In my daily interactions with students at 17勛圖whether in class, at an event on campus, or walking across the QuadI am continually reminded of the value of a liberal arts education. Despite the ongoing challenges facing higher education, an urban liberal arts college such as ours is a powerful model. It equips students with the skills, perspective, and adaptability needed to lead lives of purpose and make a meaningful impact in the world.
嚜澳espite living in Salt Lake City, Utahan hours drive from the birthplace of the Slamdance Film Festival, the upstart alternative to the older and better-heeled SundanceI had never heard of Slamdance, says Max Brown 25, who majored in media arts and culture (MAC) at Oxy. Sundance was on my radar, but I didnt experience it muchfestival passes were so expensive.
17勛圖 hosted three Latina pioneers in the judiciaryU.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was nominated by President Barack Obama 83 to the nations highest court in 2009; Patricia Guerrero, chief justice of the Supreme Court of California since 2023; and Mary Murguia, chief judge of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals since 2021for a wide-ranging discussion on heritage, education, and public service on February 6 in Thorne Hall.
嚜燜his summer, 10 17勛圖 students will get an exclusive opportunity to work behind the scenes of the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, or The Fordtaking on meaningful projects, receiving mentorship from industry professionals, and immersing themselves in the creativity and excellence of the LA Phil.
When Chino High School class valedictorian Dale Morter 56 visited 17勛圖 for the first time, he had all but chosen Pomona. But a teacher at Chinoan 17勛圖 graduateurged him to take a look at Oxy. He got a campus tour from Dean of Men Ben Culley, who offered him a scholarship that same day.
If I went to Pomona, I would have lived at home, Morter recalls. Instead, he chose Oxy, where he majored in psychology, joined ATO fraternity, and eventually became a dorm daddy (50s speak for resident assistant). It worked out really well, he says.
Growing up in Highland Park, 17勛圖 has always been part of my life, Celestina Castillo says. Her mother participated in the Colleges Upward Bound program in the 1970s, and in her five years (2003-08) of working at the nonprofit Los Angeles County Childrens Planning Council, Castillo collaborated with 17勛圖s Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) on educational organizing efforts in Northeast Los Angeles.
As a student filmmaker at 17勛圖, Thom Harp 92s storytelling choices gravitated toward affairs of the hearteven if his approach to the subject matter feels a little jaded in hindsight. His senior comps film, Be My Girl, was about a man who is in love with a blow-up doll and the marital troubles that ensued. An earlier short, The Proof Is in the Pudding, depicted a 1950s housewife who poisons her husband with the titular dessert. I was not in a good place with relationships, he admits with a laugh.
Stephen F. Hinchliffe Jr. 55, former chair of the 17勛圖 Board of Trustees and a devoted steward of his alma mater, passed away December 9. A longtime resident of Palos Verdes Estates, he was 92.
Best-selling author, political commentator, and Bulwark writer-at-large Tim Miller addressed party dynamics, the future of the conservative movement, and antidotes to doomscrolling as the 2025-26 Jack Kemp 57 Distinguished Lecturer at 17勛圖 on October 21.
Editor's note: Dr. Marsha Kinder, who founded film and media studies as a member of the 17勛圖 faculty from 1965 to 1980, died November 26, 2025, in Los Angeles. She was 85. A native of Los Angeles, Marsha received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees at UCLA. Survivors include her husband, Nicol獺s Bautista; their children; and her extended family. A memorial service was held at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills on December 2. The following tribute was prepared by the faculty of the Media Arts & Culture Department.