Occidental College selects Tom Stritikus as 17th president

“I am honored to have been selected to lead Occidental, an institution that defines excellence, equity and service,” Stritikus said. “I look forward to collaborating with world-class faculty and staff to engage the Los Angeles community and help students realize the full potential of an immersive liberal arts education.”

A graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of California, Berkeley, Stritikus has more than three decades of experience in higher education leadership roles. He has served as the dean of the University of Washington’s College of Education, where he was ranked the sixth-best program in the nation according to US News & World Report. He was also the deputy director of education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he worked with developing funding plans to improve outcomes for low-income students and youth of color nationwide.

At Fort Lewis College, Stritikus has overseen record increases in fundraising and more than doubled the college’s cash endowment. He has also led the college as it embraced its role as a Native American-serving institution, which included engaging with Tribal Nations as partners and reckoning with the college’s complicated history as a former Native American boarding school.

“Dr. Stritikus’ demonstrated success in creating an inclusive campus environment, bolstering experiential learning, accelerating financial support for the mission and programs at Fort Lewis and being a consistent advocate for students, faculty, and academic excellence speak well to the alignment of his skills and experience with the needs and opportunities in the Occidental community,” said Lisa Link, chair of Occidental’s Board of Trustees.

As president of Occidental, Stritikus will focus on implementing the Occidental Promise, the college’s strategic plan, which focuses on providing students with an urban liberal arts experience grounded in the values of academic excellence, equity, and justice.

“The ability for our students to apply what they’re learning to issues in Los Angeles -- one of the nation’s most dynamic and important cities -- is a huge opportunity to show the world the value of a liberal arts education,” Stritikus said.

The original version of this story was written by an AI system and then edited and reviewed by editor Robert Fulton before publication. The Eastsider is experimenting with artificial intelligence to help produce more content about the greater Los Angeles area that is relevant to Eastside residents.