Frederick M. “Fritz” Weis became interim president of Scripps College effective July 1, 2007, as a national search was underway for its next president. Shortly after the search concluded in March 2009, the Board of Trustees voted to elevate his position to full president, making him the seventh president in the history of Scripps College.
In announcing the appointment, Board of Trustees chair Roxanne Wilson noted, “Fritz brings to Scripps a lifetime of experience and commitment to higher education and The Claremont Colleges. His professional background in financial management, college administration and teaching, combined with outstanding personal qualities, make him the ideal steward of the Scripps presidency.”
Weis’ appointment continued a 26-year career in administrative and faculty positions at The Claremont Colleges. He served as director of financial and business affairs and treasurer of Scripps College for two years in the early 1980s, developing and managing the annual budget and major residential hall renovation program; in addition, he taught the College’s first accounting class. He has also lectured at Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University, was vice president and treasurer of Claremont McKenna College, and was executive practitioner in residence at Claremont McKenna, teaching undergraduate courses in accounting and finance.
He has three degrees from Claremont: an MBA in management and finance and an MA in higher education from Claremont Graduate School, and a BA in business economics from Claremont McKenna College. Weis is quick to boast that every member of his immediate family has graduated from one of The Claremont Colleges; his wife, Mary Fraser Weis, is a Scripps alumna.
“The importance of a liberal arts education is paramount to us,” he said. “Scripps women espouse the importance of the interdisciplinary approach to the curriculum and the role of the Core in their lives.”