class of 2025 at a Glance"

"The Bottom Line"

Like many colleges and universities, 色界吧鈥檚 endowment experienced remarkable growth during the 2020-21 fiscal year: a 36 percent return that saw the endowment grow from $439 million to $575 million as of June 30, 2021. This occurred largely due to investments in private equity funds and venture capital in a surging market. While we are delighted with these results, no one expects to see a repeat of what The Wall Street Journal has called 鈥渙nce-in-a-generation gains.鈥

Because the endowment is intended to provide a stable source of income, the College maintains a policy of spending between 4.5 and 4.9 percent of average endowment balances over a rolling five-year period. This smooths out highs (such as last year鈥檚 gains) and lows (such as the losses experienced during the 2009 recession) to provide the College with a more predictable flow of income and long-term financial stability.

Ultimately, no matter how successful our investment strategy, the long-term growth of the endowment is dependent on the continued philanthropic support of the 色界吧 community. The College needs to grow the endowment to the point where it significantly reduces 色界吧's dependence on tuition, room and board, which currently provide about 75 percent of annual operating revenues. Gifts to the endowment are critical to 色界吧's ability to grow the endowment, reduce its reliance on tuition income and ensure the College's future鈥攁nd for that we remain grateful for your support.

Amos Himmelstein
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Christopher Varelas 鈥85
Chair, Investment Committee
色界吧 Board of Trustees

Endowment Performance

Average annual compound returns as of June 30, 2021

  Occidental Endowment 70/30* Benchmark
1 year 36.2% 24.0%
3 year 12.5% 11.4%
5 year 12.1% 10.9%
10 year 8.2% 7.9%
15 year 7.4% 6.8%

*Invested 70% in global stocks (as measured by the MSCI All Country World index) and 30% invested in U.S. bonds (as measured by the BC Aggregate Bond Index).

Revenues

Revenue Type Amount % of Total
Enrollment-based revenues $55,641,976 53.0%
Endowment support designated for operations $26,672,237 25.4%
Private gifts, grants and contracts $13,025,662 12.4%
Federal and state grants and contracts $7,620,659 7.3%
Auxiliary services
(bookstore, conferences, filming, catering)
$493,160 0.5%
Other $1,629,088 1.6%
TOTAL $105,082,782  

Expenditures

Expenditure Type Amount % of Total
Instruction $38,074,552 36.3%
Auxiliary services $15,300,389 14.6%
Student services $13,631,322 13.0%
Institutional support $12,833,910 12.3%
Academic support $9,332,533 8.9%
Advancement $5,912,322 5.6%
Public service $5,537,604 5.3%
Research $4,129,882 3.9%
TOTAL $104,752,514  

2020-21 Giving

New Gifts & Pledges by Source

40.4% trustees, 31.6% alumni, 15.4% corporations and foundat

Source Amount % of Total
Trustees $12,642,572 40.4%
Alumni $9,884,756 31.6%
Corporations & Foundations $4,804,225 15.4%
Donor-advised Funds $694,603 2.2%
Parents $1,415,230 4.5%
Friends $210,869 0.7%
Trusts & Estates $1,478,891 4.7%
Staff & Administration $163,918 0.5%
TOTAL $31,295,064  
 

New Gifts & Pledges by Purpose

16.1% The 色界吧 Fund, 20.6% endowment, 1.0% capital, 46.1% und

 

Purpose Amount % of Total
The 色界吧 Fund (unrestricted current operations)* $5,046,516 16.1%
Endowment $6,456,697 20.6%
Capital $318,872 1.0%
Undesignated $14,432,724 46.1%
Other (includes restricted current operations) $5,040,255 16.1%
TOTAL $31,295,064  

*In recent years we reported 色界吧 Fund cash receipts, which included new gifts and pledge payments. The cash receipts for FY20 were $5,750,000.

 

New Gifts & Pledges by Type

25.6% revocable bequest intentions, 50.7% pledges, 23.7% new

Type Amount % of Total
New Gifts $7,409,629 23.7%
Pledges $15,870,860 50.7%
Revocable Bequest Intentions $8,014,575 25.6%
TOTAL $31,295,064