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President's Report
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President David W. Oxtoby
David W. Oxtoby became the ninth president of Pomona
College on July 1, 2003. An internationally noted
chemist, he previously served as dean of physical
sciences at the University of Chicago. At Pomona, he
holds a coterminous appointment as president and
professor of chemistry.
Under President Oxtoby's leadership, the College
has adopted a new General Education curriculum,
completed three major academic buildings, and is in
the midst of a strategic
planning process to guide the College through the
coming decade.
Before coming to Pomona, he was associated with the
University of Chicago for nearly three decades, with
brief interludes to serve as a visiting professor at
such places as the University of Paris; the University
of Bristol in Great Britain; and the University of
Sydney in Australia.
As a research chemist, he is author or co-author of
more than 165 scientific articles on such subjects as
light scattering, chemical reaction dynamics and phase
transitions. He has been invited as a guest lecturer
at conferences and institutions around the globe. He
also co-authored two popular textbooks in chemistry,
one of which is in use in Pomona College classrooms,
and he has received fellowships from the Guggenheim,
von Humboldt, Dreyfus, Sloan, Danforth and National
Science foundations.
President Oxtoby is a fellow of the American Physical
Society and the American Association for the
Advancement of Science and a member of the American Chemical Society.
After earning his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude,
from Harvard University, he went on to earn his Ph.D.
on the opposite coast, at the University of
California, Berkeley.
President Oxtoby and his wife, Claire, are the parents
of three children, Mary Christina, John and Laura. |
In The News
President Oxtoby calls for
an informed and dispassionate debate regarding the legal drinking age in this USA Today op-ed.
President Oxtoby is quoted in this New York Times article on the green efforts of universities.
In
his Commencement charge, President Oxtoby
implores students to look to the past as well as the future.
Pomona President Oxtoby and Treasurer Carlene Miller appear on CNBC.
President's Welcome
The Gates of Pomona College were built in 1914. Since
that time, the College has grown, so that today they stand
not at the edge of the campus, but near its center. The same
could be said for the two inscriptions upon those ceremonial
gates. The words of Pomona's fourth president, James A. Blaisdell,
seem to have been engraved not merely into stone, but into
the very heart of the College.
The inscription on the north side of the gates -- Let only
the eager, thoughtful, and reverent enter here -- speaks
eloquently to newcomers about the special qualities expected
of them as they join this community of scholars. The faculty
and students who make up this diverse community share an
eagerness to learn, a thoughtfulness about what they learn
and a deep reverence for the truth.
The inscription on the south side of the gates --
They only
are loyal to this college who, departing, bear their riches
in trust for mankind -- speaks with equal clarity to
departing graduates about the meaning of a Pomona education.
The College exists, the gates remind us, not only to enrich
the lives of its students, but also to empower them to make
a difference.
 Both
inscriptions are still as relevant today as they were the
day they were carved. They speak to all of us here --
newcomers and old hands alike -- reminding us that we are
all part of a timeless enterprise, one that is passed down
from generation to generation, changing to meet new times
while remaining ever true to its origins.
Here at the Pomona College Website, you will find much more
detailed information about the people, programs and events
that make up the fabric of this place. If you are new here,
I offer you a warm welcome; we hope you will take time to
learn more about what makes Pomona special. If you are
already a member of the Pomona College family, I will say,
simply: Welcome home.
--David W. Oxtoby
President of Pomona College
President Oxtoby's Past Speeches
Pomona College Magazine articles - Spring 2003
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