Scripps Timeline Archives

October 10, 2023

2023

Amy Marcus-Newhall is appointed the College’s 11th president by a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees.

June 30, 2022

2022

Scripps and Pitzer Colleges celebrate the groundbreaking of the new science center on May 13. On July 1, Suzanne Keen begins her term as the 10th president of Scripps College.

2021

Scripps’ ninth president, Lara Tiedens, resigns effective April 15. After 18 months of remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students return to campus for the fall academic semester.

November 11, 2021

James A. Blaisdell, president of Pomona College, writes to Ellen Browning Scripps, of La Jolla, his hopes for a “group of institutions divided into small colleges—somewhat on the Oxford type.” Ellen Browning Scripps becomes one of the founders of a new corporation, named The Claremont Colleges. Indigenous Peoples The first..Read More

1926

Ellen Browning Scripps endows a college for women as the first element in a coordinated system of affiliated colleges and graduate schools surrounding Pomona. The College was to offer to women an education designed to “train her for the fullest and richest life that she herself may have, as well..Read More

1927

Ernest J. Jaqua, for whom Jaqua Quadrangle is named, is elected the first president of Scripps. Jaqua recruits an initial faculty dominated by men, even though women trustees had requested that one-half of the faculty be female. In the fall, Scripps College opens. The College consists of three small cottages:..Read More

1928

In fall, Grace Scripps Clark Hall is completed. It is the joint gift of Grace Scripps Clark and Ellen Browning Scripps, in memory of James E. Scripps, founder and editor of the Detroit Evening News and father and brother of the donors. The building features a high-ceilinged baronial dining room,..Read More

1929

Designed by architect Sumner Hunt of Los Angeles, Janet Jacks Balch Hall is completed in fall and becomes the primary academic facility. The building is a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch of Los Angeles, and named in honor of trustee Janet Jacks Balch. Today Balch Hall is..Read More

1930

In fall, Susan Miller Dorsey Hall is ready for occupancy, and remains the youngest residence hall at Scripps for thirty years. Financed almost entirely by women, the hall is named for Mrs. Dorsey, who was the first woman superintendent of schools in Los Angeles and one of the first trustees..Read More

1931

In June, the first class graduates from Scripps College on Bowling Green.

1933

The first swimming pool and units of the field house are completed at Alumnae Park (an area that eventually became part of Harvey Mudd College campus). Alumnae Park is dedicated to the honorary alumnae from the early years of the College before there was a true alumnae association. The Association..Read More

1934

Mrs. Charles Stinchfield and a bequest from Mrs. Eldridge M. Fowler funds the donation of the Oratory, which features selections from Mrs. Fowler’s collection of antique Italian furniture and fine textiles. This Oratory later becomes a key part of Margaret Fowler Garden. Architect Gordon Kaufmann designs Margaret Fowler Garden, an..Read More

1935

Mrs. Florence Rand Lang makes an initial gift that will eventually become the anchor for the south campus. The original Lang Art Building begins as two studios, though the design for the complete two-story structure is sketched by Professor of Art Millard Sheets, then drawn into a viable plan by..Read More

1936

In the summer, the central quadrangle is grassed, primarily due to the energy of two Grace Scripps Clark Hall residents from the class of 1936: Cynthia Criley Williams and Helen Ely Brill. In their sophomore year, the two women began an adamant “Grass Before We Graduate” campaign. For two years,..Read More

1938

March 2, a flood occurs in Claremont, causing about $7,000 of damage to Toll and Clark Halls. Residents took refuge in Browning and Dorsey Halls, which are unaffected. Soon after, the famous floodwalls are erected to prevent further water damage. Today the students joke the walls keep the “mudd” out,..Read More

1939

The President’s House is built, following Gordon Kaufmann’s design. The first six presidents of Scripps resided in this structure during their respective tenures. The 16 American elms that comprise Elm Tree Lawn and flank the walkway between the President’s House and Balch Auditorium are planted. Mrs. Denison donates the 21..Read More

1941

The Scripps College Press is a gift from the class of 1941 and begins printing that year. Frederic W. Goudy, one of the most prominent type designers of his era, designs a special font for the press: Scripps College Old Style. The press runs until 1971 and is revitalized in..Read More

1942

With American involvement in World War II, the search for a new president of Scripps is temporarily halted and an interim female president is appointed: Mary Kimberly Shirk. Shirk, who was asked by the Board to “serve for a month or two,” remains in the position until the War concludes.

1944

Distinguished Shakespearean scholar Frederick Hard is named Scripps’ new president. Hard serves the College for a period of 20 years, the longest tenure of any Scripps president.

1946

Alfredo Ramos Martinez, the “Father of the Mexican Mural Movement of the 20th Century,” is commissioned to create the Margaret Fowler Garden, “The Flower Vendors.” The entire composition is sketched on the plaster wall, which is over 100 feet long, and begins work on several panels. He falls ill and passes..Read More