Welcome to the 2024–25 academic year! I hope you all had a wonderful summer.
I look forward to seeing our returning students, faculty, and staff this fall, and to welcoming the newest members of the Scripps family! I enjoyed meeting our first-year and transfer students and families last week. Their enthusiasm is inspiring, and I look forward to their participation and contributions throughout the year.
Much has happened in the last few months, and I’m delighted to share the following recent College news, updates, and announcements:
Campus News
Community Lunch
I encourage you to participate in Scripps’ fall Community Lunch, where we come together to welcome new faculty and staff and celebrate the beginning of a new academic year. This year’s lunch will be held on Tuesday, September 3 on Elm Tree Lawn. Please check your email for an invitation.
The Nucleus
I am overjoyed to announce the opening of The Nucleus! It is such a thrill to see our faculty and students using the new, state-of-the-art science center which embodies Scripps and Pitzer Colleges’ commitment to interdisciplinary undergraduate science education, research, and the pursuit of knowledge that benefits society. The new building will physically connect the two campuses, unite faculty and students across science disciplines under one roof, and house a vibrant Department of Natural Sciences where diverse scholars learn, inquire, and discover together.
Scripps Access Initiative
The Scripps Access Initiative is expanding financial aid to provide the transformative opportunity of a Scripps education for all admitted students—especially those with the greatest need. We continue to fundraise toward our original $15 million goal, and to date, the Scripps family has responded with $4 million* in gifts and pledges! I am pleased to announce that The Seaver Institute, a longtime, generous supporter of Scripps College, has committed $1 million to endowed scholarships and challenged the Scripps community to match their gift. I am grateful to all who have made generous commitments to ensure the College remains on pace to meet its centennial fundraising target.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Initiative (IDEA)
I encourage you to engage with the College’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) efforts, such as student and faculty fellowships, Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) programming, and IDEA Initiative partnerships. Please read the 2024 Report to learn more about last year’s initiatives.
Opportunities to connect and learn this fall include a September 23 Community Gathering hosted by Business Affairs and the September 26 ConverAction panel, in collaboration with Scripps Presents, a discussion on voting with Professor Vanessa Tyson and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan.
College Events
The campus is buzzing with exhibitions and events, and I encourage you to attend one or all, including the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery’s fall exhibition, Evolving Ideas: The Ceramics of Ruenell Foy Temps, now through September 15. The programming theme for the Humanities Institute, led by Yuval Avnur, professor of philosophy and director of the institute, is “Can We Escape the Echo Chamber?” The Clark Humanities Museum exhibits will include The Mizrahi Jews: 3,000+ Years of Jewish Culture in the Middle East, and Freedom Time: Art for Abolition. Additional information about College events can be found on the events calendar.
Scripps Presents recently launched its fall 2024 season of newsmakers, artists, and exhilarating performances. This season explores politics, climate initiatives, sports and wellness, and more. Remember to bring your lunch and join an @Noon series event in the Hampton Room, and spend an evening on Bowling Green for a live concert this Thursday.
Centennial Celebration
Scripps College will soon celebrate its centennial anniversary! I would like to thank Trustees and alums Suzanne Ely Muchnic ’62 and Emily Rankin ’97 who will serve as co-chairs of the Centennial Ambassadors Council, and Vice Presidents Binti Harvey and Denise Nelson Nash, who will lead the College’s planning process as co-chairs of the Centennial Planning Committee. These leaders will work with Scripps faculty, students, staff, alums, and families to ensure broad visibility, engagement, and impact as we commemorate the College’s 100th birthday. The festivities will officially begin in the 2026-27 academic year to coincide with the matriculation of the first class of Scripps graduates in 1926, and preparations are underway for a yearlong series of marquee programs, exhibits, performances, gatherings, and other opportunities.
We invite all constituents to share ideas for honorees, speakers, merchandise, and more by visiting the Centennial Celebration webpage and using the submission form. Bookmark this page for future updates as 2026 approaches.
Scripps Principles of Community
We begin this academic year amidst national and global conversations about equity, justice, and opportunity, the expectations we have of our world leaders, and our individual and collective obligation to uphold human rights and dignity. These are important issues that should be the subject of inquiry and dialogue on college campuses, and I believe that as a women’s liberal arts college, Scripps is uniquely positioned to address these complex issues critically, compassionately, and with a tolerance for conflicting perspectives.
As we engage in these crucial discourses, I hope we will affirm our collective commitment and obligation to uphold Scripps College’s Principles of Community in all aspects of our lives together. Please visit the Freedom of Expression Resources page to familiarize yourself with the policies, laws, and guiding principles that facilitate freedom of speech, assembly, and protest on campus. Additional information on policies governing campus demonstrations and other activities is forthcoming from the Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, and Associate Vice President of Human Resources.
I would like to close this letter with a quote from our Principles of Community, which asserts our shared values and responsibilities to one another. “Scripps seeks to secure, through its academic and community policies and practices, through its actions and the services it provides to students, faculty, and staff, the widest appreciation for all groups and individuals; to combat discrimination and misunderstanding; and to forge a better and more just society.”
I wish you all an enjoyable fall semester of courage, confidence, and hope.
Incipit Vita Nova,
Amy Marcus-Newhall
President
*An earlier version of this letter reported the total amount of scholarship aid raised to be $5 million. This has since been corrected.